Susanne Millsaps

Susanne S. Millsaps 1953 ~ 2006 One of the great women of this world, Susanne Millsaps, died of a cerebral hemorrhage on October 20, 2006. The bleeding was a consequence of her valiant 23 1/2 month struggle with metastatic breast cancer. Although she lived most of her adult life in Salt Lake City, she always showed her New York roots in her direct ways and her willingness to actively challenge injustice or inhumanity. Having moved over 20 times before she graduated from high school in Tuscon, AZ, she set out to firmly embed herself in the fabric of Salt Lake City, and apart from a brief exodus to Corning, NY, she lived here for over 30 years. And embed herself she did, from writing "The Flaming Feminist" for the University of Utah Chronicle, to working the doors at clubs such as the Green Parrot and the Haggis, to being the buyer for the venerable Cosmic Airplane. After she graduated from the U with a degree in Anthropology and Women's Studies, she worked for the Utah Women's Clinic, then at Wasatch Education Systems, during which time she also served as the Executive Director for the Utah chapter of NARAL. At the end of this, she decided to do something she had always wanted to do, and so got her BSN from the Westminster College School of Nursing. She worked for five years as an oncology nurse at the VA Hospital in Salt Lake City, and when she got laid off from there, started her own business as a musician's booking and management agent, representing artists from all over the USA. She did this up until her death. Her volunteer life was equally driven, including a 20-year association with KRCL (and 13 years as host of "Thursday Breakfast Jam"). She served on the boards of both the FAR-West Folk Alliance and the Intermountain Acoustic Music Association. In addition to scheduling /producing a large number of the IAMA concerts during the year, she turned the Singer-Songwriter competition associated with the annual IAMA/Founder's Title Folk and Bluegrass Festival into one of the most highly regarded competitions in North America (in both quality and enjoyability). She was also passionate about animal welfare, and worked with rescue and rescue transport groups around North America, making sure that abandoned dogs and cats got good homes. She was one of the core members of FIDOS, an open-space/leash-free dog advocacy group. With her husband Grant, she founded and ran the "Magpie House Concert" series, bringing still more singer-songwriters from around the world to play in Salt Lake City.