NORTH LOGAN, Utah- Beginning in September, Trace Skeen of North Logan, along with the help of his wife and family, set out to paint 50 American flags on 50 different barns in Cache Valley — without charging the barn-owners a penny.
Not because anyone asked him to, merely because he wanted to.
“I just felt like I needed to pay back to my country,” said Skeen, standing in front of his most recent creation in Cove Monday morning. “... It’s been very good to me — to feel like I’m at least doing something to increase patriotism, leading up to America250.”
Skeen didn’t go without help Monday morning, as his wife, MaryAnn, his grand-daughter and several local children aided the effort by making handprint-stars and helping with touch-up work.
Born into an agriculturally-focused family in Nyssa, Oregon, Skeen’s connection to agriculture waned for a period of his life, but sharply returned when he moved to Utah years ago, especially the stories told by barns still standing after years of use.
“My wife says I’m a romantic about it,” Skeen said with a grin. “I look at these old barns and I just think of their history, and what life was like when this barn was first built. I couldn’t wait to get off the farm when I was young, and now I’ve recreated the barn yard in my yard.”
Skeen and Co’s barn-painting-brigade is not the only example of the family’s tendency to give back to others.
After retiring from his profession in EMS, where he primarily assisted second- and third-world countries to set up emergency response systems, Skeen and his family founded the Skeen Family Cambodia Project Fund, which installs latrines in Cambodian villages.
“They have nothing,” MaryAnn Skeen said, referencing sanitation facilities in Cambodia. “There’s nowhere to go. Having this little private structure changes the village, so that is very, very rewarding.”
Accustomed to living in “the land of the free and the home of the brave,” the Skeens continue to make it a mission to take their family and friends to Cambodia, with hopes of them building latrines and learning something about a culture far different from that of the United States of America.
The Skeens’ 9-year-old grandson recently made an observation of such differences.
“We land in Phnom Penh (Cambodia’s capital), get in a tuk tuk (a three-wheeled vehicle often used for public transportation in Cambodia) … and five minutes in, he says, ‘I’m a spoiled brat,’” MaryAnn Skeen recalled. “He immediately could see the (difference). … It’s the best education that could be given to a young person.”
Lessons in humility, empathy, gratitude and selflessness are all taught by Trace and MaryAnn Skeen, both in Cambodia and in their home country.
“I think it’s absolutely paramount that we never lose our gratitude for the blessings we have in our life,” Skeen said.
The gratitude felt by the Skeen family will be on full display this Fourth of July, as the family conducts its annual Fourth of July celebration. As is their tradition, the Skeen family’s celebration includes; a kickoff on July 3, complete with hot dogs and hamburgers; a climax on July 4, boasting an all-day, volleyball-filled, three-meal celebration; and concludes on July 5 — also MaryAnn Skeen’s birthday — when the family will watch Jon Erwin’s “Young Washington,” which hits the big screen on Friday.
“I couldn’t be happier, seeing how much fun they’re having, the connection and their sportsmanship, overall,” Trace Skeen said of the upcoming volleyball match. “There’s a lot to be thankful for in this country … and we need to look for it.”
Though Trace Skeen will be heading to Oregon for some time, following the Fourth of July, those interested in his American flag-painting adventure are welcome to contact him at 435-938-1586.