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Show Iujc The Tfumdcrbird 10 Wednesday May 29, 1985 - o 'TO Jerry Sherratt, the picture perfect director ; ' ;; ' rV I" f. ? ' SUSCs 13th president works the angles to try and bring students here the best possible education and sometimes hes criticized for it. x aL hes happy with being called president. BY LARRY BAKER analogies are many and myriad: the general marshals his forces for the continuing against everpresent enemies; the football coach exhorting his men to victory each week; the chairman of a large corporation ever making of destination for thousands; and, certainly, the most apt and one that Gerald Robert Sherratt would relish most assiduously that of the theatrical or film director. As a director after a fashion, Sherratt, who became the 13th president of Southern Utah State College in January, 1981, distinguishes himself much like the master director Alfred Hitchcock. Whereas Hitch reveled in the preparation, the storyboarding of a film, Sherratt likewise thrives on the conceptualization, the visualization of a project. Its thrilling to put a puzzle together, says Sherratt, who himself makes an analogy to movies of the he does. Im always intrigued constant by how a person fleshes a story out, he says of movies, and the excitement of creation reaches into his own life and the mission he serves that of leading SUSC in its ninth decade. The college now is an entity unto itself, answerable to the Utah Board of Regents. But there were times, when an arm of the University of Utah and of Utah State University, that the college was run by an administrator known as a director. Sherratt might well have coveted such a title, but The dec-sion- puzzle-workin- g s Its a title that represents a plethora of responsibilities and duties. Its one that by its very nature constantly invites criticism and, at times, dissension, but Sherratt takes the bad with the good. Those who are constantly in contact with the Sherratt express amazement for the mans vitality and the sheer force of his personality. Creativity marks his every move. He is always thinking, planning, dreaming, says a vice president of the college, and sometimes its absolutely galvanizing to be around him the ideas come so quickly and so Its a trait thats not without cost. The office of the presidency has its rewards, to be sure, but those rewards are accompanied by a great commitment of time and energy. Sherratt meets the commitment with fervor. Its a commitment that allows little time for relaxation. Most of his evenings are spent with college-relate- d functions. Wedding receptions for former or current students or the children of faculty members command many of his evenings and although hed be the last to admit it not wanting to offend it tends to get tedious appearing, as expected, at a gallery opening one night, a departmental open house the next, a play another night and a basketball game the next. Although he enjoys sports and is among the most ardent of Thunderbird fans, harkening back to his days as a cheerleading student here, he might more often choose a movie as his diversion for an evening. When serving in a (less demanding position) at Utah State University, Sherratt saw virtually every movie that came into Logan. He has little time for such enjoyment today, because he has little time to himself. Vacations are not things that come easily, either. His brother Lowell, who runs the family business, Honeyville Grain, in Brigham City, treated Sherratt to an eight-da- y trip to Hawaii last summer. The president returned to his office after five days. I was bored, he said. Of course, it would be ludicrous to those who truly know Sherratt to envision him lying on the beach, dressed in thongs, bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian print shirt. Its difficult to imagine him even in suinglasses. tie eschews faddism and the garish. Its been said his taste in almost every aspect is impeccable. There was a time, up until the last year, in fact, that his taste could only be questioned when it came to matters of his own attire. Polyester sport jackets and clip-o- n ties seemed somehow incongruous when displayed against the otherwise stylishly dignified demeanor of the man. But the exigencies of leadership did not always allow him to place style above substance. Lately, .though, Jies been sporting traditionally classic e suits and other such outfits that are de rigeur for the circles in which he must often move. pin-strip- |