The Scholarship is Now Self-Funded
Thanks to all of you, Ruthellen’s legacy is now assured. The scholarship is now on solid ground to support the achievements of students in the USU Blanding art program.
My wife Patty and I recently flew out to salute the campaign’s success. Our Southwestern odyssey included a stop in Blanding to meet with two impressive women that embody Ruthellen’s legacy. Heather Young served as the steadying rudder to Ruthellen’s relentless ideas engine. Her daughter Bayley Hedglin straddles both roles, managing university development at USU/Blanding while serving as a civic leader in the post of Mayor for the neighboring city of Monticello.
Along with my brother and sister-in-law, Eric and Carol Solomon, our team will be staging a gala event on the Blanding Campus in September, 2025. The event will: (1) celebrate the meeting of our fundraising goal, (2) honor past and newly selected scholarship winners, and (3) showcase the expansion of the art program, under the capable leadership of Anthony Lott.
Stay tuned for a save-the-date announcement on these pages.
A Road Trip Victory Lap
Experiencing the splendor of Southern Utah is like weaving through an artist’s vivid dream. As you traverse the winding roads, you are greeted by the undulating waves of rock formations that rise like ancient, petrified giants. Their jagged edges and improbable shapes seem to defy the very laws of nature, standing proud against the backdrop of a deep azure sky. Each twist and turn reveals a new tableau: stark cliffs painted in hues of burnt sienna and crimson, their beauty a fleeting yet eternal part of this rugged landscape.
Soaring vistas stretch out endlessly, inviting your gaze to wander across the horizon where the land meets the heavens. These breathtaking panoramas are a living canvas, mirroring the works of Ruthellen Pollan, whose art program at USU San Juan Campus was born from the very essence of this wild beauty.
Pollan’s pieces reflect the harmony and contrast of this land, much like the intricate handiworks of the ancestral Navajo homeland that are integral to the inspiration and vision of the art program she founded. Every mile driven is a brushstroke on nature’s grand canvas, a journey through a masterpiece painted by time itself.
These photos are a modest reflection of the mesmerizing wilderness that we experienced in Bryce Canon, Capital Reef, and on state road 95 West between Blanding and Hanksville.
You will stop many times but not for gas. No services in-between!
