The Carbon County Chamber of Commerce and the College of Eastern Utah's Campus Women Together named former Carbon County Commissioner Emma Kuykendall the "Outstanding Woman in Carbon County" for 1994.
The annual award was presented at the women's conference held on the CEU campus last week.A native of Texas, Kuykendall grew up in a large farming and ranching family. She moved to Utah with her husband and eventually settled in Price. She worked as an administrative assistant for 25 years at the local office of the Utah Department of Transportation. Following her retirement, she threw her hat in the political ring and became one of the first women elected to the office of Carbon County Commissioner. In that capacity, she worked on economic development, tourism, and the senior citizens' program.
At the age of 71, she continues to be an active community leader. Currently, she is serving as president of the Utah State Associations of Fairs and Shows, a board member of Utah Consumer Services, a director for the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, and chair of the Carbon County state centennial history book. She is president of the Carbon County Historical Society, president-elect of both the Castle Valley Archaeology Society and Price Sorosis Club, and district director of the Business and Professional Women organization.
The award was presented during the closing banquet of the Conference. Besides the presentation, participants also heard remarks from Olene Walker, the first woman elected lieutenant governor of Utah.