suu in view spring 2014

S U U A L U M N I M A G A Z I N E S P R I N G 2 0 1 4 1

THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY • SPRING 2014

A NEW STARTPresident Scott L Wyatt

takes the reins

2I N V I E W

visit suu.edu/alumni/homecoming for details

Spring semester opened on campus with a definite

feeling of new beginnings when the University

welcomed a new president and simultaneously

marked a successful end to the $100 million The Future

is Rising fundraising campaign.

In addition to generating unprecedented financial

support, The Future Is Rising campaign has helped us

reconnect with many of our loyal alumni and friends.

Your commitment to your alma mater has inspired us.

We are eager to get to work as we move forward with

a refined focus on the many ways we can impact our

students and alumni for good.

To that end, SUU's new president, Scott L Wyatt, has

opened a 100-day Listening Tour, to identify the people

and ideas that will continue to progress the Thunderbird

agenda. We move into this next era with confidence in

our purpose and pride in the many people whose daily

successes continue to define the great value of an SUU

education. We thank you for your loyalty and support as

we step into the future.

Digging into a new era


4I N V I E W

REGULAR FEATURESSoaring Higher . . . . . . . . . 28-29Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30-31Class Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-33 Alumni Photos and News

University Headlines . . . . . . . . 34We Will Remember . . . . . . . . . 35Last Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

FOUNDERS' DREAMS, TODAY'S REAL ITY

Making a Difference PAGES 24-25

Dressing for Gold PAGES 14-17 T-Bird Alumna Outfits U.S. Olympians

From Classroom to Battlefield PAGES 8-10SUU Alumni in WWII

Ann Romney to Headline Commencement PAGE 13

President Scott Wyatt PAGES 4-7SUU's 16th Leader takes Helm


The Campaign for SUU PAGES 20-27

Goal exceeded as fundraising effort comes to a close

SUU in View is created twice a year, in the

fall and spring. Past editions can be found

online at www.suu.edu/alumni/magazine.

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Cedar City, UT 84720

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email: [email protected]

web: www.suu.edu/alumni

Executive Director Mindy Benson

Production AssistantRon Cardon

Layout & Photography SUU Publications

Contributing WritersLarry BakerJennifer BurtAmy McIffJessica McIntyre

The staff of the offices of Alumni Relations and University Advancement

The Southern Utah University Alumni Association supports and celebrates the University by fostering a lifelong spirit of loyalty, service and fellowship among alumni, faculty, students and friends of SUU.

Branch Normal School class

of 1902 parade

S O U T H E R N U T A H U N I V E R S I T Y

ALUMNIRELATIONS


ALUMNIRELATIONS

IRON COUNTY CHAPTER

S A L T L A K E C H A P T E R

EditorJennifer Burt

Creative Director Derek Payne


6I N V I E W

President Wyatt on stage at the Campus Forum


As a boy, Scott Wyatt thought his father was a genius.

Child to a rocket scientist (literally) and college professor, he

remembers a dad who eagerly returned to his research and

writing most nights after the family’s dinner. Even in his free

time — of which there was little — Dr. Clair L. Wyatt was

anxiously engaged, rebuilding a World War II-era Willys Jeep

alongside his son in the family’s garage, with nothing but the

original owner’s manual and a floor full of old parts.

As he grew, however, the young law student began to see his

father’s genius less as prototype and more as good, old-fashioned

hard work. It was a realization that has fundamentally shaped

Scott’s approach to career and, indeed, life.

In what some may call a meteoric rise in higher education,

Wyatt left an auspicious career as Cache County prosecutor and

two-term legislative representative for Cache County, Utah, to

become president of Snow College. He quickly made his mark,

leading Snow to a 40-percent increase in enrollment. Under

his tenure, Snow earned rank among the top 10 junior colleges

in the country, completed the most successful fundraising

campaign in the college’s history, and opened its first four-year

degree program.

Though some may consider his time at Snow as the beginning

of Wyatt’s career in education, he says everything that had come

before was simply his pathway back to college, explaining, “I

started my university studies wanting to spend my life in law

and politics; I left with a complete, 100-percent focus on finding

my way back into higher education.”

Be it his upbringing on a college campus, his time as an

undergraduate student body president and student member of

the Utah State Board of Regents, or simply the innate satisfaction

in learning something new, the further along in his law studies

Wyatt advanced, the more he found he preferred the campus to

the courtroom. He began studying educational leadership while

continuing work toward a law degree and, upon graduation,

immediately started looking for opportunities to remain involved

in higher education.

“There have been lots and lots and lots of times when I've felt like I was not the smartest person in the room. But I knew I could outwork everybody.”


FORGING AHEADA New President, 100 Days & a Lot of Work

8I N V I E W

He found three. And while most would consider the 50-to

80-hour workweek of a fledgling legal career overwhelming

in itself, he readily accepted adjunct teaching opportunities in

political science, ethics and education law at Utah State, where

he also provided free legal counsel to students. He served

on the Utah State and then Snow College Board of Trustees,

ending 12 years in Snow’s service as trustee chair. He has also

served on Utah’s legislative Higher Education Appropriations

Subcommittee, an appointed position.

Finding value in the long road back into what is now the

career of his dreams, Wyatt again summons a father’s lessons.

“Growing up in a collegiate community, we had a neighbor

who was legitimately brilliant. He was someone who never had

to work hard because everything just came so naturally to him.

My dad said he felt like the neighbor never had to struggle and,

because of that, had a hard time sticking with projects long-

term.”

Conversely, Wyatt remembers, his father took the same

college algebra class three times — once after graduating —

not because he had failed, nor had it been required of him.

He took it again, and again, simply because he wasn’t sure he

understood it well enough to confidently move forward in his

interests as his career progressed.

“My dad had to struggle, but he developed the kind of

discipline that was necessary to be truly successful as an

engineer. What I really gained from my dad was that sense that

the idea is hard work.”

“Struggling and working through difficult things, taking on

projects that might seem overwhelming, that is precisely the

point.”

Clearly not one to shy away from a challenge, Wyatt was a

senior partner in his law firm, a legislator and a scoutmaster,

all at once, before taking over at Snow. His smile reads as

satisfaction when he says that being a college president is more

consuming than all that combined.

“There have been lots and lots and lots of times when I’ve

felt like I was not the smartest person in the room. But I knew I

could outwork everybody,” he says.

Proof of Wyatt’s tireless work ethic lies in a quick overview

of his first month in office, the beginning quarter of a 100-day

“Listening Tour” launched the first day into his SUU tenure.

His goal is to meet with every person who holds a stake in the

future of the institution, to hear their ideas and concerns before

charting the University’s course into the future.

Listening is the key, according to Wyatt, who has learned by

example the value of championing the ideas and work of others.

8I N V I E W


"I really don't remember a time when my mother put

her interests first. She was always searching for a way

to help those around her succeed, and I believe she has

accomplished far more in her life by helping others reach

their potential than by simply going after her singular

vision."

Reflecting, he adds, "Perhaps I am pausing for this 100

days to listen, like my mother, before I charge forward, like

my father."

Even in this introductory period, however, listening

looks like a lot of work. Wyatt has encouraged his staff to

book every hour of his day, Saturdays included. That time

is filled to capacity, as evidenced by the still unadorned

walls and empty bookcases in his Old Main office. There

is, apparently, little time to unpack when immersed in an

ongoing conversation that spans every corner of campus,

the whole of southern Utah and the offices of colleagues and

counterparts across the state.

“It's not about my vision or my ideas to make this a better

place,” he explains of the impetus for the lengthy listening

tour. “It's about helping to facilitate a conversation and then

together coming up with a refinement of the vision or more

energy for the vision that's here."

