Why I'm Grateful for SUU - Larry Bliss

I want to share why I am grateful for Southern Utah University. First of all, if I had not come to Cedar City, Utah, I would have never met my beautiful wife Marilyn Bliss, who was working for Dr. Steve Lunt. Second, the education I received was a changing factor in my life to do better and look for ways to improve my life. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science with a major in Business Administration and minor in Accounting. The campus was much different back then in 1969. I met so many wonderful people at Southern Utah University, loved the campus and the life of a college student. 

Cedar City was the place where we were going to spend the rest of our life, but with a career starting with Coronet Variety stores out of Pasadena, California, we had many different adventures and cities to work and manage variety stores. I helped open a new grocery/variety retail store in St. George, Utah, we eventually ended up with True Value Hardware Corporation out of Chicago, Illinois, and we ended up setting in Spanish Fork, Utah, for 32 years with True Value, and retired two years ago. We have 5 wonderful children, 22 grandchildren and one great-grandson. 

My education at Southern Utah University, (College of Southern Utah) changed my whole life.

Larry Bliss is a 1969 graduate of SUU and lives in Spanish Fork, Utah, and is a retired consultant for True Value Hardware Corporation.

Jon McNaughtan - Why I'm Grateful for SUU

The holidays for me have always been a time to be with family and reflect on fond memories of being with loved ones. Though the majority of my life I thought of my family as a small group, consisting of my parents and siblings, this holiday season I feel privileged to take a moment to talk about what family has come to mean to me by sharing a few of the reasons I am grateful for the extended family that I found while attending SUU. 

I will clarify that my wife (Liz Day McNaughtan) and I both graduated from SUU in 2009 and while the most important relationship we developed on the SUU campus was ours, we are grateful for the many other friendships that stem from our association with SUU. In fact, for the last few years we have lived in Michigan, where our closest family members are a brutal 24 hour drive away. However, we have been very grateful for our extended Thunderbird family here in the Midwest that helped us move in, shared Thanksgiving dinner, and cheered on the T-Birds over the last three years. Not only have we continued friendships we started while at SUU, but have made new ones as we mingle with great fellow alumni.

What’s more, I am grateful that my experience at SUU was authentic. I have traveled back to Cedar City every year for homecoming except one. What still amazes me is that every time I go back the friends I made and mentors that guided me are there to express how much they care and ask about my life. At so many colleges the students are little more than a number, but at SUU even six years removed people still care because they were and are authentically interested in my success.

On top of lasting authentic relationships, I have found that in addition to being academically prepared while at SUU, my participation in applied experiences shaped my view of leadership and gave me the confidence to tackle challenging projects. I will forever be grateful for the rare opportunities I had to serve in student government, presidential ambassadors, residence life, and the many clubs I couldn’t help but join. I didn’t realize how rare the SUU experience was until I continued my education at other institutions and realized that many students long for an applied education to compliment their academic preparation but struggle to find opportunities.

In 2003 when I pulled out of Heber City, Utah, on the way to college at SUU I thought I was leaving home to start a temporary new adventure. However, it turned out I was just about to find a new home and extended family of fellow T-Birds that continue to influence my life in positive ways. I am grateful for the choice I made to attend SUU and for the continued experiences that demonstrate to me the power of a high quality personalized education.   

Jon McNaughtan is a 2009 graduate of SUU where he earned his bachelor's degree in communication. He and his family live in An Arbor, MI, where he is a PhD. student in The Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education.

Quinn Mortensen - Why I'm Grateful for SUU

From the onset of my relationship with SUU, gratitude for the University fast became a life-time experience. I have had the great pleasure to be involved with SUU as an undergraduate and graduate student, as well as a University professional, adjunct professor and now as an alumnus. As a student, I am grateful to the professors, students, staff and advisers...especially those in the communications department. Now in my life, during professional meetings and personal outings, whenever discussions turn to collegiate background I am often asked "What attracted you to SUU?" I typically begin listing several factors and benefits; most of which sprouted from the deep relationships that were forged during my time as a student and professional at SUU.  
I also worked for the University in a professional setting for five years after graduation. I am grateful for the training, friendships, mentoring and business experience I gained during that time. I didn't understand the depth and importance of those years until after I had moved on to different opportunities; some of which stemmed from both my educational and professional time at SUU. Now I am even more grateful to the many departments, teams and individuals with whom I was able to work in such an enjoyable and informative environment.

I attribute some of the best decisions and opportunities in my professional and personal lives to the University and Cedar City. I am proud to wear my SUU hats here in Texas, hang my SUU diplomas in my office and to say thank you to the University that helped me to become who I am today. Simply stated . . . I am grateful for SUU.

