Alumni award recipients still bleed Aggie blue
There are a few things USU’s Alumni Hall of Honor recipients have in common. They are dedicated, hard working and they love Aggie blue no matter how many years have passed since their graduation day.
More than anything else, these alumni make it an important part of their lives to give back to USU through their businesses and talents and organizing events that encourage other alumni to give back too, said Patty Halaufia, head of USU’s Alumni Relations Office.
Though many give time and money to support USU, four who shine above the rest are selected each year to hang on the wall in the David B. Haight Alumni Center. They will be recognized at a brunch Nov. 12, in the Alumni Center.
Shelly Anderson Neilson
What did Shelly Neilson not do as an undergraduate USU student?
Neilson graduated with the class of 2000 after claiming the ASUSU student body president’s office in 1998, working with student tutoring programs, leading planning committees for Homecoming and being involved with Admissions’ ambassador program.
Neilson said she had a hand in everything and wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“For me, Utah State was influential because of the friendships that helped me become who I am and made me want to be a better person,” Neilson said. “Because of those experiences, me and friends I met at school are contributing members in our own communities.”
No matter where Neilson has moved for work or family, she takes USU pride with her, she said, talking up the Aggies to local high school students every chance she can get.
She was hired after graduation by a company in Washington, D.C., as an event planner, and while there, kept in contact with USU’s Alumni Association Director Patty Halaufia. Together the two created a new chapter for USU alumni, raising thousands of dollars every year to give back to students.
Presently, Neilson is Utah County chapter president of the USU Alumni Association. She raises scholarship money through dinners and other events for Utah County high school students planning to attend USU.
“I tell high schoolers that because of Logan’s small community, they get the whole college experience,” Neilson said. “As a student at Utah State, it would have been neat for me to think, ‘Wow, there are people raising money for others to go to school, even after they are done.'”
Willie Duersch
In the 1960s Willie Duersch was on USU’s football team lineup playing center. More than 50 years later he still finds himself in the middle of the huddle but as one of the team’s steady supporters.
Duersch has made Aggie gear part of his daily routine, often sporting a “We believe that we will win” T-shirt, an Aggie football hat and Aggie blue shorts to complete the ensemble. Even his day planner is stamped with the USU logo.
In that planner are the names of 1,300 football players he keeps in contact with in order to inform them of upcoming golf tournaments he organizes to fuel scholarship donations, Duersch said. The Coach’s Golf Tournament is held specifically for past USU football players. The money is pooled and dispersed for additional football scholarships, he said.
“There is something about football players. Many times you participate in a team sport like that and you have a camaraderie,” Duersch said. “I can’t even explain it. You just have that tie. Since I was on scholarship here, I feel like I have the responsibility to give someone the same opportunity I had.”
Duersch said he has also headed scholarship golf tournaments in the Boise, Idaho, and Ogden areas. During home football games he can always be found having a good time with old college friends at the tailgate parties under the Budweiser tent, he said.
“Growing up, I spent a lot of time at the football practice field and got to know a lot of the guys,” Duersch said. “I was brought up an Aggie.”
Duersch said friends from across the country have called him to congratulate him for being selected for the Alumni Hall of Honor, and he’s overwhelmed by the recognition the Alumni Association has given him.
Justin Hamilton
Now, in his late 20s, USU alumnus Justin Hamilton can say he is the creator, owner and operator of two thriving local restaurants — Cafe Sabor and Hamilton’s Steak and Seafood.
Hamilton didn’t always know he wanted to be an entrepreneur but explored his passion for business while studying at USU. He said he originally enrolled as a biology major with aspirations of becoming a doctor.
In 2002, one year before he graduated, Hamilton came up with the concept for Cafe Sabor and through multiple opportunities found the means to start his Latin-inspired restaurant, with a small-business loan.
“You are always your biggest critic,” Hamilton said, “always trying to make things better and better, and better. It motivates you. When you are an entrepreneur, you are willing to put into your business as much as it will take.”
Hamilton said the Alumni Hall of Honor award is a motivation to continue supporting USU, and he notices USU’s strength in showing gratitude to those who give back to their alma mater.
“I’m in the infancy of my career, and no matter where my career takes me, it will always be important to keep Utah State part of the business,” Hamilton said.
Al Lewis
USU basketball and football fans have heard Al Lewis’ voice since 1995, giving radio listeners a play by play of tackles, touchdowns, attempted 3-point shots, assists and more.
Once Lewis established he couldn’t be an all-star athlete, he set his career path toward announcing games for his favorite college team, he said. Growing up, Lewis made USU athletic practices a regular hangout spot, and when baseball was a conference sport at USU, Lewis was the team’s bat boy.
“I appreciate being able to represent Utah State and talk about Utah State in general,” Lewis said.
Lewis began announcing for the Aggies a few years during the ‘70s, left for other career opportunities and eventually decided to come back. He’s now working for KVNU radio.
“Over the years, I’ve dealt with a lot of the people in the Alumni Office and helped them with things going on — promoting things they do. But it means a lot to me to be given any honor, because USU is my school,” Lewis said. “I’m proud of it.”
Lewis will continue to travel across the country with USU’s basketball and football teams, interviewing the players and coaches and learning their stories, which he said is most rewarding.
By interacting with the players he learns about their lives and how many of them wouldn’t have the means to get a college education had it not been for scholarships opportunities offered them by USU, he said.
– catherine.meidell@usu.edu