Soaring ’Birds
T-Birds honored at award ceremony
 |
Jessica Lewis, a junior communication major
from Spanish Fork, sings “This Time Around”
by Linda Eder during the Thunderbird Awards. Lewis
was nominated for Performer of the Year. The awards
took place Friday in the Auditorium.
KEN HANSEN / UNIVERSITY JOURNAL
|
By KATIE ANDERSON
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL
Prayers came true for some when they received recognition
at the Thunderbird Awards, which took place Friday night
in the Auditorium.
Eric Kirby, a senior political science major from West
Valley City, and Evan Wilcock, a senior communication
major from Cedar City, tied for the R. Kenneth Benson
Award Friday night, something Wilcock said he’d
been praying for from the time he knew who the other finalists
were.
“I couldn’t eat all week hoping it would happen
this way,” Wilcock said after the award ceremony.
The award recognized a male student who displayed “outstanding
leadership ability and dedication to SUU while maintaining
academic excellence by maintaining a 3.5 GPA,” President
Steven D. Bennion said when announcing the award Friday.
Kirby and Wilcock worked together last year when Wilcock
was a club delegate for Clubs & Organizations and
Kirby was the C&O vice president. Both said they became
great friends and found it a “huge honor”
to share the award with the other person.
Kirby said the award helped him realize people recognized
his hard
|
work. He said he did the best he could do
and tried to have a fun time while he was doing it.
“I look back at the past four years and wonder if
it happened,” he said. “This (award) kind of
shows that it did.”
Wilcock said the award means a lot to him because he never
thought he would be “smart enough or strong enough”
to attend a university.
“The award’s not for me; it’s for so many
people who helped me,” he said.Josie Beth Baxter,
SUUSA activities vice president, received the Elaine C.
Southwick Award, the female equivalent to the Benson award.
After receiving her award, she also thanked Mindy Benson,
Student Activities director.
“She’s my greatest mentor,” Baxter said.
“Without her, who knows where I’d be.”
Other student award winners included Kalie Rae Casselman,
a something something major from somewhere, for Personality
of the Year; Dustin Dial, a senior Spanish major from Sandy,
for Male Contributor of the Year; Shanna Hales, a senior
sociology major from Duchesne, for Female Contributor of
the Year; and LaTonya Heaton, identification, for the Sterling
R. Church Student Involvement Award.
Josh Richardson, a senior theatre arts major from Cedar
City, received the award for Performer of the Year. He said
getting the award tells him that he’s doing exactly
what he should be doing with his life.
Jay Collins, a senior guard for the men’s basketball
team, and Talayna Fortunato, a senior member of the gymnastics
team, won Male and Female Athlete of the Year. The Alternative
Spring Break Club received Organization of the Year.
Helen Chuang, assistant professor of biology, received Professor
of the Year. When receiving the award she told her students,
“You may think I’ve impacted your lives, but
you guys have impacted mine most of all.”
Carl and Kathy Lamarr of Cedar City received the Gerald
R. Sherratt Distinguished Service Award; Bonnie Mitchell-Green,
assistant professor of sociology, was Adviser of the Year;
Provost Abe Harraf received the President’s Award
from SUUSA President Matt Glazier; and Maj. Richard Miller,
assistant professor of military science, received the Commitment
to Excellence Award.
Mary Ewing Anchor of Cedar City received the Carmen Rose
Hepworth Award. Her granddaughter accepted the award because
Anchor had been admitted to the hospital Friday morning.
The winners received engraved clocks.
|
