Class Notes | Spring 2019

Lifetime Member of the Alumni Association
Annual Member of the Alumni Association

• 1950s

  • Colleen Knowles AS ’53 retired after teaching third and fourth grade for 29 years. Prior to her husband’s passing, Colleen and Raymond Knowles AS ’53 lived across the U.S. and the world while raising their five children. They took their family to Japan for 2.5 years for Raymond’s work, and then to Montgomery, Alabama, for one year when he attended the U.S. Air Command and Staff College. Raymond also worked on Hill Air Force Base as a civilian. Colleen has 17 grandchildren and lives in Ogden. She has served as president of her ward’s Relief Society and as a primary teacher for many years. 

     

  • Marilyn Lofgreen AS ’59, BS ’81, MS ’91 married John Carr Lofgreen AS ’56. The couple had two children. John passed away in 2012. Marilyn enjoyed a lifetime career in education, including six years as secretary and 13 years as a teacher at Morgan Elementary School. She also served as president of the Morgan Education Association and was a national trainer for the Outcomes Driven Developmental Model for School Improvement program. Marilyn received her administrative endorsement from Utah State University and became an instructor specialist for the teacher education department at Weber State, where she served as the administrator of the Teacher Assistant Path to Teaching (TAPT) program. After retiring, Marilyn served an 18-month mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Independence, Missouri. She co-directs the Morgan Community Choir and is currently serving on WSU’s Emeriti Alumni Council. Marilyn has two grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

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• 1960s
  • Nancy Sivulich BS ’66 taught physical education and coached basketball, volleyball and softball at secondary schools in the Weber School District and in Seattle. She married Mike Sivulich Jr. BS ’64, and they had three children. Prior to Mike’s passing in 2012, the couple owned and operated two businesses, Sivulich Brokerage and Sivulich Travel, and volunteered as service missionaries at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Nancy is the secretary for WSU’s Emeriti Alumni Council. She has 10 grandchildren and lives in Ogden.
    
    Roger Ellis BS ’68 retired after 25 years as a human resources manager at Campbell Scientific, where he was also a finance manager. He previously served as vice president and director of Minex Resources. Roger received his master’s degree in mining geology from the University of Texas at El Paso and an MBA from Brigham Young University. He served on the Bridgerland Technical College Board of Directors and volunteered with the United Way board. He was a Boy Scouts of America leader for 35 years. He and his wife, Rosario, live in Logan. They have five children and eight grandchildren.
     
  • Mohammad Ghandehari BS ’68 worked for the University of Utah Research Park from 1975 to 1979 and as a research development chemist for Union Oil Company of California (now Chevron Oil Corporation) from 1980 to 1999. He also worked in Iran from 1972 to 1975. Mohammad filed for more than 20 patents in his career. He received his doctoral degree from the University of Utah. Mohammad has two children, four grandchildren, and he lives in Morgan Hill, California. 
    
    Lee Crittenden BS ’69 is the owner of Crittenden Glass. He has served on the National Decorating Products Association board and the North Ogden City Planning Commission, and as president of the Ogden Lions Club and WSU’s Emeriti Alumni Council. His wife, Pamela Wheelright Crittenden BS ’70, taught school for eight years and worked as a medical assistant prior to retiring. She has served as president of the Ogden Lady Lions Club, and is a member of the North Ogden Civic League and WSU’s Emeriti Alumni Council. The Crittendens have four children, three of whom are WSU graduates, and 15 grandchildren. 

  • Eldrie O’Bryant BS ’69 retired after 17 years as the career center coordinator at Clayton Valley High School in Concord, California. She also taught general education, computer literacy, and drug and alcohol prevention programs for the Contra Costa County detention facilities in California. In addition, Eldrie has volunteered with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in teaching a 12-step addiction recovery program. She and her husband, MC, live in Martinez, California. They have four sons and 10 grandchildren. 

    Charlie Persinger BS ’69 retired after 42 years with the Union Pacific Railroad, where he was a locomotive design engineer, machinist, foreman and senior claim representative. He also worked for Amtrak for four years as a master mechanic. Charlie is a member of and the grand historian for the Free and Accepted Masons of Utah. He and his wife, Donna Rae, serve in the Harrisville Utah Cannery for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They have two children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

  
  
   
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• 1970s

  • An operations and project manager for ITT, Steven Carter BS ’70 also worked for Ernst & Young in advisory services. In addition, he worked for Intel’s domestic and Asian operations, and for Ecolab. Steven is on the Ogden Concert Band and Ogden Symphony Ballet Association boards, and he is a past president of WSU’s Emeriti Alumni Council. His wife, Lynne Draney Carter BS ’70, was a medical technologist at Dee Memorial Hospital in Ogden and worked in labs in Virginia and Oregon before retiring from McKay-Dee Hospital in 2017. Lynne is a docent for the Utah State Capitol, president of the Weber County Master Gardeners Association, a member of WSU’s Emeriti Alumni Council, and a cellist for the Morgan Valley Chamber Orchestra. The Carters have two sons and nine grandchildren. 

