1940s
Everlyn Marie Bafus (’40 Home Ec.) reports hearing from two grandchildren at WSU. Another granddaughter graduated in 2001 Phi Beta Kappa and is studying at George Washington University Medical School. All four of her children are WSU grads.
Margaret “Gretchen” von Marbod Simmons (’40 Speech), Seattle, spent August 2001 visiting friends and familiar places in Europe.
Last spring Betty McGee (’43 Soc., ’43 M.A. Soc.), Las Cruces, New Mexico, wrote, “My 12-year-old grandson has been selected as a member of a soccer team that will participate in a tournament in Sweden in July. He agreed that if we are good, we may go along.”
1950s
Betty Erdmann (’50 Psych.) lives in Port Orchard. She completed a doctorate at Columbia University and is now a clinical nutritionist giving metabolic advice to correct food imbalances. She and her husband, Robert, travel twice a year to England, where they lived for eight years.
Willis (’50 Bus. Adm.) and Nadene Pehl (’50 Bus. Adm.) of Sun Lakes, Arizona, write, “What a great way to close out year 2001 with a Cougar win in the Sun Bowl and a 10th-ranked football team. Our two 17-year-old granddaughters—Mary Lynne and Allison—were with us in El Paso, Texas for the game. Hopefully they will be on campus at WSU in 2003!”
Bob Schuster (’50 Geol.) retired from the U.S. Geological Survey in 1996 and lives in Golden, Colorado with his wife, Pat. He studied landslides worldwide during his many years with the USGS. In the past year, he was a consultant on landslide problems in Tajikistan and at the Panama Canal. After earning a master’s degree and his doctorate in civil engineering at Purdue, he was employed on the faculties of the University of Colorado and the University of Idaho.
Theo Klein (’50 Agri.) and his wife, Kathleen, have traveled all over North America and to China, Russia, Vietnam, and Europe. “My favorite country is probably Vietnam,” he writes.
Dolores Graham Doyle (’51 Gen. St.), Fresno, is the president of the Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese of San Joaquin, California.
In 2001, Vance Morse (’51 Geol.) moved from California to a new home in Sun City, Texas “to be near most of our children, and [we] love it.”
Thomas Russell Kutz (’52 D.V.M.) has done volunteer work at the University of Washington for the past 10 years, and for the past three with the Seattle Parks on trail maintenance and native plant restoration projects. His travels have taken him to Ecuador, Galapagos, Brazil, Argentina, Antarctica, Kenya, China, and Costa Rica.
Richard E. Johnson (’52 Civil Engr.), Lake Havasu City, Arizona, retired as senior vice president of Wright Schuchart Harbor Construction Co. He reports, “Enjoying golf, good weather, family, and following the Cougars.”
Debra Kwong (’55 Pharm.), Seattle, is a pharmaceutical sales representative for Eli Lilly & Co.
Joe Meagher (‘57 Speech/Radio-TV) and son Brad Meagher (‘81 Environ. Sci.) are partners in the Everett law practice of Meagher & Meagher.
In May Carolyn Manus Meagher (‘57 Speech/Radio-TV) published her new cookbook, Seasoned with Love: Recipes & Reflections—Heart-Healthy Recipes and Reflections about Food, Family, Friends and Faith (SpringBoard Publishing, Everett). She writes: “After retiring from the Everett School District as supervisor of public relations, I resumed my free-lance writing career.”
Patricia Chisholm Tiede (‘59 Soc.) retired in December 2001 after a 35-year career in office administration at the headquarters of Club Managers Association of America and at the Industrial Research Institute, both in the Washington, D.C. area. Having “been there, done that,” she is now enjoying no stress and total relaxation, which includes tending to her 15th-floor balcony garden in Bethesda, Maryland, and traveling far and wide, visiting people who have been in her life for the last 50 years.
1960s
Sandy Mansfield (’66 Phys. Ed.) was named January 2002 Teacher of the Month by Eastern Washington University. She is a preschool and kindergarten teacher at First Presbyterian Preschool in Spokane. She previously taught for 12 years at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle and one year on the “Bill Nye: the Science Guy” television program.
Allen G. Wesselius (’67 D.V.M.), a retired veterinarian who practiced for more than 30 years in Centralia, received the John McClelland Award.
Since 1989 Leigh Hess (’67 Comm., Radio/TV), Long Beach, California, has been an instructor of communications at California State University, Dominguez Hills, Cal State University, Long Beach, Cerritos College, Saddleback College, and Mission Viejo. From 1967 to 1989, he was employed by KHQ-TV in Spokane as an announcer, reporter, news anchor, and host of “High School Bowl.”
