New USU building honors Sen. Hillyard's son

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Posted: 9:24 AM- LOGAN - Matt Hillyard is a dedicated Utah State University fan, who rarely misses a campus event.

Now a new school building honors that devotion and also thanks Matt's father, Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, for years of support.

On Thursday, USU opened the doors of the Matthew Hillyard Animal Teaching and Research Center. The state-of-the-art facility is a complex of classrooms, offices and labs. It's located off campus and just south of Logan.

College of Agriculture Dean Noelle Crockett says she sees the 33-year-old Matt, who has Down syndrome, at football and basketball games, campus receptions and agricultural events statewide.

Crockett says Hillyard's senator father has been the building's champion. He pushed the state legislature for $10 million for its construction.