Class Notes | Spring 2020
Lifetime Member of the Alumni Association
Annual Member of the Alumni Association
- 1950s
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Daniel “Dan” E. Layton AS ’50 began his education at Weber College after years of service in the U.S. Navy. At Weber, Dan won “Mr. Collegiate” and was a member of Excelsior, a social club on campus. He later earned his bachelor’s degree in education at Utah State University, and taught three years of electrical math. He also worked as a substitute teacher in Davis School District for 20 years. A farmer since his youth, Dan owns Dan Layton Farms, where he harvests wheat and alfalfa, and once grew the biggest onions in Davis County. Dan also worked on the railroad for 34 years as a brakeman and conductor. He and his wife, Ann, have seven children — three served missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and two attended 91¶ÌÊÓƵ. They also have 28 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. Dan and Ann live in Layton.
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David Jacobs AS ’57, a retired filmmaker, produced and directed films such as The First Vision (1976) and The Mailbox (1977). He also worked as a casting director for films such as Johnny Lingo (1969) and Man’s Search for Happiness (1964). He worked at Brigham Young University for 20 years, including 17 at the BYU Motion Picture Studio and three teaching at the Church College of Hawaii, now BYU Hawaii. David also spent 14 years at Nu Skin International, producing and directing corporate videos. He traveled the world with both institutions, filming in 35 countries. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from BYU, and his doctorate at the University of Utah in theater and cinema directing. He lives in Orem with his wife, Gail Wade Jacobs. They have three children and seven grandchildren. As Weber students, David and his two brothers, Dee Jacobs AS ’50 and Hugh Jacobs CC ’52, were student body officers.
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- 1960s
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Judy Jeppson Hurst AS ’62, BS ’64, MS ’86 worked at Weber State for 20 years, including roles as director of Student Activities and Leadership and assistant dean of students at 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Davis. At 91¶ÌÊÓƵ, she received a Presidential Outstanding Professional Staff Award and a Crystal Crest Special Award. Her husband, Winslow Hurst BS ’67, earned a MEd from Colorado State University and later returned to 91¶ÌÊÓƵ, where he served for 36 years as assistant to the dean of students, director of 91¶ÌÊÓƵ, director of 91¶ÌÊÓƵ & Registration and university registrar. He earned a PhD in educational administration from the University of Utah. Judy and Winslow served as members of 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s Emeriti Alumni Council for 15 combined years, with Judy serving as president in 2018–19. Since their retirement, they served a religious mission in New Zealand, spent a year in Qingdao, China, teaching at the Ocean University of China, and served as full-time missionaries in the Utah Ogden Mission. They live in Layton and have seven children and 27 grandchildren.
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Janet Johnson AS ’65, BS ’67 married and moved to St. Louis, Mo., after graduation, where she worked for three years at the St. Louis Globe-Democrat as an assistant to the managing editor. She then moved to Seattle, Wash., for four years where she worked for GMAC Auto Insurance before returning to Utah, where she raised three children. Later, she worked as a dental assistant, an office manager, and then in land development for 10 years. She has spent nearly 14 years on a service mission on Temple Square, the last five as an event coordinator. She also spent one year as a service missionary at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, Hawaii. Janet is currently serving on the 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Emeriti Alumni Council. She has 11 grandchildren.
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- 1970s
- Jay Swenson BS ’71 enjoyed a 20-year career with World Book Encyclopedia, Inc., where he served as a division manager. He managed hiring, training and selling of World Book products and won many company awards, including state champion for the State of Utah. He later worked with Encyclopedia Britannica for 10 years, and was one of the top salespeople in the company in total volumes sold for many years. He retired in 2016 and lives in Stansbury Park.
- Allen Hampton BA ’72 received an MBA in corporation finance from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School in 1974, following a religious mission to Frankfurt, Germany. He worked for DuPont Chemical, and later for then-Mobil Oil in Rochester, N.Y., where he was a senior financial analyst. In 1982, he returned to the family business, Hampton’s Superior Dry Cleaning, where he enjoys associating with many friends in the northern Utah community. In 2004, Hampton Cleaners received the Family Violence Prevention Award for the State of Utah for years of donated laundry service to the Weber YCC. Allen married Sharyn Kimball in 1974. They have three daughters and six grandchildren.
