1920s

Lawrence “Red” Graham (’26 Dairy), 101, October 15, 2003, Cashmere. Before and during the Depression, he worked at several dairies in Everett, Port Orchard, and Seattle. In 1934 he sold partnership in Graham’s Dairy in Seattle and bought an Oroville apple orchard. Manager of Tonasket Skookum Warehouse, 1937-38. In 1939 leased the orchard and moved to Seattle to teach agriculture at Highline High School until 1943. Returned to Oroville. Farmed until 1952. Sold orchard and moved to land on Lake Osooyoos. Later, he bought land near Ellisford and developed 70 acres of apples and pears with his son.

Elsie Jacobsen Stuhr (’26 Phys. Educ.), 100, December 26, 2003, Beaverton, Oregon. Longtime physical education teacher in Beaverton. Helped create Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District, the Northwest’s largest public parks and recreation district. Received Oregon Governor’s Award for Excellence, 1989.

Reed Newcomb Bement (’28 Pharm.), 97, December 11, 2003, Kirkland. Pharmacist in Seattle and a drug inspector for the state until 1944, when he joined the U.S. Navy. Ran a wholesale drug business until he became the executive secretary of the Washington State Pharmaceutical Association. Retired in 1965.

Mary Hungate Buckley (’29 Phys. Educ.), 98, January 22, 2004, Spokane. Champion WSU swimmer and diver. Taught kindergarten and second grade for many years in Spokane. Pi Beta Phi sorority.

Kathryn Ragsdale Gyde (’29 Phys. Educ.), 96, November 14, 2003, Wallace, Idaho. Taught earth science and geology in middle schools in Burke, Wallace, and Silver Hills, Idaho, before retiring in 1973.

1930s

Mildred Femling Gaddy (’30 Phys. Educ.), 96, December 8, 2003, Lacey. Trained at Walter Reed Army General Hospital in Washington, D.C., and began working there. Assigned officer in charge of physical therapy in U.S. Army Air Force hospitals in 1941 until the end of WWII. Later, worked at Hines Veterans Administration Hospital in Chicago.

Kenneth McCallister (’36 Agri.), 90, October 31, 2003, Forest Heights, Maryland, heart disease. Economics statistician for the USDA, 1938-69, and professor at the University of the District of Columbia, 1969-79.

Elizabeth Camp (’37 Music), 88, November 25, 2003, Colfax. Classical musician. Taught music in the LaCrosse and Colfax area for years. Kappa Delta sorority.

William Knorre, Jr. (x’37 Bus. Adm.), 88, December 11, 2003, Spokane. Served in the U.S. Army during WWII. Built several grocery businesses in Spokane and Deer Park.

Glen Cameron Adams (x’38), 91, October 17, 2003, Fairfield. Livestock breeder in Fairfield until 1951. Postmaster of Fairfield, retiring in 1972. Fairfield mayor, 1974-78. Started Ye Galleon Press in 1937. Printed his first book in 1939. Named to the Washington State Centennial Hall of Honor by the Washington State Historical Society in 1983.

Margaret Akers Schlegel (’38 Home Ec.), 89, December 12, 2003, Fresno, California. Taught home economics in Lake Chelan. Later was secretary and bookkeeper at the Madera Cooperative Cotton Gin in Fresno. Later, taught at Edison and Fresno city high schools, and was a staff member of the University of California Expanded Nutrition Education Program.

Bernadine Turner Carey (’39 Gen. Ed.), 86, December 13, 2003, Spokane. Homemaker active in civic organizations. President of the Associated Women Students while at WSU. Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.

Carl Crouse (’39 Zool.), 87, December 4, 2003, Olympia, heart failure. Served 36 years for the state Department of Game as game warden, field biologist, deputy director, and director from 1970 to 1976.  Later was regional director and president of the National Wildlife Federation. Instrumental in the creation of the Washington Wildlife Federation in 1988.

