President's Holiday Gala

Christmas is the perfect season to remember those that make a difference at Southern Utah University. We are grateful to you and all of our wonderful alumni and friends for the time you volunteer and resources you give to strengthen and advance SUU. Your efforts make a tremendous difference in the lives of our students.

President Michael T. and Debi Benson

Recently, the University honored two individuals and one foundation for their generosity: Margaret S. Driggs for her support of the Special Collections Department at the Sherratt Library; The Daniels Fund for its commitment to providing non-traditional student scholarships and supporting the Utah Summer Games; and Gerald R. Sherratt for his endless generosity to all aspects of education at Southern Utah University.

Camille Bradford, daughter of Margaret Driggs

The Daniels Fund -- Mike Heaton (Daniels Scholarship Program)
and Linda Childears (President & CEO)

Gerald R. Sherratt

Peter Breinholt

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
from all of us at Southern Utah University!

Homecoming 2009

Thank you to everyone who attended and made Homecoming 2009 a success.

The weekend was filled with reunions, the dedication of the Sterling R. Church Auditorium, True T-Bird, the 5K, Alumni Brunch & Awards Ceremony, a fantastic parade and of course the football game -- we won 35-10.

We hope you enjoy a glimpse of the festivities and we'll see you next year!

Thor's Thunder Classic 2009

Entrada at Snow Canyon Country Club hosted the 2nd annual Thor's Thunder Classic on September 28. Alumni and friends enjoyed a great day of golf as they raised money to assist in the advancement of Southern Utah University through scholarships and alumni programs.

Special thanks to our Title Sponsor Color Country Pediatrics and Major Sponsors The Leavitt Group, Suh'dutsing Technologies LLC and Entrada.

We were pleased to have as our special guests Governor Gary Herbert, Commissioner of Higher Education Bill Sederburg, Regent Marlon Snow, State Representative Evan Vickers, former SUU President Steve Bennion and former Commissioner of Higher Education Rich Kendall.

Plan now to join us for next year's tournament at Entrada on Monday, September 27, 2010.

Football Home Opener: Dixie State vs. SUU

A record 10,028 fans packed Southern Utah University's Eccles Coliseum Septmeber 3 when the T-Birds faced off against Dixie State for the first time since 1962. We won 36-7.

More than 800 students, alumni, friends and football parents tailgated at Thunderbird Village prior to kick-off and set the stage for a fantastic evening of football.

Pre-game ceremonies brought 1963 Student Body President Richard Henrie and 1962 Tight End/Outside Linebacker Jim Jensen to Cedar City to recognize the tradition of the "Battle Axe." In 1937 a Battle Ax was created that carried the names of Dixie College and the Branch Agricultural College. This Ax was presented to the winning team in all athletic competitions between the two institutions. In 1963, when athletic competition between the two schools ceased, a duplicate Ax was made so both institutions would have a “Battle Ax” for display. SUU's Axe was crafted as true to the original as possible and is on permanent display in Old Main.

Alumni Spotlight: Jeanette Ormond & Jill Ormond Whitaker

Jeanette Ormond (’02 MBA) and Jill Ormond Whitaker ('99, Communication) were selected to travel to Washington D.C. this past June to participate in the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s Global Race for the Cure. The mother-daughter team has been involved with raising money for cancer research for years, and they won a contest sponsored by New Balance Shoes for the trip to Washington. New Balance produced a video about the experience available on YouTube.

“The race was amazing,” says Jill who was in awe running past all the monuments in the historic city, “but even better to share that experience with each other.” The race included people from all over the globe and had about 50,000 participants. Jill and Jeanette each submitted a video to New Balance about why the Race for the Cure was important to them, and Jill’s was selected as the winner with the hope that her ‘plus 1’ could be her mom.  “I wouldn't have dreamed of taking anyone else,” she says.