Quinn Mortensen is a 2004 and 2008 graduate of SUU where he earned his bachelor's degree in communication and a master's degree in professional communication. He and his family live in Houston, TX, where he works for a global software/safety company.

Marilyn Knoffsinger - Why I'm Grateful for SUU

Southern Utah State College provided a solid education for me and helped me sort through all available options. It helped me to select the major and minor that set me on a career in theatre, English, and education. It took some time for me to focus on classes and to complete assignments, but the faculty and staff members never gave up on me. They always supported and encouraged me; even my accounting professor who hounded me right up to graduation!

I loved the social aspect of SUSC! I gained lifelong friendships at the College. Some of my favorite memories of being involved in activities at SUSC include: breaking my arm in a production of Love’s Labour’s Lost on closing night, and being recognized with the Best Actress Award and the Student Achievement of the Year. I’ll never forget spending a solid week in the auditorium preparing for the Hall of Enchanted Trees. I don’t think anybody went to class that week!

A student’s four years extends beyond classrooms and text books, and SUSC provided many opportunities for extracurricular activity. There was always a place for any student to become involved, whether it was academics, athletics, the arts, student government, or clubs and committees. Every possible interest for every possible student was available.

I spent 25 years as a high school teacher, and I cannot tell you the number of times my professors’ words have spewed forth from my lips, much like the way we repeat the same things our parents said when we were younger! During an Advanced Placement Literature course I was teaching, I could hear Dr. David Lee’s poem analysis coming from my mouth. I still have Gary McIntyre’s handouts on drawing perspective scenery, which I made copies of and used for my technical theatre classes. I have also told and retold many of Fred Adams’ stories to my students in Pennsylvania.

I graduated in 1977 with more credits than required and still try to visit Cedar City as often as possible. I share my love of the city by bringing groups to the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Camp Shakespeare, and the national parks. It is my dream to continue sharing my memories and experiences of SUSC for as long as possible.

Marilyn Allen Knoffsinger is a 1977 alumna of SUU where she majored in Theatre Arts. She lives in State College, PA, and taught in the Bellefonte Area School District.

Gerald R. Sherratt - Why I'm Grateful for SUU

It was in my freshman year at the Branch Agricultural College, now Southern Utah University, that I took a class in the Great Books. One of them was the Dialogues of Plato which in turn introduced me to Socrates, the Athenian philosopher who argues that “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates revolutionized human history, urging his fellow citizens to think, and to think hard, ask many questions and seek many answers, so that in the end, truth becomes apparent. Ordered to abandon his quest to seek truth, he forfeited his life.

I’m indebted to the BAC for making that acquaintance for me, as I have used the Socratic method (we call it today “critical thinking”) in approaching all of life’s many facets. And many times I have discovered––through questions and answers–– that what I thought was true, wasn’t. It has saved me from many a mistake.

The BAC was a special place. Even then, it was a liberal arts and sciences school. The teachers were well prepared and dedicated, and interested in their students. Some of them became life long friends whom I admired for their total commitment to quality teaching. Fortunately, the tenacity and hard work the faculty exhibited then still prevails at SUU, which is why the institution is gathering so many accolades and its graduates being so successful. 

Gerald R. Sherratt is a 1951 alumnus of SUU and resides in Cedar City, Utah.

Janice Marriott - Why I'm Grateful for SUU

Back row left to right: Dave Gomez, Terry Leavitt and
Doug Bishop. Front row left to right: Janice Marriott,
Laura Bringhurst, Kay Henderson, Susie Traasdahl,
and Karen Bybee

I attended CSU – as it was then known – in the mid to late 1960’s. I am from a small Utah town, my uncle was a professor there, the second president of the college was from my home town, and my older sister was attending CSU during the time I was making my decision. It came down to two choices actually: Utah State University and CSU. Maybe I was coerced a bit, but it all turned out for the best.

Our classes at that time were not gigantic, which I was grateful for. We were able to get one-on-one help from teachers, actually became friends with them, and created friendships with other students in our classes.

I had the opportunity to be a Thunderette, a cheerleader, be in a sorority (Chi Sigma Upsilon) with leadership opportunities, and actually be a “queen” for a day. These opportunities gave me confidence in attaining leadership positions during my career.

But far and away the most important aspect of attending CSU is the friendships I cultivated while there. And after 50 years, I can attest that these friendships continue as close and as important as ever. If not for CSU and these friendships, my life would not be as fulfilled and enriched as it has been.