He continues, “SUU has a series of pretty good sized

challenges right now. And I bring with me years and years

of comfort in knowing that we can figure out how to do this

and that we will outwork anybody else.”

Among the challenges the new president plans to

address: gaining control over the escalating cost of tuition,

increasing enrollment, and enhancing and better marketing

the University’s distinct advantages.

Wyatt, in his association with schools across Utah, says

the individual attention SUU’s students get is unparalleled

in undergraduate education in the state. His concern,

however, is that people don’t fully understand it.

Not afraid of the legwork that comes with any large-

scale redirection, the president was very hands-on at Snow

College in redirecting resources and messaging to enhance

the school’s hallmarks. It seems clear that same diligence

and vision will mark his role at Southern Utah University.

“Every one of our challenges,” he says, “can be met by

hard work and the fact that we are blessed with the reality

that this is truly an exceptional place.”

He smiles and then adds, “If you can pull a 1952 jeep into

your garage and put all the parts onto the floor and pull out

a manual to fix it, we can do this.”

Accompanying her husband in many of his

travels over the first half of his 100-Day Listening

Tour, Kathy Wyatt is formulating her own ideas

on how to make an impact. Though she, too,

has said she will withhold finalized plans until

the tour’s completion, Mrs. Wyatt’s time at Snow

College speaks to a keen interest in student

support that she is eager to carry forward at SUU.

“I really enjoyed getting to know our students,”

Kathy said of the many student groups hosted in

the Wyatts’ home. “I tried to offer a listening ear,

filling them up with food and laughter. In turn,

they filled our home with their exuberance and

zest for life.”

Those relationships forged over dinners in the

President’s home proved lasting when the Wyatts

first arrived on SUU’s campus to a line of Snow

College transfers excited to welcome them.

Of the many people she has thus far

met, Kathy has been most impressed by the

students’ engagement in the community and

the community’s support of the University. Her

involvement in both civic endeavors and student

support initiatives will surely only strengthen

those relationships.

The Wyatts have four children: Spencer, Allie,

Abby and Naomi. They are looking forward to

welcoming their first grandchild to the family

this July.


KATHY WYATT

10I N V I E W

Glass and shrapnel rained down

on Lieutenant Kent Dover (’41)

during an air strike on the Japanese

forces during World War II. Flying

over the Palau Islands in his B-24

Bomber, Dover feared there was no

chance for survival.

“I just knew I was going to go

down next. But God had his arms

around me."

Fortunately, Dover survived.

But in a story that could be told

across every 1940s college town: not

nearly enough of the students who

left campus returned home safely.

Though shocking, these stories

of a passing generation are worth

remembering — efforts that felt

anything but heroic in the chaos of

battle but that defined an important

generation among SUU alumni.

Like Dover, hundreds of Branch

Agriculture College students and

alumni faced similar fears, leaving

homes, sweethearts and education

to serve in the U.S. Military with no

guarantee of a safe return.

One of them, Richard Stucki (’36),

recalls the moment he received

word of the Pearl Harbor bombing

with haunting clarity that proves

some memories will never fade. His

company, which had been sailing

toward the Philippines on December

10I N V I E W

BattlefieldClassroom

From the

to the

Kent Dover in the Philippines during World War II (above) and today (lower left)


7, 1941, rushed back to the California coast in preparation for what they feared

would be a similar attack that, fortunately, never came.

As World War II escalated in Pearl Harbor's wake, many more soldiers left

Iron County to join the likes of Stucki and Dover. One, Bruce Decker (’43),

left the BAC for training to become an Army infantryman, leaving the College

with just five men to sustain the college’s population.

By way of the S.S. Brazil, Decker set sail for Europe and the infamous Battle

of the Bulge, the United States' deadliest battle.

"Man's inhumanity to man became real in that battle, and we learned

what calamity warfare is,” said Decker of his experience.

While carrying out fire missions during the battle, Decker’s

company received an unwelcome Christmas gift by way of an eight-

inch shell, which blasted a hole in the landscape, raining down

fire and rocks.

“In that instant I realized that my life was about to end," said

Decker.

"Time stopped. I looked for a place to lie down for the last

time. I heard a voice give direction to the men; I realized it

was my own. That moment has not been forgotten, nor will

it ever.”

On the other side of the world and thousands of feet off

the ground, Dover faced similar memories. While flying

missions in the Philippines, 13 Japanese war vessels pelted

Dover's plane with every type of gun mounted on the

ships.

“The explosions sounded like a hailstorm,”

recalled Dover. “It was the worst day of my life."

RaVenna Leigh Baker, member of the groundbreaking Women Airforce Service

Pilots (WASP) program


12I N V I E W

Dover's plane took 26 direct hits

but still came out victorious. The

Japanese fleet retreated and never

returned.

Stories like these are all too

familiar among WWII vets. What's

more, those that are recounted come

from the "lucky" ones.

The soldier's sacrifice took many

forms. Though most received a

hero's welcome, RaVenna Leigh

Baker (’41) had a very different

experience.

As the only female student in

Cedar City's flight program, Baker

received harsh criticism from her

instructors and less support than

her male counterparts. Undeterred,

she loved to fly and joined the

groundbreaking Women Airforce

Service Pilots (WASP) program in

Sweetwater, Texas.

“All of us ladies knew going into

WASP that we wouldn’t get the

same recognition as men, but when

the war ended we were told to go

home with no compensation, not

even a plane ticket home.”

WASP's 1,830 female pilots came

home without fanfare, resuming

the more traditional female roles of

the time. Their service largely went

unnoticed until President Barack

Obama recognized Baker and her

peers with the Congressional Gold

Medal and honorable discharge 66

years later.

As all the BAC's service men

and women began trickling back

to Cedar, they were greeted by an

empty campus. In 1942 the BAC

boasted a graduating class of 63; in

1944 it had 22 graduates, just one

male among them.

BAC administrators supported the

war effort in many ways, including

hosting more than 1,000 Army Air

Corps soldiers on campus from

1941 – 1944. Many of these men

eventually returned to Cedar City

after serving in the War to marry

local girls, bolstering the population

of a town they once believed was at

the end of civilization.

Emphasiz ing educat ion's

necessity even in war, the 1943

academic catalogue stated: “The

war effort itself and the prospects

of lasting peace depend definitely

upon America being able to provide

leadership in science, industry

and in the war.” The BAC's WWII

alumni have proven that standard

true again and again.

BAC's ROTC marching in front of the War Memorial

Fieldhouse in the 1950's

Richard Stucki and a B17 Bomber he flew


Money may not grow on trees, but $48,000 is yours

for the taking through SUU's Alumni Legacy

Scholarships, which cover the difference between in-state

and out-of-state tuition for the children and grandchildren

of SUU alumni.

We don't think a sticker price should keep out loyal

alumni from passing on their Thunderbird legacy. Alumni

Legacy Scholarship tuition breaks for undergraduate and

graduate students will help ensure the students you care

about receive an educational experience you can all be

proud of.

"Our alumni are the best ambassadors for our school

already, so we hope they take advantage of this great

opportunity," said Alumni Relations Executive Director

Mindy Benson.

The only requirement, aside from being related to an

SUU alumnus: Alumni Legacy Scholarship students must

maintain a 3.0 GPA and may not combine this award with

other institutional awards.

The four-year award, made possible through the Utah

Legislature, allows non-resident students to pay resident

tuition rates — a difference of nearly $12,000 each year

for a full-time student. Please note: time spent in Utah

on the Alumni Legacy Scholarship cannot count towards

gaining residency.

“Now it doesn’t matter where our graduates live,” added

Benson, “We are thrilled to offer this to all our students'

families.”

Alumni Legacy Scholarships are open to prospective

students from all states and countries.