This is an important issue to the Ormond family; Jeanette is a 2-time cancer survivor and just passed 5 years of being cancer free. In addition, her mother, grandmother, aunt and nephew have all battled against cancer, and it has only strengthened the family’s resolve to fight. Both women have been heavily involved with fundraising to search for better cures and prevention methods. Jeanette has served on her community’s Relay for Life committee for the last 4 years and Jill ran the San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in November 2008 with Team in Training, raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Jeanette has worked at SUU since 1987 in the Administrative Systems department, and is amazed at the progress she has seen in her tenure at the school. “I’m truly honored to be a part of it,” she says. Jill grew up with her mother working at SUU. This lead Jill to attend SUU and eventually work there herself as the school’s Webmaster since 2001.

Jeanette and Jill continue to support finding a cure. Jill is running the Las Vegas Rock 'n’ Roll Half Marathon in December to raise money for the Komen Foundation.

Las Vegas Night at the Movies

The Southern Nevada Alumni Chapter hosted a night at the movies on August 14 at The District at Green Valley Ranch. Alumni enjoyed Tale of Despereaux, ice cream, pop corn, a carousel and perfect weather! Thanks to everyone who attended and made it a fun evening.

Scholarships were awarded to Donovan Lewis (Durango High School), Charles Phillips (Basic High School), Jacob Marrs (Arbor View High School) and Dominique Davis (Las Vegas Academy).

Join us Saturday, September 12, in San Diego as Thunderbird Football takes on San Diego State. Tailgating begins at 3:30 p.m. (Pacific Time) in Parking Lot H2 at Qualcomm Stadium. Kick-off is at 5:30 p.m. (Pacific Time). Call 888-586-1997 for more information.

Salt Lake BBQ and Senior Send-Off

Our third alumni gathering of the summer was held Thursday, July 9, in Salt Lake City. More than 120 alumni, current students and incoming freshmen attended a BBQ at Fairmont Park and then spent the evening at the ballpark watching the Salt Lake Bees.

Scholarships were presented to Camille Anthian (Copper Hills High School), Lauren Ashton (Alta High School), Hannah Christensen (Olympus High School), Hayden Crane (Riverton High School), Jesse Egan (Alta High School) and Makenzie Porter (Bingham High School).

Thank you to everyone who attended and we'll see you next year! Don't forget the SUU vs. Utah State Football Game on Saturday, September 26. Game time in Logan is 6 p.m. and tailgating will begin at 4 p.m.

Thanks to our great cook!

SUU National Alumni Board President Mark Russell

Juliann Smith, Lisa Sander, Jenn Morley and Mechelle Mellor

Mario Garcia Family

Megan Russell and Josh Hansen award a

scholarship to Camille Anthian

Lola Bird, Jenn Morley, Darin Bird, Jeff Maynes,

Megan Russell, Lauren Bird and McKay Maynes

Utah County BBQ & Senior Send-Off

The Utah County Alumni Chapter held its annual Summer BBQ and Senior Send-Off on Monday, June 22, at the beautiful Olmstead Power Plant Park. Nearly 80 alumni and their families attended, along with incoming freshmen from the area -- welcome to SUU!

Congratulations to Tori Creighton (Lone Peak High School) and Brandon Jolley (Lehi High School) who are the recipients of two Utah County Alumni Chapter Scholarships.

Thank you for coming and see you next year!

Washington County BBQ & Senior Send-Off

The Washington County Alumni Chapter recently held its annual Summer BBQ and Senior Send-Off at Vernon Worthen Park in St. George. Nearly 100 alumni and their families attended and enjoyed good food and great company.


Chapter President Ryan Richey presented alumni scholarships to Payton Harris and Alyssa Morris. Both are new freshman and we welcome them -- and all incoming freshmen -- to SUU!

Alumnus Sam Lutui and his cousins Filipe and Sione Fa -- of Biggest Losers fame -- stopped by and shared their experiences from the hit televsion show.

Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make our BBQ a success!

SUU Commencement 2009!

Southern Utah University's 110th Commencement Ceremonies were held Saturday, May 2. The Class of 2009 totaled 1,755 - the largest ever - with 394 receiving master's degrees, 1,015 earning bachelor's degrees, 340 associate's degrees and six educational certificates. Graduates came from 15 different countries, 41 states and 26 Utah counties. They ranged in age from 17 to 67 years old and included 694 men and 1,061 women.

Honorary doctorate degrees were presented to reowned painter Jim Jones, LDS President Thomas S. Monson and the late philanthropist and economist Edward Rondthaler IV.

Congratulations to the Class of 2009 and Welcome to the SUU Alumni Association!

Alumni Spotlight: Katie Clifford

Katie Clifford (’98, Communication) lives in Boston, Massachusetts, and is the International Category Marketing Manager responsible for Golf and Women’s Fitness for PUMA Shoes.

After graduating from SUU, Katie served an LDS mission in Switzerland, returning home just in time to work in the Sport Department for 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.  She was assigned to Short Track and Figure Skating and quickly fell in love with the world of sports. 

Following the Olympics Katie was hired by a small women’s fitness shoe company called RYKA where she coordinated marketing activities and events.  A year ago she began working for a small fashion brand owned by PUMA called Tretorn, before making the jump to the “Big Cat” (PUMA).

In her new role with PUMA, Katie is part of a team that sets the strategy for the Golf and Women’s Fitness category.  Once the strategy is set, her team works with all the global markets to develop a marketing plan that will work for each area.  Katie is the coordinator between the creative department, the PR department, the product team and each market, and works to ensure that all their communication is as smooth as possible.

Katie has worked with Apolo Ohno , Geoff Ogilvy and Kelly Ripa, and has helped organize events such as the Avon Walks for Breast Cancer and the Iron Girl Race Series.   But even with all of that excitement, there are still stressful days filled with strategy planning and bottom line watching.  After a rough day, she admits that she pinches herself and says, “But seriously, you get paid to think about golf all day?  I’m a pretty lucky kid.”

One great SUU memory for Katie is the Unplugged Concert Series that was held every Wednesday in the Sharwan Smith Center Living Room.  She and her friends planned their class schedules around Unplugged and enjoyed a nice two-hour break with a slice of homemade bread with honey butter from the Country Store and a giant Coke.  They would sit up front and come away with a crush on whatever band was playing that day.  “The Student Center always felt like the pulse of campus – no matter what time of day you wandered in you would always find something going on.  I still miss having such easy access to my social network (with live people, not Facebook friends!).”

Alumni Spotlight: Joe Garces

Joe Garces (‘98, Elementary Education) is a professional firefighter for the Oxnard City Fire Department in southern California and published his first children’s book, Garrett the Firefighter, in October 2008.

Following his graduation from Southern Utah University, Joe spent five years teaching elementary school and high school English. He became a fulltime firefighter in 2002 and describes this career change as a huge transition. The job of teaching a class of 36 children and the responsibility of saving peoples lives are both great, but vastly different from one another.

While Joe has always loved to write and has written his entire life, it never crossed his mind to write a children’s book. The idea behind Garrett the Firefighter came from a song Joe would sing to his son Garrett before putting him to bed. One night while at the fire station and wishing he could be singing to his little boy, he came up with the idea to write a story that went along with his song. He got out of bed, turned on the computer and wrote Garrett the Firefighter. Four years later, in October 2008 the book was published and is currently being sold in 24 states and nine countries throughout the world.

He recently completed a second book that is scheduled for release in December 2009.  It is entitled Tyler the Cowpoke and was written for his middle son Tyler.

Joe has many fond memories of SUU. His most memorable was during his first Welcome Back Week when he attended a comedy show in the Adams Memorial Theater that featured a hypnotist. He remembers the night being crisp and cool, laughing with complete strangers and knowing that he had chosen the right school.