1940s

Lawrence “Mac” McCauley (’40 Agri., ’40 Educ), 90, November 19, 2003, Olympia. Taught vocational agriculture at Rockford and Freeman high schools for 35 years. Retired in 1975, when he was named the State Vocational Educator of the Year. Trained 30 WSU vo-ag candidate teachers and coached numerous state champion FFA judging teams. Delta Chi fraternity.

Dorothy Busch (’41 Engl.), 84, November 10, 2003, Spokane. Casework supervisor at the Department of Social and Health Services in Spokane for 19 years. Retired in 1984.

Otis Fortner (’41 M.S. Chem.), 85, January 6, 2004, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Retired research chemist with the Grant Chemical/Ferro Corp. 

William Low (’41 Chem.), 84, December 22, 2003, Syracuse, New York. U.S. Navy officer during WWII and the Korean conflict. Research chemist, beginning his career at Allied Signal Corp., Syracuse Research Laboratory, 1946. Retired in 1986, and then worked for General Chemical Co.

Russel G. Parkins, Sr. (’41 Metallurgical Engr.), 84, November 20, 2003, Rochester, New York, heart attack. Retired in 1978 as technical director of the Armed Services Explosive Safety Board after a 27-year career with the Department of Defense.

Ivan R. Shirrod (’41 Elect. Engr.), 85, December 10, 2003, Pullman. Began career with IBM in New York City. Moved to the Seattle area to work for IBM at the Naval shipyards and later for Boeing Airplane Co. Retired in 1973 to Pullman.

Gilbert F. Whipps (‘41 Pharm.), 85, October 22, 2003, Spokane. Administrative officer in the U.S. Air Corps in Australia and New Guinea, 1941-46. Started a pharmacy practice in Santa Monica, California, in 1954.

Anita Waadne Preston (’42 Phys. Educ.), October 2003, Tacoma. X-ray technician for Pierce County Hospital. Joined the WACs during WWII and received training as a physical therapist at Pierce County Hospital, where she treated polio patients and general orthopedic conditions for 16 years. First physical therapist employed by Pierce County Health Department. Retired in 1982. Honored by the city of Tacoma in 1991 as a Citizen Making a Difference and again in 2003 for her many contributions to the community.

Betty E. McGee (’43 Sociology, ’49 M.A. Sociology), 82, November 14, 2003, Las Cruces, New Mexico. Social worker.

Charles W. Howard (’44 D.V.M.), 84, Otis Orchards, Washington, pulmonary fibrosis. Owned a veterinary practice in Colfax for 17 years. In 1960 joined the USDA in Spokane. Visited many states a month at a time to help eradicate disease. Retired in 1980.

Lois J. Cunningham Roach (’45 Speech Comm.), 79, February 8, 2004, Spokane. Instructor at  WSU, 1946-48. Taught at Spokane Falls Community College and Gonzaga University. Joined speech department at Spokane Community College in 1968. Retired as department chair in 1990.

Earl F. Anderson (’46 Elect. Engr.), 87, November 16, 2003, Redmond. Applications engineer for General Electric in Lynn, Massachusetts, 1946-49. Electrical engineer for Washington Water Power in Spokane, 1951-74.

Mary Ferguson (’47 Psych.), November 12, 2003, Clarkston. 46-year career in teaching. First job was at Garner School, a one-room schoolhouse in Peck, Idaho. Later taught at Craigmont, Idaho, and in Washington at Colton, Asotin, Lind, and Clarkston.

Verona Ebe Harbaugh (’47 Home Ec.), 77, November 30, 2003, Santa Anna, California. Nursery schoolteacher in Encino. Secretary at Los Angeles State College.

Gilbert Graham (’49 Bus. Adm.), 84, November 13, 2003, Spokane. Served in the U.S. Army Air Corps in England, 1940-45. Owned Gilbert T. Graham and Associates, a Spokane accounting firm, 1954-93. Delta Chi fraternity.

Victor “Monty” Montgomery (’49 M.S. Psych.), 80, December 18, 2003, Moscow, Idaho. Joined the Army in 1942, earning a Purple Heart in the South Pacific. Civilian contractor to the U.S. Air Force in San Antonio, Albuquerque, and Denver. Worked on Boeing’s Man-in-Space Program in Seattle. Began teaching at the University of Redlands in California, 1961. Taught psychology at the University of Idaho, 1963-85, department chair for 10 years.