Share your Thunderbird pride by sharing a great

educational experience at Southern Utah University.

Bankrolling a Legacy“Like the Bristlecone Pine, southern Utah's oldest living organism, your SUU legacy can live on indefinitely in Thunderbird children and grand-children across the globe.”

To learn more or apply, visit suu.edu/alumnilegacy or call 435-865-8189

14I N V I E W

THE BESTundergraduate experience in the state

At the end of his first day on campus, President Scott

Wyatt told a room full of Thunderbird students they were

the state’s luckiest undergrads. Not surprising, coming

from SUU’s new commander-in-chief; what followed,

however, has been a thoughtful and ongoing discussion

about the University’s standout merits that he plans to

support and enhance in the coming years.

Said Wyatt, “There is a culture in Utah that says

whatever is the biggest is the best. That is something we

have to disabuse people of because it’s not true.”

According to Wyatt, though it may not be in a big city,

have big research dollars or nationally ranked athletics

programming, SUU is dominant in the one thing that

matters most: the undergraduate experience.

He continued, “Most students in Utah grow up to go to

the school that’s closest to them. I think if more students

really thought through the options and were more

intentional about what they did, we would have a hard

time managing our growth at SUU.”

While tremendous global value and influence stem

from the innovation of Research I institutions, those

larger schools more often than not filter a bulk of its

resources into graduate education, leaving undergraduates

to teaching assistants in auditorium-sized classrooms.

However, "General education," explained Wyatt, "is

not something we slough off [at SUU]. Our level of faculty

engagement makes all four years at SUU as meaningful

an experience as possible."

As for competing undergraduate-focused schools, SUU

remains more broadly focused on the whole of the

student experience, offering more co-curricular and

extracurricular engagement than anyone else. Such

breadth is hard to foster on commuter campuses, where

students are only around for class and then immediately

far removed from any additional learning opportunities.

In fact, in a recent National Survey of Student

Engagement, which measured student satisfaction of

colleges and universities nationwide, SUU students are

more satisfied and engaged in the education they have

received than undergrads at similar schools across the

U.S.

There is no subtlety in superlatives, so we’ll say it

loud and proud: SUU has the very best undergraduate

experience in the state.

S U U A L U M N I M A G A Z I N E F A L L 2 0 1 4 15

Ann Romney, former First Lady

of Massachusetts, will headline

SUU’s 115th graduation festivities as

keynote speaker for the University’s

general commencement ceremony

on Friday, May 2, where she will

be awarded an honorary doctorate

degree in public service for her

contributions of time, funding and

support on behalf of children and

families.

Though the spouses of high profile

Republican political candidates are

oftentimes reserved and shy away

from the campaign trail spotlight,

Anne Romney served as a powerful

voice in her husband’s and party’s

cause in the 2008 and 2012 bids for

the White House. She has advocated

for the family and economy with

eloquence and, by example, has

spoken proudly of the importance of

motherhood and family values.

Mrs. Romney places primary

importance on her role as a wife, a

mother and a grandmother. As First

Lady of Massachusetts, she worked

to focus attention on the challenges

facing at-risk youth and continues

to be engaged in that effort. Mrs.

Romney is a strong believer that faith-

based and community organizations

can reach some members of our

community better than government

can and served as the Governor’s

Liaison to the White House Office

of Faith-Based and Community

Initiatives. She has been involved

with United Way of Massachusetts

Bay and Right To Play, formerly

Olympic Aid.

In 1998, Mrs. Romney was

diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

She has volunteered much of her time

to raise awareness of the disease. By

raising the profile of MS, as well

as raising funds for advocacy and

research, she is determined to make

a difference in the lives of people

who suffer from the disease.

The Romneys celebrated their 45th

wedding anniversary this year. They

have five sons, five daughters-in-law

and 22 grandchildren.

Southern Utah University will

celebrate its Class of 2014 on Friday,

May 2, beginning with the University

Commencement Ceremony, in which

Mrs. Romney will speak, at 9 a.m. in

the Centrum Arena.

Ann Romneyto headline 2014 Commencement

16I N V I E W

DRESSING FOR GOLD


DRESSING FOR GOLDIn the weeks and days before the 2014 Winter Olympics

opened in Sochi, SUU alumna Katie Clifford (’98) worked

with every one of the United States’ 230 athletes. She

did the same in London two years ago for a much larger

summer contingent and, before that, in Vancouver in

2010. She has hobnobbed and helped the greater share of

the greatest athletes of all time; without her, not one of

them would be wearing USA across their chest on top of

a medal podium.

In short: Katie Clifford outfits the Olympians. Though

the logistics of that feat are much more complex, these are

tasks she counts herself fortunate

to take on in the months and years

preceding each Olympic Games.

It turns out it takes much more

than an Olympic village, but also

several overseas shipping containers,

thousands of frequent flier miles

and a small army of eager interns,

to bring a group of hundreds of

specialized athletes and coaches

together as one team for all the

world to see. Clifford oversees it all

as manager of consumer products

and director of team processing for the United States

Olympic Committee (USOC).

Her role within the USOC, which does indeed carry

Clifford the world over, working with everyone from

travel agents and hotel clerks to fashion designers and,

of course, Olympians, involves developing an entire kit

of team apparel — clothes, shoes, sunglasses, jewelry

and even toiletries — for each athlete and coach to wear

as they represent the United States in the world’s biggest

international sporting competition.

She does all of this for the Paralympic and Pan

American Games as well.

And while the Olympics only last two weeks, Clifford’s

job encompasses an 18-month to two-year process of

itineraries, invoices and regulations that together ensure

those 14 days in the spotlight are as flawless as a gold

medal figure skate.

“Everyone asks me what I do when the Olympics

are over, but I am literally already working on the next

Games,” Clifford offers as a glimpse into the amount of

time it takes to gear up for the world’s stage.

That work begins with a focus group of athletes at the

close of each Games to find out what they can do better

next time. Every step of Clifford’s

next two years is then taken in

pursuit of her own victory, in the

form of happy Olympians who are

proud to represent their country

in the gear she and her team have

selected.

“So many of these athletes, when

you talk to them about what inspired

them to become Olympians, mention

seeing an opening ceremony or

seeing an athlete on the podium.

It is definitely not lost on me how

often they say, ‘I really wanted to wear the USA on my

chest.'”

Clifford knows that many of the U.S. Olympic athletes

will never win a medal, which leaves their Team USA

gear as the only tangible evidence of the accomplishment

of a lifetime.

“These are the things they take home to their families

and wear forever. So I feel a responsibility to make sure

that the stuff is cool, that the delivery is smooth, and that

they are very happy when they walk out of processing

and into the Games.”

Under Clifford’s leadership, the USOC sets up a

T-BIRD ALUMNA OUTFITS U.S. OLYMPIANS

18I N V I E W

Behind the scenes with

distribution center in the host country two weeks before

the Games begin, an athlete’s unofficial welcome in

the days preceding the start of each team’s on-location

training. With two overstuffed garment bags, a duffel

and rolling suitcase full of gear, all tailored to perfection,

each Olympian leaves with souvenirs to spare. But more

important than the items themselves, Clifford views the

delivery as the thing that can make or break the Olympic

experience before it even begins.

“Everybody is feeling pressure and excitement and

nerves. We set the tone for the whole Olympic experience.”

She and her team work hard to make sure every one

of the hundreds of U.S. athletes feel and look their best.

“We're all so invested, when they come out in the

opening ceremonies, I just lose it.”

The impact of that moment, as well as the years of hard

work preceding it, is never lost on Clifford. She says if it

ever was, that would be her cue to leave the game.

“I just can’t fathom not getting swept away in the

excitement of it all.”