Joe resides in southern California with his wonderful wife Taira, and their three boys Garrett, Tyler and Ryan.

 

Alumni Spotlight: Bill McKane & Mechele Hebberd Collins

Bill McKane and Mechele Hebberd Collins were recently inducted into Southern Utah University’s Coaching Factory Hall of Fame for their achievements as coaches and their impact on youth and athletics.

Bill earned a bachelor's degree from SUU in 1972 and embarked on a lifelong career of exemplary coaching and teaching. A 1997 inductee into the SUU Athletic Hall of Fame, he has always strived to provide young athletes the means to improve their minds and abilities so they could then achieve their goals as individuals and as team members.

In 32 years as a football coach at Mesa High School in Mesa, Arizona, he has fashioned a winning percentage of .725 and produced numerous players who have achieved individual success as all- state performers, as high school all-Americans and as all-Western States stars. Two have gone on to the National Football League.

Bill's awards and honors over the years have been many and varied but perhaps most telling was his selection as a Super Learning Role Model by the Super Bowl XLII committee. That award, presented at the 2008 Super Learning Gala, marked Bill as a true and dedicated mentor to youth. His achievements include a 1992 state championship in football and a bevy of coach of the year awards as well as prep coaching awards from ESPN and the NFL.

Mechele, a 1985 graduate of SUU and current physical education department chair at Hillcrest High School in Midvale, Utah, has forged a brilliant career as coach of 12 Utah State 5A state championship teams and nine runner-up squads in three sports.

Following a stellar collegiate record as a gymnast and a national champion high jumper at SUU, where she is also enshrined in the Athletic Hall of Fame, she moved to Hillcrest and immediately began a successful run coaching gymnastics, winning five state crowns before the sport was discontinued by the Utah High School Activities Association in 1991. Her Huskie girl’s tennis teams won two state championships and a state second place trophy between 2002-2004. As coach of the Huskie boy’s tennis team in 2007, her squad finished second in the state.

She has coached the Hillcrest drill team for 17 years, racking up state championships in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008 and 2009. Along the way, her drill teams earned nine region crowns and seven second place trophies as well as more than a dozen national championships in various venues, including three times in the Champions Dance competition, twice in the United Spirit Association and twice in the New York Nationals.

Alumni Magazine Online this Spring!

In an effort to be budget conscious in times like these, we've decided to reduce costs by distributing the SUU In View Alumni Magazine online rather that in print. We do this on a trial basis for this spring's issue.

The alumni magazine is one of our most important tools in keeping you, and other members of the Thunderbird Nation, connected. Its content remains consistent with the kinds of stories and updates we've provided for the past seven years. The spring 2009 edition includes features on: the new Zion Alliance, academic excellence in gymnastics, alumni making a difference through service learning, the College of HSS and much more!

So go to http://suu.edu/alumni/magazine/spring09/, take a look and let us know what you think.

Founders' Celebration 2009

SUU's 112th birthday was celebrated March 12, 2009.

During banquet festivities, an alliance was signed with the Paiute Tribe of Utah and Distinguished Service Awards were presented Marva Middleton, former administrative assistant in the Office of the Provost and June Sewing, community activist and executive officer of the Building Industry Association of Iron County.

Provost Rod Decker and Professor Jim Bowns were inducted into the Hall of Honor. Each has served SUU for 44 years and has excelled and impacted the departments in which they have worked. Their portraits were unveiled and will hang in the Great Hall. Rod Decker's portrait was done by Del Parsons and Jim Bowns' by SUU Art Professor Ben Sowards.

Cedar City's Heritage Center played host to a piano concert following the banquet featuring Steinway Artists Kirill Gliadkovsky & Anna Gliadkovskaya, SUU students Joshua Infiesto & Savannah Sommers and SUU President Michael T. Benson. The concert also marked the official designation of SUU as an All-Steinway School!