Citizen of the Year
Dr. Harold Davis
Dr. Harold Davis has been named as the Springville Citizen of the Year for 2024 by the Springville-Mapleton Chamber of Commerce. He was honored during the chamber’s Awards & Installation Banquet in February.
Dr. Davis is quick to point out that he is only one of many people in Springville who are willing to step up and help make our community a better place.
After graduating from Washington State University Veterinary School, Dr. Davis moved his family to Springville in 1977 and opened his business, Mountain West Animal Hospital. He ran the hospital for 37 years before selling it to new owners (Doctor Isaac Bott and Melanie Bott), and he continues to work there one day a week.
He was named the Utah Veterinarian of the Year in 2000 and in 2015 received the Utah Veterinary Medical Association’s Lifetime Service Award.
In 1997, Springville City created the Parks Board with Dr. Davis as its first chair. With little funding and resources available, this Parks Board spent countless hours seeking land donations, evaluating ideas from other cities, working with contractors to have work done and coordinating hundreds of volunteers willing to help with park projects. In July of 1997, more than 700 residents
helped build a phase of Spring Creek Park under the direction of Dr. Davis and others on the Parks Board.
Other projects he was involved with include the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, the Hobble Creek Trail, a bike trail through the city and a long list of parks within Springville’s borders.
In 2012, he chaired a citizen recreation center committee, an effort that laid the groundwork for the eventual completion of the Clyde Recreation Center. Dr. Davis served on the Parks and Recreation Board for 17 years.
In July and August of 2010, he provided veterinary services on four islands in Indonesia with LDS Charities. In February of 2012, he traveled to the Dominican Republic to provide
veterinary services with the World Vets organization. From August 2014 to July 2015, he taught Business English and Writing in Guangzhou, China, as part of the Brigham Young University China Teachers Program. The Chinese college students called him their “American Grandpa.”
He was named the Utah League of Cities and Towns Community Volunteer of the Year in 2000.
During the last two decades, Dr. Davis has participated in multiple emergency preparedness trainings, including in agroterrorism, hazardous materials and Springville City Citizen Emergency Response Team training.
Throughout his life he has been blessed to be able to serve in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, working and serving with many wonderful people. He served a mission in Germany
from 1968 to 1970, a church service mission for five years at the BYU Family History Library and a full-time mission with his wife, Liz, in 2020-21 in the Provo Utah Mission. He currently enjoys
serving in the Provo City Center temple.
Harold and Liz have a blended family of 12 children, all of whom graduated from Springville High School. They are: Leslie Kawai; Andrew (Deirdre) Davis; Heidi (Danny) Pettingill; Sandra (Derrick) Fulton; Daniela (Conrad) Walsh; Jenny (Eric) Bain; Christy (Tom) Bateman; Eric (Briana) Hoffman; Amy (Ryan) Strong; Dan (Kristi) Hoffman; Julie Lee and Andrew Hoffman. Harold and Liz have 44 grandchildren and 1 great-grandson.