Tribute to the Founders Poem Unveiling

Fae Decker Dix ('26) and daughter Nancy

An inspiring event during Homecoming week was the unveiling of a large engraved panel of glass in the President's Suite on the third floor of Old Main displaying a beautiful remembrance to the founders of the University.

In 1947, Branch Agricultural College graduate Fae Decker Dix ('26) wrote "Tribute to the Founders of SUU," a poem performed at the College Cavalcade presented during Commencement week in 1947 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the BAC (known now as Southern Utah University). The pageant was a beautiful evening program presented in the football stadium, which at that time ran north and south at the base of the west side of Old Main Hill. It featured a water curtain which turned colors and separated the audience from the football field.

Fae was passionate about learning and, for a woman in the 1920's, had an uncommon interest in a college education. She was an avid reader, loved history and journalism, and was an advocate of cultural and civic events, finding particular enjoyment in music, art, literature and theater. She was active in the community and served for sixteen years as the coordinator for adult education in Iron County and provided valuable service and leadership to the Cedar City Fine Arts Guild and the Cedar City Music Arts and Arts Exhibit Committee.

Fae moved from Cedar City in 1956 to Logan and later to Salt Lake City, where she continued to make her mark in adult education, arts and civic affairs. On October 29, 2002, Fae passed away in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the age of 96.

Tribute to the Founders of SUU

Give us the work and strength to get it done,

So rang the burden of their decision,

We must and we will, every woman and man,

This was their prophecy, this their vision.

Then face this task, 'tis time for actual deeds.

We've logs to get, and brick and sullen lime,

And rocks to cut from yonder firm red cliffs,

and roads to build, and many hills to climb.

So break the earth and raise the towering walls,

This our privilege -- this our blessed task,

To build for those ahead, those yet to come,

This be our answer when the future asks!

With a stubborn trust, and unflinching faith,

They toiled and they labored from dawn to dark,

In the barren fields and the frozen hills

By dint of hard labor they left their mark.

Till, from a thousand dreams they had built this one,

And taught it as a part of the way to live,

Not what I will get back from this life,

But only how much can I give?

-- Fae Decker Dix

Engraved Glass Panel on the third floor of Old Main

Homecoming Banquet 2012

The annual Homecoming Banquet was held Thursday, September 27, in the Gilbert Great Hall of the Hunter Conference Center. Alumni from all eras came together to reconnect, reminisce and celebrate an evening of being True to SUU.

Honored at the banquet were three individuals who have distinguished themselves in their careers and service to the University.

Ellen Wheeler, 2012 Outstanding Alumnus

Ellen Wheeler, who is among the most renowned of all SUU theatre arts and dance students, is a three-time winner of the Daytime Emmy Award, and has made a significant mark in the annals of television’s daytime drama world. She was born in Hollywood into a theatre family and shined on the stage at Cedar High School and at this University before finding stardom in, first, Another World, then in All My Children, playing roles in each that gained her Emmys. Then she moved behind the camera as a director for As The World Turns, earning an Emmy nomination. Finally, she progressed to the post of executive producer of Guiding Light, which won her a third Emmy when it was named best dramatic series in 2007. In that position, she set new standards for audience interaction and for filming techniques that have been adopted by other productions. Today, she and her husband, Shannon Comp, who also has SUU roots, maintain a ranch in Virgin, Utah, and a home in Cedar City. They have two children.

Craig Jones, 2012 Distinguished Service Award

William Craig Jones, well-steeped in the heritage of this institution, served as a beloved member of the political science faculty for 35 years, and was an architect of the pre-law program. Additionally, he was instrumental in establishing what has become the Michael O. Leavitt Center for Politics and Public Service. He completed his studies at the College of Southern Utah, where he played basketball, in 1959 and went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees at BYU. It was when he was completing his doctorate at the University of Arizona in 1963 that he was enticed back to Cedar City where he came to love teaching the philosophies of government and citizenship that frame our nation. He continued to work in the family business, as well, maintaining the sheep and cattle herds on the Jones ranch in Iron County. Also, he gave of his time and talents across a wide range of civic bodies in the region and the state. He and his wife Bonnie are the parents of four and grandparents of 16.

