Dixie State College of Utah inducted three new members into the College’s Hall of Fame as part of Homecoming activities Saturday, Oct. 11, in the St. George Tabernacle.
Honored in the area of Social Science and Humanities is St. George native and Dixie alum Lyman Hafen, who since 1980, has been a writer, editor, publisher, and active volunteer in community, state and national organizations. He was co-founder of St. George Magazine in 1983, and was its editor for 16 years. He continues to write a monthly column for the magazine, chronicling the history, culture and personality of his fast-changing hometown. He has written eleven books of fiction and nonfiction, and his writing has been honored on several occasions by the Utah Arts Council.
Over the years, Hafen has written numerous articles for regional and national publications, and has served as publisher of important books including Portraits of Loss - Stories of Hope, which sparked the multi-million dollar fund-raising effort for victims of the 2005 Santa Clara-Virgin River Flood. Since 1998 he has served as executive director of Zion Natural History Association in Zion National Park. He founded the Zion Canyon Field Institute in 2003, and the Zion National Park Foundation in 2007.
Hafen looks back at his time at Dixie State College as a turning point in his life. The same institution where his grandfather, Arthur K. Hafen, taught English, German, and Spanish for more than 40 years, is the place where he discovered a love for learning and literature, and came to terms with the idea that he would spend his life telling the compelling stories of this place to the world. He credits his English professor Ed Reber and his mentor Karl Brooks at DSC with turning his focus to writing. He and his wife Debbie have six children.
Honored in the area of Science and Technology will be the late Dr. Gordon D. Jennings, who founded and developed the Dixie State College Dental Hygiene program in 1998. Dr. Jennings, who realized his lifetime dream of being a dentist until a thumb injury limited his full-time dental-career, was committed to the youth of the community and teaching was a perfect avenue for him to begin a new career in education. His “can do” attitude allowed him to believe that anything was possible. This attitude was quickly absorbed by his co-workers and students, and together they helped build one of the premier dental hygiene program in the nation at Dixie State.
Not satisfied with just high pass rates and national rankings for the dental hygiene associate degree program, he pressed forward to establish the Bachelor’s of Science in Dental Hygiene degree at Dixie State College, which officially began classwork this semester. His concern that all children and immobile patrons receive dental care, regardless of family income, championed his idea of a Dixie Mobile Dental Clinic, which was opened in 2006. Dr. Jennings’ moral, social and academic values continue to be an influence within the Dental Hygiene program as demonstrated by the success of its faculty, staff and students.
After a valiant fight with cancer and his untimely passing, Dixie State College established the Gordon D. Jennings Dental Hygiene scholarship to ensure that his spirit and love for the Dixie students would be ever present. He and his wife Lori are the parents of two sons Jared and Jacob.
Honored in the area of Science and Technology will be St. George native and Dixie alum Dr. E. Durant McArthur, for his over 30 years of work in research with the U.S. Forest Service. His research has contributed critically to the understanding of biological resources in the semi-arid Western United States, particularly to the population genetics, ecology, and systematics of the dominant shrubs and associated plants. This work is documented by some 430 publications, more than any other Forest Service scientist.
As a recognized authority on all aspects of shrubland biology and restoration, Dr. McArthur’s decisions and recommendations are readily accepted by land managers across the western U.S. He has substantively assisted more than 30 graduate students from more than a dozen U.S. and foreign universities in natural resource studies. He has received a number of awards from the Forest Service for his work and contributions, including the preeminent Chief’s Superior and Distinguished Scientist Award, and awards from other agencies, professional societies, and academia.
McArthur’s foundation for success lies, in part, at Dixie College, where he gained a rigorous science and humanities education. While there he was active in student government, the X-Club, and intramural sports. He and his wife, Virginia, have four children and 13 grandchildren.
Additional details of the outstanding accomplishments and contributions of the these three Hall of Fame honorees will be given at the Founder’s Day Assembly.
The Hall of Fame was introduced at Dixie State College in 1998 at which time 18 individuals were inducted as charter members. The photos and plaques of this year’s inductees will join the past 72 inductees on the Wall of Fame located in the Avenna Center on campus.
