Southern Utah University will celebrate its 94th birthday on Friday, March 8, with the traditional Founders Day Banquet and Southern Utah Honors ceremony.
Although the university was actually founded on March 11, 1897, SUU officials noted that the celebration will take place on March 8 to coincide with the monthly Board of Trustees meeting. The day's activities will include the fifth annual Southern Utah Honors ceremony at 2 p.m. in the Harris Pavilion. Fourteen area residents will receive Southern Utah Honor Medallions for their contributions to the region.The Founders Day Banquet is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., also in the Harris Pavilion. SUU President Gerald R. Sherratt will offer remarks at the banquet.
The recipients of Southern Utah Honors Medallions are:
Karen Alvey - Kanab. Alvey has been manager of the Utah Job Service Office in Kanab since 1975 and is co-owner and secretary/treasurer of Alvey Development.
Norman H. Carroll - Orderville. Carroll is a graduate of Valley High School who attended SUU. A lifelong rancher, he has been involved extensively with agricultural organizations.
H. La Vell Chamberlain - Cedar City. A lifelong educator whose career spanned 42 years he moved to Cedar City in 1948, where he taught at the Cedar Middle School for 35 years before retiring in 1983.
Winona Hunter Cowan - Cedar City. She was president of the Jaycee-Ettes, the American Legion Auxiliary and the Lady Lions, where she was the recipient of a state Lions award.
Hilda Foy Gardner - Panguitch. She taught school for many years, in addition to her community service. Gardner directed the Garfield County chapter of the American Red Cross during World War II and also was chairwoman of the Garfield County Bicentennial Committee.
Lloyd Leon Jennings - St. George. A native of St. George, Jennings has played an instrumental role in the growth of the community and shaping its health and educational services.
Eugene Jensen - Gunnison. Born and raised in Centerville, Jensen owns and operates a large farm in addition to being a partner in an 850-cow dairy. He served for eight years as a county commissioner.
Mary Morris Phoenix - St. George. Phoenix taught English, speech and drama at Dixie High School until her retirement and was named Outstanding Teacher by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce..
Quentin A. Nisson - Washington. After returning from service in World War II, Nisson purchased Washington Mercantile (now Nisson Mercantile) and has operated the store since that time.
Hazel Jean Robinson - Paragonah.. She served 11 years as Paragonah town clerk and two more as mayor of the community. She is charter member of the Paragonah Literary Club and continues to serve on the town's cemetery committee.
Bette L. Stanton - Moab. She spent many years in the administrative end of law enforcement, developing programs and obtaining grants to implement new programs. However, in the late 1960s, she worked on the WINNCO production of "Canyonlands by Night."
Dennis E. Stowell - Parowan. He has authored several technical papers and was smelter plant engineer for Kennecott Copper Company in Ely, Nev., and project engineer for Martin Marietta Corp.'s primary aluminum smelter in The Dalles, Ore. However, he changed careers to settle in Parowan and take up farming in 1980.
Dr. David A. Symond - Milford. Symond settled in Milford in 1954 and set up a medical practice. Since that time, he has acquired a reputation as one of the top national authorities on rural medicine s.
Kenneth M. Topham - Delta. He has been superintendent of the Millard County School District since 1973.