Pictured left to right: Vanez Butler ('68),
Ada Carpenter ('35 and former faculty member
DeAnn Linares, Vicki Gomez, Janice Brown
and Linda Rowley

I am grateful that my friends and I are able to return each year to Homecoming to see lots of old friends and make new memories. I am grateful to the Alumni Association team for all they do to keep us connected.

I will forever be grateful for my CSU experience.





Janice Brown Marriott is 1968 alumna of SUU where she majored in Business Administration, Family Life and Fun! Janice lives in Layton, Utah.

Juliann Jenne - Why I'm Grateful for SUU

With Thanksgiving coming up, I am happy to give pause to remember how attending Southern Utah University helped mold and shape me into the person I have become and has truly blessed my life. “My Favorite Things” is a song from “The Sound of Music" that is often sung at Christmastime (which I never understood), so to be festive, here is my rendition and tribute to my alma mater:

Personalized instruction with top-rate instructors

Who knew my name and were really great mentors,

Building a resume that really sings - 

These were a few of my favorite things.

S-U-U-S-A, G-H-A, and STAB,

A-S-B (Alternative Spring Break), shows, games, and dances were fab.

Getting involved and the friendships it brings - 

These were a few of my favorite things.

Living in Juniper and College Ave,

So many roommates and fun to be had.

Making new best friends from falls into springs - 

These were a few of my favorite things.

When the kids cry,

When the alarm rings,

When I'm feeling sad -

I simply remember my SUU days

And then I don't feel so bad.

An institution that is just the right size to feel like home, in an intimate setting - nestled in beautiful red hills and close to many of earth’s natural wonders - with quality instruction, wonderful peers, staff, and professors, SUU is a bit of heaven on earth. I’m grateful every day for the opportunities it afforded me and the lasting relationships I have had with truly quality individuals because I made the fateful decision to attend that marvelous university. Happy holidays to all of you and may you also reflect upon your golden days at SUU with joy and gratitude.

Juliann Smith Jenne is 2004 alumna of SUU where she earned a BA in English Education. She and her husband Aaron and their three children live in Salt Lake City.

Meet Our New Alumni President

Swearing in of Sandra Thomas as President of the Alumni
Association and member of the SUU Board of Trustees

On August 22, 2014, Sandra Lord Thomas ('93) became president of the Southern Utah University Alumni Association and was sworn in as a new member of the SUU Board of Trustees. She replaces Mark Russell ('74) who provided eight years of tremendous service to SUU and the Alumni Association.

Sandra holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Educational Leadership with a cognate in Public Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Her Masters in Education and Bachelors Degree in Communications are both from Southern Utah University.

Currently, Thomas is a senior facilitator for Strategic Planning Seminars. As such,
she evaluates all types of organizations and identifies primary strategic planning
processes to advance organizational directions, optimize future potentials, and
improve organizational relationships and interpersonal interactions with
stakeholders. As well, Thomas manages a small investment organization which
capitalizes on current trends in areas such as real estate, venture capitalism, and
business acquisition.

Thomas has been an instructor of the Department of Educational Leadership at
Northern Arizona University and continues to be an active member of the
Association for the Study of Higher Education, American Association for Higher
Education, and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Her
research interests include public policy and practice, organizational theory and
leadership, strategic planning and organization, governing boards and
presidencies, and educational recruitment, retention and persistent patterns.

Before moving to Mohave County almost fifteen years ago, Thomas served as
Southern Utah University’s Director and Associate Director of School Relations for
over 7 years. During that time she was responsible for enrollment management
processes including recruitment, marketing, and public relations. She directed
and founded the Admissions Adviser Program, the Sanctuary Scholarship
Competition, Quest Leadership Seminars, and the Spring Leadership Competition.
Thomas also served as the Director of the Utah Governor’s Honors Academy at
SUU. She worked closely with former Governor Michael O. Leavitt and organized
and facilitated the overall planning and fundraising of the academy.

In her personal world, Thomas is an avid photographer, writer, and reader. She
loves to spend time with her family and tries to live up to a recent comment made
by her teenage son, “Mom, you rock!”

Homecoming 2014 Outstanding Alumnus - Stan Parry

While thousands upon thousands of Cedar City boys and girls have used the campus of this university as their personal playground over the years, Stan Parry—honored tonight as the alumnus of the year—had, and has, a special bond to the institution. His great grandfather John Parry aided immensely as a state representative in establishing the school. And, Stan’s uncle, Forrest Parry of the class of 1941, and the inventor of the magnetic stripe card virtually everyone has in their wallet, ever proudly announced his status as an alumnus of the Branch Agricultural College.

