More Info.
The info below was for 2023. Please check back for 2024.
Information about our Kirkin' o' the Tartan Pastor, Our Chieftain, and
Jordan Hinkley
Jordan Hinkley is our Pastor for the Kirkin o' the Tartan.
Jordan Hinckley has been fascinated with the religions of the world from an early age. He has studied many of the faith traditions of the world and was licensed as a Spiritual Practitioner with the Centers for Spiritual Living at the age of 22. He was ordained as a Minister with Universal Life Church in 2007 and has continued his academic focus on cultural anthropology with this in mind. As a Humanist, Jordan believes that we can all do better if we work individually and together towards making the world a better place.
Chieftain Michael McIntyre
My name is Michael McIntyre. I have been happily married to my wife, Sherri, for nearly thirty years and
together we have raised three wonderful children. I have always been interested in my Scottish heritage
and included it as part of our wedding ceremony by presenting my wife with her own MacIntyre Tartan
sash which she insisted on wearing over the top of her beautiful white dress for pictures and the
reception. Welcoming my wife to our clan was a very touching part of the ceremony and something that
brought tears to the eyes of my grandpa, who was normally a rather lighthearted and jovial man.
I have been a life member of both the Utah Scottish Association and Clan MacIntyre Association for
about 20 years. My wife and I attended our first Scottish festival just a few days after returning from our
honeymoon and were surprised to not see MacIntyres represented in the march of the clans or the row
of clan tents. In pursuing the reason behind this discrepancy, we were named as official Utah
Representatives of Clan MacIntyre Association and hosted our first MacIntyre Clan booth just a year later
with an eight-foot screen tent, a single table, a tartan tie, a single book of Scottish names, and our first
daughter who was barely two months old. Since then, we have increased the size of our booth and
display considerably, but we remain true to what we really enjoy – welcoming the public and helping
people to find their own Scottish heritage.
During those first few years, I was invited to serve on the board for the Utah Scottish Association as a
general board member and then as Vice President and Chairman of the Games committee. During my
time in charge of the festival in Salt Lake City, I put my MacIntyre (Son of the Carpenter) blood to good
use and built a massive modular stage with the help of Jeff Mann and Joe Fergusson.
A five-year relocation for employment to Reno, Nevada brought an end to my tenure on the USA board
but did not change my determination to get involved more with my roots. When I brought my family
back to Utah, we picked right back up hosting clan tents at the Salt Lake Festival, which we have
enjoyed for so many years. We also try to represent our clan at as many of the other Utah festivals as
we are able.
Instead of rejoining the Utah Scottish Association board after getting settled back in this state, I turned
my attention to my own family and more distant relatives through Clan MacIntyre Association, of which
I was also already a life member. After lurking on the fringes of the association for a while, I petitioned
to join the Council and was voted in at the next annual meeting. I am currently serving on that council as
Vice President of Programs. I truly enjoy the camaraderie of the association and the council. I have
already made lifelong friends through serving alongside these wonderful people and look forward to
helping the organization grow.
I am currently employed working nights as a CNC machinist and team leader for a medical
manufacturing firm in Smithfield, Utah. Everything we produce in our facility is either a tool or an
implant used for reconstructive surgeries on the knee, hip, shoulder, or spine. Because this was a night
job, I started attending Utah State University in pursuit of a Mechanical Engineering degree. This plan
took a major detour when I was handpicked by my billiards instructor there to take over his position. I
have now been teaching at Utah State for a dozen years, with nearly two hundred students and more
than a dozen classes of billiards each semester. Both of these jobs are very rewarding and allow me to
exercise my ability to teach and explain skills.
I am honored to be recognized as the Honorary Chieftain of the Utah Scottish Festival and Highland Games.
Diane Scott
Diane Scott was serving as treasurer for the Utah Scottish Association when she unexpectedly passed away.
She had served tirelessly for several years performing more duties than just that of Treasurer. Her favorite
event at Scottish Festivals was the Massed Bands. We are pleased to name the Diane Scott Commemorative
Massed Bands in her honor.
