Alan Neves - Homecoming Outstanding Alumnus

Alan Neves’ desire to enrich the lives of others might well have been forged in a distant past by genetics and by circumstance, but his path of fusing performance and photojournalism to benefit an audience has brought him success, acclaim and happiness.

What is clear is that a generous sampling of talent was key in the career of the SUU Alumni Association’s 2016 Alumnus of the Year.

Alan, a multi-Emmy award-winner, spent more than two decades telling stories as a photographer for Salt Lake City television stations with a reach and impact of uncommon dimension, and has augmented his mainstream work with a busy slate of freelance projects that have allowed him to expand his reach.

Now, he is excited to be on a new course of service in his very first week as the broadcast lab production manager for Brigham Young University’s School of Communications.

He’s teaching, mentoring and guiding BYU students to tell stories as he has and still does: with the goal of enlightening and elevating lives.

He grew up in several locations around the country with his journalist parents, Les and Gay Neves, who raised a large family and also sponsored refugee families. Alan learned well to give back as he landed in Tooele, Utah, for high school, and grew in an all-purpose fashion, playing saxophone in the Buffalo band and filling the lead role in a number of school stage productions, displaying a talent that won him a theater scholarship to SUU.

As a freshman in 1985, he dated fellow theater student Glynis Adams a few times before leaving to serve an LDS mission to Ventura, California. Upon his return he gravitated to journalism as he performed on-camera and production work for SUTV. But, he also trod the boards, as they say, in a number of SUU theatre productions. That placed him in proximity to Glynis, daughter of SUU icons Fred and Barbara Adams, and the couple married in 1990 upon her graduation. Living in Alpine, Utah, they are parents to five children, including Katie, an SUU sophomore majoring in English and Shakespeare Studies.

Alan’s own SUU career portended great things. Vocal coach Doug Baker, then of the theatre arts department, says, “Alan always demonstrated the cornerstones of a fulfilling life and career: integrity, strong ethical behavior, sincerity and generosity.” Jon Smith, who taught him in television work, says, “We are extremely proud of Alan and his achievements and how he has carefully polished his storytelling and photography skills to a masterful level.”

And among his colleagues at KSL Television over the years is Carole Mikita: 

"Alan Neves is one of the good guys. We have been colleagues for more than 20 years and whether its news stories or traveling the country or the world for special projects, he has been superb. Whether it is shooting, or editing, coming up with creative ideas, I know that I speak for anchors, reporters, photographers, editors, he's the number one go-to-guy and everyone's favorite. Not only is his work ethic superior, but he's a man of good cheer. Always delightful to work with. So from all of us to you, congratulations dear friend."

Following his 1992 graduation from SUU in communication with a minor in theatre arts, Alan spent a year on the studio crew at KUTV Channel 2 before moving over to KSL where he relished being out-and-about, taking people places they could not themselves go.

His travels included work in Jerusalem, Japan, Great Britain and Europe, and the White House. He has filmed inside a nuclear submarine and the tombs that held the Dead Sea Scrolls and has covered earthquakes and the Olympics. And, in KSL’s unique role in the LDS Church, he has crafted more than 30 documentaries.

Alan found time to earn a master of fine arts degree along the way, as well. While his fruitful career marks him as an exemplary SUU graduate, his stated desire to tell stories that make a difference, that inspire people to be better, truly cements him as such.

Derrick Haslem - Homecoming Distinguished Service Award

Oncologist Derrick Haslem, a member of SUU’s class of 2000, has dedicated his life to steering people through the devastation of cancer and today provides all-encompassing treatment of the dire disease.

His Intermountain Precision Genomics provides a personalized approach to testing, diagnosing, and treating cancer, analyzing the genetic makeup of a patient’s cancer and joining a team of skilled specialists to determine how to most effectively treat that case with a customized, targeted plan.

It’s not just a clinic, but a program, he says, and from a St. George base, Derrick and his team reach through Cedar City and throughout southern Utah. He draws upon more than seven years treating cancer in IHC’s clinics in the region.

It is indeed distinguished service, which makes him ideal for that Alumni Association honor, one that he likely did not envision growing up in Vernal, Utah, before moving to St. George while a fourth-grader. His early life had been characterized by running though the alfalfa fields between the Green River and Flaming Gorge Reservoir, and by tagging along with his father, a building contractor. He was encouraged to take that line of work a bit further and become an engineer. He had an eye out even then, however, to put one foot into health care and toyed with the idea of biomedical engineering, perhaps designing artificial limbs, as he was intrigued, he says sheepishly, by Luke Skywalker’s prosthetic arm.

Later, though, he found that working directly with people and improving their lives satisfied him more than the thought of sitting in some cubicle somewhere. He determined he would work closer to the human condition and when his mother’s cousin succumbed at an early age to breast cancer, he first had the thought of combating the disease.