“It’s definitely not normal, this world that I live in,”

Clifford says of the fever pitch surrounding her day-to-

day.

“I didn’t know this job that I have now even existed

five years ago, much less when I was in college. I’ve just

sort of tried to say yes to things and keep an open mind

on what kinds of opportunities might be something I

didn’t even know would be amazing. I feel really lucky; I

know that doesn’t happen for everybody.”

Not all to luck’s credit, Clifford’s rise to her current

position actually stems from being just as open to

unanticipated opportunities as a student at SUU. It

was there she met Tosh Brinkerhoff (’96), who she

worked with in SUUSA after nearly dropping out of SUU

altogether.

“I went to SUU specifically because I wanted to go

somewhere new and far. But I got down there and I was

homesick and I wasn’t making friends as fast as I thought

I should, and I hated it. So the first week of winter

semester, I didn’t go back.”

While home, and with little intention of returning,

Clifford remembered a story she’d heard in orientation

about a theatre major who dropped out after not being

cast in the first production she auditioned for.

“I just kept thinking about how silly it had sounded to

quit just because you didn’t get what you wanted right

from the start, and I knew I didn’t want to be ‘that girl.'

When I got back down there I decided I was really going

to commit to this place, and I joined a sorority, I worked

for Student Activities, I worked on the radio station and

(right) Putin chatting it up with our CEO. USA House is a wacko place.

(left) That's just gold medalist Derek Parra in

a garbage bin pitching in. One big happy Olympic family.

(below) Finishing up the Nike booth. #teamusaprep

@replikate34Katie's Instagram & Facebook feeds leading up to the Olympic Games

One big giant first day of Processing out of the way and a plane full of athletes on the way to Sochi. Highlight of the day was probably helping Shani Davis pick out which toiletries he wanted to take on the plane and which ones to send home. Gold medalists, they are just like us.

(left) Hats that people all over the US knitted for @usskiteam #believeinus


(left) SBX cancelled due to fog = major bummer.

Upside was getting to hug these two jokers before they ride tomorrow.

wrote a couple articles for the Journal. I did everything,

made all these friends, and these are the people that I am

still close to.”

One of those friends, Brinkerhoff, got Clifford her

first job out of college, as an administrative assistant

for the Salt Lake City Olympic Organizing Committee.

From there, though she is the first to admit that without

any background in athletics or sports marketing she felt

like a fraud, Clifford has worked her way up with a firm

conviction.

“I’ve been super, super lucky. But at the same time,

I feel like my whole career has been a testament that

networking is real and being a hard worker is the best

thing you can do. People remember you. Almost all of my

jobs have been from people calling me and saying they

heard about me from someone else. I haven’t job searched

since that call I made to Tosh (Brinkerhoff).”

She smiles, “I’m going to run out of that luck at some

point, but so far, still going strong.”

Clifford says that while it is gratifying to work so

closely alongside the people who make their dreams

happen on such a large scale, it is definitely cause for

reflection on her own ambitions.

“My job, watching these athletes, has made me a less

fearful person and more of a ‘well why not?’ sort of

person. I don’t think I was naturally that way but I look

back now, and my life has been an example of, ‘why not.'

In addition to the USOC, Clifford has worked in

commercial sports apparel, has lived across the country

and traveled the world.

“I’ve always been willing to say, ‘Yeah, I’ll try that or

I’ll move there. And I’ve been able to do these amazing,

unreal things.”

Though her plans are now well under way for Rio in

2016, Clifford remains just as open now.

“I always thought, ‘If I ever get a job at the USOC I’ll

never leave.’ Even though this is the coolest job, I know

there are still other challenges that I want, other things

I want to try, and other ways that I want to grow and

stretch.”

“What I’ve been doing here, I support other people’s

dreams. Which is such a cool experience. But I think the

next chapter of my life I’d like to explore what my own

dreams are and not be the team behind the team. But it

would definitely have to be something I love to take me

away from all of this.”

“In the meantime,” she adds, “I know my cool job

doesn’t say anything real about me except that I am

enormously blessed.”

(above) Customer of the day at the store. Spoiler alert: We don't sell these things, he brought it himself.

(left) Might as well wish the thing that I'm

married to a Happy Valentine's Day. I love you Olympics.(above) Pretty

not terrible day at Olympic park.

One report you might have heard that is true—it is straight up warm in Sochi. Like warmer here than it ever was in London. It's crazy.

Day 22 on the road is when you wonder if you ever had a normal life and if you ever will again.

Athletes are tweeting and posting photos of themselves all ready for Opening Ceremony and I'm freaking out about how adorable they are. Lots of hard work for the world to see tonight!!!!!

20I N V I E W

SATURDAY, MARCH 22 Old Sorrel Trail Snowshoe Hike with President Wyatt

TUESDAY, MARCH 25Howard R. Driggs Memorial Lecture

11:30 a.m. Gilbert Great HallSenator Robert F. Bennett • "Conflict Resolution and the New American West."

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26 Lunch on the Main • 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.Founders stories and lunch for students at Old Main, the Braithwaite Building, Sherratt Library, Old Sorrel and the Centurium.

THURSDAY, MARCH 27Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts Groundbreaking3:00 p.m. • Randall L. Jones Theatre Lawn (see page 26)

The Future is Rising Campaign Appreciation Concert7:30 p.m. • The Centrum ArenaKenny Loggins (see page 27)

Founders Celebration

The Normal has stood for fair dealings, for

individual freedom for both student and teacher;

for love of country and for pure life. Every student who

has been at the school feels that he must live up to the

standard set for him there. Remember as you go forth

into new fields, you shall succeed only when you live a

life of service to your country and your people.”

GeorGe W. Decker

One of the Founding Four faculty at the Branch Normal School (SUU)

2014

20I N V I E W

“


Support for your alma mater comes in all formsIn every one of our Thunderbird alumni is an ongoing story of SUU's

impact and success. We take great pride in your accomplishments and

stand behind the great potential of each SUU grad. We hope you, too, are

proud to remain a Thunderbird. No matter when you were last on campus

or where you now live, there are many ways to stay connected in support

of your alma mater.

Are You Loyal?

STAY INFORMEDu Follow SUU and SUU Alumni

on Facebook, LinkedIn (SUU

Alumni) Instagram and

Twitter (@suutbirds).

u Keep your contact info

current for the latest updates

and alumni opportunities

suu.edu/alumni.

u Sign up for "News from the Nest," SUU's alumni

e-newsletter.

u Read the SUU In View alumni magazine.

SHOW PRIDEu Purchase an SUU license plate or, if you're

out of state, buy a license plate frame or

window cling.

u Wear your SUU red on Fridays.

u Display your SUU diploma or

memorabilia in your office.

GET INVOLVEDu Come back to campus for Homecoming, the

Utah Summer Games or the Utah

Shakespeare Festival.

u Support T-Bird athletics by attending games

in your area suutbirds.com.

u Attend College of Performing & Visual Arts

events suu.edu/pva.

u Talk to prospective high school students

about your SUU experience and encourage

a campus visit.

GIVE BACKu Register with the SUU Career Mentoring

Network suu.edu/alumni/mentoring.

u Donate to your college or department

through the Annual Fund suu.edu/giving.

u Hire an SUU student for an internship position

within your company.


P R I O R I T I E S

22 I N V I E W

THE FUTURE IS RISING THE CAMPAIGN FOR SUU

RAISED: $22.1 MILLION




Enriching Student Life

Emerging Opportunities

Academic Excellence

Campus Enhancement & Expansion

THANK YOU!A

dvancing every facet of the SUU experience,

The Future is Rising fundraising campaign has

garnered unprecedented private and public support

for the University, our students and higher education

in southern Utah.

