Winning Spirit Magazine March-April 2015 | Page 9

LONGTIME UTAH JAZZ USHER LEAVES A LASTING IMPRESSION WINNING SPIRIT IN ACTION: WALLY PRICE In 1991, Wally Price sent a letter to Larry H. Miller seeking a job as an usher at the new arena being built in downtown Salt Lake City. With eight years of experience as a ticket-taker at the Salt Palace, he landed a position which blossomed into a 30year love affair with the Utah Jazz before his passing in January at the age of 99. Price was a fixture at Jazz games, greeting players from Thurl Bailey to Gordon Hayward, and was known for warm smiles, friendly greetings, and his enduring service and dedication. “When you talk about genuine people, I just don’t think they get any more genuine than Wally was,” said Bailey, now a Jazz broadcaster. “He just had a pure love for people.” Price worked nearly 1,400 games over three decades, but he rarely watched the action as his job positioned him along the Arena walkways and concourses. However, he made one very memorable appearance on court in 2014 when he danced at EnergySolutions Arena. Escorted on each side by a Jazz dancer, Price pushed his walker to center court and joined his fellow ushers in a dance routine to the pop song “Happy.” The crowd roared when he took his hands off the walker and shimmied to the music as public address announcer Dan Roberts exclaimed “Wally, by golly!” “Through that job most knew Wally as the old man who gave hugs, danced with the Jazz dancers, and single handedly made sure that every couple in Utah held hands,” said the Price family in his obituary. “Thank you to the Miller family for allowing him to continue that work right up to the end. Wally was loved and will be missed by all who knew him.” In tribute, an empty chair at “Wally’s Wall” usher station was set up at a Jazz game with players from both teams writing condolence messages in a book. Throughout the arena, the guest services staff wore white boutonnieres with Jazz-colored ribbons. More than 40 members of his family attended the game and witnessed a musical photo montage remembrance of Price, who was survived by 19 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, eight great-greatgrandchildren, and one great-great-great grandchild. Born in 1915 in Salt Lake City, Price was married for 60 years to his wife Marian. He was a veteran who served in Germany on the railroads, helping to get supplies to troops during World War II. Defined by his hard work, he had a 32-year career with the U.S. Postal Service, and often had a second job. He was admired for his beautifully kept yard, from the green grass to the colorful array of flowers. His birthday parties were infamous as he marveled at the gathering of six generations. Price was definitely a people person and became friends with everyone he welcomed. Players often sought him out to shake hands before a game. “They never, ever missed saying hi to Wally. He made them say hello, you know what I mean?” Roberts said. “He was so full of love, they couldn’t walk by him without checking up on him and seeing how he was doing. He was pure gold.” Although he will be greatly missed, the spirit of Wally Price lives on in the building and the Jazz family. TOP: Jazz legends, Karl Malone and John Stockton, were welcomed to the court for the entirety of their long careers by usher Wally Price. CENTER: The note that would blossom into a 30-year love affair with the Utah Jazz. LEFT: An empty chair and condolence book pay homage to the place affectionately referred to as “Wally Wall” at EnergySolutions Arena.