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Window Magazine Western Publications

Fall 2017 Window: The aM gazine of Western Washington University, 2017, Volume 10, Issue 01 Mary Lane Gallagher Western Washington University, [email protected]

Office ofomm C unications and Marketing, Western Washington University

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Recommended Citation Gallagher, Mary Lane and Office of Communications and Marketing, Western Washington University, "Window: The aM gazine of Western Washington University, 2017, Volume 10, Issue 01" (2017). Window Magazine. 19. https://cedar.wwu.edu/window_magazine/19

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THEWINDOW UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE FALL/WINTER 2017

A new CARVER

Western Washington University • window.wwu.edu Blue for WWU

More than 180 trees in downtown Bellingham are dressed in strings of blue lights thanks to a gift from the WWU Alumni Association.

The lights went up for Western’s second annual “Paint B’Ham Blue for WWU” event Sept. 27 to welcome new students to Bellingham. In November, the lights turned white for the holiday season.

The WWU Alumni Association’s assistance helped with the purchase, installation and maintenance of the lights, adding a festive evening air to Bellingham’s downtown.

Photo by Rhys Logan (’11, Visual Journalism)

WINDOW • Fall/Winter 2017 Western Washington University • window.wwu.edu 1 The New Carver | 12 TABLE OF CONTENTS Photo by Rhys Logan (’11) WWU News 6 English’s Brenda Miller wins a Washington Book Award; Donna Gibbs is Western’s new vice president of Univer- sity Relations and Marketing; Western wins a $1 million grant for excellence and inclusion in STEM fields; a WWU solar cell project gets the attention of private industry; Western’s first doctoral students are here; two faculty members have a memorable engagement story. Modern art icons at home at the Western Gallery 10 Works by Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Helen Frankenthaler and Agnes Martin, ’37, are all housed at Western. 6 12 16 A new day for Carver 12 A massive two-year renovation and expansion have created a new home for Western’s academic and athletic hub. Culture matters 16 Fifty years ago, Psychology’s Joeseph Trimble knew that understanding the human mind requires a multi- cultural approach. Now, the rest of the psychology profession knows it, too. And they’ve thanked him for it. Alaska stories 20 Alumna Eowyn Ivey, ’95, weaves fantastical yarns about the unforgiving beauty of the Alaska wilderness. Her own story, about a small-town bookstore worker whose first novel nearly wins a Pulitzer Prize, is just as inspiring. The big story 26 Here’s some real news: WWU alumni journalists who are surviving in the media industry aren’t giving up their watchdog roles—and they’re finding new career hope in unexpected places. 20 Schools for America 32 History’s Johann Neem reminds us that building schools—and arguing about them—builds our democracy.

Message from the President 4 Alumni Conversations 36 Stay Connected 5 Class Notes 38 A Look Back 44

On the cover: The glass-skinned walls on a new, expanded section of Carver reflect the familiar red brick facade of Bond Hall next door. Photo by Rhys Logan. 26 32 44 2 WINDOW • Fall/Winter 2017 Western Washington University • window.wwu.edu 3 Stay CONNECTED If something you read in Window sparks a memory, question, inspiration or critique, let from the President us know. We’ll run a sampling of your feedback in each edition. Send your thoughts to The magazineWINDOW of Western Washington University [email protected]. Or, find us on online at window.www.wwu.edu. You may also send Message a note to Window Magazine, Office of University Communications and Marketing, 516 Vol. 10 No. 1 Fall/Winter 2017 High St., MS 9011, Bellingham, WA, 98225. Editor Advancing Inclusive Success, Mary Lane Gallagher [email protected]

Advancing Washington Contributing writers Zach Kyle (’07), Hilary Parker (’95), John Thompson

When I started as president of Western last fall, I was excited not Photographers Rob Groulx, Bob Hallinen, only by Western’s distinctive excellence and student-centered education, Rhys Logan (’11), Erika Schultz Sharing our love for Mount Baker but also by the ways that Western could become even more responsive Graphic Design/Production Chris Baker to the needs of our students, Washington and the region. This fall, as We received several kind notes and social media mentions about our spring/ we welcomed the largest and one of the most diverse incoming classes Editorial Advisory Board summer 2017 edition of Window magazine, which was devoted to Western’s love of in Western’s history, we have had several opportunities to celebrate how Frances Badgett, Assistant Director of Marketing and Mount Baker. We weren’t surprised to learn that the mountain is wrapped up in many Communications, University Advancement Western is evolving to meet those goals. Photo by Rhys Logan (’11) readers’ memories of Western. Tina Pattengill (’74) even sent us a photo of her own Stephanie Bowers, Vice President, On Oct. 13 we celebrated the grand reopening of Carver, one of the University Advancement Mount Baker heirlooms that hang in her house: wooden skis her father used to ski on Mount Baker in 1947. Check them out at window.wwu.edu most heavily used buildings on our campus. Of course we are thrilled that Paul Cocke, Director, University Communications and Marketing Western Athletics teams and coaches are back in a beautifully renovated home, but Carver is much more Deborah DeWees, Assistant Vice President for Alumni, than a gym. It’s truly an all-purpose academic facility, and home to some of our fastest-growing, high- Annual Giving and Advancement Communications R R Mary Doherty, Director of Marketing and demand majors in fields that prepare students for careers in physical therapy, occupational therapy and Office of Communications and Marketing Communications,Old Main 375, Mailstop 9034 University Advancement 516 High St., Bellingham, WA 98225 nursing. Expanded class and lab spaces will ensure that students have access to state-of-the-art facilities Paul Dunn, Senior Executive Assistant to the President R PRR 1 Electronic Service Requested WINDOW and a path to timely graduation. Donna Gibbs, Vice President, UniversityWant Window magazine online Relations only? and Marketing This fall Western also received a $1 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to Email [email protected] Becca Kenna-Schenk, Director of Government Relations increase inclusion and representation in STEM disciplines. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of faculty John Thompson, Assistant Director, members from the departments of biology, chemistry and geology, Western was one of 24 colleges and University Communications and Marketing Baker: universities nationwide to receive this funding from one of the world’s foremost biomedical research Kessa Volland (’04), Marketing and Media Coordinator,Get Out Here University Communications and MarketingOur favorite places on A love story Mount Baker foundations. With this grant Western is positioned to become a national leader in STEM inclusion, Sheila Webb, Professor of Journalism which will in turn increase our ability to recruit more diverse faculty and students. Window is published twice a year for alumni and friends of Western We’re also excited to announce that the first cohort of students has just been enrolled in our new Washington University by the Office of University Communications and Marketing, 516 High St., Bellingham, WA, 98225-9011 (360) 650-3350 Clinical Doctorate in Audiology (Au.D.). Responding to a national need for audiology professionals, this Send change-of-address requests to: four-year program, including clinical experiences, will provide students with the knowledge and skills to Western Washington University diagnose and treat hearing and balance disorders for people of all ages. University Advancement – Constituent Records Old Main 430, MS 9030, Bellingham, WA 98225 Ultimately, Western’s future success is not about us, but about the positive differences we are making or email [email protected]

in people’s lives and communities throughout Washington and beyond. In my mind, that’s exactly what Views expressed in Window are those of the authors and do not Active Minds Changing Lives is all about. necessarily reflect official policy of Western Washington University. Window supports Western’s commitment to assuring that all programs and activities are readily accessible to all eligible people without regard to race, Letter: Mountainclimbing fundamentals Sincerely, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation or veteran’s status. Enjoyed the mountain-themed spring/summer Window issue. It brought back lots

This publication is available in an alternate format. of mountaineering memories, which started in my senior year at Western. That last For information, call (360) 650-3350. spring semester, I took a WWSC climbing course taught by Dallas Kloke, ’62 and ’69, and learned some fundamentals that proved useful for many decades of adventures in the alpine around the world. Fond memories of climbing all of the major Cascade Sabah Randhawa peaks, but Shuksan was my favorite, the only peak (aside from pre-eruption Mount President St. Helens) that I climbed twice. Good to see that students, staff and faculty still ap- preciate and enjoy the special place that is the North Cascades. Greg H. Rau, ’71 Castro Valley, California

4 WINDOW • Fall/Winter 2017 Western Washington University • window.wwu.edu 5 WWU News WWU News

Brenda Miller: Memoirs allow Meet Western’s new vice president us to look back with compassion for University Relations and Western Washington University English Professor Brenda Miller recently won a Marketing Washington Book Award for her new memoir, “An Earlier Life.” These prestigious awards are given annually through The Washington Center for the Book, a partner- Western’s new vice president for University Relations and Marketing has experience in ship of the Seattle Public Library and Washington State Library. global marketing for some of the world’s best-known brands, including Nike, Mattel, Apple and Microsoft, and helped bring about a digital transformation in marketing We asked Miller a few questions about the book and her writing process. and communications at Pacific Lutheran University.

How is writing a memoir different from a typical novel or non-fiction work? Donna Gibbs was vice president for Marketing and Communications at PLU from 2013 until coming to Western this fall. Memoir is based on, as the word suggests, memory. It differs from an autobiography in that the memoir usually doesn’t try to encompass an entire life, but instead focuses Gibbs now leads Western’s newly renamed University Relations and Marketing on a particular theme that connects these memories. This book is a collection of most- Division, which includes communications and marketing, web communications, ly stand-alone personal essays that accumulate into a memoir about the ways we can community relations, Western’s Small Business Development Center and Washington lead many different lives in one lifetime, and how we can look back on our “past selves” Campus Compact. with compassion. “I am honored to join one of the top public universities in the West,” Gibbs says. Many of our most personal memories are often painful or difficult to write about. “I look forward to working with the talented team at Western to advance the Honors: English Professor Brenda Miller Was dealing with those issues cathartic for you? university’s mission and elevate Western’s distinctive profile regionally, nationally and received this year’s Washington Book Award. internationally.” I wouldn’t say “cathartic,” but my purpose in writing memoir or personal essay is to find out what I don’t already know. In other words, to make connections or discovery through the writing itself. Sometimes I don’t realize what I’ve revealed until after the essay’s been published. For example, one of the essays in “An Earlier Life” is written in the form of a series of rejection notes. By utilizing the recognizable voice of rejection A $1 million grant notes, the essay becomes humorous, though deep emotional material finds its way into the form, almost on its own. for excellence AN EARLIER LIFE The book focuses on a number of central pillars that have helped you move and inclusion in BRENDA MILLER through life, such as your religion and other things that give you joy, such as music and your work with rescue dogs. How do these things allow you to move STEM forward in an authentic way? A new five-year, $1 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s For me, authenticity is one of the recurring themes in my work and my life: how to cul- Inclusive Excellence Program began in tivate the most authentic life possible. When I’m working with my foster dogs or sing- September with the goal to enhance ing with the Bellingham Threshold Singers or creating a holiday meal for Hanukkah, I student success in STEM fields, especially feel a deep joy that signals I’m in touch with my most authentic self. I now also volun- for those students typically under- teer at Whatcom Hospice House, and I look forward to being there each week, when represented in the natural sciences. my focus is fully on others. Under-represented minority students, How does winning this award alter or encourage your plans for the next, as-yet- female students, and first-generation unwritten phase in your life? students in the natural sciences have Together: WWU Faculty members who wrote the grant application celebrate receiving Western’s Team Achievement Award. I was so amazed and grateful to have received the Washington State Book Award for lower success rates than university “An Earlier Life,” especially because the book was published by a small, independent averages. Western’s HHMI IE team of learning for faculty and teaching the five years of grant support are over,” press (Ovenbird Books). It showed me that I don’t need to alter my style to appeal to STEM faculty, led by Biology Professor assistants, and analyzing policies and Otto says. “Ultimately, we anticipate the more mainstream publishers, that I am fine in my “lyric essay” niche! Emerita Joann Otto, proposed a multi- procedures to identify issues that get in demographics of majors graduating in faceted approach, including establishing the way of student success. the natural sciences will mirror those of —Interview by John Thompson, student cohorts and mentorship the university and our community as a excerpted from westerntoday.wwu.edu. opportunities, providing professional “All of our strategies are designed to be whole.” development in student-centered sustainable so they will continue after

6 WINDOW • Fall/Winter 2017 Western Washington University • www.wwu.edu/window 7 WWU News WWU News

Western’s solar concentrator

project gets a business deal Mountain High: WWU faculty Jeffery A New Mexico company has licensed a solar panel project that Hart and Jen Thistle, has been in the works for several years at Western’s Advanced with Hart’s son Materials Science and Engineering Center and the University of Xander in inset photo, became engaged Washington. during the Hardrock Hundred Mile UbiQD, a Los Alamos nanotechnology development company, Endurance Run. They has exclusively licensed the groundbreaking luminescent plan to get married in June. “We’ll take solar concentrator technology, which was funded in part our guests for a run,” by the National Science Foundation. The lightweight solar Thistle jokes. concentrators are partially transparent, enabling windows or other surfaces to become solar energy collectors.

“We envision a world where sunlight harvesting is ubiquitous, a future where our cities are powered by quantum dot-tinted glass on skyscrapers,” said Hunter McDaniel, founder and CEO of UbiQD.

Western faculty and students have been working for several Alight: The lightweight solar concentrators are partially transparent years on developing the technology through WWU’s AMSEC and could enable windows to become solar energy collectors. and collaborating with the UW’s CoMotion Innovation Center.