Young Stan enjoyed his youth in the town, chasing after lizards and horny toads in what he called the wilderness of Leigh Hill, loved the night sky and glimpses of the Milky Way, and recalls fondly his attendance at the first performances of the Utah Shakespeare Festival in 1961—seated upon the grass—an experience he would repeat yearly. Following his graduation from Cedar High in 1967, he decided to stay home to study. After a year, he served an LDS mission to Germany before returning. Along the way at Southern Utah State College, he married Carol Lynne Wright, a 1971 graduate in English with a teaching certificate, and Stan shined as a Thunderbird, graduating with highest honors in 1974 in political science with a minor in German. He was elected vice president of academic affairs of the student body and was the Outstanding Student of the College of Social Sciences before heading off to law school at BYU. While there, he served as an intern for Senator Frank Moss in Washington, D.C. Just last year, he earned an LLM degree in International Business Transactions at Lazarski Faculty of Law in Warsaw, Poland.

His career has been and continues to be a diverse and colorful one, as his successes in 12 years as a prosecutor for both the Clark County District Attorney and the U.S. Department of Justice brought him both satisfaction and renown. He won convictions in a bevy of high-profile federal criminal cases, including trials involving public corruption, racketeering, tax fraud, and loan-sharking. Among his most notable cases was one that involved mobster Tony Spilotro. It was the basis for the 1995 film “Casino,” with Joe Pesci portraying the character based on Spilotro.

Stan entered the private practice of law in 1989, was a partner in several law firms, and in 2006 became a litigator and partner in Las Vegas office of the prodigious national firm of Ballard Spahr, specializing in representing companies in a wide variety of disputes, largely in the business and construction domains. Annually, he is among the very highest-rated attorneys in the state of Nevada.

He has also served as chairman of the City of Las Vegas Ethics Review Board, and as legal advisor to the Clark County Planning Commission. He has been a visiting professor at several universities in Eastern Europe, and will serve as such at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, this November. He is a member of the SUU National Advisory Board and the Lazarski University Council of Experts, and thoroughly enjoys his work as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association, and as the president of the World Affairs Council of Las Vegas. The latter two functions will keep him particularly busy as he heads to retirement in the years ahead, he says. He and Carol plan to serve a mission for their church, and Stan keeps his hand in now, teaching an early morning seminary class.

One may well ask how he finds the time for all that.

Stan and Carol have four sons, Mathis, Joseph, Tyler, and John, an SUU alumnus, and a daughter, Heidi Parry Stern. They have eight grandchildren, all of whom enjoy spending time together at the Parry cabin at Brian Head. 

In all ways, Stan has distinguished himself as among the finest and most accomplished and loyal of Southern Utah University alumni, and has brought immeasurable credit to himself, his family, and his alma mater.

Homecoming 2014 Distinguished Service - Joan Woodbury

Few people, if any, have matched the profound impact on Utah contemporary modern dance, as has Joan Jones Woodbury, a 1947 graduate of what is today Southern Utah University. As co-founder of the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, coupled with a 47-year-career teaching at the University of Utah, she has brought dance to countless people in our state, nation, and the world, and done so with passion and humor. This year, in the 50th year of her dance company, the SUU Alumni Association celebrates her pioneering life in dance and dance education, and warmly appreciates that her service to the arts over the years has been truly extraordinary.

She was born in Cedar City to a musical family in 1927, and her progenitors were among those revered stalwarts who built this institution. She enjoyed an idyllic country life on the family farm west of town before moving into a home on Cedar City’s Main Street. It was then that the five-year-old was enrolled in a tap dance class, as she loved to move and, truly, has never stopped. While she excelled as a dancer, she found even deeper pleasure in choreographing and creating dance programs, and that would prove to be a hallmark of her life. She credits her teachers for allowing her to explore her possibilities and to express herself. Joan also embraced a strong work ethic through her father’s ranching and businesses enterprises, and her mother’s busy performance schedule and teaching of the piano.

The venerable LaVeve Whetten was Joan’s dance teacher in both high school and college and it was through her encouragement, as well as that of her parents Lehi M. and Bernella Gardner Jones, that she matriculated at the University of Wisconsin. There she studied with the renowned teacher/philosopher Margaret H’Doubler for four years, receiving both her BA and MFA degrees.

She began teaching at the University of Utah, studied as the first Fulbright Scholar in dance with Mary Wigman in Berlin, and in 1964 she and Shirley Ririe founded the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company. Joan’s earlier studies with choreographer Alwin Nikolais, helped shape her philosophy and aesthetic sensibility for the rest of her career. She was privileged to teach with, and for him, in many locales. Joan has choreographed more than 95 works and has danced or taught workshops and master classes throughout the United States, as well as in more than a dozen countries.

