TR ADITION & TR ANSFORMATION SPOKANE, GONZAGA GROW UP TOGETHER TR ADITION & TR ANSFORMATION TR ADITION & TR ANSFORMATION isn’t in other places. That’s why so many Nilson played two pro seasons in Germany the Spokane chapter of the Gonzaga Alumni then&now former players making imprint on Spokane people come back.” before returning to Spokane to assist with Association. And as a board member for A quick Spokane roll call turns up some strength conditioning at Gonzaga. From three philanthropic organizations: the Boys of the biggest names in Bulldog basketball there he set out on his own to help establish and Girls Club, the Community Building from the past two decades: Casey Calvary, U-District Physical Therapy. That business Association, and the Zak! Charity Open. Jeff Brown, Matt Santangelo, Mike Nilson, has a charitable wing called the U-District Jeff Brown, vice president of sales at locally Stephanie Hawk Freeman. Save for Freeman, Foundation, which organizes fi tness based technology company Next IT, says, “I all played pro ball overseas after graduation, camps, fun runs, mentoring programs, and think it’s awesome that, when you look at a and then chose to come back to the city of scholarships for the Spokane community. number of graduates, basketball players and their alma mater and spread their roots. Another strong supporter of charitable efforts non-basketball players, they choose to stay “The list of how many guys have made this is Matt Santangelo, the point guard who in Spokane.” a home base is amazing,” says Mike Nilson, helped propel Gonzaga to the Elite Eight in Brown is working in his own way to give onzaga is “unbeatable,” says who was part of Gonzaga’s Elite Eight and 1999, then went on to a professional career in those grads reasons to stay. Over the past David Pendergraft, former Bulldogs Sweet Sixteen teams. “Even the guys who Europe. eight years he has helped take Next IT from basketball star and current haven’t bought a house here” – guys like “When we moved back we had forgotten how a company of 10 employees to one with 125. director of athletic relations for Derek Raivio and Jeremy Pargo, former welcoming, how supportive, how enthusiastic As the economy has contracted, Next IT Gthe university. Once described by head coach Bulldogs who are still playing pro ball –“still people were for the Gonzaga basketball has continued to bring in revenue from Mark Few as “the ultimate Zag,” he isn’t like to come back in the summers just to be program,” he says. “The fact that there’s so talking about sports teams. He’s talking about tied in.” much community interest in the 125th year the unique relationship that GU has with the “It’s hard to put your fi nger on why so of Gonzaga University says something. It says Who knew? Spokane community. many of the guys stick around. Take me, for a lot about the impact that the basketball After all, what else explains why so many example. I grew up in Seattle. That’s where all program has. I’m so very fortunate to still be athletic stars fi rst choose Gonzaga for their my aunts and uncles and brothers and sisters associated with the program.” university education, then are drawn back to and parents and grandparents lived. Now I’m These days he’s shifted gears, practicing Spokane to settle down? here with my family and I got all of them to different kinds of teamwork and leadership: Three teams at Gonzaga vie annually “It’s just a different environment here,” says come over here.” As father to three young children. As a for the Sweet Sixteen. Who are they? Pendergraft. “It truly is. There’s just this benefi ts consultant for the brokerage fi rm The men’s and women’s basketball Moloney and O’Neill. As the president of KEITH CURRIE camaraderie and friendship and family that teams, of course. And Gonzaga’s debate Jeff Brown, Matt Santangelo, David Pendergraft, Casey Calvary, Mike Nilson. team, which last year made it all the way to the Final Four in Atlanta. 