Thistle went off to graduate school at Pennsylvania State Love on the run University and Hart joined her a year later. After they completed their doctoral degrees, they went to work in separate states. Forty-two miles into the legendary Hardrock Hundred Mile Landing faculty jobs together at Western in January was a Endurance Run in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado, dream come true. Jeffery Hart curled up in a whimpery heap, exhausted. Doctorates-to-be: The first cohort of Even with Thistle on the trail at his side, Hart was hallucinating, Western’s first clinical doctoral program Hart, an experienced ultramarathoner, had already run to is expected to earn their Au.D. degrees hearing voices and country music. They were climbing a series the top of 14,048-foot Handies Peak, the highest point in the in 2021. They are (front row) Shannon of false summits, with a new climb beginning every time they Larsen, ’16, Kayla Adams, ’16, Megan grueling 100-mile race that totals 66,000 feet of elevation— thought they had reached the peak. Niemela, ’15, and Rachel Miller, ’17, and 33,000 up and 33,000 down. The stress on his body was causing (back row) Steve Brazel, ’17, Haley Prins, ’15, Destinee Halverson, ’17, and Nicole fluid to build up behind his corneas; he could barely see and he At the top of the last peak, 12,400-foot Putnam-Lime Creek Vanderzanden, ’17 still had 60 miles to go. Saddle, Hart asked Thistle to stop and look at the alpine view. In the fading light, they could see 50 miles in every direction, After an hour’s rest, Hart’s vision cleared, and he headed back including the mountain passes they had just crossed together. The program is offered through West- of a clinical externship in a public school, up the next mountain. He had a delivery to make and a promise Western’s first ern’s well-regarded Communications specialized clinic, or hospital in the U.S. or to keep. Hart got on his hands and knees to get his phone and take a selfie. He asked Thistle to take his hand to help him to his feet, Sciences and Disorders Department, Canada, all settings where newly minted Hart, an assistant professor of special education at Western, doctoral program only he got on one knee instead and wouldn’t let go of her which also runs the on-campus clinics audiologists may find themselves em- was carrying a three-diamond ring he had picked out with his hand. He asked her to be a part of his life just like she had been is in audiology in speech-language, hearing and aural ployed in the years to come. son Xander. Assistant Professor of Communication Sciences such an important part of the race. “To not make you a part of rehabilitation, where undergraduates, and Disorders Jen Thistle was going to meet him at Mile 88 and Western’s first eight doctoral students Western’s first clinical doctoral students all this would be a crime,” he told her. graduate students in speech-language run the last 12 miles with him to the finish line. began this fall in the university’s new pathology, and now doctoral students are expected to receive their Au.D. de- Thistle said yes. Then she helped him up so they could run the clinical doctorate program in audiology. in audiology gain a wealth of practicum grees in 2021. Hart and Thistle met about eight years ago when both were last few miles together. experience. The clinic serves adults, ado- working in public schools in New England, he as a special The new four-year program, created to Learn more at: chss.wwu.edu/csd. lescents, young children and infants. education teacher and she as a speech-language pathologist. help meet the state’s growing need for audiologists, prepares entry-level pro- After all coursework has been completed, fessionals for the field. the fourth year of the program consists 8 WINDOW • Fall/Winter 2017 Western Washington University • www.wwu.edu/window 9 Modern art icons get a permanent home at the Western Gallery

By Mary Gallagher Pollock, Roy Lichtenstein, and Helen famous “Chairman Mao” series and Frankenthaler. work by Mark Rothko, Jo Baer, Robert n 1975, five museums in Washington The collection, “Works on Paper: Rauschenberg and Willem de Kooning. cobbled together a total of $200,000 American Art 1945-1975,” has long Wright selected many of the works from the National Endowment for been housed at the Western Gallery and herself with the help of her friend, the Ithe Arts and the Virginia Wright Fund owned by the Washington Art Consor- late Richard Bellamy, a New York art to create and share a collection of con- tium’s member institutions. When the dealer whose Green Gallery launched the temporary art. consortium disbanded earlier this year careers of many iconic avant-garde art- Wright, a prominent art patron in and divvied up its collections, “Works ists; Bellamy’s biographer Judith E. Stein the Pacific Northwest, set out for New on Paper” got a permanent home at the called him “The Eye of the 60s.” York City on behalf of the newly formed Western Gallery. Together, Bellamy and Wright had a Washington Art Consortium to acquire The collection has 97 works by 48 good eye and access to the art commu- dozens of works by important 20th cen- artists, including 10 prints of Warhol’s nity, Western Gallery Director Hafþór tury artists such as Andy Warhol, Jackson

Photo by Rhys Logan (’11)

Yngvason says. They were able to amass 2016. For decades, critics had maligned malist and post-minimalist art,” the collection for about $355,000 before Pollock’s black drip paintings as evidence Yngvason says. the market for American contemporary of the super-star artist’s decline, perhaps A selection of abstract expressionist art exploded. Today, the collection is due to alcohol consumption. But bring- work from the collection will be shown at worth millions of dollars. ing 31 of the paintings together gave the Western Gallery in spring 2018. It’s hard to pick a favorite piece, viewers a chance to see that Pollock was Yngvason says, but he’s captivated by in fact striving to explore new ground in “Untitled,” a delicate, perfectly aligned the painting technique that made him grid drawn in 1965 by Agnes Martin, famous. ’37. Martin earned a teaching certificate The collection includes works on at Western decades before she became paper by artists whose sculptures can influential in the minimalist and abstract be seen on Western’s campus, including expressionist art movements. di Suvero, Nauman, Rauschenberg and The pieces have traveled to other Richard Serra. (A sculpture by Donald museums, too. A 1967 sketch by Bruce Judd is being restored.) Nauman, “Wax Template of My Body The Western Gallery has also begun Arranged to Make an Abstracted Sculp- offering a series of summer exhibitions ture,” is on loan to the Museum of Mod- that bring drawings and prints from the ern Art in New York. “Works on Paper” collection together And Pollock’s 1951 drip painting, with the Campus Sculpture Collection, Postmodern treasures: Western Gallery Director Hafþór Yngvason pulls out some “Number 3,” was included in “Blind which Wright also helped shape through of the art storage leaves holding “Works Spots,” an exhibition of Pollock’s con- donations of funds and major artworks. on Paper: American Art 1945-1975,” troversial black-and-white work at the “ ‘Works on Paper’ gives a good back- which now has a permanent home at the Western Gallery. The collection includes a Tate Liverpool museum in the U.K. in ground for the outdoor sculptures by portfolio of 10 prints of the 1973 Jackson Pollock, “Number 3,” 1951, is part of Western’s “Works on Paper: American Art 1945 – 1975” housed at the Western Gallery. 2015 and the Dallas Museum of Art in providing an overview of American mini- “Chairman Mao” by Andy Warhol. @2017 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

10 WINDOW • Fall/Winter 2017 Western Washington University • window.wwu.edu 11 A NEW DAY FOR CARVER Two-year, $81.5-million renovation and expansion creates a new home for Western’s academic and athletic hub

hen LeaAnn Martin, a handball champion with a time. And a new Hall of Fame Room offers space for game-time newly minted doctorate, was recruited to join West- events. ern’s physical education pedagogy faculty in 1991, It goes without saying that the electrical and other backbone Carver Gymnasium, Whatcom County’s largest interior CarverW was already due for an upgrade. systems have been brought up to date, too. Offices, labs and gathering space, now has refurbished bleachers, a new The 1935 gymnasium had last been renovated in 1960, and classrooms throughout the building now meet the requirements sound system and LED lighting, a new basketball floor clearly needed some work in order to keep up with the growing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Finally, the new building and a state-of-the-art, seven-camera webcast system. student body and replace the aging infrastructure systems. comes with some urgently needed seismic reinforcement. Watch games live or on-demand at portal.stretchinternet. Martin took the job at Western despite her misgivings about com/wwu. the building. “I fell in love with the people,” she says, “and it was The refurbished basketball court has a new name, too: just a matter of time before Carver would be rebuilt.” WECU Court in Carver Gym. And more space in smaller Over the next 26 years, Martin and others who worked, stud- gymnasiums—Gym C was doubled in size—creates more ied and played in Carver learned to live with leaky roofs, a fritzy room for classes, team practices and club sports. electrical system and precious little space. She also rose through the academic ranks, became dean of the College of Humani- ties and Social Sciences, and sat on many committees about the eventual rebuilding of Carver. She vowed to do cartwheels in Red Square if funding ever came through. And she promised to teach a class in the new building, though she had to come out of retirement to do it. But the 2017 Carver was worth the wait. Over the last two years, Carver’s 1935 and 1960 buildings were renovated down to the studs and are now surrounded by a modern, glass-skinned structure that adds nearly 58,000 square feet of space, mostly classrooms and labs, to the academic and athletic facility. Carver is home to Western’s largest and fastest-growing department, Health and Human Development, which offers degree programs in kinesiology, physical and health education, community health education and recreation. The gymnasium side of the building now includes much more space for Western’s 15 intercollegiate varsity teams, with new space for locker rooms for more than 300 student-athletes, training, conditioning and rehabilitation rooms, and team rooms The expanded lobby area of Carver is now used throughout the day as a space for studying and gathering. The light wood wall paneling here for the basketball and volleyball teams. All head coaches and is reclaimed from the old Carver Gymnasium floor. Athletics administrators are housed under one roof for the first Leif Anderson, left, watches as Trevor Jasinsky leaps to dunk the ball during Viking Jam in November. 12 WINDOW •Photos Fall/Winter by Rhys 2017 Logan (’11) Western Washington University • window.wwu.edu 13 Funded by longtime donors to WWU Athletics, the Hall of Fame room features plaques commemo- CARVER NUMBERS: rating all 140 members of the WWU Athletics Hall of Fame—with room 2 for future hall of famers—along 80,918 ft of renovation with two large-screen televisions for guests to watch WWU games, 25,019 ft2 of replacement and one of Western’s best views of Red Square. Some of the room’s The new exercise physiology labs now include a dedicated wood paneling was re-purposed teaching lab, creating much more space for classes and stu- 57,885 ft2 of new addition from planks salvaged from Carver dent research exploring motor control, physical performance, Gymnasium’s old floor. injury prevention and more. Students can open up connecting doors in the labs to create a runway to the force plate to ex- 163,822 ft2 of total amine runners’ strides, with 16 high-speed cameras collecting building area data throughout. Filled with natural light and room for more equipment and workspaces, the labs are also much more invit- ing than the previous basement accommodations. From here, many students go on to study physical therapy, occupational therapy or nursing.

A light-filled collaboration space provides the kind of welcoming place to work or linger that was $81.5 million total impossible to find in Carver before the renovation. The collaboration space also overlooks a green roof, $77.4 million from the just one aspect of the building that state of Washington is expected to earn LEED accreditation. $4 million from WWU

24 months of construction

1,000-plus With its new glass exterior, Carver construction workers lights up the heart of campus at night. The expansion also created About 267 jobs on the more space in the lobby with window seating and a sunny place work site and to linger. in the community

$55.6 million in local economic impact

14 WINDOW • Fall/Winter 2017 15 CultureFifty years ago, Joseph Matters Trimble knew that understanding the human condition requires a multicultural approach. Now, the rest of the psychology profession knows it too, and they’ve thanked him for it.

By Hilary Parker

en minutes before class on a dreary February morning, Trailblazing career Our minds, according to Joseph E. Trimble, Distinguished University Professor In the citation for the prevailing wisdom and professor of psychology at Western, was pulling the lifetime achieve- together lecture notes and a few PowerPoint slides in his office ment award, Trimble of the time, all worked onT the top floor of the Academic Instructional Center. is recognized for be- the same—or the same The desk phone rang, and he wasn’t going to answer. But the ing an “unquestioned caller ID said “Washington, D.C.,” so he decided to pick up. leading contributor in as a white male’s— The American Psychological Foundation was calling to tell the field of psychol- Trimble he had been awarded the 2017 Gold Medal Award for ogy and the American regardless of our genders, Life Achievement in Psychology in the Public Interest. Indian.” ethnicities, upbringing The foundation is the philanthropic arm of the 117,000- “Besides his ex- member American Psychological Association, the nation’s largest pertise in indigenous and experiences. scientific and professional organization for psychologists. And issues,” the cita- they were giving him an award whose citation would begin: “Jo- tion continues, “he is a recognized authority in multicultural seph Everett Trimble is one of the most extraordinary psycholo- psychology.” gists in our profession.” Trimble’s work with multicultural populations arose from Once some of the shock wore off, Trimble recalls, he politely a curiosity about how group and cultural influences were ac- excused himself from the call so he could go teach. counted for in psychology, which had been regarded as a singular “I was in a daze for most of my class, and I had to often pursuit to understand the minds of all individuals. Our minds, pinch myself that what I heard was actually true,” he says. according to the prevailing wisdom of the time, all worked the WWU Distinguished Professor Trimble accepted the award in August at the American same—or the same as a white male’s—regardless of our genders, Joseph Trimble is a pioneer in the Psychological Association national convention in Washington, ethnicities, upbringing and experiences. field of psychology—and bringing a D.C., while an audience of about 200, including colleagues, fam- Trimble wasn’t having it. multicultural perspective to the mental health and applied research settings. ily, friends and former students, looked on. “Culture matters in all aspects of our lives,” Trimble says, but This award is by no means Trimble’s first recognition. Awards psychology as a discipline hadn’t yet come to that realization in Photos by Rhys Logan (’11) line the walls and cover the bookshelves in his office, including the mid-1960s when he began exploring the idea as a graduate four from Western, honoring his teaching and scholarship. student at both the University of New Hampshire and Harvard University. For him, this notion of culture intimately tied to the