For those of you who didn’t have the opportunity to meet her, here is what some of her fellow Board
Members past and present have to say:
Diane Scott was one of the quietly awesome people of the world...no fanfare, no blowing her own horn. Just getting
what needed to be done, done and done well. She was a loving wife and mother, devoted daughter and sister and a
loyal friend to everyone that needed a friend. From the moment I met her, she was there when I needed her and
sometimes before I knew I needed her! When we lost her, a hole that will never truly be filled opened up. Those of us
here at the Utah Scottish Association will forever miss her and cherish our memories of her. She was such an inspiration to us all. She was supportive and encouraging. She was seemingly tireless in her dedication to our Association and its
members and its mission. She was one of my favorite people in the world. She was funny, with a witty sense of humor.
When we needed cheering up, she would have us all smiling and laughing in no time. One of my favorite quotes sums up
how I have dealt with the loss of one of my favorite people: My mind still talks to you and my heart still looks for you.
But my soul knows you are at peace." We love you and we miss you, Diane!
Mary McLarty
Many years ago, after helping set up the Scottish Festival, Dan and Tammi Hill introduced us to Diane Scott. In the first
five sentences that her ever spoke to me she told me she nominated me to be on the board for the Utah Scottish
Association. A couple of months later we were taking the oath for the Scottish Association. We were surprised the oath was “I will do whatever Diane Scott tells me to do.” Diane was a tour de force. A walking contradiction. She was strong-willed and kind. Strong as a bull and as kind as a mother embrace. I miss her at every Burns supper, Tartan ball but most of all at the festival.
Jared Hunt
Diane Scott was one of the most infectious personalities on the Scottish Association board. She had the ability to make everyone feel included and that they were part of something bigger. I will always remember the smile on her face when she walked up to me with a baby kilt for my new child. The love in her eyes as she shared her Scottish heritage with a
new generation was amazing. She was kind and always had a smile on her face. I still cannot attend a festival without
the great memories flooding back. She is dearly missed.
Rob Severinsen
Diane has a kind heart and a fantastic sense of humor. She continually surprised me with the amount of love,
friendship, and understanding she shared with those around her. When needed, she was a mother bear fiercely protecting those she loved from others or their own self-doubts. Thank you, Diane, for always
believing in me and for showing me what it truly means to be a strong woman.
Amanda Black
Diane was always such a friendly face, a welcoming smile and made everyone feel like family. She was open
and honest and said what she was thinking. I went to her house on several occasions to drop off dance registration details and pick up checks and cash for
the competition. We always had a good visit and a catchup. Diane treated me like a dear friend and I will always remember her with much affection. Diane is dearly
missed.
Heather Overright
Diane was an amazing individual and good friend. Because of her is why I am involved with and on the Utah Scottish
Association Board. She contributed to so much to the Utah Scottish Association and the Board with her always had a
"can do and will do" attitude for whatever was needed within the Association. Even though I did not know her as long
as most on the Board and in the Association have known her, I felt I had known her for a long time. She is greatly missed to say the least, and there are no words that can truly express how much, and how much she meant to me as well as to others on the Board.
Connie Carlson
One thing that always struck me about Diane was her absolute love and joy in the Scottish Association. She was an
untiring ambassador for every event. She came across so warm and genuine that you couldn't help but not only love her
but you also couldn't help taking an interest in anything she was enthusiastic about.
Tammi Hill
Diane was amazing. I was stepping into a new role in the Utah Scottish Association when I met her. She
immediately became indispensable as a colleague and as a friend. She more than made up for all my short
comings. She was bold and friendly, supportive and willing to help in any way. She was the best of us. I am
honored that I got to know her and call her a dear friend. Our Scottish family has not been the same. I miss our
talks, her candor and frankness, her passion for her family and her heritage. I was blessed to have her in my
life.
Brooke Montgomery