We will never be able to adequately thank the many

individuals, families and organizations who have so

graciously given to SUU's cause. You, our alumni,

friends and benefactors, have truly astounded us with

your great commitment and generosity.

With plans to end the way we began, in grand

fashion and celebration, we invite you all to join us

on campus Thursday, March 27 (see page 18), as we

step into a future of great promise and heightened

opportunity.

• Walter Maxwell Gibson College of Science & Engineering

• Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for Innovative Education

• Sargon Heinrich Global Engagement Center

• Eccles Visiting Scholar Program

• Mariner Eccles Library Book Fund

• Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts

• L.S. & Aline W. Skaggs Center for Health & Molecular Sciences

• Cedar Hall Student Housing

• Kenneth L. Cannon Equestrian Center

• Carter Carillon Bell Tower

• 200+ New Scholarships • Leavitt Housing

Scholarships• ALSAM Undergraduate

Research Fund• Cedar Hall Student

HousingCurrent Use Funding for:• SUU’s Greatest Needs• SUU Athletics• Utah Shakespeare

Festival• Utah Summer Games

S U U A L U M N I M A G A Z I N E F A L L 2 0 1 4 23

TOTAL RAISED: $105.5 MILLION

$100 MILLION

$90 MILLION

$80 MILLION

$70 MILLION

$60 MILLION

$50 MILLION

$40 MILLION

www.suu.edu/rising

24I N V I E W

CAMPAIGN:

STUDENT IMPACT

24 I N V I E W


"Growing up in a developing country and having the opportunity to

go to SUU has been a great opportunity for me. Receiving so much

financial help through scholarships and support of great faculty

has made a huge difference. I am so grateful for that."

Adjila Boubacar — senior, political science, Niger, West Africa

"The opportunity I have to work in the new state-of-the-art

laboratories of the L.S. & Aline W. Skaggs Center for Health &

Molecular Sciences as an undergrad gives me such an upper

hand over my peers at other schools because I am learning the

skills, hands-on, needed in my future career."

Valerie Hammon — senior, chemistry, Centennial Park, CA

"Being an SUU Scholar Athlete has

taught me to work hard and make

goals for myself. I have been able to

achieve those goals on the track and

that flows into the classroom."

Shaye Springall — senior, finance,

Cedar City, UT

"Thanks to funding to the Sargon Heinrich Global

Engagement Center, I was able to study abroad in Nepal

with two SUU professors and meet with Anuradha

Koirala, a CNN Hero. I learned that I can make a

difference in this world."

Shaun Wright — senior, sociology, Lindon, UT

"I want to be a doctor and the community

service opportunities here gave me a new

perspective on how I can help the people,

making me want to be a doctor even more."

Harsh Kansagra — senior, chem & biology,

Ganhinagar, India

From the classroom to the laboratory to the stage, SUU students are doing amazing things, all thanks to alumni and friends like you. Your donations have brought new buildings, endowed scholarships and undergraduate research to campus, impacting every student on some level.

The following marks just a small sample of the students who wish to thank you for your support of an education forever impacted by The Future is Rising Campaign:

S U U A L U M N I M A G A Z I N E S P R I N G 2 0 1 4 25www.suu.edu/rising

"My favorite part of living in Cedar Hall is that we are grouped

together by our interest, making it easy to focus on our

academics, which makes success more possible."

Ashley Broadhead — freshman, undeclared, Sandy, UT

"I love the Carter Carillon Bell Tower tradition.

Freshmen walk under the bell tower at the beginning

of their first semester and are welcomed into the

Thunderbird Family by faculty and staff and even

community members."

Jaci Stucky — junior, marketing, Nibley, UT

"Walking under the Carter Carillon Bell

Tower was the moment I realized that SUU

would be home for the next four years.

Being cheered on by everyone there I felt

like an integral part of the Thunderbird

family."

Zach McNaughton — freshman, business,

Heber City, UT

"Having the Utah Shakespeare Festival on campus

enhances what we are learning in the classroom and

provides a springboard into professional opportunities.

I think the addition of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson

Center for the Arts is only going to enhance and amplify

those opportunities."

Grayson Moulton — senior, theatre, Provo, UT

MAKING A

24THE FUTURE IS RISING THE CAMPAIGN FOR SUU

Southern Utah University has always been about

service, and has always concerned itself with the

concept of effective preparation and both the cumulative

and individual future of people.

Appropriately, the same may be said about Dixie

and Anne Leavitt, two of the most loyal and influential

figures in the institution’s history. Their impact has

been wide ranging and has positively entwined with the

destiny of SUU, as well as untold numbers of its students

and graduates.

When they speak of the University, their love for their

alma mater is profoundly evident.

“Southern Utah University is the star in the sky of this

region,” Anne said. “Over the generations countless lives

have been enhanced by this school, and ours are among

those. Each of us came to the then-Branch Agricultural

College, wide-eyed at the adventure that awaited us,

bearing in our hands small enabling scholarships, not

really understanding the wonderful difference it would

make in our lives.

“Looking back now, more than 60 years later, we see

clearly the difference it has made. All aspects of our

society are intertwined with Southern Utah University.

Our families, our communities, our institutions, our

economies all benefit by association with the University.

“In gratitude, we offer our wholehearted affection and

support,” she said.

That support includes the act of paying forward for

the aid that helped them find success in life. As a result,

they have largely earmarked their gifts for scholarships,

in addition to a bevy of other institutional needs.

This generosity has garnered the Leavitt family the

distinction of being among the most generous donors

during the University’s comprehensive campaign.

“Our view is that when you help a young person

striving for education, you help to ensure a vibrant

society of self-sufficient, contributing people,” Dixie

said. “Support, given today, reverberates into the future

I N V I E W

DIFFERENCED I X I E & A N N E L E A V I T T

in terms of families blessed, communities strengthened,

and thereby a nation that thrives.”

The Leavitts’ contributions, however, go well beyond the

monetary.

Those contributions began the moment each hit campus,

Dixie from Bunkerville, Nevada, in 1947, and Anne

Okerlund two years later from Loa, Utah. Dixie was a

popular and charismatic student who served as editor of

the yearbook, student body president, and also became the

school’s first four-year letterman in football and track and

field. Anne, highly effective and engaged in her own right,

dove into all manner of campus activities while working

hard on her education, but she had to delay the completion

of her education not long after she and Dixie wed in 1950,

in order to raise her children. It would be more than three

decades before she could complete her baccalaureate

degree in English and Spanish in 1982 from SUU, this, after

raising the couple’s six sons.

Dixie began teaching fourth grade at Cedar

West Elementary School in 1951 and sold

insurance during the summer. He grew to love

that pursuit and, with Anne’s encouragement

and aid, embraced it as his life’s work, using

the couple’s small basement apartment as his office. That

decision was the genesis of what has become the seventh

largest independently-owned insurance network in the

nation.

Along the way, the Leavitts contributed to their

community and state in great and broad measure.

Anne engaged in a variety of civic causes, including

service on Utah’s tasks forces on drug abuse and higher

education, and as a member of the boards of the Utah

Shakespeare Festival and the Utah Endowment for the

Humanities. She served as chair of the SUU presidential

search committee in 1997, while authoring the definitive

and exhaustive history of the school, Southern Utah

University: The First 100 Years, and over the years was a

highly sought-after speaker in many forums. She has been

awarded the University’s Distinguished Service Award as

well as an honorary doctorate.

Dixie reignited his love for politics in the ’60s and served

a term in the Utah House, in the State Senate for 18 years

and, in 1976, was a candidate for governor.

He was ever known as a man of strong

convictions and his statement that one must

never compromise principles is oft-repeated

and admired.