16 WINDOW • Fall/Winter 2017 Western Washington University • window.wwu.edu 17 individual was an epiphany that would propel him for the rest of differences, and culturally competent within our profession and psychology at Western in 1985 and 1987 respectively, explains his career. society.” that psychology as a field is not always welcoming to people who Trimble has tackled matters of mental health, substance are outside the mainstream. As a person with a multicultural abuse and spirituality in his work, not only in academic research Championing culture and diversity heritage, Nicholas says, having “someone who understood that but also in helping to create counseling protocols that acknowl- In 1979, a decade after completing his graduate studies at Okla- was really important,” she says of Trimble. edge cultural differences. His work has also shaped public policy, homa and still hungry for an academic department that accepted She noticed how Trimble made her and other students feel and opened the psychology community’s eyes to what had been the notion that culture mattered in psychology, Trimble came to welcomed, for instance, introducing her to another student of a gaping hole: the understanding of culture’s influence on each Western Washington University. color in the class. That feeling of belonging sets the stage for stu- of our lives. He was attracted by the Psychology Department’s Center for dents to do the best they can, she says. Today, the American Psychological Association now rec- Cross-Cultural Research, whose focus on the intersection of cul- Today, Nicholas is the one creating welcoming spaces for stu- ognizes multicultural approaches to understanding the human ture and psychology was groundbreaking at the time. dents, an example set by Trimble. She’s also carried his passion condition as integral to the profession. “That was not happening anywhere—anywhere—in the for equity and social justice into her own teaching, her research Trimble’s choice to work with American Indian and Alaska world,” Trimble says. and her work in the community. In 2016, Nicholas and Trimble Native cultures took root during his doctoral studies in the social The center, and its Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, shared Western’s Diversity Achievement Award. psychology program at University of Oklahoma. The program continue to be a bellwether in the field, and the idea that “culture “Being able to zero in on social justice topics was unusual (in Trimble received the Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in fostered some of the ideas he’d been eager to understand, but matters” has become woven into the fabric of the Psychology psychology),” Nicholas says. That focus in her studies excited and Psychology in the Public Interest from Terence Keane, president of the perhaps more importantly, it gave him the opportunity to spend Department. emboldened her to keep pursuing those topics. American Psychological Foundation in August 2017. time with the families of This awareness and ap- Mentorship of his students is a key driver for Trimble, as is Photo courtesy of the American Psychological Foundation friends he made at the uni- preciation is not isolated collaboration with colleagues at Western and around the world. versity, including members Trimble’s other major honors include: to the Psychology Depart- One of his recent collaborations is with Chin of Adelphi of many of the local Native ment, Trimble notes, but University. The two published “Diversity and Leadership” in • The 2001 Janet E. Helms Award for Mentoring and And nearly 50 years after completing his doctorate, Trimble American tribes. Scholarship in Professional Psychology, which is given each runs throughout the uni- 2015, and Trimble gave a TEDx Talk on the ideas in the book at doesn’t show signs of stopping. He’s spending the next several As he saw the people in year at the Annual Roundtable on Cultural Psychology and versity, and comes directly TEDxWWU that same year. months in Scotland as a visiting scholar in the School of Psy- these communities struggle Education at Columbia University Teachers College. from the student body. “The PAC was packed on a Saturday. Packed!” Trimble chology and Neuroscience at the University of St. Andrews, with problems such as “Our students are say- remembers. where he’s gather- prejudice, poverty and • The American Psychological Association Division of Peace ing, ‘We need to talk more The talk and the book examine how people in different cul- ing perspectives alcoholism, he realized he Psychology’s Peace and Social Justice Award in 2004. about cultural diversity, tures lead in many effective ways. In Trimble’s TEDx Talk he from culturally “Culture matters in the couldn’t get too absorbed • The 2013 Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award for educators and we need to learn more declares, “Bid farewell to the alpha male leadership style.” diverse leaders from lives of all people, so in textbook psychology who have inspired their former students to make a difference about it when we’re fresh- Trimble himself, Chin says, embodies the values of the cul- around the world. and should instead use his in their communities. men,” Trimble says, adding tures he has spent so many years learning about. Plus, he’s col- much so they don’t even cultural knowledge to help that students are telling On the cover of Chin and Trimble’s book is an image of laborating on yet think about it. We can in “solving fundamental • Massachusetts General Hospital’s Francis J. Bonner, M.D., faculty they want to un- origami cranes of many different colors flying together to create another book series Award for Diversity, for significant contributions to the field of social problems.” derstand the differences the globe. Trimble says he hopes he can make that idea relatable on culture, ethnicity come to appreciate these ethnic minority mental health in 2013. He continues with this of people worldwide, how to students and to those who care deeply about the future of our and race in social quest today, still research- they live, how they think, relationships with one another. and behavioral differences and learn ing, writing and speaking how they cope. “Certainly, my goal is to have them understand that culture sciences. from them. And maybe on the intersection be- matters in the lives of all people, so much so they don’t even Trimble doesn’t Mentorship & collaboration tween psychology and culture. His recent work explores subjects think about it,” he says. “We can foster an understanding of dream of retirement even embrace them.” including advances in culture, ethnicity and race; counseling Trimble remembers the names and stories of countless stu- these differences and come to appreciate these differences and because, he says, psychology and culture; diversity and leadership; ethical mental dents—many of whom came to Western as graduate students learn from them. And maybe even embrace them. what he does isn’t work. health interventions for indigenous populations; and disparities specifically to study with him. “Those birds coming together form a beautiful place for us.” “Work is hard. Work to me is like digging rocks in a garden. in mental health problems among American Indians/Alaska Na- “I have had wonderful students who have gone on to do Trimble and Chin will publish three more books on the topic That’s work,” he says. tives in comparison to other Americans. wonderful things,” he says. “That in and of itself is more valuable of leadership and diversity in the next few years, starting with Instead, Trimble is free to think, study and connect. “He has been an advocate for addressing the needs of ethnic to me than any other part of my profession.” “The Culturally Diverse Leader: New Dimensions, Opportu- “I can read, write, interact with people from all over. What minorities within a profession and society where they are often One student who appreciated Trimble’s mentorship in the nities and Challenges for Business and Society,” published in more can I ask for?” overlooked or marginalized,” says Jean Lau Chin, a psychology 1980s is Trula Nicholas, who is now a fellow faculty member as October by SAGE Publications. Retired Western management professor at Adelphi University in New York, and the co-author an associate professor of Human Services at Western. It wasn’t Professor Joseph Garcia (’75, M.A., psychology), the first direc- with Trimble of two books about leadership. just the grant Trimble pointed her toward that paid for Nicholas’ tor of Western’s Morse Leadership Institute, also collaborated on Hilary Parker, ’95, journalism, is a freelance writer in Belling- “He brings the conscience to ensuring that we remain aware second year of graduate school, but also the way he made her feel the book. ham. Her most recent story for Window magazine was “Charting a of our ethnocentric biases,” she continues, “and the commit- welcomed. So far, Trimble has published over 150 journal articles and Course for College,” about Western’s Compass 2 Campus program. ment to promoting a psychology that is inclusive, respectful of Nicholas, who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in book chapters and 22 books. His CV is a small book unto itself.

18 WINDOW • Fall/Winter 2017 Western Washington University • window.wwu.edu 19 AlumnaAlaska Eowyn Ivey Stories weaves fantastical yarns about the unforgiving beauty of the Alaska wilderness. Her own story about a small-town bookstore worker whose first novel nearly wins a Pulitzer Prize is just as inspiring.

Journalism alumna Eowyn Ivey in Chickaloon, Alaska, where she writes and lives with her family. Her novels, including “The Snow Child” and “To the Bright Edge of the World,” reflect the rugged beauty of her beloved state.

Photo by Bob Hallinen/Alaska Dispatch News

20 WINDOW • Fall/Winter 2017 Western Washington University • window.wwu.edu 21 By John Thompson the mile-wide expanse of the Matanuska says. “Everything we caught or killed, we Journalist-Turned-Novelist “I had always loved fiction, and the But there she was at the Kachemak floodplain, an interwoven system of shal- ate, whether it was caribou or moose or The desire to tell stories is what brought structure of my job began to feel a bit Bay Writers’ Conference in 2011, where erched high on a ridge over- low braided channels, cobble bars and bear or salmon or halibut. In rural Alaska, Ivey to Western in 1991. After graduat- like shackles,” Ivey says. So she left the she was discussing her latest project looking the Matanuska River small islands. hunting and fishing aren’t just hobbies or ing from high school, Western seemed newsroom and began a 10-year stint at across a table from literary agent Jeff valley about 2 1/2 hours north From the time she was old enough activities, they are done for subsistence.” like the perfect choice; not too big, not a nearby bookstore, Fireside Books in Kleinman of Folio Literary Management of Anchorage, novelist Eowyn LeMay to hunt and fish, her summer vacations Not surprisingly, given the state’s too small, far from home but not too far. Palmer, where she could work during the in New York City. Kleinman wanted to P consisted of family caribou hunts near overwhelming natural majesty, the magic Her husband of 24 years, Sam, who was day and begin writing fiction at night. see a few chapters; she was totally un- Ivey takes a deep breath and scans the landscape. Denali or netting salmon on the Copper inherent to Alaska’s landscape is ulti- then a sophomore at the University of As a bookseller, she felt she had real- prepared. But after a mad scramble that To the southwest, the crumbling River. Ivey got her first caribou at 16. mately at the core of each of Ivey’s two Alaska at Fairbanks, was persuaded to istic hopes for her work: Maybe a small, involved her husband logging on to Ivey’s terminus of the huge Matanuska glacier “Our objective on summer vacations novels. transfer to Western, where he got his de- regional publisher could get her books computer and sending her a few files, perches above its namesake river, hav- was to fill the freezer for the winter,” she Her debut novel, “The Snow Child,” gree in biology. Sam Ivey, ’93, is now an out into the world. she was able to get Kleinman what he ing pushed its way downhill more than a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize, area manager for the Alaska Department wanted. Then he wanted more. is about two childless 1920s Mata- of Fish and Game in Palmer. “I was shocked,” she says. “He was 25 miles from its origin in the high Photo courtesy of Eowyn Ivey spires of the Chugach Mountains. To nuska valley homesteaders whose lives “That first year we just loaded up our excited about the novel, though, and it all the northeast, the valley opens up into are changed forever after a young girl beat-up pickup truck and drove south,” ended up working out.” a vast, seemingly impenetrable taiga of emerges from the woods near their cabin. Eowyn Ivey says. “Every time we went “The Snow Child” was published in black spruce and soggy bottomlands that It’s an Alaskan take on a classic Russian back (to Bellingham) we’d pack our huge 2012 by Little, Brown & Co. to rave re- stretch to the horizon. To the west are fairytale. coolers full of moose and caribou and views and numerous awards, including a the massive, buttressed flanks of the Her most recent novel, “To the Bright salmon to take back with us, and, frankly nomination for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize Talkeetna Mountains, a wedge of up- Edge of the World,” tells the story of it sort of freaked out a lot of people in for Fiction. When her publicist told her thrust peaks, ridges and high glaciers an 1885 U.S. Army expedition up the Bellingham. Not everyone understood the news about being a finalist for the separating the Matanuska and Susitna fictional Wolverine River in an effort that this was the food we had eaten all Pulitzer, Ivey was in disbelief, and her river valleys. to open up the interior of a region only our lives. There was a strong anti-hunting mother even more so. “It’s not easy to convey what this feels recently purchased from Russia. As the sentiment on campus, and it was a source “I called, and I said ‘Guess what, like, to be a tiny part of this big picture,” expedition plunges deeper into an al- of painful culture shock for me.” Mom? My book is a finalist for the Pulit- Ivey says, doing a slow 360-degree spin most otherworldly landscape, the group Both her parents have degrees in zer Prize,’ and she thought I was pulling with her arms outstretched, her hands begins to understand that they are in a writing, and she started out focused on her leg,” she says. “I guess in retrospect slowly framing the vista like a pair of land where Western ideas of reality and creative writing herself, but soon moved I can hardly blame her. Over the years I bookends. “The scope and the magnitude science have given way to the mythical into journalism. have played a lot of pranks on her.” elements and lore of Alaska’s indigenous “I loved the structure of it, and I of this place can be almost overwhelming Beautiful, Dangerous, Unforgiving at times as a writer. And those feelings peoples. learned so much at Western that I didn’t of beauty and awe always get counterbal- In both books, Alaska itself is the realize at the time was setting up the Even as the news about the Pulitzer anced in equal measure by the brutal real- River Research: A lifelong outdoorswoman, force that imbues the characters and their building blocks for what I would end up began to sink in and she garnered other Ivey and her husband Sam—also a WWU world with a magical realism that takes doing with my fiction,” Ivey says. honors such as the International Author ity of how short life can be here.” alum—spent eight days floating down the Everything about Alaska feels big; Copper River as Eowyn gathered inspiration the reader, literally and figuratively, to After graduating with a journalism Hum along to ‘The Snow Child’ of the Year at the United Kingdom’s for the river expedition in “To the Bright Edge places that can’t be found on any map. degree in 1995, she started a six-week in- National Book Awards, her gears were this state was constructed to a different A musical adaptation of Ivey’s tale of the World.” “With ‘Bright Edge,’ I wanted to ask, ternship at her local newspaper, the Fron- already spinning for her next project, and scale than the rest of the country. The raw of struggling Alaskan homesteaders what would it be like for a military expe- tiersman in Palmer and Wasilla, which “Bright Edge” began to take shape. beauty of the landscape is inescapable; during the 1920s will premiere in dition to not just explore the unmapped turned into a full-time reporting job. Ivey said she knew it would be a so too is the feeling that even now, at the April 2018 at the Arena Stage in landscape of Alaska, but to actually walk “When I was in junior high, I always much different kind of story than “The height of summer, it is an unforgiving Washington, D.C., in a co-production place. “There are times, into the stories of the indigenous people imagined wanting to get out of Alaska. with Perseverance Theatre of Alaska. Snow Child,” and would involve the “Even after living here my whole life especially in winter, who already lived here,” she says. And I’m glad we did leave and go to Well-known Alaskan roots musician complicated task of flipping back and there are times, especially in the winter, As she was working on the novel, Western. It was a great experience. But by Bob Banghart is helping to compose forth not only between different charac- when I get a bit perplexed by my attach- when I get a bit Ivey reached out to her friend Argent the time I graduated, we both were ready the bluegrass-inspired score. ters but different timelines, as much of ment to rural Alaska,” Ivey says. “Alaska Kvasnikoff, a visual artist and member of to come back here. Alaska was just too the story unfolds from records of the ex- perplexed by my After the world premiere, “The Snow is the only place I feel at home, but it’s the Ninilchik Dena'ina tribe. “We had a much a part of who we were,” she says. pedition being viewed in the present day. Child” will head to Anchorage and not for everyone.” long, thoughtful discussion about what it After 10 years at the Frontiersman, As is often the case, such a difficult attachment to rural Juneau, Alaska for performances in And Ivey is about as “home-grown means to grow up in Alaska with Native covering school boards, city council and challenging endeavor hit a snag—the May and June. Alaskan” as you can get. Her playground Alaska.” ancestry, and he really inspired me and meetings, and every kind of local news, book began to unravel before her eyes. growing up near the small town of helped me approach aspects of the book Ivey began to feel a desire to work out- She needed inspiration. Chickaloon, population about 270, was in a new way. In many ways, he inspired side the boundaries of journalism. “The fictional river in ‘Bright Edge’ my character Josh in the novel.” 22 WINDOW • Fall/Winter 2017 Western Washington University • window.wwu.edu 23 Last year, a group of neighbors came “I can find no means to Suggested Reading: Eowyn Ivey’s favorite over to help the Iveys with some electri- books about Alaska, by Alaskans account for all that we cal wiring issues in their house. Earlier in the summer, the neighborhood converged • “Two Old Women,” by Velma Wallis: “An in- spiring and gripping story based on an in- have witnessed, except on a neighbor en masse to help put a roof digenous legend about two women who on his wife’s art studio. to say that I am no longer are abandoned by their people in the mid- “That’s a great example of why I live dle of winter.” certain of the boundaries where I live, and why I probably always between man & beast, will,” she says. “Alaskans, by their nature, • “Ordinary Wolves,” by Seth Kantner: are incredibly self-sufficient and take an “Depicts the contrast between rural and of the living & the dead. enormous amount of pride in that fact. urban life in Alaska. Beautifully written But at the same time, I’ve never seen and brutally honest.” All that I have taken for people who are more willing to give of granted, what I have themselves to help a friend or neighbor.” • “The Raven's Gift,” by Don Rearden: “A That reality about the natural beauty vivid, page-turning thriller that follows a young teacher as he struggles to survive in known as real & true, has that surrounds her is why Ivey rarely goes the Alaska wilderness after an epidemic.” been called into question.” for a hike without her rifle and never without bear spray. She knows that fall- • “Turn Again,” by Kris Farmen: “Set in 19th – To the Bright Edge ing off a raft in the Copper River could century Alaska, and it has it all—romance, mean a quick death because there is so murder, shape-shifting—yet it remains of the World much sediment in the frigid water, the compassionate and true.” silt attaches to your clothes like a plas- ter cast in seconds. She knows a sunny • “The Woman Who Married a Bear,” by spring day in the mountains can turn into John Straley: “Northern noir with a po- etic heart, featuring investigator Cecil 2017 Book of the Year. a blizzard in 10 minutes, and that you al- ways plan for it, no matter where you are. Younger. I was so thrilled to learn that At Home in Chickaloon Straley's tenth Cecil Younger book is com- She knows all these things, and she ing out next year.” Despite the accolades, Ivey remains wouldn’t change any of them. very much at home in Chickaloon. The “These are the realities I live with and house she and Sam share with their two which make up the core foundation of daughters—Grace, just left for McGill my work,” she says, gazing across miles of University in Montreal to study opera open taiga at the distant, snowy ramparts singing, and Aurora, 10, got her first of the Chugach. “I want my writing to caribou this summer—and two golden reflect Alaska, its places, its history and retrievers is a former seasonal cabin that its people. But like all writers, I have no they have been renovating for 10 years. idea if I'll publish another novel. I have to The storage shed down the hill from find a story I think is worth telling, and a their house has a black bear hide nailed way to do it that is interesting and excit- to it (“Have you ever had bear? It’s deli- ing to me. I can never take any of that for cious.”). Another bear, this one presum- granted.” sits very close and follows a similar path the trip—from glaciers to grizzlies and ably still meandering through the Alas- to the Copper River, and the two riv- even an epic sandstorm—filled a note- kan bush somewhere, briefly set up camp John Thompson is the assistant direc- ers share many of the same attributes: book. Hundreds of pictures were taken. in their yard earlier in the summer. Ivey tor of Western’s Office of Communications beautiful, dangerous and unforgiving. It worked. lives just a few miles from the house she and Marketing. He visited Eowyn Ivey in To move forward, I needed to immerse When they got home, the logjam was grew up in, which she proudly says was Chickaloon in July on his first trip to Alaska, myself in what the expedition would have broken. “Bright Edge” was published in built by her father—in fact, he hand-dug and his mind is still officially blown. been seeing and feeling,” she says. Thanks 2016, again to widespread praise, being the foundation with a shovel. And when