    Chris Rivera BS ’71 retired as an associate dean at Weber State University Davis after being employed by the university for almost 40 years. He received his Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Northern Colorado. Chris is a 20-year member of Rotary International. He served as awards chair for the Boy Scouts of America Lake Bonneville Council and was a commissioner for the Davis Community Public Housing Authority. Chris serves on WSU’s Emeriti Alumni Council. He is married to Christine Sperry. Together they have four children, all of whom are WSU graduates, and nine grandchildren, the oldest of whom is studying at Weber State.

     

  • Judith (Judy) Pugmire Mitchell BS ’73 was a director of WSU’s Master of Education (M.Ed.) program for 13 years and chair of the Department of Elementary Education for three years. She also served as chair and vice chair of the Faculty Senate. In addition to her WSU degree, she received a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, an M.Ed. from Utah State University, and a doctoral degree from the University of Utah. Judy received a number of awards at Weber State, including Crystal Crest Alumna of the Year, Friend of Family Literacy, and two Hemingway faculty vitality awards. In recognition of her commitment to teacher education, Weber State awarded Judy an honorary doctorate of humanities during its spring 2019 commencement ceremony.  Judy serves on WSU’s Emeriti Alumni Council. She has three children and five grandchildren.

    Retired Col. Gene “Ed” King BS ’75 retired in 2006 after 30 years of service in the U.S. Army. He held four command positions and had assignments in Europe, Asia and numerous locations in the United States. Ed’s last assignment was with the 20th Support Command. 
    After his retirement, he worked as an operations integrator and senior planner at the national training center in Fort Irwin, California. He volunteers at Hill Air Force Base at the Retiree Activities Office. Ed received his master’s degree in national strategic resource management from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. He and his wife, Janet, have two daughters.

     

  • Lynn Vellinga BS ’78 is a retired licensed certified public accountant. He spent 26 years in the Utah state auditor’s office and the Department of Administrative Services. Lynn later became the assistant director of the Division of Finance, where he and his team helped Utah become one of the first states to receive the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting in 1984. He left Utah to start the first state accounting office in Georgia, where he served as the accounting officer. He later became the chief financial officer of the Georgia Department of Human Services and retired as the deputy commissioner. His wife, Sandy Vellinga AS ’96, BA ’99, worked at Hill Air Force Base in logistics management and was a stay-at-home mom. They have seven children and 10 grandchildren. 

  
   
• 1980s

  • Michelle Barry BA ’80 is the senior account manager for CW Title and Escrow in Seattle. She previously worked as the executive vice president for Windermere Real Estate, as director of communications for KCTS TV (PBS) and as the promotion manager for KIRO TV (CBS). Michelle volunteers for the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. She and her husband, Fred Hoyt, have been married 36 years. They have two sons and one grandchild. 

     

  • Mehrdad Samie BS ’83 is the design architect and vice president for Method Studio. He previously worked as a lead design architect for 
    CRSA and owned Modern Minimal in Salt Lake City. Mehrdad has been involved in planning, programming and design projects for colleges and universities throughout Utah, and has worked on several projects for the National Park Service. He earned his master’s degree in architecture from the University of Utah, and he lives in Salt Lake City. 

     

  • Teresa Puskedra BA ’84 is executive director of the Ogden Surgical-Medical Society. She previously worked as a freelance writer, as an accounting supervisor for Borden/Meadow Gold Dairies, and as a materials planner and cost accountant for Volvo-GM Heavy Truck Corporation. She received her master’s degree in professional communications from Westminster College. Teresa is a past president of the Egyptian Theatre Foundation, a grant writer for the Imagine Ballet Theatre Foundation and a writer for the Weber Health Coalition “Weber Moves” program. She and her husband, David, have two children and three grandchildren.

  
  
  
   
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• 1990s

  • Linda Pratt BA ’93 is a paper artist in Littleton, Colorado. She previously taught at St. Joseph Elementary School in Ogden and was a special education teacher at H. Guy Child Elementary in Washington Terrace. For the past five years, she has volunteered at the summer and winter 1940s WWII Era Ball in Boulder, Colorado. She and her husband, Douglas, live in Littleton. They have two daughters and two grandsons, one of whom is currently attending WSU. 

    Jodi Graham BS ’95 is executive director of Utah Humanities. She has been involved with the organization for more than 22 years and most recently served as the assistant director and director of Utah Humanities’ Center for Local Initiatives. Her husband, Dane Graham BA ’96, is president and CEO of EndGame Consulting. He received his master’s degree in adult and continuing education from the University of Wyoming. 

  • Mel Tingey BA ’96 is O.C. Tanner’s vice president of software engineering. He previously worked as the division director of software engineering for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In earlier years, Mel worked for the state of Utah as the manager of web application development. He was a visionary, launching many online applications for Utah. Mel and his wife, Kelli, have five children. 