As a legislator, Dixie served his constit-

uency well and was highly instrumental in

both the granting of independent, four-year status to the

school and its elevation to University status. He also worked

diligently to secure funding for a new business building for

the campus in 1979, an endeavor that, combined with his

long service to the institution and stellar business career,

resulted in the building being named in his honor in 1985.

During the recently-completed The Future is Rising

campaign, Dixie served on the President’s National

Advisory Committee, while Anne worked in behalf of the

Southern Utah Museum of Art and Friends of the Library.

Of course, the Leavitts’ six sons have shared their

parents’ industriousness and dedication to public service.

Three have served on the institution’s governing body.

Eldest son Mike (’78), was its chair for four years, and also

served on the Board of Regents. Second son Dane has served

as the vice chair of the SUU Board of Trustees, while fourth

son Eric is the current chair of that body. Jana Leavitt, wife

to third son Mark, serves the University as a member of the

Utah Shakespeare Festival Board of Governors, and Mark

and younger brothers David and Matt are actively engaged

in service in their communities, as well.

S U U A L U M N I M A G A Z I N E S p r i n g 2 0 1 4 27www.suu.edu/rising

“Southern Utah University is the star in the sky of this region.”

Anne Leavitt

28 I N V I E W


A dream 53 years in the making

will take root in reality when

Southern Utah University and the

Utah Shakespeare Festival break

ground for the Beverley Taylor

Sorenson Center for the Arts,

the largest fundraising project in

the University's Future is Rising

campaign.

The Center, which will encompass

all of the Utah Shakespeare Festival operations in

modernized facilities, has long been a vision of

Festival Founder Fred Adams since he first opened the

regional theatre in Cedar City in 1962.

In partnership with SUU, the more

recent addition of the Southern Utah

Museum of Art will now create a true

center — heart and home — for the

heart of the arts in southern Utah.

Slated to open in 2016 following

this spring’s groundbreaking, the

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for

the Arts will bring professional

performance and visual arts in world class facilities

to out-of-town guests, community and student

audiences alike.

A L O N G A W A I T E D

Groundbreaking" ‘Tis you must dig with mattock and with spade,And pierce the inmost centre of the earth…"William Shakespeare,

from Titus Andronicus

6

5

3

4

1

2

1 . Existing Randall Jones Theatre2 . Southern Utah Museum of Art3 . Shakespearean Theatre4 . Costume & Craft Workshops5 . Rehearsal/Education Space6 . Studio theatre

UNIVERSITY BLVD. (CENTER STREET)

COLLEGE AVE

300 WEST

BEVERLEY TAYLOR SORENSON

Center for the Arts

MARCH 27, 2014 • 3:00 PM • RANDALL JONES THEATRE LAWN

S U U A L U M N I M A G A Z I N E S P R I N G 2 0 1 4 29www.suu.edu/rising

Please join us for a free concert and variety show celebrating the success of the Campaign for Southern Utah University.March 27th • 7:30 p.m. The Centrum Arena

Remember, tickets are FREE, but must be picked up at the Centrum435-586-7872 or tbirdtickets.com

C A M P A I G N A P P R E C I A T I O N C E L E B R A T I O NF E A T U R I N G


30I N V I E WI N V I E W

S O A R I N GThunderbirds far and wide continue to make their mark. We applaud the heights they’ve reached and look forward to all that is yet to come.

HIGHER

TEACHING TO A SCIENCEM.Ed. and Biology Education alumnus Aaron Kallas (’08, ’06),

who teaches biology and biotechnology at Chugiak High School in

Anchorage received the 2013 Ron Mardigian Biotechnology Teaching

Award from the National Association of Biology Teachers. He is the

first teacher in Alaska to ever receive this award.

MAKING HISTORY, LEADING A CITYMaile Wilson (’10, ’08) was sworn in as Cedar City’s first female mayor

and, at age 27, also its youngest. Among her top priorities as mayor,

Wilson wants to increase transparency in government by utilizing

online communications and social media to inform and enhance public

participation in politics.


TOP STORY, EMMY NODCommunication alumnus Alan Neves (’92) won an Emmy Award for his work

as cameraman for “English Channel Swimmer,” a human interest news feature

with KSL-TV in Salt Lake City, Utah.

PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR

ON THE RISE

OFFICER OF THE YEAR

Social science/history alumnus James O. Birch (’88) was named Principal of the Year by the Utah Association of

Secondary School Principals. Birch currently works as the first principal of Herriman High, which opened in 2010,

where he created the Herriman Institute for Teachers to help mentor new educators.

Communication grad Devin Brooks (’09) received a Rising Star Award from the NAACP in recognition

of his work to provide medical support and youth mentoring in underserved communities through

the Brooks Behavioral Health Center he founded in Las Vegas, Nev.

Iron County Sheriff Mark Gower (’87) was named as Officer of the Year for the Utah Peace Officers

Association. Having served as Iron County sheriff for nearly a decade, he came on the force as a deputy in

1993 and has served in several positions, including patrol officer, detective and narcotics task force agent.

WINNING RANGERSSUU ROTC cadets earned first place in the 5th Brigade Region Ranger

Challenge Competition, ending Brigham Young University’s 10-year

winning streak in the physically demanding and mind grueling tournament

among collegiate ROTC programs across the Northwestern U.S.

32I N V I E W

Alumni FocusStay in touch with your former classmates and share in the celebration of your accomplishments through our online Class Notes

BILL & NANCY HONECKBill: ’87, communication. Owner of a race management company and ski shop.Nancy: '86, mathematics. Senior manager with Electronic Data Systems. Collinsville, Conn.

How were you involved on campus?

Nancy: I was a member of the

SUSC gymnastics team and a four-

year academic All-American.

Bill: I was involved with the debate

team and student government. My

senior year I was the academic vice

president and part of a ticket that

swept all seats in student government

that year.

Who at SUU made a lasting impact?

Nancy: Kathryn Berg was a

wonderful mentor and coach who

welcomed me to the team and I never

felt like I was far from home. Math

classes from Prof. James Cotts were

always challenging.

Bill: I have Marlynn Smith to

thank for coming to Cedar City and

SUU. Brad Bennett, M.L. Smith, Sage

Platt and many others shaped me into

who I am today.

CARMA CARRICK’96, communication. Preschool owner and operator. Saratoga Springs, Utah.

What are you doing now?

I am the queen bee of the Bee

Academy preschool. I developed an

innovative curriculum emphasizing

individual learning styles to help

prepare children for success in

school. I’m also writing a book about

my experience fostering and adopting

a child.

How did SUU extra-curricular activities shape you?

I got to know, love and appreciate

people from different backgrounds.

Each had unique interests and

goals, and I learned to respect those

differences and became a better

person for it.

Which SUU professor made an impression on you?

John McCann. He was known for

being hard but fair. I still hear him in

my head mentoring me and guiding

my decisions, both personally and

professionally.

EARL PHILLIPS’67, elementary education. CFO for a furnishings enterprise LLC. Las Cru-ces, N.M.

What have you been doing since graduation?

Worked for 36 years as a public

school teacher, administrator and

higher-ed administrator. I also

owned and operated an electronic

parts distribution company;

was CEO/CFO of an educational

consultant company; and am now

CFO of a government and educational

furnishings company.

Do you have a favorite SUU memory?

Yes, my freshman English

class from Bonnie Hobbs. I lacked

confidence and had a history of low

grades in English. But I received

a “B” on my first paper. What a

surprise! The paper had a lot of red

marks, but her written comments

made my day. She wrote that even

though my grammar was weak, I had

potential and we would work on the

other part. After that, I took every

class she offered.


MARY HEYBORNE’50, general education. Professional potter and poet. Sedona, Ariz.

How were you introduced to ceramics?

