EXCEPTIONAL AGGIE INFLUENCE CELEBRATED AT FOUNDERS DAY

 

In addition to marking the 121st anniversary of Utah State University, Founders Day 2009 was also the occasion to celebrate the exceptional influence five special friends of USU have made on the world.

The USU Alumni Association Executive Board annually presents the Distinguished Alumnus Awards and the Distinguished Service Awards to individuals who have had a significant impact on their communities.

The 2009 award recipients are Saundra S. Buys and John R. Miller, who received the Distinguished Alumnus Awards, and Mike Dmitrich and John and Barbara Wilkerson who received Distinguished Service Awards.

Saundra S. Buys grew up in southern Utah and central Washington. She attended USU for two years and then moved with her husband, Joe, to Boston. She graduated from Northeastern University and Tufts University School of Medicine in 1979. After graduation she returned to Utah to complete an internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of Utah. She also completed a clinical and research fellowship in hematology and oncology. She sits on the faculty at the University of Utah School of Medicine and at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. She has cared for patients with all types of cancers, but is one of the state's leading specialists in the treatment of breast cancer.

John R. Miller was born and raised in Logan, Utah. He attended Utah State University where, in 1977, he earned his bachelor's of science degree in history. After graduation he worked at American Commodities Corporation in Hyrum, Utah, as the general manager. In 1979 he became the CEO of E.A. Miller, Inc., in Hyrum, Utah. He later became the CEO and president of Armour Food Company in Omaha, Neb., and was then hired as the CEO of National Carriers, Inc. He is also the CEO of National Beef Packing Company in Kansas City, Missouri, which is the fourth largest beef processor in the United States.

Mike Dmitrich was born in Murray, Utah, and moved to Carbon County when he was five. In 1954 he was recruited to play football at USU and in 1955 was awarded a full–ride football scholarship. After an injury he returned to Price and played for the College of Eastern Utah. At the age of 31 he was elected to the Utah House of Representatives and held office in that body until 1990. He served as the House Minority Leader from 1983–1990. In 1991 he was appointed to the Utah State Senate and elected to the senate in 1992. He was the longest serving legislator on Capitol Hill when he retired and had served continuously in the Utah Legislature for 40 years. He has been a long–time passionate voice on Capitol Hill for public and higher education and for the health and economic stability of Utah families.

John Wilkerson was born and raised in Elko, Nev. He attended USU and in 1965 received his bachelor's degree in biological sciences. He continued his education at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., and received a master's and a doctorate, and also met Barbara. His career began at Johnson and Johnson, where he was a top–rated health industry analyst. He is the founder of the Wilkerson Group and is co–founder of Galen Partners. In addition, John and Barbara are co–founders of the E. L. Rose Conservancy in northern Pennsylvania.

Born in Binghamton, N.Y., Barbara Wilkerson has won several major awards for her landscapes and plants, including the coveted blue ribbon at the Philadelphia Flower Show. The couple has collected paintings of the early works of central and west Australia for the past 15 years, and their personal collection is currently on display at the Fowler Museum at UCLA.