to an artist grant from the Alaska-based named an American Library Association he needed help, well, that’s what neigh- Photo courtesy of Eowyn Ivey Rasmuson Foundation, Ivey and her hus- Notable Book, a BookPage Best Book for bors are for. band were able to spend eight days float- 2016, a Washington Post Notable Book, “Here, we all work together. Because Ivey writes best-selling novels from her home office in rural Alaska. ing a remote section of the Copper River. a Library Journal Top 10 Book for 2016 it’s really, really hard to do it alone,” she The sights, sounds and smells from and the Pacific Northwest Booksellers says. 24 WINDOW • Fall/Winter 2017 Western Washington University • window.wwu.edu 25 By Zach Kyle Local journalism non- “Nonprofits don’t profits are starting to make make up the arlier this year, I walked away from a job as a reporter at their mark, including Cross- Idaho’s biggest newspaper. cut in Seattle. The reader- difference for other Subscription and advertising dollars in print and supported nonprofit was losses, but they broadcasting have been in free-fall for more than a decade, as largely built on the work of THE BIG Ereaders and advertisers take their attention and their ad business expatriates of the Seattle are a really good to the internet. Newsrooms across the country, including my Post-Intelligencer, which breeding ground former workplace, are feeling threadbare after rounds of layoffs, greatly reduced its staff buyouts and vacated positions left unfilled. when it went online-only in for investigative As newsrooms shrink, the good days come less frequently. And 2009. by “good days,” I’m talking about time we spent producing stories Here in Idaho, the reporting. They have that keep a watchful eye on our local powers that be. Reporters nonprofit Idaho Education enough resources to spend less time in statehouses and city halls now. That’s a prob- News has seven employees, lem: Politicians don’t work well on the honor system. And those easily making it the state’s make a difference.” STORY who spread fake news for the purpose of deception don’t seem to best education watchdog. REAL NEWS: WWU alumni journalists who are mind the dwindling numbers of legitimate reporters either. The Seattle Times has Meanwhile, the papers delivered to doorsteps shrink. Report- three grant-funded pro- surviving in the media industry aren’t giving ers try to fit important topics into their schedules while meeting grams for special coverage of homelessness, education and traffic. rising expectations for more—but not necessarily more in- The Seattle Times has another advantage over many papers: up their watchdog roles—and are finding new depth—stories, online posts, videos, tweets and story clicks, and dedicated family ownership. career hope in unexpected places. all with fewer editors supporting them. Mark Higgins, ’82, B.A. journalism, now presides over the I once had an editor who pointed out the obvious: We aren’t Seattle Times Opinion page as the deputy opinion editor. going to do more with less. That math doesn’t work. We will do Corporate media chains answer to shareholders. Families less with less. that own newspapers are typically more civic-minded than Most media outlets have done less with less for a long time. shareholders and usually more averse to cuts, Higgins says. The I read too many earnings reports showing corporate losses in the Seattle Times certainly hasn’t been immune to reductions, but tens or hundreds of millions. It wore on me, so I left. The follow- the paper has weathered the storm better than other papers, ing week, the paper announced more layoffs and beat reshuffling. thanks in part to the Blethen family, which owns a majority It’s grim, and I’m not the only journalist with concerns about stake in the operation, Higgins says. corporate media’s ability to remain a reliable fourth estate, espe- What kind of difference can ownership make? Compare my cially at the local level. city of Boise, population 223,000, to Charleston, South Caro- But despair isn’t the answer. Journalism is still filled with lina, with about 134,000 people. The Statesman in Boise, owned thousands of talented, dedicated journalists, including Western by a large corporate newspaper chain, now has 10 reporters. The alumni, who are busy producing quality work or teaching the privately-owned Post and Courier in Charleston boasts more next generation of investigative journalists. They know the chal- than three times as many reporters at 34, including an investiga- lenges their industry faces, yet they are optimistic. tive team that won a Pulitzer Duff Wilson, ’75, B.A., journalism, built a career in inves- in 2015 for a series on do- tigative reporting at Seattle newspapers before working at the mestic violence. New York Times. He now works for Reuters, where his sole job “Local ownership is of is chasing the kind of deep, investigative stories many newspaper critical value,” Higgins says. reporters aren’t given time for—a “journalism oasis,” he says. “You’ve seen how a corpo- There aren’t many well-staffed investigative teams like the rate mindset can wrench a one featured in the Oscar-winning film “Spotlight” anymore, newsroom around from be- Wilson says. But nonprofits like ProPublica, which has won four ing productive and putting Online Future: Amy Harder, ’07, left, meets with Nick Johnston, editor of the online news site Axios. Harder, Pulitzer Prizes, and the Center for Investigative Reporting are out high-value content to formerly of The Wall Street Journal, covers energy and environmental policy for the online-only startup. “It can one that’s been diminished, be hard for newspapers to rapidly adapt to the internet,” Harder says. “That’s what makes Axios more nimble. helping fill the void. We don't have to deal with that print mindset.” “Nonprofits don’t make up the difference for other losses, demoralized or both.” Photo by Rob Groulx of Axios but they are a really good breeding ground for investigative re- Higgins, who as metro porting,” Wilson says. “They have enough resources to make a editor and senior digital Mark Higgins difference.” editor led teams that helped 26 WINDOW • Fall/Winter 2017 Western Washington University • window.wwu.edu 27 more sense for four newspapers to cover four different hearings, job offer at a brand-new media startup Harder is convinced she made the right then share their articles, instead of writing four stories about the called Axios, which offered “everything I decision. same thing. wanted and more,” including a column on “Media is not dying. It’s just changing,” Collaboration will be the future of mainstream journalism energy trends and the chance to do video she says. “It’s not just The Wall Street Jour- because it has to be, Cuillier says, especially for time-intensive stand-ups. nal or New York Times. Journalists should investigations. The Panama Papers is one recent, Pulitzer-win- Harder left The Wall Street Journal for be flexible and open to working in places ning example. Led by the International Consortium of Investi- the online Axios for another reason: To be they weren’t considering in college.” gative Journalists, reporters around the globe teamed up to digest part of a new media company that she says Harder turned 32 in September. 11.5 million documents released from a law firm that showed represents the future of journalism. Is it telling that a young reporter already widespread money laundering using off-shore accounts. More “It can be hard for newspapers to rap- at the top of her field would leave one of than 150 government of- idly adapt to the internet,” she says. “That’s print’s most prestigious publications for a ficials were implicated, what makes Axios more nimble. We don't fledgling website? Absolutely. Pulitzer Day: Mark Higgins, then the Seattle Times senior editor for Annika Wolters digital news, hugs then-Executive Editor Kathy Best when the Times won including the prime min- have to deal with that print mindset.” A more recent Western grad, Annika the 2015 Pulitzer for breaking news for coverage of the Oso mudslide. ister of New Zealand, who Based in Washington, D.C., Axios covers politics, media, Wolters, says her career may also take an untraditional path. In 2009, Higgins was the Times’ metro editor leading coverage of the slaying of four Lakewood police officers, for which the Times also won a resigned. technology and business and built its employee roster to more Wolters was Western’s student body president before gradu- Pulitzer for breaking news. Cuillier says he wants than 85—many poached from old-guard national outlets—and ating in 2015 with a double major in visual journalism and Photo credit: Erika Schultz / The Seattle Times to see newspapers and TV 10 paid interns after launching in January. The online-only pub- communication. She attended graduate school at Arizona State stations working together lication promises to deliver fair and analytical coverage of com- University where she added to her print skills by anchoring to expose corruption at the plex issues in relatively short and digestible posts. shows on two public television stations as part of her year-long the Times win two Pulitzer prizes, stresses that there is a bright local level. The Axios’ site includes a manifesto, which begins: “All of us program at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass future for those interested in a career in journalism. “The Panama Papers left cool, safe jobs to start a new company with this shared belief: Communication. She graduated with a master’s in sports jour- “Today, more than ever, a free press is essential to democracy,” was neat, but I want to see Media is broken—and too often a scam.” nalism in August and is now surveying the job market. Higgins says. “At a macro level, there’s every reason to be opti- that in every town,” Cuil- mistic about the role and power of the press. I'd encourage any- lier says. “Right now, cities body seeking a career in journalism to follow their passion. And and school districts play FAKE NEWS 101 Are you looking at what you think you’re look- it takes passion. If you want to be in journalism, you can make it reporters off against each ing at? Sometimes fake news hijacks authentic elements happen. But you have to hustle." other. Journalists need to Amy Harder Nearly a quarter of Americans have passed along a fake to appear more believable. Last year, the details of a real work together and not get David Cuillier, ’90, B.A., journalism, worked in newspapers news story—or a story they later learned was fake—ac- Skagit Valley Herald story about an accidental shooting and journalism organizations in Washington and Idaho before sucked into that. cording to a survey a year ago by the Pew Research Center. were mashed up into a racist, viral yarn about a “thug” who coming to the University of Arizona, where he’s now director of “Journalism is the last bastion for society for holding people In WWU Associate Journalism Professor Maria shot himself while “taking an anti-Trump selfie.” If a photo is the journalism school. in power accountable,” Cuillier continues. “I’m not sure if jour- McLeod’s Introduction to Mass Media class, students used with a suspicious-looking story, search for the image Mainstream media has helped its shrinking staffs by collabo- nalists realize how important their job is right now. I think it’s learn how to not be one of them. and see if it’s been taken out of context. And watch out for rating with other news organizations formerly seen as competi- the most important job out there.” McLeod encourages her students to realize that media look-alike URLs that are very similar to those that belong tors, says Cuillier, who was president of the Society of Profes- And the traditional print and broadcast worlds are no longer messages have the power to shape our beliefs and biases, to authentic news sites. When in doubt, see if the story has sional Journalists in 2013-14. the only viable career path for talented journalists. so they deserve a healthy dose of skepticism. been debunked on a reputable fact-checking website such I watched that play out in Amy Harder, ’07, B.A., journalism, rose quickly through the “Becoming media literate is not so much a fixed state, as snopes.com, factcheck.org or politicfact.com Idaho media, especially at the print ranks and worked at the National Journal for six years be- but a constant and consistent attempt to be vigilant and Why are you seeing this? Remember that social media statehouse, where it makes fore taking what she considered a dream job at The Wall Street critical of media messages,” she says. platforms and websites gather an extraordinary amount of Journal 2014. Here are some questions McLeod suggests we should personal information on users, and that information can be Harder saw both publications go through rounds of all ask before we click “share”: used to target readers with messages designed for maxi- “I’m not sure if cuts and buyouts, and the well-regarded National Jour- Who’s the author and what qualifies them to be mum emotional impact and manipulation. Break out of journalists realize how nal suspended its print edition in 2015. She managed an expert? Go to the original website that published the your own bubble by following reputable sources that pro- to “rise off of a sinking ship” because she was young and story and learn more. Awkward design and spelling errors vide diverse perspectives. important their job is hungry and in part because she specialized in covering are a clue, of course, but do the other stories seem legit? Are you making it worse? Sharing a false news story in energy, global warming and environmental news and Look for an “about” section to learn who sponsors the site. hopes of exposing the lie can actually backfire, according to a study from the Annenburg Public Policy Center. Repeating right now. I think it’s policy, a coveted expertise. Check out the original date of the story’s publication—it misinformation, even to discredit it, can help spread fake Harder’s niche—and the fact that she built a reputa- could have a totally different meaning in current context. the most important news. Instead, share new, credible information. tion as a down-the-middle reporter on often-politicized Find the author on LinkedIn, Twitter or elsewhere and see what other stories they have written—and for which job out there.” topics—led to unsolicited job offers from several na- news organizations. — By Mary Gallagher tional media outlets. Harder says she was in no hurry David Cuillier to leave The Wall Street Journal, but she accepted a

