1920s

Heather Bowen Allen (’25 Educ.), 98, March 8, 2002, Fresno, California. Moved to Portland in 1941, where she was a substitute teacher.

Ernest A. Cowell ’26, 97, July 5, 2002, Prescott. In 1934 moved from Seattle to a wheat farm in Eureka with his wife. Instrumental in establishing a grange and the Grange Supply Cooperative, of which he was president. Ran for state representative in 1954.

Natalie Dodge (’26 Spanish Lit.), 97, April 19, 2002, Portland. Born in Western Siberia and lived in China before immigrating to Seattle in 1922. Moved to Portland in 1940 and taught Russian at Reed College.

Frieda Carstens Schulz (’26 Educ.), 97, May 26, 2002, Reardan. Taught in Goldendale and Sprague.

1930s

Juanita Ankcorn (’30 Music), 94, April 5, 2002, Spokane. Taught art and music in Amarillo, Texas. After a divorce and remarriage in 1959, she moved to Palouse, where she and her husband owned Ankcorn Hardware.

Robert Hyslop (’33 Arch. Engr.), 93, April 16, 2002, Spokane. Did the structural design of many buildings in Spokane during WWII. After 1964, worked for consulting engineers Hahn and Campbell, L.C. Campbell, and Tollif R. Hance. Retired in 1976. Involved in the construction of the WSU veterinary laboratory building and Spokane Coliseum. Author of Spokane’s Building Block, a historical sketch of all downtown Spokane buildings.

Hilda Patterson Kroll (’33 Educ.), 91, May 12, 2002, Federal Way, pneumonia. After graduation, sold textbooks at the WSU Students Book Corp.

Helen Burr Tilford (’34 Bact.), 88, March 13, 2002, Spokane. Medical technologist at St. Luke’s Hospital in Spokane. Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.

Thomas Edward Black (’35 Elect. Engr.), 91, April 30, 2002, Kennewick. Served in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during WWII and Korean War. Assistant to the vice president at Puget Sound Power & Light Co., area manager of the Bonneville Power Administration, and manager of the Benton County Public Utility District. Retired in 1972.

Lela Miller Jacklin (’35 Bact.), 88, April 17, 2002, Spokane. Homemaker.

Helen Broom Leyda (’35 Office Adm.), 89, April 2, 2002, Spokane. After her husband died in 1950, she worked in a variety of fields before retiring in real estate in 1975. Alpha Chi Omega sorority.

Tom W. Moore (’35 Bus. Adm.), 88, April 18, 2002, Portland. Salesman and manager for Van Waters & Rogers for more than 35 years in Portland.

Lawrence Giles (’36 Bus. Adm.), 87, May 11, 2002, Columbus, South Carolina. Served in the Navy during WWII, retiring in 1974 as a commander in the Naval Reserve. Professor of education for 30 years at the University of South Carolina. Phi Delta Theta fraternity.

Robert Birkes (’37 Elect. Engr.), 86, May 11, 2002, Portland. Worked for Pacific Power & Light Co. from 1942 to 1980 in Portland, retiring as manager of electrical engineering.

Wallace Hunt (’37 Bus. Adm.), 88, March 17, 2002, Richland. Navy paymaster and supply officer during WWII. Began as buyer for General Electric at Hanford in 1947. Retired in 1975 from Rockwell Hanford as manager of purchasing and stores. Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

Claire Winter (’37 Home Ec.), 87, April 4, 2002, Fountain Hills, Arizona. Homemaker.

Harold Egbert (’39 Zool.), 84, March 4, 2002, Spokane. Worked for the USDA, Washington State Game Department, and U.S. Postal Service for 27 years. Retired in 1972.

1940s

Harris Tremayne Rea (’41 Agri.), 86, March 31, 2002, Walla Walla. Owned H.T. Rea Farming Corp. in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, and continued to farm until 2001.

Bill Hewitt (’42 Hotel & Rest. Mgmt.), 85, June 24, 2002, Seattle. Founded the Tillicum Village in 1962, a longhouse-style performance area for Native American dances, restaurant, and gift shop on Blake Island in Puget Sound.

Mearle “Swede” Miller (’42 Chem. Engr.), 84, April 8, 2002, Sequim. Worked for the U.S. Geological Survey. Navy officer in the South Pacific during WWII. Returned to work with the USGS and traveled extensively as a hydrologist.

William T. Farrish (’43 Elect. Engr.), 81, August 1, 2002, Murphys, California. Navy lieutenant in the Pacific, 1944-46. Engineer and manager for Pan American Airlines in San Francisco, 1946-59. From 1959 to 1984, employed by United Airlines as director of maintenance planning and director of Space Shuttle Program Development. Consultant for Air Force and Airbus. Sigma Nu fraternity.

