Tangren, a Bountiful resident, simultaneously serves as a service missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and an ambassador for Salt Lake City.
He drives a van between the airport and Temple Square shuttling travelers who have a layover in Salt Lake City, but don't want to spend their time sitting in the airport.
Tangren shared some of his experiences with the Bountiful Breakfast Exchange Club last week at the Cottontree Inn here.
Tangren is a retired Air Force auditor, who then worked for the Utah Auditor's Office. He and his wife served an LDS mission to Nauvoo and Tangren is now serving a solo mission, a mission which not only serves the church, but promotes Utah as well.
"I've driven guests from around the world," Tangren said, "and the thing that's so overwhelming to me is the gratitude people express for getting them out of the airport." He's frequently offered tips, which he declines.
Tangren now drives only one or two days a week. Fifteen couples share the duty, most of them married couples.
When on duty he makes the round trip between the airport and Temple Square every hour between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., picking up travelers at a designated location at the airport, driving them to Temple Square, where guides take them on a 20-minute tour.
Once the tour is over they may wait for Tangren to return or explore the city on their own. They are told where to meet Tangren to return to the airport.
The mission is a different one than many people think of. "I don't preach to anyone. I don't pass out tracts." Instead, he tells a little bit about the history of the valley, points out the State Capitol and the state Fairgrounds and offers them ideas for places to eat while they're in the city. Or he talks about whatever the visitor would like to discuss. On one recent trip he joined in singing children's songs with a couple's two children who wanted to sing. "I see myself as a friendship missionary," he said.
If the visitor is from a foreign country and needs a translator, Tangren radios ahead and a guide who can speak the language is there to help. A few months ago, Tangren picked up a traveler from Russia. He called Temple Square and asked if anyone was available who could speak Russian. The guide that answered said, "I can," and she met them when they arrived.
He said on one trip, he picked up four people from Mexico and five from China. "It was a very quiet trip."
He told the story of picking up a young woman who was carrying a heavy bag. She told him she had always wanted to see Temple Square. When they reached Temple Square, she asked Tangren if here were any ATMs nearby. He replied "no," and she explained she'd just flown in from Mexico and didn't have enough money to even buy a cup of coffee. "I told her I have a $5 bill in my pocket, and it belongs to you." He said he persuaded her to take it, and some time later he received a letter with a $10 bill enclosed, with a note which read, "give this to some other dumb blonde."
He said he's often had people tell them how friendly Utahns are. He explains to them, "We believe we're all brothers and sister of our Heavenly Father and we try to treat everybody that way."
mwilliams@davisclipper.com
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