    Jimmy DeGraffenried BS ’97 is the owner and CEO of Hyve Homes, formally Lifetime Homes. Prior to becoming a general contractor, Jimmy played professional basketball in Taiwan, France, New Zealand and Sweden. He spent 18 years coaching high school basketball, during which time he took the Salem Hills’ boys’ basketball team to the 4A state title in 2018. He was later named the 2018 4A Coach of the Year by The Daily Herald. Jimmy and his wife, Heidi, live in Woodland Hills, Utah. They have six children. 

     

  • Kira Rugen BA ’98 is the founder and artistic director of the professional choir Solis Camerata. She is in her 15th season as a soprano in the Phoenix Chorale, a Grammy Award-winning ensemble. She is the director of choral activities and musical theater at Arizona Christian University. She previously served as an adjunct faculty member for Grand Canyon University and as a faculty associate for Arizona State University. As a composer, her works have been performed around the world. She received her master’s degree in choral education and doctoral degree in choral conducting from Arizona State. 

    Amber Malinovsky AA ’99, BA ’00 is the director of content strategy and communications at Weave. She received a master’s degree in literature from Texas A&M University, where she served as an adjunct faculty member and assistant director of assessment. She also was adjunct faculty and director of the writing center at Blinn College. Amber and her husband, Jan, have two sons and live in Aurora, Colorado. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
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• 2000s

  • Shane Willard BS ’05 is co-founder and CEO of Mindfire Technology. He serves on the YCC board in Ogden, volunteers as a coach for local basketball and football teams, and is also a mentor for the WSU Alumni Association’s Leadership to Legacy program and the Outdoor Weber competition. Shane’s wife, Kelli Jo Murdock Willard AAS ’02, is a licensed nurse and stay-at-home mom. The Willards have five children. 

    Cameron Thompson BS ’06 is a geology team lead for Crescent Point Energy in Denver. He previously worked for Halcon Resources Corporation in Denver and Continental Resources in Oklahoma City. Cameron received his master’s degree in earth science from Simon Fraser University in 2008. He and his wife, Jan Thompson BS ’07, live in Conifer, Colorado. 

    John Wolthuis BIS ’06 is the vice president of West Coast Container. He runs the day-to-day operations for the company. John and his wife, Brittney, have four boys. They live in West Linn, Oregon.

  • An award-winning special effects artist, Russ Adams BS ’07, MS ’10 is the founder of new pop culture convention, Ogden UnCon. He is also the founder of Escape Design FX. Russ appeared on the 2014 hit Syfy series, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge, and later wrote Surviving Reality: This is Not That Show and three books in the A Workshop With Russ Adams series. He is the design chair for the Ogden City Arts Advisory Council. Russ also teaches puppet creation, creature design and puppet performance, to the children of the International School of Latvia. 

    An Ogden native, Brady Howe BS ’08 is currently the head strength and conditioning coach/athletic trainer for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. He previously was the assistant athletic trainer for the Atlanta Hawks, a head athletic trainer/strength coach in the NBA G-League, and an athletic trainer/strength coach for Weber State’s football and basketball teams. Brady’s wife, Emily Standage Howe AS ’06, has worked as a dental assistant for the past 13 years. The Howes live in Arizona with their daughter. 

     

  • Matt Robertson A.PE ’08 is a civil engineer for Jones and Associates, where he designs and manages public infrastructure projects for local communities. He also acts as the designated engineer for several cities and service districts in northern Utah. Matt received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Utah. He and his wife, Laurel Newman Robertson AS ’08, have five children and live in South Ogden. 

    Kevin Smith BS ’09 is the operations manager over nutritional engineering at Trace Minerals Research in West Haven. He previously worked as a supervisor for human resources firm Black Turtle Services. Kevin also owned his own company, Asset Recovery and Collections, and served for 10 years as operations manager for Bonneville Collections. He lives in Ogden.

• 2010s

  • An artist, Alisha Brenchley Johnson BA ’16 recently began teaching in WSU’s Continuing Education program. She previously taught painting and drawing at T.H. Bell Junior High. Her husband, Jacob Johnson AS ’17, is a facilities management professional for Goldenwest Credit Union. The Johnsons have one son and live in Washington Terrace.

     

  • Thais Cavazotti Stewart BA ’17, BS ’17 is the assistant manager at Sherwin-Williams of Ogden. She is president of WSU’s Young Alumni Council and is on the WSU Alumni Association Board of Directors. Thais and her husband, John Stewart BS ’18, live in Roy with their four cats. 

     

  • Ian Wilkinson AS ’17, BS ’17 is an executive account director and consultant for WEX, out of Portland, Maine. He provides financial solutions to companies within the transportation industry. He and his wife, Lacey, have two children and live in Ogden.