Roger Olson (’43 Polit. Sci.), 80, February 20, 2002, Pasco. Army officer in Europe during WWII. Received the purple heart and two bronze stars. Obtained a law degree from the University of Washington in 1950. Partner at Olson & Olson and prosecuting attorney for Franklin County for 12 years.

Leonard Spencer (’46 Mech. Engr.), 80, May 21, 2002, Everett. Served in the Army during WWII in Europe, where he was wounded. Employed for over 35 years by Soundview Pulp/Scott Paper Co.

Betty Jane Brown Cook (’47 Chem.), 77, April 24, 2002, Portland. After graduating, became a chemical analyst for Alcoa in Vancouver and in 1956 a researcher for Tektronix. Taught mathematics and chemistry at Portland State University for more than 20 years.

Warren Coberly (’49 Elect. Engr.), 79, February 16, 2002, Des Moines. Electrical and reliability engineer for Boeing for 35 years. Retired in 1985.

Wynne Johnson (’49 Educ., ’55 M.Ed., ’59 Ed.D.), 80, May 8, 2002, Sacramento, bone cancer. Enlisted in the Navy the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. Sonar operator of the USS Colhoun, a ship sunk by Japanese bombers. Recalled to active duty in 1950 for the Korean War. Taught in Everett, Olympia, and Napavine. Later, taught counseling and educational courses at Sacramento State College for 21 years.

Darrell Parks (’49 Speech/Comm., ’55 M.Ed.), 78, April 8, 2002, Palouse. Technical sergeant in the Air Force during WWII. Military honors included the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal. In Palouse, taught eighth grade, 1951-56; high school English, speech, and social studies, 1956-67; and fifth grade, 1972-82. Served as high school principal, 1967-72.

1950s

Carl A. Blomberg (’50 Bus. Adm.), 73, February 18, 2002, Pullman, surgery complications. Army officer in Japan during Korean War. Ford dealer in North Bend for 10 years. Real estate agent for 15 years. Retired in 2002.

Ted H. Allen (’51 Bus. Adm.), February 16, 2002, Anderson Island, Washington. Owned a motel in Newport, Oregon. Retired in 1983.

Roselle Collins Chase (’51 Educ.), 72, July 13, 2002, Sunnyside. Taught English at Sunnyside High School, 1951-52. Married Chevy Chase in 1953 and raised six children. Delta Delta Delta sorority.

James Metcalf Dorr (’51 Educ.), 78, May 22, 2002, Seattle. Served in the Army during WWII, participating in the invasion of France. Began teaching career in Riverside and St. John, relocating to Burien in 1955, where he finished his teaching and coaching career of 31 years in the Highline School District.

Kenneth Edward Hinton (’53 Fine Arts), 75, May 3, 2002, Spokane. Taught art at Spokane Falls Community College for 27 years.

Grover Schiffman (’53 Econ.), 74, June 21, 2002, Seattle. Army cryptologist during the Korean War. Production manager for Continental Group. Retired in 1990.

Wills Kinnaman (’54 D.V.M.), 77, April 8, 2002, Riverside, California. Served in the Navy, 1943-46. Veterinarian with Lake Elsinore, California, Animal Hospital for 45 years.

Carl Baden (’56 Ag. Educ.), 66, May 2, 2002, Federal Way. Crop and cattle farmer in Pomeroy and Walla Walla, 1956-90.

Dawn Springer Larson (’56 Pharm.), June 5, 2002, Dallas, Oregon. Practiced pharmacy in Spokane; Pullman; Iowa City, Iowa; Corvallis; and Philomath, Oregon. Lived for a time in Sweden, Germany, and China. Taught English medical terminology to Chinese physicians and nurses. Retired to Hood River, Oregon in 1992.

1960s

Jane Ayer Blegen (’66 Elem. Educ.), 58, May 18, 2002, Spokane. Taught string and vocal music classes at public schools in Walla Walla for five years. Began playing the violin with the Spokane Symphony in 1972 and performed her last concert in February. Member of the Spokane String Quartet for 21 years and gave private lessons.

Nancy E. Falk (’68 Engl.), 55, April 1, 2002, Auburn. Taught middle school English and language arts for many years in the Evergreen School District in Vancouver. Owned Morgan horses and published several articles in the Morgan Horse magazine.

Robert W. Park (’69 Psych.), 54, May 23, 2002, Yakima. Joined the Air Force as medic in 1969 and flew air rescue missions in Vietnam. Received a master’s degree in education from Central Washington University in 1975. Taught at Wilson Middle School in Yakima, 1975-92. Coached basketball, volleyball, and track.

1970s

Norman Gray (’70 Hotel & Rest. Adm.), January 22, 2002, Telluride, Colorado, glider accident in New Zealand. Twenty-seven-year veteran of the ski patrol.