28 WINDOW • Fall/Winter 2017 Western Washington University • window.wwu.edu 29 “Young people today Wolters says she’s Fred Obee, ’82, B.A., been disappointed by the journalism, worked at PREPARING JOURNALISM’S have a much broader lack of critical thinking small Washington news- NEXT GENERATION vision for how in broadcasting, both in papers before taking over the lack of scrutiny in as executive director of the It seems that more and more Western they can do good stories by newsrooms and Washington Newspaper students want a hand in shaping the by the audience’s distaste Publishers Association in future of journalism. journalism than for stories challenging 2015. Young journalists can The department has more majors people like me, who their preconceptions. dabble in opportunities as in its writing-intensive news/edito- “People don’t even they arise across the media rial track than in the last decade or so, always saw print care whether (boxer) spectrum instead of con- says Senior Instructor Jack Keith, who Floyd Mayweather sidering themselves purely advises The Western Front, which was re- journalism as be-all knows how to read,” print reporters, he says. cently named the top non-daily college and end-all” Wolters says. “The fact “Young people today newspaper in the region by the Society is they are watching the have a much broader vi- Fred Obee of Professional Journalists. The depart- fight because they don’t sion for how they can do ment also offers specialties in visual want to watch what other news is on.” good journalism than people like journalism and public relations. Wolters already had print chops—she won four Society of me, who always saw print journalism as be-all and end-all,” Obee Journalism students today still focus on things like solid writing, interviewing, news Professional Journalist awards for her work on The Western says. “If you go into it with an idea of all of the different projects gathering and crafting great leads all while Front—and now can apply for work in TV and radio. Her youth you could apply yourself to, the sky's the limit.” meeting tight deadlines, Keith says. And, of should be an advantage. Longtime broadcast pros are adjusting But even the new, nimble generation will need a place to course, accuracy remains paramount. to a changing field that now demands they shoot, interview, edit work. Government corruption may enjoy a golden era if papers But they’re also telling stories in more and produce TV segments on a daily deadline. Wolters has done and TV stations continue closing, Cuillier says. ways. It’s not just about putting words that from the beginning. But it won’t last. on paper, says Maria McLeod, associate She plans to apply to a wide swath of media jobs in TV and “Corporate greed is what is killing journalism,” he says. “I journalism professor. It’s about finding beyond, including work in corporate media. But given a choice, want all those chains to die. We’re already seeing papers closing ways to tell the story on many differ- she would rather take an untraditional career path. and news deserts forming around the country. This will be pain- ent platforms, and even on different- “People my age are looking for other sources, which creates ful in the short-term. But from the ashes will emerge some good, sized screens. a lot of other job opportunities for journalists who don’t want to quality journalism where organizations can accept a 2-percent “When I started 15 years ago, work for CNN or for Fox,” Wolters says. profit margin. I hope those chains move into other industries we taught people to work for a She says she sees opportunity in covering the marijuana in- that don’t require a higher purpose.” newspaper as a writer or editor,” says dustry, especially the friction between medicinal use, changing I’ve read enough media earning reports to share Cuillier’s Associate Professor John Harris. “Now, laws and professional sports. cynicism about mainstream media’s future. I’ve heard all of the we teach skills.” “The cannabis industry is growing,” she says. “It’s all news. If buzzwords—“digital-first strategy,” “pivot to video,” “content For example, all Western Front staff you leave it up to the stoners to write it, it won’t be.” optimization,” and the depressingly hilarious “news funnels”— also learn to produce photo or video sto- and wonder if the media executives uttering them believe any ries, Keith says, because journalists need a of it. wide variety of technical skills. But, like Cuillier, I have faith in journalism and hope in Today’s journalism graduates are nontraditional outlets like ProPublica and Axios filling a void if still getting jobs in newspapers, Keith some of the media chains go belly-up. I won’t be surprised when says, though an increasing number are Harder breaks a big story online or when Wolters succeeds with taking their skills to online-only platforms or without mainstream media as her career escalator. I won’t and other nontraditional media fields. be surprised when vets like Wilson and Higgins keep speaking “I don’t see the end of traditional jour- nalism,” he says. “Yes, the medium of how truth to power. they deliver the news will be different, but And, despite my cynicism, I won’t be surprised if I find my we still need journalists. More than ever, we way back into the news business, either. Too much work needs to need trusted news sources.” be done. — By Mary Gallagher Zach Kyle, '07, B.A., journalism, worked for a decade in Idaho Bless the Press: Buttons from the Washington Newspaper Publishers daily newspapers, most recently as a business reporter at the Idaho Association. Photo courtesy of Fred Obee Statesman.

30 WINDOW • Fall/Winter 2017 Western Washington University • window.wwu.edu 31 Schools for America WWU’s Johann Neem reminds us that building schools —and arguing about them—builds our democracy

WWU History Professor Johann Neem believes that in order are so diverse that we to strengthen public education we must remember its roots. need common schools “Today our public discussions of education are almost en- to bring us together. tirely about economic benefits—or ‘college and career readiness,’ Did the growth of in the words of the Common Core State Standards,” Neem says. public education But public school pioneers were interested in more than help build our na- graduates’ earning potential, Neem says. America’s public schools tion’s democracy? were also meant to develop the capabilities of citizens, to pro- mote the development of human beings and to bring together a No doubt. Our na- diverse society. tion’s founders were In his 2017 book, “Democracy’s Schools: The Rise of Public extremely nervous Education in America,” published by Johns Hopkins University about whether Press, Neem explores the growth of the nation’s public school Americans would be systems—and how they helped build our democracy. prepared to govern "It’s hard to We asked Neem why the history of public education is a themselves. They wor- exaggerate the story we need to hear today. ried that the people, if not educated, would faith that many Who’s your audience for this book—besides, perhaps, be easily swayed by of our nation’s Education Secretary Betsy DeVos? demagogues—a This book was started well before DeVos became Education Caesar. They also wor- founders placed in Secretary. It’s not just about her. President Obama’s Educa- ried that leaders would take advantage of their power to serve education—and tion Secretary Arne Duncan said in 2012, “our president knows themselves rather than the people. education is about jobs.” There’s nothing wrong with expecting Widening access to education was one of their solutions to this their fear that an schools to prepare young people for work, but I believe that we problem. All Americans, boys and girls, would need access to the ignorant citizenry should expect more from them. kind of education once reserved for elites. This meant the liberal My audience is any American who cares about the future of our arts and sciences, those subjects that enabled people to think would be easy prey schools. I wrote this book to be accessible to all readers. I would critically about the world. It also meant ensuring that citizens for would-be tyrants." love Secretary DeVos to read this book, but she has already lost were taught to place the common good ahead of themselves. It’s faith in public schools. She believes that we are too diverse a so- hard to exaggerate the faith that many of our nation’s founders ciety to have common schools. An increasing number of Ameri- placed in education—and their fear that an ignorant citizenry cans share her concern. I believe that it is precisely because we would be easy prey for would-be tyrants.

Photos by Rhys Logan (’11)

32 Western Washington University • window.wwu.edu 33 What can we learn from this history about how to improve public schools? First, we can learn about our failures. For example, we never fully achieved the kind of equality that education reformers between the Revolution and Civil War sought. I don’t want to paint too rosy a picture of the past: White southerners did not provide education for black children, and racism and segregation were rampant in the North. Catholics felt uncomfortable in schools biased against their faith. Yet at their best, reformers after the Revolution imagined public schools that brought together rich THROUGHOUT PUGET SOUND and poor, native-born and immigrant. Do we still aspire to do so?

Second, we can learn about what matters. When reformers in- creased access to the liberal arts and sciences, they did so because they believed in equality. Every child’s heart and mind mattered, Many think of Bellingham when they think of not just because they were future workers, but because they were Western; however, our reach extends throughout citizens and human beings. Why should we deny any American Puget Sound, allowing more students and access to the best works of literature, the insights of history, or families to experience Western close to home. knowledge of science? Every life is enriched by studying these subjects, as is our society more generally. From youth programs and adult education to Third, we can learn that the schools’ success was premised on traditional degree and certificate programs, you balancing local control with central oversight. The public schools can find Western in your community and online. were popular because ordinary citizens were stakeholders. At the same time, most of us are not experts in education or in the aca- demic subject matter. That’s why we need professional teachers and administrators. Americans then, like now, disagreed about how to balance local versus central control, and there’s no one formula for all times and places. Yet I think we must always have Scenes from American classrooms, from the Library of Congress a place for meaningful local involvement. Collections: Students, top, vie for their teacher’s attention at Public School Eight in New York City in January 1943. Students, bottom, How has public education affected your own life? begin the school year at Anacostia High School in Washington, D.C., in September 1957. I’m an immigrant. I was born in Mumbai, and came to the U.S. Top: Marjory Collins, Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI Collec- when I was young. I attended public schools in the suburbs tion, LC-DIG-FSA-8D24388. of San Francisco from kindergarten through high school. The Bottom: Warren K. Leffler, Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division. schools provided me with knowledge and skills necessary for future success. They also brought together a diverse community of people, some of whom had been in the country for genera- Your book illustrates that a recurring theme in the his- tions, and some, like me, who were new. We were taught to re- tory of public education is disagreement over the schools spect each other’s backgrounds and differences, but we were also themselves. But those disagreements are actually part taught that we collectively belonged to a nation with a common of the democracy-building function of schools, right? So past and future. I am deeply grateful to my teachers. It takes a these fights are…good for us? village. Believe it or not, I think that they are good for us. I understand the temptation to ask citizens and politicians to put politics Johann N. Neem is chair of the History Department at WWU aside—and, when politics is just about partisanship, that’s fair to and a senior fellow at the University of Virginia’s Institute for ask. But politics is also about legitimate disagreements. Educa- Advanced Studies in Culture. He is also the author of “Creating a tion is about shaping the hearts and minds of the rising genera- Nation of Joiners: Democracy and Civil Society in Early National tion. How can we not have public discussions about something Massachusetts.” so important? We are a diverse and changing nation. What val- WWU Center at Olympic College Poulsbo ues do we want public schools to inculcate? What are the goals or outcomes that we share collectively? Each of us can advocate our perspective, but we should recognize those who disagree with us as fellow citizens. To learn more about programs in your area, visit wwu.edu/locations. 34 WINDOW • Fall/Winter 2017 2 WINDOW • Spring/Summer 2017 Western Washington University • window.wwu.edu 35 Alumni URING THE SEASON OF GIVING, Conversations REMEMBER WESTERN. As the year comes to an end, consider these acts of kindness: eoa eees - Executive Director Make your end-of-year gift to Western Western Alumni Association Take advantage of your employer’s matching funds Get in touch with your college roommate WWU Alumni Board Welcomes New President, Mark your calendar for WWU Give Day on June 1, 2018 Strategic Direction In his fth year on the WWU Alumni Association Board of Directors, we are pleased to announce Chris Witherspoon is taking the helm as president. Chris is president and chief growth o cer at DNA, a Seattle-based advertising and branding rm. A 1994 graduate of the College of Business and Economics, Chris earned a bachelor’s in business administration with a marketing concentration. While at Western, he was a proud member of the Vikings football team. In addition to leading the board, Chris and his wife Kathy, who met at Western, support WWU scholarships. In his Seattle community Chris has served on the boards for Paci c Science Center, Seattle Sports Commission, and Issaquah Girls Basketball Association.  e Alumni Board has spent the past two years talking with hundreds of alumni to ask, “What can we do to be of value to you and the university?”  ose conversations helped the board create the following Chris Witherspoon (‘94) Alumni Board President strategic objectives: • Increase engagement with each of you and introduce Why is this work important? Because like Western, the students to the Alumni Association and our network of university’s Alumni Association isn’t your typical alumni Western grads earlier in their academic career. organization. Our students and alumni are special, and what • Elevate the bene ts that matter to you, our alums. makes the Western experience unique is the community built around that individualism. • Use data to drive decision-making, direction and I’ll work alongside Chris, and our Alumni Association Board future engagement. to get Western Engaged (WE) in supporting our alumni success As a result, here’s what you can expect from your WWU alongside our university’s goals for student success. Alumni Association’s new direction: Go Vikings! • An invitation to participate in the alumni survey.