The sterling legacy of the Jones family in Cedar City history is assured, and Jo-An’s siblings have also lived lives of certain consequence. Brother Kerry has been a businessman and banker, and served as mayor and a council member. Kenneth has boldly carried on the fabled family ranching tradition in Iron County and into Nevada. Sister Cynthia, herself a former dance teacher, has long been a major force in the Cedar City Music Arts Association. Marolyn, who served with U.S. Representative Walter Granger, went on to be an active violinist in Salt Lake City. All are thriving to this day.

Joan is married to BAC graduate Charles E Woodbury and has three remarkable children—Todd, Jeff and Jena—with spouses Heidi, Debby, and Casey Jarman, and two grandchildren, Lauren and Cali.

In addition to many choreographic grants and commissions, Jo-An’s many honors include a Chimera Award from the Nikolais Dance Theatre, alumni recognition from Southern Utah University and the University of Wisconsin, the Utah Governor’s Award in the Arts, and the Heritage Award from the National Dance Association. She holds honorary doctorates from both SUU and the U. Today, Joan works to support the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company as it continues its next 50 years into the future.

Joan’s motto of ‘Dance is for everybody’ continues to be a clarion call in our state. A lifetime of sharing her love of dance and what it can contribute to the public good, and to the souls of individuals, has set Joan Jones Woodbury apart as a most special sort of artist and educator: one who reaches from the heart, and without regard to convention for convention’s sake. 

Homecoming 2014 Young Alumnus - Grant Smith

While growing up in Salt Lake City, Grant Smith was much like other boys whose lives revolved around sports. He played, he watched and studied, he dreamed of a career in the arena, and when he’d grab the morning newspaper, he’d quickly pull out the sports section. Immediately after, however, he became decidedly unlike most of his peers, as his second choice for reading material was the stock reports. Yes, young Grant was interested in investing, an interest learned from his grandparents.

And so it was that his talents as an all-state linebacker and running back, as well as a track and field athlete, for the Hillcrest High Huskies earned him a scholarship to attend Dixie College following his 1999 graduation, and that Grant found himself in an introductory class in economics. This time, however, the pattern of sports before investing would end up flipping his interests and his career goals onto that second path.

Along with him on his path was high school sweetheart Catherine Jones, who awaited him as he served an LDS mission in Leeds, England, then returned to St. George for a year before they married and transferred to Southern Utah University, again with scholarships in hand, as Grant majored in finance, and Catherine in sociology. Grant played a year for Coach Gary Anderson’s Thunderbirds as a defensive back before succumbing to the lure of his new educational passion, most tellingly under the influence of captivating professors Joe Baker and Kim Craft. He represented his fellow business students as an SUUSA senator and immersed himself in his studies, tutoring others as well.

After their mutual 2005 SUU graduation, and following a summer internship with Zions Bank, the couple was off to England as Grant earned a master’s of science degree in financial economics from Oxford in what he termed a “transformational experience.” It was there that the couple’s first child was born and following that year they found themselves back in Salt Lake City. Grant worked as a financial analyst with the investments arm of Zions for two years before moving on to Ensign Peak Advisors for another two years as an equity analyst and portfolio manager.

Grant’s drive led his family to Columbia University in New York City, where he earned his master’s in business administration before joining America’s second largest privately held company, the multinational Koch Industries in Wichita, Kansas, as director of business development. After playing a critical role in that corporation’s acquisition of Molex, Inc., a leading manufacturer of electronic interconnectors, near Chicago, Grant was asked to be Molex’s vice president of business development. The Smith family relocated to Napierville, Illinois, last year, the couple’s 12th move in their 11-year marriage.

Essentially, says Grant, his occupational mission now is as it has been for years: to find value in companies that others may not see, and to capitalize on those opportunities for mutual benefit and reward. It is a logical step in his career of ever-increasing responsibilities and he credits many sources for his success, including his year as a Thunderbird football player, where it was reinforced in him the need to set high standards for himself and to commit his energies to their realization.

Although he characteristically brushes aside such assertions, Grant’s success stems largely from his core will to achieve. His genetics and family teachings instilled in him the imperative to set and

accomplish goals. He has always strived to work toward something meaningful and to progress in life. Along the way, he and his wife seek out opportunities to aid others in a variety of ways.

Catherine and Grant are the parents of Belle, 8, Gabrielle, 5, and 1-year-old McKay, and one can be sure those progeny will receive their parents’ formidable constitution to make a difference in the world.

That’s the foundation of this year’s young alumnus of the year, Grant Smith, a most worthy representative of the bold and dynamic SUU spirit.

Running to the Altar

Alex Anderson and Jennika Wright. They first met in 2011
 at a track & field social. He proposed at the 2014 Big Sky Outdoor
Track & Field Championships from the medal podium
after winning the gold in the men's triple jump.

