Founders Day 2019
The Alumni Association thanks the hundreds of U alumni and members of the community who attended this year’s Founders Day, held Tuesday, February 26, at Little America Hotel.
See a photo gallery of the 2019 banquet on Facebook.
To celebrate the founding of the University of Utah in 1850, the Alumni Association each year recognizes alumni and honorary alumni who have excelled professionally, served the local and national communities, and supported the university in its mission. The annual distinguished and honorary alumni awards, along with honorary degrees, are the highest honors awarded by the University of Utah.
2019 honorees
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI
Lana Dalton MSW'13
Dalton is programs manager for the Criminal Justice Advisory Council of Salt Lake County. Previously, she worked as the programs manager for the Salt Lake City Police Department’s Community Connection Center. Dalton was the first social worker to be embedded in the Salt Lake City Police Department; she helped officers better understand mental health issues and substance use in connection with their work. Dalton’s colleagues at the SLCPD quickly came to realize the value of embedded social workers, as she helped them understand terms and concepts previously unfamiliar to them. Dalton was named SLC’s Humanitarian of the Year and the Salt Lake City Police Department Chief’s Civilian of the Year in 2017. She was also the recipient of Utah Homeless Summit’s Community Connection Center Innovator Award in that same year. She currently serves on the Community Advisory Board for the College of Social Work and the Behavioral Health Advisory Council.
Lily Eskelsen García BS’80 MEd'86
Eskelsen García is president of the country’s largest professional union, the National Education Association. She currently serves as a board member for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, as an executive committee member of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and as regional vice president of Education International. She was appointed commissioner on the White House Commission for Education Excellence for Hispanics under President Obama. Eskelsen García had only been teaching for nine years when she was named Utah Teacher of the Year in 1989. She then was elected president of her state education association, won her party’s nomination for U.S. Congress, and served as president of the Utah State Retirement System. Eskelsen García and her husband, Alberto García, are author/illustrator of the bilingual book, Rabble Rousers: Fearless Fighters for Social Justice, which they published to raise funds to help undocumented Dreamers.
Robert Grow BS’73
Melding his engineering and legal education, Grow has practiced law, was President and COO of Geneva Steel, chaired the American Iron and Steel Institute, and was the founding chair and primary architect of Envision Utah. In the 1990s, he directed all facets of Geneva’s operations, including its modernization. Grow was awarded the Gary Memorial Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the American steel industry, for his leadership on trade, environment, and technology. With Grow as founding chair, Envision Utah was created in 1997 as a public/private partnership to “envision” and strategize for quality growth in Utah. From 1999 to 2002, he presided over the LDS California Sacramento Mission. During the last two decades, Grow has shared Envision Utah’s dynamic, values-driven, public process in more than 80 metropolitan regions. Recently, Grow was named a Leader for a Livable, Equitable, and Sustainable America, a lifetime achievement award given to individuals who have dedicated their careers to building a better America.
Raymond Price, MD BS'83
Recognized as an international leader and pioneer in expanding the role of surgery in public health, Dr. Price’s work highlights the dramatic impact surgery can have on communities, economies, and individuals. Dr. Price co-founded and serves as the director of the Center for Global Surgery at the U and directs the graduate surgical education at Intermountain Medical Center. Dr. Price received his BS in chemistry from the U and MD from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Price is a clinical professor (Department of Surgery) at the U. He has participated in or led more than 40 medical and surgical expeditions to Asia, Latin America, and Africa. He has held leadership positions with the World Health Organization and several medical societies. Honors received include: Utah Medical Association 2017 Physician of the Year, The Presidential Friendship Medal of Mongolia (the highest medal Mongolia gives to foreigners), American College of Surgeons-Pfizer International Volunteerism Award, a Medal of Honor from the Minister of Health of Mongolia, and multiple teaching awards.
HONORARY ALUMNA
Gail Miller
Miller is the owner of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies, and chairman of the Larry H. Miller Management Corporation Board of Directors. She presides over the Larry H. Miller Education Foundation and the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation, which support a wide range of charitable, educational, and humanitarian causes. Miller, along with her late husband, established the Larry H. and Gail Miller Enrichment Scholarship and donated generously to University of Utah Health. Miller is a strong advocate of health and wellness for women and children, and personally ensures that many young women receive college scholarships. She serves on the National Advisory Council at the U, and the President’s Leadership Council at BYU. Gail also serves as the chair of Intermountain Healthcare’s Board of Trustees, on the Shelter the Homeless Board, and on the Zions Bank Advisory Board.
Past Founders Day award recipients.