Alumni Award Recipients

Sue Daulton
Zia Award, 2010

All you have to do is meet Sue Daulton. Within minutes you’ll call her your friend. She’s just like that . . . outgoing, with an easy smile, comfortable to talk with . . . Before long, you’ll be talking about the Lobos and UNM, and you’ll soon realize that Sue Daulton is UNM’s friend as well – a great friend.

What makes a Sue a great friend?

For one, a great friend is someone you’ve shared time with.

Sue and her late husband, Paul met at UNM in the ‘40s. Their lives would be intertwined with UNM as alumni, parents, fans, and supporters for the decades to come.

A friend is someone who listens to you.

Sue has been a member of PEO – a women’s group committed to education – for many years. At one meeting, a UNM nursing student made a presentation, sharing her circumstances of going to school as an older student, struggling financially. Sue was moved to find out more. While talking with the development staff at the College of Nursing about the possibility of supporting scholarships for students, she heard about the huge need for nurses in the community and for nursing faculty to train them. She listened, and heeded, and offered her support to nursing faculty as well.Which leads us to this. A friend is someone who thinks about someone other than herself.

Sue and Paul were among the original participants in the Presidential Scholarship Program which began more than 20 years ago. The PSP is unique in that donors and the students they support have the opportunity to know one another. At the annual donor-student dinner, Sue isn’t just the donor at the table with the seven scholars she currently supports – she’s the PSP Mom. The students simply respond to her, an observer says.

Sue is the real mom and grandmom to her son, Tom, his wife Janet, and their three kids who live in Dallas and are the lights of her life.Of course, a friend is also someone you laugh and have fun with.

Sue drives a snazzy Lobo red Cadillac. Right away you know this is a woman who enjoys life. And who enjoys Lobo sports. Sue is an avid Lobo fan as was Paul. You’ll find her at most football and basketball games. She is a faithful donor to the Lobo Club who assists with their 5th year scholarship program.

A friend is someone who cares about you, wants the best for you, and wants you to succeed.

Whether it’s sports, scholarships, or a new building for Architecture and Planning, Sue wants UNM and its students to succeed. It’s not a matter of ego. There are no hidden agendas. Sue is a rarity in today’s world who is purely motivated by young people who want to pursue higher education to give back to their community and to better their lives. It’s basic. It’s sincere. It’s joyful. And it’s laudatory.

Sue, you teach us all what being a friend means – not only to our alma mater but to one another. And that’s the biggest gift of all.

We thank you and are delighted to give you our Alumni Association Zia Award this morning.