Earlier this summer when work began on the fall 2014 edition of the SUU In View Alumni Magazine, we decided to include a fun story about the marriage proposal of track & field athletes Jennika Wright and Alex Anderson ('14). Their proposal took place during the 2014 Big Sky Outdoor Track & Field Championships and the couple were married August 9, 2014. 

Their experience got us to thinking about all the other couples who met while at SUU. So we asked our alumni, via Facebook, to share how they met their spouse along with their proposal story. Here are the stories and comments that were shared: 

• Chad Carter:  I met my wife in stats class. I invited her to my study group and the probabilities worked their magic. I proposed on dixie rock in st George.
  
  
• Christie Fisher: I met my husband while attending SUU. He was a friend of a friend and we spent a lot of our courting time at SUU. We even spent plenty of dates on campus. We were lucky enough to graduate the same day after three years of marriage, with our baby girl attending. SUU will always hold a special place in our hearts!
  
  
• Kathy LaRussa:  I saw my future husband leaning against a wall in front of Juniper after a football practice. I remember at that exact moment thinking, "if I could marry anyone, this is the man I would choose". 3 years later we were married, and that was 38 years ago!
  
  
• Michael Winslow:  I met my wife at SUU. We were both in the band and both music ed majors! We have been happily married for 12 years and both of us are teaching music in St. George.
  
  
• Cara Reese:  I met my husband in a study group for an accounting class. We didn't start dating until a year later and then were engaged 3 months later. We will be married for 5 years in August.
  
  
• Lisa Childs: I met my husband on the first day of my freshman year in the bookstore in 2011. It was the most romantic and meant to be story, and every girl swoons when she hears it. SUU is the best school ever, and we had the most incredible memories there.
  
  
• Maggie Hurst:  I met my husband in German class at SUU. He proposed at Three Peaks. We got married during Spring Break of my Senior year. '06. He also graduated from SUU in '09. We have so many happy memories of SUU and Cedar City. Picnics on campus. Homecoming. Shakespeare Festival.
  
  
• Julie Wasden Hunt:  I met my husband Samuel Matthews Hunt while I was a student secretary in the biology department office and he was a biology student. Seventeen years ago...still as happy as the day we met! 
  
  
  
  

• Justin King: I was an RA on campus, and my fiancé was a resident. I proposed two years later, shortly before graduation.
  
  
• Jennifer Carroll Springer: These are all very sweet, but my guess is few state universities outside of Utah would bother asking this because it (getting married and starting a family while still in college) is extremely rare outside of Utah. Cheers to all your young loves (and to Utah for being so different and original...ha ha)!
  
  
• Amy-Sue Hales:  I met my husband our freshman year. We both lived in Juniper Hall. We went on many dates on campus. Some of my favorites were the concerts, dances, a hypnotist show and capture the flag on campus. I even took an astronomy class with him so I could spend more time with him up at the observatory looking at the stars  Because of timing we didn't get married 10 yrs later, but we often talk about how we met at SUU. Some of our favorite memories were at SUU. Thanks to SUU I met my husband!! Happily married for 10 years.
  
  
• Amy Larsen Guymon: I met my husband at SUU. We both lived in College Ave. we were also both education majors as well. I may have even pulled some strings to get him into the special ed program;). He proposed to me up at C on the mountain and we were married May 1998. We had 2 children while at SUU and have since added 3 more!
  
  
• Maddie Wiscombe Sopeña: I met my husband Gus J Sopeña at SUU. We were both Physical Education majors. We both have always known we wanted to teach PE. He wanted to coach basketball and I wanted to coach soccer. He helped with the Men's Basketball team under Roger Reid while there. We took the same classes; at first we were surprised to see each other in the sane classes. Eventually, after we had met and went on a couple of dates, we took the same classes together, even partnered up on all the group projects. We even went to the same middle school (cedar) for Dr. Lopour's adaptive PE class. We didn't know each other at the time but Gus would always sign in at the front office after I did- coincidence? We both student taught up in Utah county. We eventually put SUU on hold for a semester so we could go out to Virginia so I could play collegiate soccer. We came back to SUU and got engaged. (I went on a National Treasure themed hunt of significant places to us throughout Utah County). We were married 3 years ago on July 9th. We both graduated from SUU with our bachelors degrees. We are both teaching PE in Utah County, and both teaching in Provo School District. Gus is coaching basketball and I'm coaching soccer. We have a beautiful 9 month old daughter, Brielle, and life is just fantastic! It's all thanks to the great institution of SUU! We both eyed attending the state's best educational program and I'm grateful we both had the same vision to attend the same university. We absolutely loved our time in Cedar City. SUU will always be very special to the Sopeña family! It's where we got started. Thanks SUU! Go T-Birds!
  