Deborah Treneer Pitman (’73 Journ.), 51, July 4, 2002, Richland, cancer.

Edgar ‘Al’ Vickery (’73 Physics, ’75 Elect. Engr.), 63, May 2, 2002, Gaithsburg, Maryland. Started working at Hanford for ARCO in 1975. Moved to Saudi Arabia in 1978 with ARCO. Returned to the U.S. in 1983, working in industrial security in Virginia. Returned to Hanford in 1986, working for many contractors until 2002, when he took a position with Battelle.

David Stiers (’74 Ph.D. Plant Path.), 59, March 12, 2002, Oklahoma City. Performed medical research at the Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City for the Department of Surgery Research. 

Gary Schrag (’75 Bus. Adm.), 49, April 26, 2002, Walla Walla. Joined Reese & Baffney law firm in 1978, now Reese, Baffney, Schrag & Frol. Specialized in estate planning and agricultural law. Deputy city attorney, 1978-82.

Betty F. Shepard (’76 Polit. Sci.), 47, May 11, 2002, Washington, D.C. Graduated from Georgetown Law Center in 1979. Worked as a management analyst in the Office of Civil Rights, Department of Education.

Margaret Emerick Doumit (’79 Comm.), 46, May 3, 2002, Puget Island, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Employed by KING-TV in Seattle for a year, then moved to Ireland to work for Dairy World Marketing. Known for introducing Irish cheese to the Canadian market. Began working with the Seattle Opera in 1985 and performed in many shows. Moved to Cathlamet in 1996 to work in software sales.

Donna Boisen Ganders (’79 Finance), 45, June 30, 2002, Olympia, endometrial cancer. Helped lead the first organized labor effort of bank employees in the state while at Ben Franklin National Bank in Pasco. Moved to Olympia in 1988 and later became director of finance and reimbursement for the Washington Health Care Association. Married to Larry Ganders, assistant to the president at WSU.

1980s

Greggory Brower (’82 Const. Mgmt.), 44, December 28, 2002, West Richland. Contract administrator for Bechtel Hanford.

L. Roger Sheffels (’87 Ag. Mech.), 37, May 22, 2001, Wilbur, aircraft accident near family farm. Fourth generation to manage 8,000-acre family farm.

1990s

Matthew Herzog (’96 Crim. Justice), 28, September 13, 2002, Bellingham, car accident. Deputy sheriff of Whatcom County. While Herzog was training another officer, the trainee pursued a car traveling in excess of 100 m.p.h., lost control of his vehicle, and struck a tree.

Tavia Thomas (’98 Hotel & Rest. Adm.), 26, July 11, 2002, Hillsboro, Oregon, traffic accident. Worked for Marriott Hotels in Santa Clara, California and Portland. Most recently she was program manager for Intel in Hillsboro.

Faculty & Staff

Gus W. Hokanson (’61 M.A. Extension), 88, May 5, 2002, Pasco. County extension agent until 1943. Served in the Navy aboard the USS Maryland and USS West Virginia. After the war, superintendent of Klock Produce in Seattle. Returned to cooperative extension in 1955 in Ephrata. Promoted to chair of the Franklin County Extension Office in Pasco in 1959. Sent to Turkey in 1967 to educate Turkish farmers on new wheat varieties and management practices. Retired in 1976.

Marjorie McMillen, 88, July 1, 2002, Bainbridge Island. Head resident of Duncan Dunn Hall at WSU for three years prior to her appointment as director of the Graduate Residence Center, where she served for 17 years. Retired in 1982.

Charles H. Drake, 86, May 20, 2002, Pullman. Retired as professor emeritus of bacteriology in 1980 after 38 years on the WSU faculty. Earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at University of Minnesota. Later taught at University of Kansas until joining WSU in 1944. 

Jon Christopher, 68, April 1, 2002, Mesa, Arizona. WSU assistant professor of kinesiology, 1968-99. Consulted for the National Golf Association and helped start the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at WSU.

Joe Cvancara, 68, June 18, 2002, Vacaville, California, esophageal cancer. Professor of agricultural education at WSU from 1972, until he retired in 1999. Taught at the University of Idaho, 1968-72. Received outstanding teaching awards at both WSU and UI. Served as a consultant for rural development in Malawi, Africa and Ukraine. Lived in Genesee, Idaho.

Jeremy Darcy-Evans, 44, August 9, 2002, Moscow, Idaho. Postdoctoral research assistant in the Department of Chemistry at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Lecturer in bioorganic chemistry at Oxford University in En-gland. Joined the WSU biochemistry, biophysics, and chemistry faculties in 1989. Received the Edward R. Meyer Distinguished Professorship in 1998. Director of the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center and the School of Molecular Biosciences at WSU.