- Bruce Shepherd BA ’77 became a founding officer for Weber Valley Bank while earning his degree. During his 35-year tenure at the bank, which merged with JP Morgan Chase, he became a senior vice president, and, in 2002, he was the top commercial loan officer in the nation. Bruce is active in community affairs and has served as a city council member, Robert Morris Associates president and Kiwanis Club president. He currently serves on 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s Emeriti Alumni Council. Bruce married Sydnee Gale Shepherd AS ’70, and they have six children and 17 grandchildren. After retiring, Sydnee and Bruce served a religious mission in New York City, and were instrumental in the Helping Hands clean-up efforts during Hurricane Sandy and Irene.
- 1980s
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Becky McGregor BS ’81 is a software engineer for Northrop Grumman and author. She previously worked for TRW in both Ogden and California. She and her husband, Bruce McGregor, have one daughter, three sons and five grandsons. They live in Orlando, Fla. Recently, Becky published a book entitled A Dream Called Kristy: My Story of Loss, Healing, and Dreams Fulfilled.
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J. Todd Anderson AS ’84, BS ’87 is a CFP and private wealth advisor for Sagemark Consulting, a division of Lincoln Financial Advisors, and has been with the firm for over 33 years. He has been a manager and an executive at the local, regional and national levels, oversaw all operations west of Kansas City and helped execute a major corporate reorganization for Lincoln Financial. J. Todd currently serves on 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s Outdoor Program Advancement Committee and has been instrumental in helping expand the Outdoor Program with the upcoming Outdoor Adventure & Welcome Center. J. Todd and his wife,Jill Anderson BA ’87, also support 91¶ÌÊÓƵ through a 91¶ÌÊÓƵSA student leadership endowment and business finance scholarship. After graduation, Jill taught middle school math and algebra. They live in Salt Lake City.
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James “Jim” Starley BS ’85 attended Weber from 1965–1968 on a music scholarship. He received his MD at Creighton University and completed his OB-GYN residency at the University of Utah. He returned to Weber State and received a bachelor’s degree in history in 1985. He served two years as a physician in the US Air Force, practiced as an OB-GYN in Ogden for 36 years and retired in 2014. He marriedLynne Squires Starley AA ’67. They have four children, all of whom graduated from 91¶ÌÊÓƵ. Jim currently serves as the president of 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s Emeriti Alumni Council.
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J. Curtis Breitweiser BA ’85 recently retired from Breitweiser Insurance Services. He holds a Certified Insurance Counselor designation and was a member of the board of directors of Bear River Mutual Insurance Co. for 16 years. He served nine years as state director for the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, and as president of the Ogden Independent Insurance Agents and the Utah Association of Independent Insurance Agents. He also served as president of 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s Young Alumni Council, and president of the Wildcat Club in 1996. He currently chairs the 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Hall of Fame Committee. In 1989, he earned an MBA from Utah State University. Along with being a 91¶ÌÊÓƵ football season ticket holder since 1985, he’s been to every Major League baseball park in the U.S. He is married to Caron Breitweiser IC ’85.
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- 1990s
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Shelly Burnett BS ’91 worked for Ogden School District for 22 years as a special education teacher, instructional coach, teacher specialist at the district office and in federal programs. She is currently employed at Get Away Today Vacations part-time and in home sales tracking for The Hynes Group. She and her husband, Blaine have a passion for softball and have been generous supporters of local softball programs, including 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Women’s Softball. They have helped fund new fields for Ogden, Weber, Northridge and Ben Lomond high schools. Their commitment has resulted in spaces that are highly functional for players and enjoyable for fans. Together, Shelly and Blaine spent 15 years managing the Viking Villa mobile home park in Ogden. They have two daughters, one of whom attended 91¶ÌÊÓƵ, and two granddaughters, both of whom play softball in the area.
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Andrea Fletcher BS ’94 is a school counselor for the US Department of Defense. She received two Master of Arts degrees from City University in Bellevue, Wash., in 1996 and 1997. She works in Sembach, Germany, and lives in Kaiserslautern, Germany.