  
• Caroleen Chamberlain: I took an Econ class and he was the student assistant for mr. Schmitz. We also took a Success inMarriage class at the LDSInstitute, he asked to take me home when we were watching the drama production Princess and the Pea in 1967. He was on the senate. We were married that fall. He lived Oak Hall and I lived in Manzanita. 20 yrs later, our son loved in the very hall F that I lived in. We have 8 of our 12 children (includes in-laws) attend SUU. My father in law went to the BA as did numerous aunts uncles cousins etc. I didn't graduate then, I went back 30 yrs later and finished my early childhood and taught kindergarten in Orderville for 8 yrs. I just retired in May and we are planning on an LDS mission the end of the year.
  
  
• Megan Stephens: My husband and I met at SUU our freshman year 2006. We both lived in Juniper Hall, but we didn't officially meet until Homecoming Week at the Main Street Fair...We kissed on Old Sorrel on Homecoming Eve to become True T-Birds. Six months later he left on his mission to France and told me not to wait for him (which I hadn't planned on doing, but it kind of seemed to happen anyway lol) He returned two years later, and we picked up right where we had left off. He proposed the following Valentine's Day, we married that summer and had our first child later that year. 

• Hayley Titus Winslow: I had 3 classes with my future husband throughout my freshman year. We had to sing in front of each other in class voice, we played our instruments in small ensembles nearly every day. We each remember every other person in those classes EXCEPT each other  He left to serve an LDS mission and when he returned we ran into each other in the music building hallway. He was wearing a yellow shirt and was carrying his trombone. I remembered he had played before and he looked a little familiar. Later that week, he called my house and asked me on a date (I found out later he had decided to ask out whoever it was that answered the phone- lucky me). We were engaged 6 weeks later and were married within 6 months.
  
  PS- my husband is Michael Winslow who posted above. He gave the lame version so I HAD to add the longer story 

• Kami Syrett Stevens: I went with one of my roommates to meet people in our apartment complex. I saw Mike and told my roommate he had the most gorgeous eyes i had ever seen. I told her i was going to get a date with him. She bet me i couldn't kiss him by February (it was October). I asked him out and from the way he acted so bored i thought, i will never hear from him again. A week later he was at my door asking for me and the rest is history! Oh, my roommate lost the bet!!
  
  
• Joe Oliver: We met at SUU in January 1996. On Valentine's Day she actually proposed to me. But I was traditional, so when her ring came in it was our 1 month anniversary of our first date and I couldn't wait. I proposed to her in the middle of a snow storm on the 50 yard line of the football field. We both graduated in 1998 from SUU and we've been together ever since.
  
  
• Meleece Hansen: My husband was a star on the track team and I was a student athletic trainer. He pulled his hamstring and I helped him get healthy, and the rest is history! He proposed to me in one of the suites in the football stadium. There were lights on the football field that said, "Will You Marry Me?" and his friends set off fireworks. ; )
  
  
• Kylee Landon:  I knew by husband's brother and sister in law before I met him. My husband was out of the country and his brother and sister in law would always tell me I needed to go out with him when he got back, so when he finally came back they set up a triple date with some other friends of ours. It was the first day of the spring semester in 2010 and our date was set for that night. But when I walked into my Spanish class that morning, a stranger asked me what my name was, and although I was confused and a little creeped out, he told me he was the guy I was set up with. We met before we were "supposed" to meet! We ended up dating for about a year and a half, and got married in Las Vegas. Also everyone in that Spanish class got to witness our "love story" because they all were there on day 1. Bless them...
  
  
• Mandy Whitaker: I met my husband when he came down to visit campus and his sister. Monica was my sorority sister and we went the institute dance where he asked me to dance and the rest is history!
  
  
• Katie Stander Miller: My husband and I met through mutual friends. We also would see each other at the gym where I worked. Then one day we had math classes next to each other and we finally talked to each other for the first time.
  
  
• Chelsey Macfarlane: We met at SUU back in 2010 he was my chemistry tutor.
  
  
• Angela Leddy: I met my husband in the science building in our freshman math class and we also had the same English class the next day. One year later he proposed to me in the same classroom that we met.
  
  
• Wes Mangum: I met my wife at SUU in January of 2008, while we worked as janitors in the Student center. I somehow managed to get a date out of her in the he early morning hours wearing one of those stylish vacuum backpacks. Six years later, two kids, and one year of law school under our belts, it is still the best decision I have ever made.
  