• A di erent menu of program and event o erings.

• Opportunity for facilitated professional development, networking, and mentoring. Deborah DeWees

WWU is an equal opportunity institution. foundation.wwu.edu 36 WINDOW • Fall/Winter 2017 Class Notes

at the Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Baby Boomer,” with observations and publish literary and Buddhist essays. of the Washington State Board for at-risk administrator at Clarksville- 1994 – Patricia McDonald (BAE, so- dustrial technology) is a manufactur- Class Notes Bureau, which recently named him inspirational quotes about how to Community Colleges. Ken Patterson Montgomery County Alternative cial studies – elementary educa- ing and software entrepreneur who volunteer of the month. live a more rewarding life. 1975 – Ken House (B.A, histo- (B.S., environmental toxicology and School in Tennessee. Lisa Nelson tion) received Highline College’s spoke at Western’s commencement 1945 – Sister Margaret O’Neill, ry; ’91, M.A., history) recently re- nutrition, marine biology) recent- (B.A., business administration – mar- Outstanding Tenured Faculty Award ceremony in June. Van Metre was (BAE, elementary education) recent- 1966 – James Pearson (BAE, English; 1972 – Deane Sandell (B.A., political tired as an archivist at the National ly retired from Navy civil service as keting) is superintendent of the for 2017. McDonald coordinates the president of Pro CNC, a Bellingham- ly marked 80 years with the Sisters ’75, M.Ed., secondary education) is science) retired from the Whatcom Archives in Seattle following a 30- an environmental scientist working Naselle Grays River Valley School college’s education department and based machine shop, for 17 years. of St. Joseph of Peace. She taught an accomplished distance runner County Sheriff’s office in 2003 and year career as an archivist with on drinking water and wastewater District. Sally Hill (B.A., human ser- was a force behind Highline’s new He also co-founded Adion Systems, in Catholic schools in Alaska, British who was recently inducted into the continues to serve on the Northwest the National Archives and Records projects. Now, he devotes some of vices) is the director of the Anacortes applied bachelor’s degree in teach- which develops software for small Columbia, California, Oregon and Snohomish County Sports Hall of Washington Fair board of directors. Administration, Weyerhaeuser, and his time to Stillwaters Environmental Senior Activity Center, where she first ing and early learning, which will be- and medium-sized manufacturing Washington as well as at the colle- Fame. Sheryl A. Stradling (B.A., phi- Washington State Archives. The Science Center in Kingston, which started working as a student intern. gin offering classes this fall. In May businesses. giate level at Notre Dame University losophy) wrote a multi-generation- 1973 – Heidi Garnett (M.Ed., read- Tacoma Historical Society recent- provides local water quality data at Vermillion Art Gallery and Bar of Nelson, Brooklyn College and St. al family saga and spiritual self-help ing) spent 31 years teaching in British ly honored Michael Sullivan (B.A., and works with students—includ- 1989 – James Cowles (B.S., Huxley in Seattle, Noel Franklin (B.A., art) 1997 – Michael Gibbs Hill (B.A., Thomas University, New Brunswick. book, “Faith, Power, Joy: Spiritual Columbia, including time as a faculty history; ’85, M.A., history) with the ing interns from Huxley Colleg of the College student-faculty designed discussed her graphic memoir-in- Fairhaven interdisciplinary concen- She also worked at Sacred Heart Guidance from 5 Generations of associate at Simon Fraser University, Murray Morgan Award for his de- Environment—on monitoring and major) became the director of prod- progress, “Girl on the Road,” about tration) became an associate profes- Shelter in Seattle and in 1983, she Remarkable Women,” published by then earned a Master of Fine Arts cades of work in historical preserva- research projects. uct safety at NovaSource, which spe- her friendship and road trips with sor of Chinese Studies at the College co-founded Seattle Jubilee Women’s Dharma Publishing. in creative writing at University of tion in Tacoma. Tony Floor (B.A., jour- cializes in crop protection. Previously, fellow WWU art student Deborah of William and Mary. He most recent- Center, a transitional shelter for British Columbia. She recently pub- nalism) recently retired as the fishing 1982 – Greg Cox (B.A., chemistry) he worked for the U.S. Environmental Penne, who was killed in the crash of ly completed the American Council homeless women. She now lives 1971 – Piano teacher Patricia lished her second book of poetry, affairs director of the Northwest had two books come out in 2017: Protection Agency and the Alaska Air Flight 261. Jacob Sidney of Learned Societies Frederick with other senior sisters at St. Mary- Jorgensen (B.A., speech communi- “Blood Orange,” and is working on a Marine Trade Association. “The Librarians and the Mother Washington State Department of Dietzman (B.A., theatre) is one of the Burkhardt Residential Fellowship for on-the-Lake in Bellevue. cation) was recently inducted into novel. Goose Chase,” based on the popu- Agriculture. six dads who wrote “Daddy Drinks: Recently Tenured Scholars at the the the Washington State Music Teachers 1977 – Wayne Hale (B.S., chemis- lar TV series, and the official movie Six Dads Trying to Get it Right— Library of Congress John W. Kluge 1959 – Dennis Olason (B.A., gen- Association Hall of Fame. Mike 1974 – Keith Abbott (M.A., English) try) recently became CEO of PSF novelization of “War for the Planet 1990 – Adonica Wada (B.A., English, While Getting it Hilariously Wrong,” Center. Steve Pickens (B.A., English eral science – secondary) served six Clayton (B.A., sociology, anthropol- retired in 2014 from Naropa Mechanical Inc., one of the largest of Apes.” history), an attorney for Varian a book based on one long instant- – writing) wrote “Sinister Justice,” his years on the Blaine City Council, and ogy) was recently inducted into the University in Boulder, Colorado, HVAC design, build and service en- Medical Systems in the San Francisco message thread. Fred Poyner (B.A., second novel, which is scheduled to he continues to volunteer with the inaugural class of Port Angeles High as a professor of creative writ- gineering companies in the state of 1983 – Tony Willing (B.Mus., music Bay Area, was a speaker at Western’s art history) recently wrote “Seattle be released by Bold Strokes Books in Blaine Senior Center. School’s Rough Rider Hall of Fame. ing. The third French edition of his Washington. performance) is the musical director commencement ceremony in June. Public Sculptors: Twelve Makers January 2018. Ray Matlock Smythe (BAE, second- “Downstream from Trout Fishing and a trombonist for the Portage Fill, Jeff Griffin (MBA) became the direc- of Monuments, Memorials and 1962 – Rod Anderson (BAE, English) ary education) recently completed in America: A Memoir of Richard 1978 – Jan Yoshiwara (M.Ed., stu- a big band group based on Vashon tor of the Port of Bandon in Oregon. Statuary, 1909-1962,” which was pub- 1998 – Douglas Leek (B.A., English; is retired from teaching at Ilwaco his fifth book, “A View from the Porch Brautigan” was also published in dent personnel administration) re- Island. Previously, he worked for Office of lished by McFarland. Poyner is the ’99, M.Ed., student personnel admin- Elementary School and volunteers – Observations about Life from a 2014. Abbot continues to write and cently became executive director the Governor’s Oregon Regional collections manager of the Nordic istration), the director of admissions 1985 – Barb Hawkings (BAE, physical Solutions Team. Heritage Museum, whose new mu- and enrollment management at The education – secondary education) seum building is scheduled to open Northwest School in Seattle, was the recently retired as superintendent of 1991 – Ismael Vivanco (B.A., Spanish) in 2018. Mike Bailey (B.A., sociology speaker at Western’s commence- the Concrete School District. Paula was named superintendent of the – criminology) has been a member ment ceremony in August. He com- French (B.A., sociology) became the Orondo School District in Douglas of the Oak Harbor Police Department pleted is doctoral degree in educa- girls soccer coach at Meridian High County. He is also the superinten- for 22 years and was recently named tional leadership at Seattle University School. dent of the nearby Palisades School captain. John Nutter (B.A., sociology in 2016. Shane O’Day (BAE, political District. Kevin Beason (B.A., soci- – criminology; ’95, MBA) recently ac- science – secondary education) is the 1986 – Paul Pitre (B.A., broad- ology) is the head football coach at cepted a position as chief financial principal of Shortridge High School cast communication) was appoint- Sehome High School in Bellingham. officer for Airborne Environmental in Indianapolis. ed chancellor of Washington State Kory Floyd (B.A., English) is a pro- Control Systems in Port Angeles. University, Everett. fessor of communication at the Previously, he was the Port of Port 1999 – Dr. Julie Stroud (B.A., fitness University of Arizona and the editor Angeles’ director of finance and and exercise science) was named 1988 – Bill Fosbre (B.A., sociology; of Communication Monographs. His administration. medical director for quality and clini- ’90, M.A., political science) was ap- research focuses on communication cal services by Northwest Physicians pointed city attorney of Tacoma. He of affection in close relationships; his 1995 – David A. Miller (B.A., the- Network of Washington. Previously, had been Tacoma’s chief deputy city most recent book is “The Lonliness atre) was promoted to associate pro- she was medical director of urgent attorney since 2008. Christopher Cure.” fessor at Bloomsburg University in care for MultiCare Health System. Nugent (B.S., biology) became the Pennsylvania, where he directs the- Darren Orange (B.A., art) is an artist 1992 – Keven Ellis, a chiroprac- atre productions and teaches act- in Astoria, Oregon, where his work tor in Lufkin, Texas, is a member of ing, playwriting and directing. Bill was recently featured in a solo show, Send us your Class Notes the Texas State Board of Education Glasby (B.A., business administration “Under the Surface” at the Imogen and was recently appointed to the – human resource management) Gallery. Got a promotion? Got mar- Texas Commission on Public School became executive vice president ried? Published your novel? Finance. and chief technology officer of the 2000 – Matt Remle (B.A., Fairhaven Made a difference in your Olympia-based Heritage Bank. College interdisciplinary concentra- 1993 – Marke Greene (B.A., account- tion), the Native American liaison community? Share your news ing), a partner at Moss Adams LLP 1996 – Thomas Reynolds (B.A., rec- for the Marysville School District, with other alumni in Class in Seattle, spoke at Western’s com- reation) became the chief executive was named the Educator of the Year Notes. We collect information mencement ceremony in June. officer of Northwest Harvest, the by the National Indian Education from published accounts, Greene leads Moss Adams’ special- state’s largest hunger relief agency. Association. Ryan Henry Ward (B.A., press releases and alumni ty tax services and serves on the Most recently, Reynolds was a vice Fairhaven College interdisciplinary firm’s advisory board of Forum W, president at the international re- concentration) is a prolific muralist themselves. Notes are edited which promotes retention, develop- lief agency CARE in Atlanta. Mariah with more than 220 murals in the re- for style, clarity and length ment and advancement of women Stoll-Smith Reese (B.A., Fairhaven in- gion. His work was featured recent- and are published as space in the accounting industry. Cristel terdisciplinary concentration) is the ly at the new Black Lab Gallery in allows. For more information, Hutchinson (B.A. human services) executive director of the Lelooska Everett. COME TO WESTERN’S BIGGEST CELEBRATION! or to submit your own infor- became vice president of sales for Foundation and Cultural Center in Haskell, a company that manufac- Ariel, Cowlitz County, which offers 2001 – Ekkarath Sisavatdy (B.A., mation for Class Notes, email tures furniture for schools and col- living history programs and perfor- Fairhaven College interdisciplin- [email protected]. leges, government and healthcare mances as well as a large collection ary concentration), project director BACK2BHAM.COM organizations, and corporations. of artifacts. Paul Van Metre (B.S., in- for the Asian American and Native WWU is an equal opportunity institution. For disability accommodation, please contact the Western Washington University • window.wwu.edu 39 Alumni Association, 360.650.3353 (voice); [email protected]. Class Notes Class Notes