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Lark Woodbury BS ’95, MEd ’99 taught in Davis School District for 22 years, including 20 years at Layton High School where she served as social studies department chair for 10 years and taught history, government, psychology and a 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Concurrent Enrollment course. Lark was recognized by the school district board for her work with youth in custody. Before retiring in 2018, Lark was also listed in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in American Teachers. Her husband, Douglas “Doug” Woodbury BS ’76, spent nearly 40 years as an engineer for UTA, where he was in charge of bus procurement. He also served as a vice chairman and chairman of the Society of Automotive Engineers, on the advisory board for the SLCC diesel mechanic program and on the Transportation Research Board, a division of the National Academy of Sciences. He retired in 2014. Lark and Doug raised five children and have 19 grandchildren.
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Brett Nelson AA ’96 BA ’99 holds a MPH and MD from Johns Hopkins University, along with a diploma in tropical medicine from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Brett is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and physician with Massachusetts General Hospital. As medical director for National Geographic Expeditions, he has worked on all seven continents. Recently, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Johns Hopkins University. He lives in Charlestown, Mass.
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Diane Graybeal BS ’99, MBA ’09 is the director of performance and analytics at MarketStar, where she has worked for over 12 years. She previously worked as the company’s business intelligence manager, leading a team of report developers and advanced analysts. She received a certificate of organizational leadership from Dale Carnegie in 2017. Diane and her husband, Jerry Graybeal, live in Ogden.
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- 2000s
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Dan Harward AS ’00, BA ’02, MEd ’10 owns Harward Yard Care, Inc., which has provided landscaping and lawn care to homes and businesses in northern Utah for over 20 years. His wife, Nicole Guffey Harward BS ’01, studied broadcast journalism at Brigham Young University and now serves as a Young Women’s leader for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Dan and Nicole served as co-chairs of the activities committee in their church’s ward for four years. They have four daughters and live in Layton.
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Ken Richey BS ’02 is a CFP with New York Life (NYL). In 2019, he served on the NYL Agents Advisory Council (AAC), a prominent group of 24 agents elected by their peers. During the council’s annual meeting, he was elected to the AAC’s Executive Committee. In this role, he works with senior executives of NYL to develop and implement ideas that benefit families and businesses in local areas. Ken is currently serving on the 91¶ÌÊÓƵAA Board of Directors.
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Sandra Ladd Grogan BS ’02, MS ’04 supervises a crime scene unit in Weber County made up of 91¶ÌÊÓƵ alumni. Before Weber, she received her associate’s degree from Utah Valley State College, now UVU, in 1999. She currently serves as a mentor in 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s Leadership to Legacy Mentorship program. Her husband, Kevin Shawn Grogan is a 1996 graduate of 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s Law Enforcement Academy, and serves as an officer in Ogden City. They have five children and live in Plain City.
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Kael Mikesell BS ’04 received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Midwestern University in 2009 and is now a transfusion medicine physician and medical director at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine. His wife,Sarah Rudd Mikesell BIS ’11, cares for their three children and manages church and community responsibilities. They are particularly grateful to Weber State for helping Sarah complete her degree, even while moving across the country.
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Daniel Tensmeyer BA ’04 is an orthopedic surgeon for Intermountain Healthcare in Layton. He received his MD from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee in 2009, and completed his orthopedic residency at Western Michigan University in 2014. He then completed a sports medicine fellowship at the Ochsner Sports Medicine Institute in New Orleans, La. Daniel and his wife, Holly Vaughn Tensmeyer AS ’05, have three children and live in Layton.
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Joshua Pulido BS ’05, MHA ’18 is a business development manager for Microbiologics, Inc. He previously worked for Hologic, Inc. as a senior manager of strategic marketing in San Diego, Calif., and for eight years at Bio-Rad Laboratories in diagnostic sales covering the west coast and marketing in the quality control division. He has also worked as a medical technologist and laboratory supervisor for Intermountain Healthcare. Joshua lives with his wife and dogs in the Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area.
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Amada Materre BA ’07 is a five-time Emmy Award-winning producer for FOX Sports. She began her sports television career at KJZZ-14 in Salt Lake City as a producer and later a reporter for the shows, Powerhouse and A-Game. Amada has directed and produced features for FOX Sports’ MLB and college sports pregame shows and worked on the production of multiple sporting events, including the MLB World Series, men’s and women’s FIFA World Cup, and the Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 Conference Football Championships. Amada and her husband, Etienne Materre, have one daughter and live in Los Angeles, Calif.
