Alumni & Friends

Alumni Focus

KEVIN CARTER
'75-77, Range Management
Kevin's family has always had strong ties to SUU. All of his siblings attended, and his daughter, Cydnee, is a SUU senior this fall. Obviously, Kevin is an alum too, but growing up in Cedar City, he didn't plan on going to college. But, a few years after high school, he ran into some old friends who convinced him to join the SUSC band. Kevin enrolled, and immediately went on tour back East, a trip that proved to be a great experience in more ways than one, as that is where he met Marcie Hawks ('75-77, Business Administration), a trumpet player from Moab, whom he later married.

Back at school, Kevin enrolled in a forestry class taught by Dr. Jim Bowns and loved it so much, he decided he wanted to do something in the natural resources field. Since SUSC didn't offer a degree in range management, he transferred to Utah State University where he graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's and master's degree in range management. Dr. Bowns, however, served as his main professor for his graduate degree.

Kevin did research in national forests all over southern Utah with two other SUSC professors-Al Tait and Brent Palmer. They spent a few summers camping out and collecting data from research plots that were 30 - 40 years old. Kevin reminisces, "It was a great experience, not just for the education and travel, but it turned out that Tait and Palmer were incredibly gifted camp chefs!"

Following graduation, Kevin took a job with the Utah Division of State Lands and Forestry, a division charged with managing lands to generate income for public education. Coincidentally, his first assignment was in Cedar City, where he pioneered a leasing program that developed lands for urban use. Now in Salt Lake City, Kevin is the assistant director for surface activities, supervising all surface uses and the sales program, in which he also poses as auctioneer.

Kevin looks back upon his SUSC days with fondness. "I received a first-rate education there, met professors that served as significant role models and changed my life, and found a wonderful girl gullible enough to spend the last quarter-century with me raising six wonderful children."

DENNIS SPONER
'92, Political Science
Dennis was recently named one of Las Vegas' "Top 40 Under 40" by In Business Las Vegas. A fivemember panel appointed by the newspaper chose Dennis for this annual recognition. Those on the list are ranked "on vision and leadership, which addresses their perceived entrepreneurial talent and their ability to build or start a successful operation as well as talent in inspiring associates to achieve substantial goals." Dennis is president of ScripNet, a national workers' compensation pharmacy benefit management company, whose customers include some of the largest insurance companies and employers in the nation. He is married to Jennifer ("Jae") Hambleton Sponer ('90-'92, Business Administration) and has two daughters, Sidney and Samantha.

EVAH MURPHY TAYLOR
'98, Physical Education
'98, Physical Education Evah led her Yuma High School softball team to the 5-A High School Region Championship for the second year in a row during the 2000-2001 softball season. Coach Taylor was recognized for her talents by the Phoenix-Metro 5-A High School Region as "Coach of the Year" for her fir st and second years as coach of the Yuma Lady Criminals softball team. She also coaches the girl's freshman basketball team. Evah played softball for SUU. She is married to David Taylor, and they have a son, Hayden.