American Pacific Islander-Serving 2003 – Cara Leverett (M.S., biology) at INSEEC Business School in Paris, of “Into the Woods” in Issaquah 2015 – Ashton Bitton (B.A., English represent the U.S. in the 2017 World Todd Boyd Kolb and Erin Marie Alabama. Institution at Highline College, was joined the science faculty at Ozarka where she has lived for eight years. and Everett. Corcoran also travels literature) recently began a mas- University Games in Taipei, Taiwan. Wallace (’00, B.A., English) on April appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee to the College in Arkansas. Kelly Bjork (B.F.A, art) is an artist and throughout the state as the Delta ter’s program in international devel- Teague Parker (B.A., theatre) wrote 29, 2017, in Lewiston, Idaho. Brandon Swank and Eleni Watts state’s Commission on Asian Pacific freelance illustrator based in Seattle Dental of Washington Tooth Fairy, opment studies at the Elliott School and performed in “Sandcastle,” pre- (’14, B.A., business administration – American Affairs. Garrett Madison 2004 – TJ Martin (B.A., Fairhaven whose work has been published in visiting schools, nonprofit organiza- of International Affairs at George sented by Bellingham TheatreWorks Taber Streur (’02, B.A., journalism – management) on Aug. 26, 2017, in (B.A., Fairhaven College interdis- interdisciplinary concentration, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, tions, sporting events and more to Washington University. Samantha in July. Jasmine Rosario (B.A., busi- public relations) and Jennifer Wyss Kenmore. ciplinary concentration, English) American cultural studies) co-direct- The Stranger, Seattle Met and Fresh promote dental care. Hutchinson (B.S., psychology) be- ness administration – marketing) on Aug. 27, 2016, in Seattle. is a mountain guide for Madison ed “LA 92,” a documentary about the Magazine. The first installment of came the head women’s volleyball became a marketing assistant for Mountaineering and summited 1992 riots in Los Angeles following Spencer Ellsworth’s (M.A., English) 2012 – Charles Grant III (B.S., chem- coach at Tacoma Community College. What’s Your Avocado? Marketing Daniel Harvey (’08, B.S., pre-phys- Obituaries Mount Everest for the eighth time the Rodney King trial. The documen- new space opera trilogy, “Starfire: A istry), a medical student at Wright and Public Relations in Mount ical therapy) and Hannah Higgins in May. Nathan Evans (B.S., envi- tary, which appeared on the National Red Peace,” was recently published State University Boonshoft School 2016 – Maria Matson (B.A., journal- Vernon. Nick Wold (principal’s cer- (’09, B.S. manufacturing engineer- 1939 – Doris A. Olsen, 100, a retired ronmental science), a principal soft- Geographic channel, won an Emmy by Tor.com. Ellsworth is also a writ- of Medicine in Ohio, was named vice ism) recently became an Americorps tificate) became associate princi- ing technology) on Sept. 3, 2017, in teacher in Everett and Shoreline ware architect for Microsoft, re- in September for Exceptional Merit er, editor and teacher in Bellingham. president of the Student National NCCC volunteer working on disas- pal and athletic director at Mercer Gold Bar. school districts as well as Highline ceived Olympic College’s 2017 in Documentary Filmmaking. Erin Hannah Higgins (B.S., manufac- Medical Association, which is com- ter relief and community service Island High School. Jaymie Baunach Community College, on Aug. 4, Distinguished Alum Award for Thompson (B.A., history) is a senior turing engineering technology) is mitted to supporting current and in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Most re- (BAE, special education) became a Nick Andrews (’09, B.A., history) and 2017, in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Frank Outstanding Contributions to the HR business partner at Seattle City a manufacturing engineer at The future under-represented minor- cently, she was a reporter for the La special education teacher at Rainier Nicole Parish (’11, B.A., environ- Nims, 99, who ran a cherry orchard Advancement of Local Economic Light. Paintings by Michael Kindred Boeing Co. ity medical students. Germaine Conner Weekly News. Moon Sun Middle School. Kali Crow-Liester mental policy) on July 17, 2017, in in Cove, Oregon, and was active in and Community Development Work. Knight (B.A., art – painting) were re- Kornegay (B.A., human services), (B.S., biochemistry) owns Haystack (B.A., Fairhaven interdisciplinary con- Bellingham. the Farm Bureau and the Republican Melissa Lewis (B.A., Spanish) is a lob- cently featured in an exhibition at the 2010 – Katheryn Moran (B.A., hu- business owner, foster parent and Cannabis and was recently includ- centration) is executive director of Party, on May 20, 2017. byist in Montana who runs her own Luis De Jesus gallery in Los Angeles. man services) is a wedding and life- member of the Sedro-Wooley City ed in Marijuana Venture magazine’s Growing Alliances, a nonprofit com- Caleb Dobey (’09, B.S., geology) and lobbying firm. Erica Witherspoon style photographer in Bellingham. Council, was named one of three “40 under 40” list of young entrepre- munity garden and youth develop- Leah Vazquez (’09, B.S., geology) on 1943 – Kathlyn “Elaine” Shintaffer, (B.A., management information sys- 2008 – Mark Leuning (B.Mus., per- Boo Park (B.S., kinesiology) is study- Women of the Year for 2017 by neurs. Kayla Adams (B.A., theatre) be- ment organization. July 16, 2016, in Shelton. 95, on June 18, 2017, in Bellingham. tems) is a technology consultant in formance; B.A., French) just began ing computer network security at the Skagit Women’s Alliance and came the associate artistic director of Memorials: WWU Shintaffer Family Grand Valley, Colorado. an M.A./Ph.D. program in French Highline College, where he recent- Network. Anthony Vitulli (B.A., The Artistic Home, an acting ensem- Jacob Comstock and Paige Scholarship Endowment, www.wwu. Studies at Brown University. Shawn ly helped organize the International business administration – finance) ble and studio in Chicago, where she Marriages Hasenoehrl (’11, B.A., business - edu/give. 2002 – David Waltman (M.Mus.) Cass (B.S., environmental science), Collegiate Cyber Defense Invitational. became a commercial analyst for completed a directing internship. marketing) on Sept. 23, 2017, in joined Cerner Corp., a health infor- also known as “Ruckas” is a muralist Beth Morrell (BFA, art) is an artist KeyBank in Idaho. Sarah Nean Bruce (’86, B.A., rec- Arlington. 1946 – Lynette E. Brann, 99, on April mation technology company that whose work can be seen through- in Los Angeles whose projects in- 2017 – Caitlyn Jobanek (B.S., en- reation) and Stephen J. Kerr (’73) 15, 2017. Gordon Lee Den Adel, 89, recently won the contract for the out Bellingham. Dan Harvey (B.S., clude “The Unadoptables,” a comic 2013 – Oscar Jimenez (B.A., com- vironmental science – freshwater on June 19, 2017, in Palm Desert, Blake Bishop (’14, MBA) and Isabell former administrator of Sehome Veterans Administration electron- pre-physical therapy) is an exercise book about cats at a cat café/shel- munication, Spanish) joined the ecology) was selected to play on California. Sakamoto (’15, B.S., community Convalescent Center and owner of ic health record system. Ian Bivins physiologist. ter. The project was recently funded Louisville City Football Club in the the women’s soccer team that will health) on Oct. 1, 2016, in Fairhope, Bay Engraving, on Sept. 18, 2017, in (B.A., theatre) became the executive on Kickstarter. Hannah Andersen United Soccer League. He previously Bellingham. director of Bellingham Arts Academy 2009 – After nearly five years working (BFA, dance – performance and cho- played in Tulsa and Mississippi. Julia for Youth. Aaron Starr (MBA) became on health policy in Washington, D.C., reography) received her MFA in Fioravanti (B.A., art history) is an the director of finance for Physicians including working for U.S. Sen. Patty 2017 from the University of Oregon, artist specializing in paper cut and of Southwest Washington. Previously Murray, Annie Walden‐Newman where she served as a teaching fel- embroidery; her embroidery work he was the chief financial officer for (B.A. political science) recently grad- low and received the Outstanding was recently included in a fiber art Northwest Regional Primary Care uated from Columbia University Dance Graduate Student Award. She show at the Virago Gallery in West Association. Rad Cunningham with a dual-degree Master’s in Social also received the Doug Risner Prize Seattle. Nick Apollo (B.A., sociolo- (B.A., anthropology) is an epidemi- Work and Master’s in Public Health. for Emerging Dance Researchers gy) and Haley Apollo (’08, B.A., gen- ologist for the Washington State She is now a clinical social worker from the Journal of Dance Education eral studies) opened a kennel-free Department of Health and recently in Colorado working with children and the National Dance Education dog boarding and daycare facility in became a planning commissioner and adolescents. Harpist Elizabeth Organization. She returned to Bellingham, The Puget Hound. for the city of Olympia. Taber Streur Huston (B.Mus., performance con- Bellingham this fall to teach at (B.A., journalism – public relations) centration) received a $60,000 grant Whatcom Community College and 2014 – Emily Kunz (B.S., kinesiol- Western Today is the university’s daily internal and external owns Tosten Marketing, which spe- from the Pew Center for Arts and perform and choreograph with ogy) is working toward a doctorate communications piece that is sent out to about 20,000 cializes in working with insurance Heritage to execute a performance Bellingham Repertory Dance. in osteopathic medicine at Pacific agents. Amber Austin (B.A., com- of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s “KLANG,” Northwest University of Health people every work day while classes are in session. It’s full munication) is a family law attorney an epic, 21-part, 14-hour piece of 2011 – Katherine Shaw (B.A., soci- Sciences in Yakima. She spent her of news, events and features about campus, from research in Tacoma who was recently includ- contemporary chamber music that ology) recently became the man- summer in clinical rotations in Skagit to athletics to performances and more. Want to keep ed in Business Examiner Media’s “40 has never been performed in its en- ager of the Central Washington County and recently received an Under 40” list in Pierce County. Stacie tirety and in order because of its Family Medicine Clinic in Yakima. Academic Endowed Scholarship track of what is happening on campus? Western Today is Baisch (B.A., communication sci- length. “KLANG” will be performed Playwright Emilie Landmann (B.A. from the American Association of a free, no-hassle way to do it – and you can subscribe and ences and disorders) owns and op- at FringeArts in Philadelphia April theatre) co-wrote the book for the University Women of Port Townsend unsubscribe whenever you’d like. erates Island Hearing Healthcare, a 7-8, 2018. Christine Hayes (B.A., so- musical “Matthew McConaughey and the University Women’s hearing clinic in Friday Harbor. Tonya ciology) became the city/prosecut- vs. the Devil: An American Myth,” Foundation of Jefferson County. Crawford (M.A., history – archives re- ing attorney for the city of Battle which was an official selection of Eleni Watts (B.A., business adminis- cords management) became an ar- Ground. Krystal Marie Romano the New York Musical Festival Next tration – management) graduated Visit westerntoday.wwu.edu chivist for the Sisters of Charity of (B.A., business administration – in- Link Project. Matthew Fisher (M.S., magna cum laude from Chapman 1 Leavenworth in Kansas. ternational business) is a professor biology) teaches at Oregon Coast Law School, where she was a 2017 Community College, where he was Distinguished Graduate. After tak- Click “contact” in the upper menu, then click named the 2016-17 Instructor of ing the California bar exam, Watts 2 “subscribe to our daily updates” the Year. John Whitfield (B.A., man- plans to work in Orange County in Tell us a good Viking love story agement information systems; ’12, the field of education law. Kaitlyn Enter your info. That’s it! Your Western Today email will MBA) is a consultant for Microsoft Lowder (B.S., biology – marine em- 3 now arrive in your specified In Box each work day. Enjoy! Share your wedding announcement in Window in Washington, D.C., where he also phasis; B.A., English – creative writ- plays for the Federal Triangles Soccer ing) is working on a doctorate in ma- Email your wedding news, including your names, class Club. Hailey Mackay (B.A., art) be- rine biology at the Scripps Institution years, and the date and place of your marriage to came a landscape designer with SCJ of Oceanography at U.C. San Diego. [email protected]. Alliance in Seattle. Molli Corcoran Her research is on how ocean acidi- (B.A., theatre) starred as Rapunzel fication is affecting spiny lobsters, a in the Village Theatre production popular seafood species.