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Leslie Johnstun AS ’09, BS ’12 is a co-owner of Integrated Tax in South Ogden, where she does tax preparation, marketing, and accounts receivable and payable. She previously worked as a mortgage loan officer for Academy Mortgage. Since 2018, Leslie has served on the 91¶ÌÊÓƵAA Board of Directors and is currently the board’s communications co-chair. She is an active member of the Junior League of Ogden. Her husband, Jake Johnstun BS ’02, has worked in accounting and tax preparation since 1994. He is the owner and president of Integrated Tax, director of the board for the National Association of Enrolled Agents, treasurer of the GOAL Foundation and a registered representative for Transamerica Financial Advisors, Inc. They have one child and live in Ogden.
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Zach Parry AS ’09, BS ’11, MHA ’13 is a clinical analyst for EPIC Services at CereCore. Zach previously served as the patient access director for Lakeview Hospital in Bountiful. He has worked in various roles within MountainStar Healthcare, including as the assistant patient access director and manager of the Central Insurance Verification Unit for the HCA Mountain Division. Zach and his wife, Vanessa, have one child and live in West Jordan.
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- 2010s
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Landon Burch BIS ’10 is a junior UX designer for Amazon, where he has also worked as a content designer specializing in localization. In his role, he analyzes and designs experiences in digital spaces on the Amazon interface. Landon is also a nationally certified ASL interpreter and periodically works as a certified video relay interpreter. Previously, he worked at Weber State as a sign language interpreter for students in their courses. He lives in Seattle, Wash.
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Ethan Zhou BA ’11 is a vice president in Goldman Sachs’ Treasury Division, where he manages capital resources. Previously, he worked in the company’s London office, following the completion of his master’s degree at Boston College. He is married to April Mao BA ’11, who is a vice president in the Goldman Sachs Consumer and Investment Management Division. Currently, she manages the Trade Management Swaps confirmation team within the company’s Asset Management group. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Utah. Ethan and April both serve on 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s Young Alumni Council. They were the first 91¶ÌÊÓƵ/Shanghai Normal University 2+2 exchange program students. They live in Salt Lake City.
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Tyson Plastow MBA ’14 works as a special projects audit supervisor at the Office of the Utah State Auditor. He received a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Brigham Young University, and has been a news producer for KELO-Land TV, KTVX and KSL. His wife, Carrie Hillier Plastow AS ’99 owns Carrie Plastow Photography and is the CEO for Lyddie Lou Boutique. They have one son and two daughters, and live in Layton.
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Glenn Barnes BS ’15 obtained his associate’s degree in criminal justice from Ricks College, now BYU Idaho, in 1983 and worked for campus police at the college for two years. He later worked for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Security Department for nearly 29 years, retiring three months after receiving his degree from 91¶ÌÊÓƵ. He enjoys attending football and basketball games at 91¶ÌÊÓƵ with his family.
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Ian Morris MHA ’15, MBA ’17 is a contract negotiator for the US Air Force in F-16 foreign military sales. He is the USAF Materiel Command 2016 Innovation Challenge Award winner and a Department of Defense certified Continuous Process Improvement (CPI Office) Green Belt. He is a 2018 graduate of the USAF Squadron Officer College, and a 2019 graduate of the USAF Air Command and Staff College. He received a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in 2008, is a Life Member of American Mensa and is pursuing his DBA at Trident University.
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Jonathan C. Oglesby MPC ’16 is an assistant director for the Utah High School Activities Association. He also works as a sports broadcaster, providing play-by-play coverage of the Big Sky Conference for television and radio. He received his bachelor’s degree from Dixie State University in 2012. He and his wife, Tara, live in Layton.
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Iosua Opeta AS ’17, BS ’18 is an offensive lineman for the Philadelphia Eagles with a signing contract that was among the highest of undrafted free agents. At 91¶ÌÊÓƵ, Iosua earned All-America honors, playing 50 games in four seasons and starting every game of his final three seasons on the offensive line. He twice earned first-team All-Big Sky honors. He lives in Philadelphia, Pa.
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