Jamie Shaw, 2012 Young Alumnus

Globetrotting Jamie Shaw, who earned a bachelor’s degree from SUU in 1996 in business administration and finance, has always shined in whatever arena she has chosen. Today, she serves as a senior consultant for Event Knowledge Services, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, aiding cities around the world in their bids to host major events. Currently, she is engaged in Istanbul, Turkey’s quest to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. Her specialty is the staffing for such grand undertakings and she began her career in human resources with Verizon after gaining an MBA from BYU. Subsequently, she became manager of HR Planning and Operations for the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Olympic Games. A stint with Starbucks preceded her current career, which has seen her work in successful campaigns around the world, including Rio de Janeiro’s 2016 Olympic bid. A native of Aurora, Utah, she was exceedingly vital in student life at SUU, including activity in SUUSA, Future Business Leaders of America, the Student Alumni Association and Alpha Phi Sorority.

The traditional singing of the Grand Old BAC was performed by students from the College of Performing and Visual Arts and tables containing a variety of University treasures were on display. Below are four such displays: books singed from the 1948 Old Main fire, Old Sorrel's hobbles, memorabilia from SUU's Centennial Celebration and the dress worn by Ruth Higbee when she graduated from the Branch Agricultural College (BAC) in 1916.

Books from Old Main

Old Sorrel's Hobbles

Centennial Memorabilia

Graduation Dress from 1916

Thor's Thunder Classic 2012

Congratulations to IC Group and team members Jeremy Williams ('01), Greg Tait ('74), Sadie Palmer and Brad Brown ('89)  for winning the 2012 Thor's Thunder Classic on Monday, September 24 with a score of 55 (16 under par).

It was a beautiful day at Entrada at Snow Canyon Country Club with mild temperatures (high 70's to low 80's) and cloud cover throughout the tournament. It was a perfect day for golf.

Thank you to Color Country Pediatrics for once again being our title sponsor. Their commitment to SUU and Thor's Thunder Classic is wonderful and we appreciate their title sponsorship. We are also extremely grateful to Wells Fargo and Entrada at Snow Canyon Country Club for their major sponsorship; and to MHTN Architects, Interform and SUU Marketing for their sponsorship.

We also appreciate the following businesses and individuals who were hole sponsors: AMPAC, Brick Oven, Dell Computers, Christy's Red Hot Blue Glue, Dick & Sunny Reinhold, Hill Sports, Intermountain Valley View Medical Center, Jacobsen Construction, Leavitt Group, Nate & Lindsay Esplin, President Michael T. Benson, State Bank of Southern Utah, SUU Student Services, Walter Maxwell Gibson College of Science & Engineering and Zions Bank.

SUU Day at Lagoon

The Alumni Association hosted its annual SUU Day at Lagoon on Saturday, August 4th. With twice as many participants as last year (nearly 200 alumni and guests), this years event was a huge success. 

One highlight of the day was watching Cameron Levins ('12), 2012 NCAA National Champion in the 5K and 10K, run the 10,000-meters at the London Summer Olympics. Cameron recorded an 11th-place finished and missed out on a top-10 finished by a mere second.

Thank you to everyone who attended and we look forward to seeing you next year!

Alumni Spotlight: Kevin Butler & Eric Houle

Kevin Butler and Eric Houle are the most recent additions to Southern Utah University’s Coaching Factory Hall of Fame for their achievements as coaches and their impact on their athletes and their sport.

After an all-state football career at Grantsville High School, Kevin Butler went on to further gridiron greatness at Southern Utah University, where he was a three-year starter on the offensive line for the Thunderbirds. He coached for a year at Tooele High School, and then returned to Grantsville in 1984 as an assistant football coach before assuming the top job in 1987. He lead the Cowboys to glory, winning three state crowns, including the first in the school’s history in 1992, and amassing a record of 117 and 54 over 16 seasons, with each team progressing to the playoffs.

He coached 50 first-team All-State players, seven Utah MVPs and was three times names coach of the year for the state. Beyond that, he was largely responsible for upgrading Cowboy Stadium, making it a site that instilled pride in the school and the community. He also was the initial coach for Grantsville High School’s wrestling and golf programs in the mid-80’s and coached girls’ track and field as well.

Additionally, he instituted the little league wrestling program in Grantsville in 1985 and the little league Ute football program in 1987. In 2009, he joined the staff of one of his former players when Clint Christiansen became Stansbury High School’s first football coach and aided the Stallions on their road to becoming another dynasty in Utah 3-A football.

Eric Houle, who has mentored the cross country and track and field teams at Southern Utah University since 1992, has become one of America’s most respected coaches.

Previous to returning to his alma mater, he turned in a stellar 11-year run as cross country coach at Salt Lake City’s Judge Memorial high School, producing three state championship teams along with five runner-up squads. He was three times named coach of the year in Utah.