I was living in Lander, Wyo. and

took an evening college course taught

by my close friend and fine artist

Mary MacDonald of SUU. I knew

immediately there would be clay under

my fingernails from then on. Since

then I have taken several workshops

and master classes from some of the

world’s best-known potters – Toshiko

Takaezu, Carlton Ball, Robin Hopper

and Don Reitz.

What about your poetry?

Reading and writing poetry have

given me pleasure all my life. While

at the BAC I won a prize in a poetry

contest that gave me encouragement

for many works that were yet to come.

I have published three books of poetry

and have been a frequent reader at

poetry venues throughout northern

Arizona.

Do you volunteer?

Yes, with the Sedona Arts Center

and for Chamber Music Sedona. I

have actively participated in Sedona’s

Great Books Discussion Group since its

founding more than two decades ago.

ROB & RACHEL NIELSONRob: ’11, nursing. OR nurse at Central Valley Medical Center.Rachel: ’09, family and human development. Homemaker. Nephi, Utah.

Did you meet at SUU?

Yes, mutual friends were dating

and introduced us. We went on a

blind date as part of a big group date.

It was magical and we have never

looked back.

What was a favorite dating activity at SUU?

One night while construction was

underway on the new education

building, we decided to long board

from upper campus to the rotunda.

It was such a blast. We ended up

star gazing across from the rotunda.

We also loved to attend institute

together. It was a great way to get

to know each other better and the

classes offered were awesome.

Do you have favorite SUU-related activities?

We love coming to Cedar City for

the Utah Summer Games. We have

family attending SUU and keep our

eye on the track and field team and

how they are doing.

JOHN CURTIS’79, communication. Semi-retired TV and radio journalist. Los Osos, Calif.

Where has your career taken you?

I worked in TV/radio journalism

and still do voice-over and narration.

I own three investment corporations

and am the founder of the Johntrak

Meteorological Institute, which is a

private research group. I also hold

several FCC radio technical licenses,

including amateur radio general

class. Call sign: W7RAQ.

Who were your favorite professors?

Dr. Frain Pearson in

communication because he was a

great communicator and wonderful,

but tough, instructor. The other was

David Nyman in music. He taught me

so much and made classes fun and

exciting.

How do you keep your Thunderbird pride alive?

I read the e-newsletters with

interest and keep an eye on Cedar

City’s weather, of course. I apply the

same disciplines to my work today

and thank God for the gifts and

talents I learned to cultivate at SUU.

34I N V I E W

Class NotesWe’d love to feature Thunderbird adventures far and wide in the next Class Notes. As you reconnect with your college pals, snap a pic and send it our way: [email protected].

(LEFT) Melissa Powell Corry (’00), Marlo Madsen Ihler (’99), Nate Wilkey (’00) and Jodi Lee Simmons (’00) served together in SUUSA 1998-1999 and enjoyed reconnecting at the Pancake Breakfast during Homecoming 2013.

(ABOVE) The Kimball and Janet Weaver family are steeped in SUU tradition as both parents and all seven children are alumni - five of seven spouses graduated from SUU too! Pictured left to right: Amyanne (’96), Kim (’89), Chris (’93), Heather (’00), Kimball (’60), Janet (’61), Cleve (’92), Wendy (’92), and Michael (’97).

(ABOVE) A Thanksgiving feast in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Left to right: Justin Nelson (’11), Kelsey Nelson (’11), Liz McNaughtan (’09), Jon McNaughtan (’07), Preston Leavitt (’11) and Kelsi Leavitt (’09).

(ABOVE) Rich Murray (’97) and his kids Carlie and Jake were among the tailgaters and boosters who cheered the Thunderbirds on to a 27-21 victory at Weber State on November 9.

(ABOVE) Left to right: Jay Dixon (’04), Ashley Pitcher (’00), Justin Pitcher (’02), Tom Compagno (’98) and Todd Compagno (’94) during Homecoming 2013.


(LEFT) This group of CSU Alumni have made Homecoming a yearly tradition. Front row left to right: Janice Marriott (’68), Linda Rowley (’71), Dennis Rowley (’70); Middle row: Vanez Butler (’68), Vicki Gomez (’69), David Gomez (’69); Back row: Danny Linares, DeAnn Linares (’68), Judy Sceili (’68), Scott Sceili (’68).

(RIGHT) Officers from SUUSA 2003-2004 were one of many reunions held during Homecoming this past fall. Pictured left to right: Michelle Malie (’03), Steve Kiisel (’07), Jessica Kiisel, Paul Shakespear (’04) Kaydee Shakespear (’04), Jay Dixon (’04), Jesse Leach, Ashley Dixon (’05), Mindy Benson (’94), Lindsay Fullerton (’06) and Brian Fullerton (’08).

(ABOVE) Alpha Phi Sorority sisters and now sisters-in-law Monica Jensen (’98) and Mandy Whitaker (’97) at Forever Red on the Upper Quad.

(LEFT) Dave and Carol Ann (’59) Nyman enjoyed a beautiful Homecoming Saturday morning with pancakes and a parade. Many of you will remember Dave as an SUU professor of music and longtime Sigma Nu adviser.

(RIGHT) Thor, Brian Cameron (’12), Jenna DeGering (’13) and Marci Jones at the SUU vs. Weber State Tailgate Party.

(LEFT) The SUU music department initiated a wonderful new alumni tradition this past Homecoming with a band concert comprised of alumni and current student-musicians. Take a look at a few of the alumni who participated and see who you recognize. Choir alumni stay tuned . . . your turn is coming!

36I N V I E W

RE DU N I V E R S I T Y H E A D L I N E S W O R T H R E A D I N G

JAN 22 – PAST T-BIRDS JOIN FOOTBALL STAFFSUU Football Coach Ed Lamb added four new coaches to his staff. SUU Alumni Rob Takeno (’09) will coach the linebackers and Sam Lutui (’97) will coach the running backs. New to the Thunderbird fold, Gary Crowton will take over as offensive coordinator, and Ken Miller will assume duties at offensive line.

JAN 16 – NATIONAL NOD TO OUTDOOR PARTNERSHIPSUU’s Intergovernmental Internship Cooperative received the Partners in Conservation Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior for the University’s partnership with regional public land agencies, offering diverse opportunities for student engagement with land management agencies.

NOV 15 – LEAVITT CENTER'S CRYSTAL YEARThe Michael O. Leavitt Center for Politics and Public Service marked its 15th year and great strides in a community celebration that showcased the many ways in which the Leavitt Center has become the hub of civic engagement in southern Utah.

DEC 10 – GYMNASTS FLIP CONFERENCESSouthern Utah University gymnastics announced plans to join Utah State, Boise State, Denver and Brigham Young in the newly-formed Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference in 2014-15, when the league is anticipated to be fully recognized by the NCAA.

OCT 23 – PROF. SIMON PENS BEST NOVEL IN STATEDr. Julie Simon’s The Ghost Town Preservation Society won first place in the Utah Arts Council’s 2013 Original Writing Competition. The judges’ praise for the historical fiction: “A quiet but strong story that gets at the heart of what it means to be a person who comes from somewhere.”

BESTREGIONAL UNIVERSITIES

WEST

SEP 10 – SUU IS AGAIN BEST IN THE WESTSUU was named one of the top universities in the West in the 2014 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges guidebook. Receiving a first-tier nod, SUU has moved up yet again in the rankings; this is the University’s10th and highest appointment to the regional list.