1970s
Brad R. Bennett (’71 Police Sci. & Adm.) retired October 5, 2002. He was a police officer for 31 years—28 with the City of South Lake Tahoe, Nevada, including the last four as chief of police and fire. His career brought a wide variety of assignments—patrol, traffic, detective, narcotics, SWAT, and administration.
Phil Anderson (’70 Phys. Ed.) was presented certificates for meritorious service as a member of the Pullman Fire Department reserve program since 1972. He continues to teach driver’s education at Pullman High School, where he has been a longtime athletic trainer.
Peggy Ludwick (’70 Bact.), Yakima, has done gender equity work for area school districts, specializing in women’s history curriculum, Title IX compliance, and math and science success for minority middle-school-aged girls. She is a faculty member at the Smithsonian and Natural Science Resource Center.
Last December John L. Briehl (’72 Comm., ’73 Soc.) was appointed executive director of the City of Tacoma’s Human Rights and Human Services Department, and Human Rights Commission. He writes, “It sounds weird, but in my job I’m the executive director of both the department and the commission.”
Since graduating from Harvard Law School in 1978, Greg Bader (’72 M.A. Polit. Sci.) has enjoyed a varied legal career with Fortune 500 companies, large law firms, and, currently, the State of Texas, where he is assistant general counsel for the Railroad Commission. “It actually spends 90 percent of its time regulating Texas’s huge oil and gas production,” he writes.
Marsha Bliggenstorfer (’73 Wildland Rec., ’75 Bact.), Wenatchee, received her teaching certificate from Central Washington University in June 2001 and now is pursuing a master’s degree in education.
After completing his M.B.A. at the University of Phoenix (Arizona) in June 2001, Jack Morby (’74 Math.) spent August and September in Eastern Europe. He is an information technology project manager for Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland.
Patricia Nissen Ricard (’75 Elem. Educ.), Bremerton, is a learning specialist for a K-6 elementary school in the Central Kitsap School District. Two of her children attend WSU.
Paula Royalty (‘75 Psych.), Bellevue, is a first-year law student at the University of Washington. She hopes to practice as a defense attorney in Seattle when she graduates in 2005. For the past 13 years she has had her own business productivity consulting practice, WorkSmart. She received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at the UW in 1978 and her M.B.A. at UCLA in 1986.
Joseph Daniels (’77 Gen. St.), Long Grove, Illinois, has sold two businesses and has started a third—International Importing Co. Imports come mainly from China and Mexico. He writes, “China has really opened up in the last year and a half.”
Melinda K. Lande Sechrist (’78 Int. Design) has been inducted as a fellow of the American Society of Interior Designers. She is president of Sechrist Design Associates, Inc. in Seattle. She was cited for helping enhance her profession by providing guest lectures nationally. She has been published in Washington Post, Investor’s Business Daily, Los Angeles Times, and Seattle Times and has made guest appearances on several Seattle television programs and ABC TV’s “Good Morning America.”
Jack Kriesel (’78 Chem. Engr.) was promoted to vice president and general manager of the Jesup (Georgia) Mill of Rayonier, Inc. He joined Rayonier in 1978 as a process engineer in Port Angeles. Rayonier, a supplier of high-performance and specialty cellulose fibers, has 2.3 million acres of timberland.
Kevin Laughlin (’78 Agri. Ed., ’79 Teach. Cert.) accepted the position of Ada County extension educator in Boise, after completing his Doctor of Education degree at the University of Idaho.
Angela Seeds (’78 Bact.), Daphne, Alaska, works for the sales department of Lion Chemicals. Recently divorced, she has gone back to school, hoping to enter the Physicians Assistant Program at the University of South Alabama.
Diane Hough (’79 Home Ec., ’79 Educ.), Mercer Island, is an educator and psychotherapist for LMHC. She became a licensed mental health counselor in 1989 and has a full-time private practice. She retired from teaching in 1995 but is a frequent trainer and presenter for schools and businesses.
1980s
Gary McFarland (‘80 Phys. Educ./Pre-Phys. Therapy), Janice Druzianich McFarland (‘80 Rec. and Park Adm.), and their two teenagers are on a 12-month, self-contained bicycling trip throughout the world. They left SeaTac July 1, 2002 and will return June 30, 2003. Gary had been practicing physical therapy in Silverdale since 1982. Janice owns her own Pilates Studio. Their Website for this venture is www.cycling-farlands.com
Eric R. Spangenberg (’82 Bus. Adm.) was named to the new position of associate dean for faculty affairs and research in WSU’s College of Business and Economics, effective July 1, 2002. He is responsible for annual appraisals of faculty, promotion, and tenure review, and improvements to the college’s performance appraisal system, among other duties. He joined the WSU marketing faculty in 1990.
James Couch (’83 Rec. & Leisure St.), Puyallup, received the 2001 “Sports Volunteer of the Year” award from the Puyallup Recreation Department. He started coaching his son in 1992 and has coached two or three sports a year since then. He is an inspector for Boeing’s customer service.