At SUU he has led his teams to 38 conference championships and can boast of an NCAA Mountain Division cross country championship as well, a feat for which he was named region coach of the year. He has won conference coach of the year honors an impressive 32 times, coaching both men’s and women’s teams in cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field. Along the way, he has coached 735 all-conference athletes, 252 individual conference champions 25 conference athletes of the year, 27 conference newcomers of the year 24 NCAA national qualifiers, 75 NCAA West regional qualifiers, four NCAA All-Americans and one NCAA National Champion.

His teams have excelled in the classroom as well over the years, garnering two academic national championships and a runner-up honor while nine athletes have been named academic all-America. Coach Houle earned two bachelor’s degrees from SUU in 1981 as well as a master’s degree in 1998.

Alumni Spotlight: Jo Kremin

Joleen “Jo” Kremin (’06, Accounting) is grateful to SUU and the School of Business for molding and shaping her success as a PhD student at Texas Tech University.

“The degree I completed at SUU was a catalyst for my desire to pursue a doctorate in accounting,” she says. “Dr. David Rees was a main component to my decision to go back to school and he has continued to be supportive. I so appreciate the opportunity I had at SUU to develop a good relationship with my professors because those relationships have continued to be a blessing, years after my graduation. “

As a PhD student at Texas Tech (one of only two in her class), Jo is steeped in accounting research and proudly proclaims, “You just got the goose bumps a little, admit it!” She is a behavioral theorist under an audit context and researches psychological and social theories on the decisions of auditors. Jo graduates in 2012 and looks forward to becoming a professor and molding the minds of young accountants everywhere.

Her favorite SUU memories include time spent at the Service Learning Center (now the Community Engagement Center) where she fondly remembers attending the alternative spring break to Mexico in 2007. “I specifically remember the look on the children’s faces in Mexico as I tested out my horrible Spanish on them; those are time I will never forget,” she says. Jo continues to volunteers through her position president of the Texas Tech chapter of LDSSA where the chapter participates in multiple service activities in the community.

A self-proclaimed “budding foodie,” Jo says cooking makes her supremely happy. She enjoys traveling, seeing new places and meeting new people. She has visited New York City with Jill Stevens Shepherd (a roommate after graduation from SUU), Ireland, Mexico, California, Georgia, and many places in Texas. And while she has traveled extensively, Jo also loves staying at home reading a good book or watching a funny movie. She “adores” her friends, loves to run and recently tried her hand at CrossFit which she proclaims as “addicting!”

Jo resides lives in Lubbock, Texas.

Alumni Spotlight: Paul & Naomi Lunt

Paul Lunt, born to Raymond and Zelma Lunt, has Cedar City and SUU roots that run deep. His great-grandfather, Henry Lunt, was the captain of the company that settled Cedar in 1851, and his grandfather, Henry W. Lunt, was the Utah senator who authored the bill making it possible for the BNS to provide education beyond the high school level.

Graduating from the BAC in 1941, Paul served a full-time LDS mission in New England and was a member of the Army Service Forces. He enrolled at Idaho State and became a pharmacist, owning and operating pharmacies in Vernal and Roosevelt, Utah. He sold those businesses in order to attend dental school at UMKC, finishing in 1959. The Lunts returned to Cedar City where Paul developed a successful dental practice from which he retired in 1998.

Naomi Lunt, a native of Roosevelt, Utah, was born to Roy and Mildred Dillman. Her father was an attorney and politician, while her mother was a homemaker, historian and educator. Naomi graduated from BYU, USU and the Traphagen Art and Design School in New York City. She taught at schools in Utah and Nevada for seven years and refined her talents as an artist and children’s book author, writing A Dentist Of My Own which was published in English and Japanese.

Throughout their lives, the Lunts have been committed to education, particularly dental education. Both have served with the Dental Association and its Auxiliary Organizations in local and state-wide capacities. For 13 years Paul was a member of the Utah State Dental Board and even provided volunteer instruction to an SUU anatomy class with a group of local physicians.

Loyal sports fans that follow the Thunderbirds at any venue, throughout their lives the Lunts have graciously invested their time, energy and resources into serving students and providing scholarships that improve the SUU experience.

Paul and Naomi are the parent of five children, 25 grandchildren and 35 great-grandchildren.

For lives of service and concern for the education of students, the Alumni Association presented Paul & Naomi Lunt with the 2012 Carmen Rose Hepworth Award.