July 10, 2008

6:30 p.m. Reception and 7:00 p.m. Dinner

Little America Hotel and Towers
Grand Ballroom, 500 South Main Street, Salt Lake City

Presented by KUTV 2 and Zions Bank

As part of the celebration of Utah’s pioneer heritage, the Days of ’47 honors six modern-day Utahns as this year’s Pioneers of Progress.  The tradition of granting these awards began in 1995 and has continued to recognize outstanding individuals whose lives carry forth the pioneer legacy of industry and integrity and whose work benefits present and future generations.

Recipients are first nominated by their fellow Utah citizens and then selected by the Pioneers of Progress Awards Committee.  A gala banquet will take place at the Little America Hotel on Thursday, July 10, 2008, at 7:00 p.m.  The recipients will be honored at a reception prior to the dinner, beginning at 6:30 p.m.  The public is invited to attend.  For tickets and information, contact Lynne Buckner at 801.556.4837 or 801.556.1717 or e-mail at lynnenm@hotmail.com.

The 2008 awards will be presented to Harris Simmons in the Business and Enterprise category; Larry Gelwix in Sportsmanship and Athletics; Susan C. Robinson in Education, Health and Humanitarian Assistance; Arnold Friberg in Historic and Creative Arts; Dr. Anne O. Poelman in Scientific and Technology Development; and the Posthumous Legacy Award will be awarded to a representative of President James E. and Ruth Faust.

Larry Gelwix

 “It’s not about rugby, it’s about young men.  It’s not about building a championship team, it’s about building championship boys.  Boys who will be forever strong,” says Larry Gelwix, the award recipient in the category of Sportsmanship and Athletics.  As a volunteer, Larry has coached Highland Rugby, the premier high school rugby team in America, for the 33 years of the team’s existence.  His team’s impressive 379-9 win-loss record and 17 USA Rugby national high school championships in the last 23 years is a tribute to his dedication as a coach with a “no cut” policy and a man of honor and integrity.   Part of being on the team is a commitment to stay involved in local and community affairs along with a commitment to the vigorous training required for the sport.   Hollywood captured the story of the Highland Rugby team and their legendary coach in “Forever Strong,” a major motion picture that will be released in theaters across the country this fall.   Also known as the “Getaway Guru,” Larry’s professional career is in the travel industry where he is currently CEO of Columbus Travel and host of the “Travel Show” radio broadcast.  Larry and his wife Cathy reside in Salt Lake City and are the parents of five children.

Harris Simmons

A pioneer in the banking industry, and the award recipient in the category of Business and Enterprise, Harris H. Simmons, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Zions Bancorporation, has helped his company grow into one of the nation’s premier financial services companies with more than 500 full-service banking offices throughout the Western United States.  He was recently recognized as the top bank CEO by Institutional Investor magazine and as one of the 100 most influential people in the state by Utah Business magazine.  He gives back to his community through many civic and professional activities.  He demonstrated extraordinary leadership when he chaired the successful Zoo, Arts and Parks Reauthorization Campaign, the Utah Symphony, Utah Foundation, Economic Development Corporation of Utah and the American Bankers Association.  He is currently president of the Shelter-the-Homeless Committee, chairs the capital campaign for the Great Salt Lake Council of The Boy Scouts of America and is a director of Questar Corporation and O.C. Tanner Company.

Arnold Friberg

World renowned artist Arnold Friberg is being honored in the area of Historic and Creative Arts.  Hailed by fellow artists as a “master of our time,” Mr. Friberg began his pioneering journey of creative expression at the age of seven.  Following his studies at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and the New York City Grand Central School of Art, Mr. Friberg served in WWII before marrying and moving to Utah.  He was commissioned by Cecil B. DeMille in 1953, to do a series of paintings for the motion picture The Ten Commandments.  Among his other famous works are his personal favorite, the Bicentennial piece The Prayer at Valley Forge, and a life-size portrait of Prince Charles.  Throughout his career Mr. Friberg has painted several more masterful renderings of other British royalty, Canadian Mounties, and Native Americans.  In 1958, he was made a lifetime member of the Royal Society of Arts of London.  As a University of Utah art professor, Mr. Friberg inspired his students to strive to honor subjects with sensitivity and symbolism believing that “art is always best when serving a cause greater than the artist.”

James E. and Ruth Faust

Utah natives James and Ruth Faust are the recipients of this year’s Pioneers of Progress Posthumous Legacy award.  The Fausts married in 1943, when James was granted a short leave from his service as a First Lieutenant in World War II.  As committed partners, the Fausts become pillars of the community in the Cottonwood/Holladay area.  James practiced law for 24 years serving as president of the Utah State Bar and also in the Utah House of Representatives before being called as a General Authority for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1972.  While raising a family, Ruth was a part of many charitable organizations, and both Fausts received numerous recognitions and awards for their contributions through the years.  Emulating true pioneer spirit, they left a legacy of hard work, integrity, faith, and vision.  They will long be remembered for the years they dedicated to church service and community programs.  Because of his calling to the LDS First Presidency, James and Ruth traveled extensively enabling their influence to be felt locally as well as internationally.  They taught by word and through example their strong belief that each individual can contribute to the improvement of the world.

Susan Carter Robinson

Susan Carter Robinson is the award recipient in the category of Education, Health and Humanitarian Assistance.  Susan is a multi-faceted, talented women who has worn the “hats” of BYU student, wife, mother of five, wedding planner, floral designer, and grandmother of 10.  But the true hallmarks of her life are humanitarian service and volunteer work.  Locally she has spent countless hours assisting with activities at Shriener’s Hospital and has been involved with the Festival of Trees and Toys for Tots efforts for a decade.  On a broader scale, Susan has devoted more than 30 years to various relief organizations and has pioneered many projects to benefit needy children in impoverished areas throughout the south-western United States and Mexico.  She has helped collect and deliver eye glasses and other medical supplies and for the last 13 years has provided Christmas cheer as well as educational opportunities to hundreds of boarding school students on Indian reservations.  Susan’s giving ways have inspired others to want to serve, and so she helped establish the “Circle of Love” foundation which provides an avenue for others who share her keen desire to reach out and make a difference.

Anne Osborn Poelman, M.D.

The 2008 Pioneers of Progress Award for Science and Technology Development goes to award-winning author and Distinguished Professor of Radiology Anne Osborn Poelman, M.D.  Dr. Poelman holds the William H. and Patricia W. Child Presidential Endowed Chair at the University of Utah School of Medicine, and she was also presented with the highest faculty award the Rosenblatt Prize for Excellence.  She is recognized worldwide as an innovator and leading expert in the field of neuroradiology (imaging of brain diseases).  Dr. Poelman’s efforts in developing STATdx, an imaging point-of-care decision-making tool, have helped radiologists worldwide improve patient care by enhancing diagnostic accuracy.  She created one of the first radiology texts specifically written for hand-held computers and several of her other textbooks are used in major teaching hospitals throughout the USA.  Numerous gold medals of merit have been bestowed upon Dr. Poelman for her cutting edge research achievements, and she is the recipient of the Marie Curie Award from the American Association of Women Radiologists.  Additionally, Dr. Poelman has many honorary memberships in medical societies from China to France where she has been invited to lecture on the latest technological advances in radiology.

Click here for a list of our Pioneers of Progress awardees during prior years.

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Contact Lynne Buckner, Pioneers of Progress Event Chair, at 801.733-4837 or 801.556.1717 with questions about our 2008 Pioneers of Progress and the award dinner on July 10, 2008.