Following his days at Pine View High School where he first met future wife Amy, Derrick spent a year at Dixie College before serving an LDS mission to the Dominican Republic, where one-on-one work serving others changed his life. Continuing his education at SUU, he became the first intern in the University’s fledgling AHEC program and traveled to area schools encouraging students to pursue occupations in health care.

While a Thunderbird, he also courted Amy Lundin (lun-deen), whom he married in 1997. She earned an SUU degree the following year in business education and computer information systems. They now have five children ranging in age from 17 to four.

Also at SUU, he was a member of the intramural flag football championship team and the Pre-Med Club. He earned his degree in mathematical science with a minor in Spanish, and gives thanks to the school’s strong core of teachers and mentors, including Marty Larkin, Bob Eves, Michael Donovan and the late Jim Bowns. He, like so many, has vivid memories of Ty Redd’s Organic Chemistry course, which he says was one of the toughest experiences in his life but was invaluable preparation.

As a member of one of SUU’s renowned perfect classes of graduates accepted to medical school, he earned his degree from the University of Utah. While there, his now-cancer-free mother contracted colon cancer and he was highly impressed by the work of the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Thus, his specialty was revealed to him as he went on to complete his fellowship there.

Derrick’s practice, based on the personal approach, is committed to helping patients through the entire process connected with their disease, arranging for all aspects of treatment. In addition to fighting cancer, he and his team also help patients face the reality of their situation and to deal with it with dignity, he says. Encouraging the stricken to take advantage of time remaining is a vital aspect of the program.

As he goes about his daily duties caring for others, Doctor Derrick Haslem evinces the care and concern instilled by his family and by his teachers and mentors and in doing so, provides truly distinguished service. 

Brooke Ulrich - Homecoming Young Alumnus

When Brooke Tuttle Ulrich was growing up on her family’s alfalfa farm in Holden, Utah, she was a typical farm girl and—she says—never wore shoes. She did some coloring and drawing; she dressed her cats up in doll clothes, but maintains she never thought she had a creative side at all.

Today, that creativity has burst forward resoundingly, as she is a bright star in the world of Internet bloggers on craftwork, design, renovation and restoration, and more, as well as for saving money in the process. Her blog “All Things Thrifty” draws more than a half-million viewers each month, and she boasts nearly 80,000 followers on Facebook and a like number on Pinterest. Clearly, Brooke is a not only a product of the digital age, but a key component of this medium in empowering individuals in their home life.

It’s true that, as is the case with all three of our homecoming honorees, this 2016 Young Alumnus of the Year’s work is all about improving the lives of others. All Things Thrifty’s goals are to inspire and equip readers to tackle their own projects confidently, to provide easily understood tutorials, and to share information to positively impact readers’ lives.

As a Sterling Scholar in art at Millard High School, where Brooke also excelled in track and field and on the drill team, she first started to realize what she calls her “visual brain” when she painted a mural on the school’s weight room wall. But, it was her career goal to teach communication and advise a dance group at a school somewhere. A scholarship to SUU set her on that path, with suitable courses and extracurricular work as an SUUSA leader, a Presidential Ambassador and a member of the Waukeenyans. She was granted her bachelor’s degree in 2004 and stayed on to earn a master’s degree in corporate communication in 2007, and while a severe ankle injury ended her dance dreams, she did teach communication both at SUU and at Dixie College.

She met and married her husband Dan while at SUU and had the couple not decided to buy a home in St. George in 2009, her destiny may well have been what she had earlier planned. What came to pass, however, is indeed a charmed confluence, as she thoroughly enjoys being a largely stay-at-home mother to her four children and, also, conducting her own satisfying and rewarding career as well as exercising her creative gifts.

It all began when she surveyed her new house, which she termed “beige” from top to bottom. Despite having put the family savings into the down payment, she decorated the home herself through her imagination, her artistic talent and an eye for stretching a dollar. Soon, it was “by-bye beige.” Her brother, Court, encouraged and coached her to share her progress with online photos and “All Things Thrifty” was born to almost instant popularity, spurred by her ample network of friends.

Although she is quick to credit her husband, a multi-talented craftsman, for his abilities in creating whatever she can imagine, her talents have made her a frequent guest on many Salt Lake City television feature programs, and landed her a spot as a Home Depot trainer hosting Do-It-Yourself workshops all over the country, including teaching women how to use power tools. Virtual workshops over the Internet are now in her portfolio and she sees video as the prime tool for the future. She has shown a marvelous ability to adapt with the rapidly changing digital world.

Other partnerships of Brooke’s include Proctor & Gamble, Better Homes & Gardens, Rust-oleum and Shaw Carpets. A current tribute to her abilities and success has come with her being featured on the current cover of Welcome Home magazine.

In all that she does, Brooke Ulrich embodies that true Thunderbird spirit borne of an experiential education. Knowledge, ability and vision, coupled with a desire to aid others, are the mainstays of her success.