SUU Honors Notable Alumni and Legacy During Homecoming
Published: September 18, 2023 | Author: SUU | Read Time: 3 minutes
Homecoming at Southern Utah University brings several treasured traditions, not the least of which includes the Alumni Banquet. This year Southern Utah University will recognize these T-Birds for their contributions to SUU’s legacy of success and community involvement: Steven O. Lang, a prominent Utah educator; Don and Jacque Marchant, for six decades of service to SUU; Jared Garlick, a successful plastic surgeon; and the Kent E. Meyers family.
They will be honored during SUU’s 2023 Alumni Banquet held on Thursday, September 21, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Outstanding Alumnus - Steven O. Laing
Dr. Steven O. Laing (’76) earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics at SUU and has since crafted a highly impactful career guiding the educational life of untold numbers of Utahns. Following a term teaching and coaching at Cedar High, he entered the administration and there in 1983 became Utah's youngest-ever principal. That post was followed by the superintendency of the Box Elder County School District. In 1999 he became the state’s superintendent of public instruction and has gone on to become a faculty member and educational administrator at Utah State University.
Distinguished Service Award - Don and Jacque Marchant
Don Marchant (’69) and Jacque Marchant (’71) have been highly contributive members of the SUU family over the past six decades. Don served as student body president and was later president of the alumni organization. He also served as a Cedar City council member, an adjunct faculty member at SUU and a volunteer coordinator for the Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games. Jacque served as a member of the Board of Trustees for eight years, was a mainstay in the administration of the theatre arts and dance department for 11 years and taught for 12 years in family and consumer sciences
Young Alumnus - Jared Garlick
Dr. Jared Garlick (’10) has found great success as a plastic surgeon in South Jordan, Utah. After discovering a passion for medicine and art early on, he pursued aesthetic plastic surgery as the perfect amalgamation of the two. A magna cum laude graduate who earned his MD from the U of U School of Medicine where completed a six-year Integrated Plastic Surgery residency. Garlick was chosen for a prestigious fellowship at the Aesthetic Center for Plastic Surgery in Houston, Texas, and is the only doctor in the state of Utah who has completed such a fellowship.
Legacy Award - Myers Family
In a new honor, the Myers family is the University’s initial Legacy Award winner for three exceptionally strong generations of institutional involvement. Kent (’53) was a three-sport star here, served his country and taught in Cedar City schools before a 26-year return to the University in teacher education in 1964. He and his highly involved wife Cherie have continued to be stalwarts on the campus and in the community and have sent each of their five children to SUU, while their 22 grandchildren can be expected to be future Thunderbirds.
Homecoming at SUU is a celebration of collegiate life past and present - including the wonderful community that supports our T-Birds. All alumni, current students and families, faculty and staff, founders, friends and community members are invited to join the Thunderbird family for Homecoming Week, September 18-23, 2023. Learn more about SUU’s Homecoming festivities at suu.edu/homecoming.
Tags: FacStaff Alumni Homecoming
Contact Information:
Nikki Koontz
435-586-5400
nikkikoontz@suu.edu