  
• Kacy "Smith" Backlund: My husband Bradford M. Backlund and I met while living at the Stadium Way apartments. He said he saw me driving in my little red civic and had to meet me. I was friends with one if his roommates and so he and his roommate pretended to go get the mail, but really just wanted to stop by to say hi. The rest is history. We dated for about 8 months and then he proposed at the "C"!:)))
  
  
• Bradford. M. Backlund:  Kacy 'Smith' Backlund and Bradford M. Backlund now happily married for a little over 12 years and two amazing boys!!
  
  
• Jess Price Wayman: Justin Wayman and I met in the fall of 2009 at Country Swing Dance Club at SUU. I was a freshman excited to learn how to do all the tricks and Justin an instructor. He says he still remembers the outfit I wore the night we met right down to the belt buckle. We spent almost every Wednesday night together. He finally asked for my number and we hit it off quite nicely. Four years later on Valentine's Day, he proposed. We were married July 27, 2013! We are quickly approaching our 1yr anniversary and often reflect back on the wonderful night at SUU Swing Dance Club that we met! We have continued dancing and now teach other couples to Swing Dance as well!
  
  
• Kelli Ellertson Blake:  My parents met at SUSC when they were students in 69' and my dad proposed the next year. I thought they had a perfect love story do when I went to SUU I was excited. Kirk and I met in 2005 at a Presidential Ambassador retreat. We saw each other a lot doing on campus events and tours. He propose after 2.5 months of knowing each other on upper campus by the waterfall during Distinguished Scholars day. We were married 1.5 months later. We finished school and Kirk worked there for over 5 years.
  
  
• Tawny Betts: My Husband lived in my apartment building, and I liked his roommate. 

• Emmy Brown: On study day in 2011, I went with a bunch of friends to Sand Hollow to cliff jump. This weird guy ( Rich Fauci )I'd never met ripped off a sleeve on his shirt and said, "Will you wear this for me?" I begrudgingly took it. A year later he punched my fish and stole my Oreo brownies. Another year later, we talked constantly over the summer. The next summer, he was my rebound after a bad break up and even though I said I'd never even kiss him, he won me over by kissing me in the rain. We got a dog and both graduated in '14. We're planning our life together currently, but our love story continues...
  
  
• Kol Gibson:  My wife Kelli and I have known each other since we were four years old, but SUU is where we fell in love. In 2011, she started as a freshman and I came back to school after serving a mission. We had choir together, but we didn't date. That fall semester, we spent most of our free time together and did almost every school activity hand in hand. In March of 2012, I told her that I loved her for the first time, and I asked her out on a date. We dated for the following months, and on September 14th of 2012, I took her up to the third floor of the library again, told her how much I loved her, and asked her to marry me. She said 'yes,' and we were married on December 15, 2012.
  
  
• Shea Diepeveen: My husband & I met at SUU through some mutual friends. After a year of dating, he took me out behind the golf course and wrote 'Will you marry me?' in flames over the snow!
  
  
• Marisa Wonnacott: My husband and I met at an activity on campus where we found out we lived in the same apartment complex. We quickly became close friends and he finally asked me out at the end of Fall Semester 2009 just before I graduated. We continued to date long distance after I graduated and were married in 2011. We spent the next 2 years in cedar while he finished his bachelors degree. SUU will always be a special place to us.
  
  
• Ashley Goodrich Dixon: It was impossible for Jay and I not to meet at SUU; our paths crossed in so many ways. We both held positions in SUUSA, we were both involved in Greek organizations (he's a Sigma Nu, I'm an Alpha Phi), and we were both radio DJs for Power 91. With so much in common, we had to get together! After dating for ten months, he came to my house in the middle of the night, woke me up and whisked me away to the top of the Providence Lighthouse where he proposed. We were married October 9, 2004, which also happened to be SUU's homecoming game day. I love looking at pictures from our wedding reception with so many people dressed in red with painted faces, rushing through our line, scarfing up cake so they wouldn't miss kick-off. This year we celebrate our ten year anniversary! We owe so much to SUU and will always try our hardest to return and visit as often as possible.
  
  
• Kendra Gleason Wheeler:  I met my husband through my friend the SUU tennis team. She was dating someone on the basketball team and my husband also played. We had fun double dates as we all had so much in common. In 2001 the basketball team made it to the NCAA tournament. Such a fun year for SUU to get such national coverage. Sometimes our vans would pass on the freeway tennis heading to the Las Vegas airport and basketball on their way back. We all graduated from SUU, and now its been over 10 years of marriage for both couples and 5 kids between us. Grateful for our SUU education, the amazing experience, and for the athletic department.