It is our great pleasure to welcome as our speaker Coach Alex Jensen. a true Utah basketball legend and the recently appointed 17th head coach of the Runnin’ Utes.
Alex Jensen’s impressive basketball journey began with a standout high school career at Viewmont, culminating in a state championship and Utah Mr. Basketball honors. At the University of Utah, he achieved significant success under Rick Majerus, including four conference titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances, highlighted by a trip to the 1998 National Championship game.
Following his college career, Jensen played professionally and transitioned into coaching, with notable stints at Saint Louis University, the Canton Charge, and the Utah Jazz, where he spent a decade developing players and contributing to six consecutive playoff appearances. He then returned to his alma mater after a brief period with the Dallas Mavericks.
Beyond his collegiate and professional playing and coaching experience, Coach Jensen also boasts international coaching credentials. He served as an assistant with the German National Team and as head coach for Team USA at the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup. His return to the University of Utah marks a homecoming and an exciting new chapter for the Runnin’ Utes program. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the head coaching position, having worked with some of the best players and coaches in the game.
We look forward to seeing everyone at 6 p.m. on Thursday September 25th, as we begin our new Timpanogos Club season.
It is our distinct honor to have Mr. Roger H. Thompson as our speaker, who will present the topic, “Rise like Phoenix — a True Story of How a Disaster Turned Into an Opportunity.”
Michael H. Stevens, M.M., M.D., Emeritus Professor of Otolaryngology and former Assistant Dean at the University of Utah School of Medicine, will be speaking about Ludwig van Beethoven’s deafness and the groundbreaking discoveries that have emerged in recent years. Dr. Stevens is a distinguished musicologist and expert in classical music history who has extensively researched this topic, exploring various hypotheses for Beethoven’s hearing loss, including otosclerosis, autoimmune disorders, syphilis, Paget’s disease, and lead poisoning. He has six children, and 23 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. He enjoys playing the piano, organ, singing, skiing and golf.
We are delighted to have Laura Paulsen Howe, Art Curator at the Church History Museum, as our speaker on Thursday, Feb 27th. Laura began working as the Art Curator at the Church History Museum in 2019. She has curated the 12th International Art Competition: “All Are Alike unto God” and “With This Covenant in My Heart: The Art and Faith of Minerva Teichert.” She authored a chapter on the history of international art competitions at the Museum of Church History and Art, which was published in Latter-day Saint Art: A Critical Reader in 2024 by Oxford University Press. Please join us for a wonderful dinner, good company, and an interesting presentation.
We are delighted to have Morgan Scalley, Ute Football Defensive Coordinator/Head Coach in Waiting, speak to us on Thursday, January 23rd at 6:00 pm at the Alta Club. A distinguished figure in collegiate football, Morgan has been an integral part of the University of Utah’s football program for over two decades. A former All-American safety for the Utes from 2001 to 2004, he earned accolades such as Mountain West Co-Defensive Player of the Year and was a two-time Academic All-American. Transitioning seamlessly into coaching, he began as an administrative assistant in 2006 and ascended to the role of defensive coordinator by 2016. Under his leadership, Utah’s defense has consistently ranked among the nation’s elite, with the team finishing second nationally in total defense in 2019.
We are delighted to have Jason Perry speak to us about local and national elections. Jason Perry, JD is the Vice President for Government Relations and the Director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah. Jason brings more than 25 years of experience working in the public sector, where he has worked extensively with policy makers at the local, state, and federal level.
We are delighted to have Chris Opfar, a Timpanogos Club member, speak to us on Thursday, October 24th at 6:00 pm at the Alta Club. Chris is a Project Superintendent at Okland Construction with experience overseeing the renovation of several LDS temples as well as the upgrading of the Kirtland Ohio Temple. He has also been involved in the construction of City Creek, University of Utah facilities, and numerous other large projects. We look forward to an enjoyable and informative evening together, and hope you will be able to join us!
We are very pleased to have Marshall McDonald as our guest speaker in September. Marshall has developed a unique musical style that combines classical, inspirational, film score, and new age genres of music all in one. He has recorded multiple albums. His film scores and symphonies have been performed and recorded across the globe. He has been a guest soloist with the Tabernacle Choir on its weekly broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word and has scored several social media campaigns for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most recently, he was honored by Utah Governor Spencer Cox and First Lady Abby Cox as recipient of the 2024 Governor’s Mansion Artist Award. He currently teaches at the University of Utah Institute of Religion and serves as the Music Coordinator for Seminaries and Institutes for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Please join us on Thursday, April 25th to learn about the current state of the court systems in the United States. We will be privileged to hear from the Honorable Paul Maughan, a current Timpanogos Club member. Judge Maughan received his Juris Doctor Law Degree from the University of Utah in 1974. He served as a state trial judge for eighteen years, presided over major civil cases, both jury and bench trials and also had an extensive felony criminal calendar. He is a former Assistant District Attorney for Salt Lake County, Assistant Salt Lake City Attorney, a Special Assistant Attorney for the State’s Attorney General and is an associate in the law firm of Bradley, Arrowsmith and Jackson.