6 x 3 ad 2 x 3 ad 4 x 3 ad TRADITION & TR ANSFORMATION they said… – JEFF BROWN “The life lessons we were taught at Gonzaga – of being prepared, being organized, being competitive, being a good teammate... what wonderful then&now former players making attributes those are to take forward into imprint on Spokane your life after basketball.” outside the region, creating primary and secondary jobs. – CASEY CALVARY When it comes to success against the odds, “There’s a connection that the players Casey Calvary has been there, done that. In feel towards the Spokane community 1999 he tipped in the winning basket that and that the community feels toward beat Florida 73-72, sending GU into the the players. It really makes this place Elite Eight. Following his own globetrotting stand apart from most others.” stint in the pros, he now works alongside his former Bulldog teammates Richie Frahm and – STEPHANIE HAWK FREEMAN Ryan Floyd at Stryker Trauma. “Gonzaga really cares about Spokane “Some of the friendships that we began way back when, they just stand the test of time,” and its community members. In return, he says. “I’ve played everywhere else in the the community has embraced the country. I think we probably have the most university and what it represents.” tight-knit former player group of anyone that I know. All our athletic achievements aside, – MIKE NILSON Full Page Ad: 6 x 9.5 that’s basically the essence of what Gonzaga “All the great things I have in my was to me and the most important part of it – the family, the community.” life have been a direct result of the opportunities that Gonzaga has given And it isn’t just an all-boys club. Stephanie Hawk Freeman, a scholar-athlete who was me. I’m so thankful for it.” awarded West Coast Conference Co-player of the Year for 2006-07 while – DAVID PENDERGRAFT playing for the Bulldogs, found a network “What we all learned at Gonzaga is that of support growing around her from the attitude of giving back. To the school, moment she arrived at GU. It has since to the community. To say, hey, I’ve had sustained her through a substantial career change from business administration to success and experiences I can share, teaching. and to be open to sharing them and not “Choosing to become a Zag was more than closed off.” joining a team,” she says. “It was joining a family – only this one had about 13 other – MATT SANTANGELO sisters. The bonds that I have created with “The Spokane community, the Gonzaga them during those experiences have been family, is just something extremely ESTERRA N unbreakable.” SI special and I think it’s unique to college Y – By E.J. Iannelli AM basketball.” Stephanie Hawk Freeman helped lead Gonzaga to its first of five NCAA tournament appearances. TR ADITION & TR ANSFORMATION TR ADITION & TR ANSFORMATION reaching out exploring ways to make science engaging to youth “ ancy! Nancy! Do we get to do The children – even some who’d been singled out as having science today?” behavioral problems – loved it. So much, in fact, that they would rush her on the playground and plead for more experiments. N “To have them come up to me and say, ‘Can we do science today?’ Dr. Nancy Staub smiles as she recalls that – a light bulb went off in my head. I thought, ‘This is how all question, put to her several years ago by kids should feel about science.’” eager elementary school students. It marked The program took shape and gained momentum over the next the germ of an idea that evolved into two years. By 2008, Science in Action! was a fully fl edged Science in Action!, a Gonzaga University outreach program. 3 x 9.5 Ad “When my daughter was in kindergarten, I started going into her classroom to help out,” says the GU biology professor. “We Who knew? started doing little science projects with the kids.” Those hands-on experiments included activities like fl oating an egg by adding salt to the surrounding liquid, or testing surface Who knows the connection between Gonzaga and the Edsel? GU tension by seeing how many drops of water alumnus Bing Crosby promised to help his alma mater build a could fi t on a penny. much-needed library. An hour-long CBS special, named the Edsel Show, starring Crosby and Frank Sinatra, aired in October 1957. The Ford Motor Company sponsored the show, in order to promote RAJAH BOSE “Science makes me smile.” its new model, the Edsel. Crosby, Sinatra and others, including Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, donated their fees to Gonzaga. Gonzaga got its library – and fared far better than the Edsel. 3 x 3 Ad 6 x 3 ad TR ADITION & TR ANSFORMATION reaching out exploring ways to make science engaging to youth undertaking, sending 61 student volunteers Staub says enthusiasm for Science in Action! weekly to K-6 classrooms at Bemis and is growing on the university side too. Roosevelt elementary schools. “I hear back from the students saying, ‘I wish Since then, nearly 1,500 children across I’d done this earlier.’ Once they start in the seven public and private schools in Spokane program, we have a very high proportion have taken part in Science in Action! Science who do it for multiple semesters. Walking majors at Gonzaga and students pursuing into a classroom and seeing a room full of a teaching certifi cate volunteer in the beaming kids who are excited to see you is Gonzaga Anniversary books classrooms.