ALUMNIHelen O’Connor (’47), age 93,

passed away July 5, 2013Wayne Hopkins Robinson, age 77,

passed away July 10, 2013Robert Lamond Stratton (’50), age 86,

passed away July 11, 2013Eric Flynn Freitas (’88), age 49,

passed away July 16, 2013LaVeeda Sprague (’39), age 92,

passed away July 26, 2013Boyd L. Mitchell (’42), age 90,

passed away August 2, 2013Arlene White Williams (’62), age 86,

passed away August 3, 2013Mary Ann McKee Williams Myers (’79), age 77, passed away August 15, 2013Ronnow L. Bunting (’49), age 86,

passed away August 24, 2013Doug C. Peterson (’67), age 75,

passed away August 30, 2013T. Elwood Bladen (’50), age 84,

passed away August 27, 2013Ina S. Norton (’62), age 96,

passed away August 22, 2013Robert D. Dix (’57), age 76,

passed away September 07, 2013Martin B. Haynie (’09), age 46,

passed away September, 17, 2013Duane D. Simon (’92), age 76,

passed away September 26, 2013Naomi D. Lunt (’41), age 92,

passed away October 10, 2013 Mac Neil Boyter (’62), age 71, passed away October 12, 2013 Cheryl Heaton (’99), age 48,

passed away October 20, 2013Patrick R. Hayden (’76), age 59,

passed away October 19, 2013

Winston H. Seegmiller (’38), age 93, passed away October 31, 2013

Lynda F. Riffle (’83), age 66, passed away November 1, 2013

Gary W. Munn (’92), age 61, passed away November 9, 2013

Neal R. Curtis (’77), age 66, passed away November 8, 2013

Cathryn R. Headman (’64), age 70, passed away November 14, 2013

Douglas I. Liston (’32), age 93, passed away November 20, 2013

Jack S. Sullivan (’72), age 70, passed away November 25, 2013

Charles C. Esplin (’36), age 95, passed away November 23, 2013

Luna Diane S. Mitchell, age 81, passed away November 30, 2013

Stephen E. Palmer (’76), age 61, passed away December 7, 2013

Clark T. Rollins (’51), age 80, passed away December 23, 2013

Easton D. Blackburn, age 81, passed away December 27, 2013

FRIENDS&SUPPORTERSWallace Garth Heap, age 77,

passed away August 9, 2013Renn Zaphiropoulos, age 86,

passed away August 19, 2013Steven Tyler Pickering, age 26,

passed away August 22, 2013Dona B. Cooley, age 92,

passed away August 27, 2013James E. Bowns, age 81,

passed away September, 14, 2013Raynold Dennett, age 78,

passed away September 25, 2013Marilyn Manning, age 87,

passed away September 21, 2013DeVon Andrus, age 85,

passed away September 21, 2013

Joan Mortensen, age 76, passed away September 25, 2013

Harold F. Hinton, age 70, passed away September 27, 2013

Donald C. Whittaker, age 86, passed away October 14, 2013

Louann E. Hardy, age 78, passed away October 12, 2013

Terrall O. Benn, age 54, passed away October 6, 2013

Andrew T. Strand, age 33, passed away October 10, 2013

Glen Ewell, age 64, passed away October 24, 2013

Lorin Sperry, age 76, passed away October 28, 2013

Adelle H. Evans, age 82, passed away November 15, 2013

Wallace K. Smith, age 79, passed away December 09, 2013

Gayle P. Wood, age 83, passed away December 10, 2013

Evalyn Roe, age 89, passed away December 19, 2013

Walter A. Edwards, age 86, passed away December 25, 2013

Veda C. Cox, age 69, passed away December 28, 2013

Willis A. Hall, age 62, passed away December 29, 2013

When you learn of the passing of an SUU alumnus or friend, please contact Ron Cardon by phone (435-586-7776) or by email ([email protected]).

rememberWE WILL July 1, 2013 – December 31, 2013


38I N V I E W

Last Word

38I N V I E W

Last fall, SUU bid farewell to some of its oldest and

most faithful residents. In a recent windstorm of epic

proportions, eight majestic blue spruce trees were blown

down (see above right).

The spruce that fell atop South Hall and its nearby

companion were aged 91 years, but the two were not the

oldest of the campus’ trees. At 117 years, the American

elms that line present-day 300 West are the University’s

longest standing trees.

Unlike so many students who have come and gone,

touting the colors of BNS, BAC, CSU, SUSC and SUU, the

aged trees have ever remained. Standing as silent and

steadfast witnesses, they have served as the backdrop

against which thousands of lives have been enriched and

countless memories have been made.

The fallen trees will eventually be replaced with the

scores of saplings planted each year in an ongoing campus

effort, but they take with them nearly a century of history

and, most notably, a legacy of service to which we owe

their existence.

That legacy began in 1910 when William Flanigan

became facilities supervisor for the BNS. At that time, the

campus hosted just ten trees.

Desirous of beautifying the somewhat barren campus,

Flanigan led numerous tree-harvesting expeditions

throughout the region, traveling as far as 35 miles by

wagon to unearth saplings for transplant on the school’s

grounds. A portion of each yield was sold to help fund the

expeditions. Collecting $100 per wagonload of Colorado

Spruce and borrowing teams of horses and wagons from

local residents, Flanigan slowly populated the campus,

tree by burgeoning tree.

In keeping with the legacy of the founders, the campus

and its stately trees are another manifestation of the

sacrifice of area residents who endeavored not only to

secure educational opportunities for the region’s youth

but also to cultivate a beautiful environment in which

they could learn.

A Wind-Blown History

From Sapling to Toppling

Portrait of William Flanigan


Here’s to Alumni Days at Shakespeare!View all six plays of the Utah Shakespeare Festival 2014 season, plus attend exclusive events with Festival staff & cast!

Photo: Leslie Brott (left) as Mistress Alice Ford and Victoria Adams-Zischke as Mistress Margaret Page in the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s 2006 production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. (Photo by Karl Hugh. © Utah Shakespeare Festival 2006.)

Come back and enjoy the beauty of campus, renew friendships and create new memories. Visit suu.edu/alumni to learn more and to purchase your six-play ticket package, or call (435) 586-7777

• Henry IV Part One• Measure for Measure• The Comedy of Errors• Sense and Sensibility• Into the Woods• Twelfth Night

A L U M N I D AY S A T S H A K E S P E A R ES O U T H E R N U T A H U N I V E R S I T Y

ALUMNIRELATIONS


ALUMNIRELATIONS

IRON COUNTY CHAPTER


June 23-25, 2014

It’s not too late! Make your annual fund gift for the year by June 30th. YOUR ANNUAL FUND GIFT MAKES A DIFFERENCE!

suu.edu/giving

40I N V I E W

Alumni Association

351 West University Blvd.

Cedar City, UT 84720

Electronic Service Requested

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDCEDAR CITY, UT. 84720

PERMIT NO. 53

If the addressee no longer lives

at this address or for name and

address corrections including

duplicate magazines, please call

435-586-7777


ALUMNIRELATIONS


ALUMNIRELATIONS

IRON COUNTY CHAPTER


ALUMNIEVENTS

We invite you to join your Thunderbird Family at the following events:

MARCH 25-27 - FOUNDERS CELEBRATION

APRIL 8 - FESTIVAL OF EXCELLENCE

MAY 2 - GRADUATION

JUNE 6-29 - UTAH SUMMER GAMES

JUNE 23-25 ALUMNI DAYS AT SHAKESPEARE

JUNE 23-OCTOBER 18 - UTAH SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

AUGUST 2 - SUU DAY AT LAGOON

SEPTEMBER 11-13 - HOMECOMING WEEKEND

SEPTEMBER 12 - INAUGURATION

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THESE AND

FUTURE EVENTS, VISIT WWW.SUU.EDU/ALUMNI

OR CALL (435) 586-7777

Stained glass windows in the Emma Eccles Jones Education Building

suu in view spring 2014

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