William Bohrnsen (’84 Ed.D.) retired as superintendent of Woodland (Washington) Public Schools in July 2000. He continues to be involved in staff development and educational consulting for HOSTS Learning (Help One Student To Succeed), in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Colorado. He is finishing his second year as president of the WSU College of Education Alumni Association.
Dan Gustafson (’84 Hotel & Rest. Adm.) is vice president of the St. Louis Area Hotel Association. He has worked for Marriott for 18 years, most recently as the general manager at the Marriott Hickory Ridge Conference Center in the Lisle/Oakbrook, Illinois area.
Joe Esparza (’84 Rec. & Leisure St.) is president of Leadership Outfitters, a 10-year-old international leadership development company in Bozeman, Montana. The company offers unique products—from outdoor “development retreats” on the ranch where the movie The Horse Whisperer was filmed to leadership “communities” for entire companies.
Brent Banister (’85 Math., ’89 Ph.D. Math.) has been named a fellow of the Society of Actuaries, the highest professional recognition an actuary can receive. An actuary designs financial programs by using statistical and economic techniques to analyze risks and probabilities to evaluate implications of future events.
Donna Leone Ehrhard (’85 Soc. Sci.), Sedro-Wooley, is a case manager for Pioneer Human Services. Previously she was a certified counselor at Sundown M Ranch in Selah for eight years.
Phillip Kenoyer (’85 Hist.) has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel while serving with the U.S. Marines’ Marine Air Control Squadron Seven in Yuma, Arizona.
Eric Straub (‘85 Comp. Sci.) splits his time between Redmond and Chehalis, working for Microsoft. He is a WSU Foundation trustee.
In May Kathryn Simon (‘86 Polit. Sci.) completed her M.B.A. at Saint Martin’s College in Lacey. She owns Common Folk Co., a gift and home decor shop in Centralia.
Sally Bryant DeChenne (‘89 English) left her position as chief advancement officer at Marymount College in Palos Verdes, California to start her own consulting business. DeChenne Company/Philanthropy Consulting provides counsel to colleges, universities, and other educational institutions regarding fundraising. She lives and works in Playa del Rey.
Stewart Karstens (’89 Bus. Adm.), Seattle, is a territory manager for Specialty Retail Venture Retail, a seasonal retail company. On his off-time, which is five months, he plays on a local mini-golf tour. He played pro golf full-time for several years.
Carl Lemon (’89 Comm./Broadcast Prod.) and his wife, Kris Pickel, Tucson, won the Regional RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award in Documentary News. His news story, “Tucson Riots: Use of Force,” dealt with the riots in Tucson following last year’s loss in the NCAA Basketball Championship. The story profiles how the Tucson police reacted to rioters. Kris is the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. anchor at KOLD 13 CBS in Tucson. Carl is one of the station’s videographers.
Kevin L. Olson (’89 Sports Mgmt.), marketing director for 24 Hour Fitness in San Diego, has begun a sports business Website at http://www.athleticdirectory.com. He lives in Solana Beach.
1990s
Sandra Franklin Van Valkenburg (’90 For. Lang. & Lit.) of Poulsbo teaches German and history at Bremerton High.
Roberta Sangster (’90 M.A. Soc.) is a research psychologist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics in Washington, D.C. In August 2001 she presented a paper on Internet survey design to the International Conference on Improving Survey Quality in Copenhagen.
Troy Hull (‘92 Civ. Engr.) and Joanna Magee Hull (‘88-’89) live in Camas with their three young children. Troy manages the Geotechnical Services Department and is a senior geotechnical engineer for PSI, Inc. in Portland. He has worked for PSI since graduation with stays in Portland, Honolulu, and Eugene.
Nicole Mirante (’92 Comm.) is a screen writer in Los Angeles. She writes, “My last produced project was the Lifetime TV series, ‘Any Day Now,’ starring Annie Potts. I have also completed two feature-length screenplays. My second feature, a romantic comedy entitled ‘Worthy,’ is currently being considered by Sandra Bullock’s company, Fortis Films, and Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope Studios. I am at work on my third feature-length screenplay—a thriller tentatively called ‘Night.’ ”
Brian Cable (’93 Polit. Sci.) has joined the Portland law firm of Tonkon Torp, where he practices business law with an emphasis on corporate securities.
Todd B. Edmiston (’94 Biol.) graduated from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine in May. He began his residency training in orthopedic surgery in July, also at the University of South Alabama in Mobile.
Jim Valley (’94 Comm.) has been employed at KEX radio in Portland for three years. He writes, “It’s been a good experience.” He is a reporter and news anchor and has done a few talk shows. He has won a pair of regional Murrow awards for reporting in the past two years.