40 WINDOW • Fall/Winter 2017 Western Washington University • window.wwu.edu 41 Class Notes Class Notes

1948 – Ronald E. Hovde, 88, an art- Wallace Gordon May, 80, a retired 22, 2017, in Bellingham. Panasonic Avionics Corporation, on 1977 – Dennis H. Klineman, 61, 1982 – Barbara Block, 78, retired on July 1, 2017. Nancy Joanne Leff, 2015 – Stuart Holmes Miller, 25, ist and designer, on Aug. 19, 2017. bank branch manager and real es- May 13, 2017. Barbara Dickinson, on Aug. 29, 2016, in Newark, Ohio. from Children’s Protective Services, 68, a community volunteer who also a former newspaper reporter for tate broker, on April 6, 2017, in Silver 1964 – Marsha Mae Honnold, 74, 70, a retired middle school math Frances Mabry LeCocq, 90, on Sept. on July 29, 2017. Joy Lynne (Collins) worked as a bookkeeper, librarian, the Issaquah Press and Snoqualmie 1950 – Norma Jean Bryan, 89, a Lake. Ronald William Phillips, 84, a retired teacher, on June 29, 2017. teacher, on March 27, 2017, in 6, 2017, in Bellingham. Mansfield, 71, who taught for 31 teacher and radio traffic coordinator, Valley Star, on Aug. 13, 2017. violinist and retired music teacher who taught science at Washougal Arnita Sams, 83, a retired Meridian Bellingham. years at Fisher Elementary School in on July 31, 2017, in Mount Vernon. in Eugene, Oregon, on Sept. 19, High School for 30 years, on Aug. 17, High School teacher, on May 13, 1979 – Thomas William Monnahan, Lynden, on June 26, 2017. Faculty and Staff 2017. James Marshall Ford, 89, a 2017, in Vancouver, Washington. 2017. 1971 – Sheila Giles, 68, who taught 61, a former aide to Seattle Mayor 1993 – Brian Abbott, 48, executive biologist and retired president of second grade for 25 years in North Norm Rice and advocate for LGBTQ 1985 – William Nicolay, 55, an director of the governor’s Salmon Elena Pereyra, who worked in Skagit Valley College who helped 1959 – Keith Anderton, 90, a re- 1965 – Rodney Johnson, 74, a re- Kitsap Schools, then for several rights, on May 2, 2017, in Palm English, history and drama teacher Recovery Office, on Dec. 31, 2016, Student Outreach Services from develop McIntyre Hall and the tired teacher and principal in Port tired art teacher at Wilson High years at Northwest Indian College, Springs, California. and debate coach in the Snohomish in Seattle. 2010 to 2016 as an academic adviser North Cascades Institute, on May 26, Townsend and Mukilteo, on July School in Tacoma, on Sept. 20, 2017. on Nov. 1, 2017. William F. Mell III, School District, on Aug. 19, 2017. and mentor for underrepresented 2017, in Anacortes. Arthur James 1, 2017. Robert Glen Dawes, 96, Stanley Joseph Pytel, 93, a 20-year 73, a longtime teacher and admin- 1980 – Janette van Slageren Ellis, Louis Nims, 57, former senior instru- 1994 – Hilary Trent Lorenz, 59, who and undocumented students, who Runestrand, 90, a former teacher retired operations manager at fighter pilot for the U.S. Air Force and istrator in the Anchorage School 85, a lifelong accordion player and mentation engineer at Conveyor worked for public water systems for knew her as “Dr. P”, on Aug. 25, 2017. and retired personnel manager at Bellingham Builders Supply and former teacher in the Bellingham District, then a professor and admin- musician in several community Dynamics Inc., on July 5, 2017. 30 years, on July 6, 2017. David Ho Georgia Pacific in Bellingham, on longtime community volunteer, on School District, on Sept. 21, 2017. istrator at the University of Alaska bands, a longtime chairperson of Bin Yim, 47, of Everett, on Sept. 15, Evelyn May Cullander Wright, as- Sept. 19, 2017. May 13, 2017. Wayne R. Dralle, 83, a Margaret Jane Thomas, 75, a retired Anchorage, on Oct. 1, 2016, in Oak Harbor’s Holland Happening 1986 – Michael Frank Bell, 77, a re- 2016. sociate professor emeritus of English retired school librarian and district business teacher and administrator Anchorage. carnival, and the retired owner of tired teacher at Sedro-Woolley High and former associate editor of the 1951 – George Gordon Dowd, 87, administrator who also served as the at Anacortes High School who also a tax preparation practice, on Aug. School who later operated the bak- 2001 – Andrew John Brindamour, Journal of Educational Controversy a retired naval attorney and former director of educational media at the taught at Skagit Valley College, on 1972 – Darlene DeGross, 79, a 31, 2017. Dennis Hill, 59, on Sept. 6, ery Sigi’s Cinnamons and Chapel of 36, a carpenter and contractor, on at Woodring College of Education, member of the Washington State University of Alberta in Edmonton, July 21, 2017. retired Snohomish High School 2017. Gordon Kelly, 83, of Lummi, the Bells, on May 14, 2017. Aug. 5, 2017, in Yakima. on Sept. 22, 2017. House of Representatives, on Sept. on May 5, 2017, in Bellingham. teacher who volunteered for the on Aug. 30. 2017. 11, 2016, in Woodbridge, Virginia. 1966 – Walter James Blanton, 72, Everett Children’s Museum and 1987 – Cathleen McKeown, 71, an 2003 – Melissa Marie Stuen, 37, on Campus School Dale C. Pierson, 89, a retired farmer, 1960 – David Olaf Christian, 84, re- an accomplished musician in Las Everett Symphony, on April 18, 2017. 1981 – Cynthia Dieno, 58, a speech/ accountant, on July 16, 2016. Aug. 22, 2017, in Atlanta. on Sept. 18, 2017, in Burlington. tired director of engineering for ra- Vegas who also toured with the Douglas Gronski, 71, retired con- language pathologist in Abbotsford, Celia Onkels-Hogan, 78, who Helen Cushman Petrika Peterson, dio and television stations at Pacific Woody Herman Band and taught sumer safety officer for the Food B.C., schools who also taught English 1991 – Judith C. Conner, 72, a re- 2008 – Kate Franklin Blake, 62, a worked as a model in New York and 99, a geneology buff, quilter and for- Lutheran University, on Oct. 15, music at several universities, on and Drug Administration, on April language classes to adults, on May tired social worker, on May 30, 2016. musician, artist and traveler who as an interior designer with Chris mer music teacher, on Sept. 4, 2017. 2016, in Puyallup. Charlotte Garton, April 18, 2017. Leo Christoffer, 15, 2016, in Bristol, Tennessee. Jim 21, 2017. Kristy Marie Marsolais, 58, was devoted to peace, justice and Craft in Miami, on July 9, 2017. 78, a retired elementary school 73, who taught fifth grade for 34 Hardman, 67, an attorney, former Aug. 1, 2017. 1992 – Lars Giusti, 48, who had women’s rights, on May 25, 2017, in 1952 – Audrey Bright, 85, on May teacher and private tutor, on June years at West View Elementary in pro tem judge at several court levels, worked at Microsoft and at Cray, Inc., Bellingham. 1, 2017. Lora Leota Eccles, 89, who 15, 2017. June Cora Gwartney, 79, Burlington, on April 21, 2017. John and Certified Professional Guardian owned nursery, landscaping and a retired elementary school teach- “Jack” Harvey Eastman, 87, a re- who was a strong advocate for garden supply businesses with her er, on Aug. 21, 2017, in San Jose, tired teacher and coach in Lynden people with disabilities, on July 24, husband in Port Townsend, on Aug. California. and Blaine, on Sept. 11, 2017. Bruce 2017. Marywilde Nelson, 67, a for- 18, 2017. Larry Gudbranson, 87, on Allen Money, 72, a former food ser- mer elementary school teacher and June 7, 2017. 1961 – Wayne Brink, 74, a retired vice district manager in Southern school director who later became a pharmacist in Lynden, on Sept. 18, California who retired to Gig Harbor, Pilates instructor at the Washington BACKBACK TOTO THETHE Daniel Hsu 1953 – John L. Donahue, 89, a 2017. Donald Andy Eliason, 81, on Dec. 21, 2016. Margaret Ianne Athletic Club, on May 26, 2017, in DESIGN retired teacher and basketball a former teacher who owned the Gorsuch Moles, 71, a lay minister, Seattle. Carl George Smithburg, SANDBOX DESIGN coach at Elma High School, on Eureka General Store in Republic on May 1, 2017. Larry Sheets, 88, a 72, a retired electrician, on April 20, Van Cliburn 2017 Aug. 5, 2017, in Olympia. Harvey and later retired from the Helca Gold retired teacher and coach, on Jan. 2017. Art and Radical Pedagogy DAYSDAYS Thompson, 89, who owned Nordic Mining Co., on April 22, 2017, in 20, 2017. Bronze medalist Machine Manufacturing in Seattle, Mount Vernon. 1973 – Edward Andrew Bergh Jr., on Oct. 11, 2016. 1967 – Lois Joan Reynolds, 82, a re- 65, on Feb. 28, 2017, in Olympia. 1962 – Judith Craig, 76, a retired tired teacher and real estate agent, Gregory W. Parker, 66, a retired vice 1955 – William Fielding Davis, teacher, on Jan. 26, 2017, in Bend, on July 25, 2017. Judith Marie president for United Healthcare in 81, a retired civil engineer and for- Oregon. Charles Noyes, 82, a teach- Rish, 73, a retired lab technologist Minneapolis, on Aug. 15, 2017. mer member of the Mount Baker er who taught in Seattle, Mount at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Ski Patrol, on Sept. 6, 2017. Maure Vernon, Germany, the Netherlands, Spokane, on Aug. 26, 2017. 1975 – Jim Lee Hasz, 77, a retired Gunderson, 80, on July 9, 2017. Bermuda and Japan, on May 19, teacher who taught at all levels 2017, in Bellingham. 1968 – Keith Neil Bajema, 71, retired from kindergarten to college and re- 1956 – Herbert Balch, 87, a retired from the U.S. Navy Undersea Warfare ceived the Washington State Golden high school teacher in Clallam Bay 1963 – Norman Macaulay Graham, Center Division, Keyport’s Pacific Apple Award, on Aug. 6, 2017. who also owned a fishing boat and a 86, a retired music teacher in Mount Detachment at Laulaulei, Hawaii, on Charlie Watkins, 69, who taught tuesday motel, on July 21, 2017. Ward Ernest Vernon schools and director of the June 18, 2017, in Lacey. Shirley Ann psychology at Grays Harbor College Ellsworth, 83, a retired teacher, on Skagit Valley College Community Grubb, 74, former mayor of Toledo, for nearly 20 years, on April 24, 2017. feB 27 EVA KOŤÁTKOVÁ, SIT STRAIGHT, 2008, 4 VIDEOS. Aug. 5, 2017. Ronald Lee Hindman, Orchestra, on May 12, 2017, near on June 7, 2017, in Toledo. COURTESY HUNT KASTNER GALLERY, PRAGUE. 83, who owned a newspaper, Bow. Dick Parker, 77, who worked 1976 – Roger Cramer, 71, a retired 7:30pm worked in real estate and owned a in advertising sales for several news- 1969 – Ann Louise Cowan, 69, a re- teacher and coach at Marysville- PHOTO: JULIETTE MACHADO JAN. 9 – MARCH 16 performing arts center bakery before retiring, on April 28, papers and wholesale companies, tired teacher for the Richland School Pilchuck High School, on Sept. MAY 14 – 18 2017, in Tacoma. on July 19, 2017 in Bellingham. District, on July 12, 2017, in Richland. 19, 2017. James Eastwood, 67, open to all at no cost concert hall thu-sat sunday Nancy Ann Rabourn, 77, a retired Claudia Louise Hegdahl, 69, on Oct. who owned Puget Sound Safety $17 – 42 open to all at no cost 1957 – Horace Ludwig, 87, of Kent, history teacher at Hoquiam Middle 6, 2017. James Fay Logue, 74, who Equipment Co., on May 4, 2017. An international exhibition may 3-5 may 6 on Aug. 12, 2017. School, counselor and basket- worked for Crown Zellerbach and in George McQuade, 64, a former of artists who pose From the Every year we set aside a ball coach, on June 16, 2017. John finance and accounting, on Aug. 30, news producer, television anchor questions about the nature & 7:30pm 2:00pm 1958 – John B. Carlson, a retired Tanguy, 77, who worked for 30 2017, in Denton, Texas. and public relations executive in Sanford-Hill week to celebrate the field teacher, on May 2, 2017. Donald years in security in Kuparuk and Southern California, on Oct. 15, significance of education. Piano Series. performing arts center of design with compelling Fairbairn, 84, a retired teacher Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, on July 21, 1970 – James R. Anable, 74, a re- 2016. Albert Neil Sutherland, 71, Western Gallery Profits go toward mainstage speakers, exciting events, and swim coach, on May 13, 2016. 2017. Harlan Todahl, 81, a retired tired senior lab technician at Arco, who worked at the Arco and BP re- M-F 10a – 4p W 10a – 8p SAT 12p – 4p PHOTO FROM THE CLIBURN, 2017 $16 general | $8 students Gerald Dean Krause, 85, a retired teacher for Nooksack schools who on May 3, 2017, in Bellingham. fineries in Whatcom County, on July scholarships. and excellent design. industrial arts teacher at Washougal later worked as a security guard at Florence Maria D’Ambrosio, 68, 30, 2017. High School, on Feb. 18, 2016. Bellingham Cold Storage, on May director of worldwide treasury for Find something to do, 42 WINDOW • Fall/Winter 2017 Western Washington University • window.wwu.edu 43 with parking info, too, at CFPA.WWU.EDU A Look Back

Photo courtesy of Campus History Collection, Special Collections, Western Libraries Give an Alumni Association Membership Heritage Resources, WWU and you’ll be giving benefits to your family and friends as well as benefiting a student with scholarship support. Sam Carver: The father of Western athletics Anyone can join, even non-WWU graduates, Sanford Ester “Sam” Carver was captain of the Bellingham State Normal School basketball team and many do. Membership strengthens the in 1911, here in the team photo, third from the left. A quick, wiry player and an early adopter of the overhand jump shot, Carver was considered one of the best basketball players in the state. Viking community! When Carver graduated in 1913, he became the school’s first full-time physical education teacher and athletic coach. Over his 42-year career at Western, Carver coached baseball, basketball, foot- ball, golf, tennis, and track and field. He was also a well-respected athletic director and depart- ment chair, known for high expectations, fairness, a quiet demeanor and an insistence on fair play. alumni.wwu.edu/join In 1961, Western dedicated its newly renovated gymnasium to Carver, “the Father of Western Athletics.” In 2017, Carver’s grandchildren attended the rededication of the expanded and mod- ernized building that still bears his name. Today, Carver Academic Facility sits next to a building named for another person in the photo above: Longtime mathematics professor Elias Austin Bond, Carver’s basketball coach in 1911, is on the far right.

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