Durneys named Santaquin Orchard Days Grand Marshals
Celebrating a great city is to honor the remarkable residents, whose humble dedication, service, and generosity, lift and sustain the community around them. Each year, the committee for the Santaquin Orchard Days receives no shortage in nominations in selecting such a resident — the Grand Marshal, or “local hero,” who has made significant contributions to the city at large.
This year’s nomination pool was no exception. “We had so many wonderful candidates to choose from for this prestigious honor,” said city manager, Ben Reeves. “But I echo the sentiment of the community when I say that this year’s selection was long overdue.”
While sharing over 50 years of matrimony, Carl and Marie Durney will share the title of Orchard Days 2018 Grand Marshal.
Marie Durney served as the Santaquin’s Senior Citizen Center Director from 2008-2017 where she quickly gained the trust and respect of the center’s volunteers and attendees alike. “She wasn’t just the director of the center, but a true advocate for the seniors of this city,” Reeves said. On top of managing the day-to-day activities, Marie Durney saw to it that each homebound senior had a way to the center; often picking them up herself.
Marie Durney has a thirst for knowledge and continually pursued the skill sets necessary to the meet the growing demands of this imperative program. “She is always so eager to learn and took several classes to better help her run the center and help our seniors,” said current director of the Senior Citizen Center, Judy Robbins. “She really centered most activities around learning and developing skills to help the seniors feel more valuable.”
Also recognized for his passion for knowledge is Marie’s husband Carl Durney — a retired professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Utah.
Carl Durney has received numerous outstanding teaching awards during his tenure, published several widely-used handbooks on dosimetry, and was 1993 recipient of the d’Arsonva1 Medal presented by the Bioelectromagnetic Society at the University of Utah. However, out of all of his crowning achievements, his civic recognition is focused on his service and support alongside his wife Marie during her directorship. “He attended every, single activity held at the center,” stated Reeves, “he joined her for classes and seminars and even volunteered to teach some of the center’s ‘awareness’ classes.” According to Robbins, the Durney’s, even after a year of being retired from the director’s position, show up faithfully every week; offering rides to those who are unable to attend on their own.
“They are a perfect example of teamwork, complimenting one another’s strengths,” Robbins said. “It has been incredible to see the community blessed by their deep love, happy marriage and true partnership and devotion to their fellowman.”