1950s

Mollie Lou Jensen Bedford (’50 Educ.), August 16, 2003, Evergreen, Colorado, lung cancer. Taught secondary school in Oregon, California, and Alaska. 

Ronald M. Button (’50 Civil Engr.), 78, Tacoma, February 11, 2004, cancer. Civil engineer on the design of the I-5 freeway through Pierce County  for the Washington State Highway Department. Joined the city of Tacoma Public Works Department, 1952. Became chief of the Building Division, city engineer, and was director of public works, 1976-85. Was in charge of the restoration of the Stadium Bowl in Tacoma, design and construction of the Tacoma Dome, and design of Highway I-705 and I-509. Member of WSU’s Northern Division championship basketball team, 1950. Theta Chi fraternity.

George Dodds (’50 Bus. Adm.), 75, January 6, 2004, Spokane. Served in the National Guard for 27 years, retiring as a major, 1997. Worked in the insurance industry for 31 years in various capacities, including insurance instructor at Spokane Falls Community College. Past president of the Insurance Agents and Brokers of Spokane. Sigma Nu fraternity. 

Vernon Scott Murbach (’50 Foreign Lang., ’52 Foreign Lang.), 77, November 26, 2003, Silver Spring, Maryland, lung cancer. Retired U.S. Foreign Service officer.

Ralph Kilpatrick (’51 Speech Comm.), 76, December 8, 2003, Oakesdale. Created RMK Farms, Inc., a family farm corporation, 1949.

John Westergreen (’51 Agri., ’51 Educ.), 79, December 5, 2003, Nooksack Valley, lymphoma. Worked for 38 years as a teacher, extension agent, and as member relations supervisor for Darigold’s Northwest Dairymen.

Norma French Hobble (’52 Gen. St.), 74, May 23, 2003, Chelan, multiple sclerosis.

Ted Bryant (’53 Speech), 74, November 20, 2003, Portland, Oregon, heart attack. Sports broadcaster. Reporter for KTNT-TV, Tacoma. Reporter-anchor KING-TV, Seattle. Moved to Portland, where he was anchor for KATU-TV, news director for KOIN-TV, talk-show host for KXL radio, and news director for KOPB National Public Radio. Two-term president of the Oregon Associated Press Broadcasters Association.

William E. Kreitz (’55 Bus. Adm.), 73, October 31, 2003, Fairfax, Virginia, lung cancer. Employed by Boeing in the 1950s. Contracts administrator for Atlantic Research Corp., 1963-1990, Alexandria, Virginia. Phi Delta Theta fraternity.

Joy Brown Hofstrand (’59 M.A. Home Ec.), 86, November 15, 2003, Pullman. Taught school in British Columbia and Saskatchewan for nine years. Worked for WSU for 13 years.

1960s

Michael P. Whitelaw (’60 Forestry), 67, January 31, 2004, Spokane. Worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs for 37 years as a forester and superintendent on several Indian reservations in Washington and Montana, retiring in 1993.

Raymond Blumenschein (’62 Pharm.), 64, January 4, 2004, Endicott. Owned and operated drugstores for 30 years. Started as manager of Tick Klock Drug in St. John, which he later purchased. Also owned stores in Wilbur, and at Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Dennis R. Johnson (’63 Police Sci.), 63, February 5, 2004, Camarillo, California, brain cancer. Military policeman with the U.S. Air Force for six years. Retired FBI special agent with service in Dallas, Texas; Appleton, Wisconsin; and Los Angeles. WSU varsity golfer. Phi Kappa Theta fraternity. 

J. Richard Quirk (’63 Political Sci.), August 2003, pancreatic cancer. Retired U.S. Navy lieutenant commander. Practiced law in Seattle.

Stephen Kikuchi (’68 Engl.), 57, January 27, 2003, Indianola. Assistant director of human resources for King County. He previously worked for the city of Seattle and the U.S. Office for Civil Rights. ASWSU president in 1967-68.

1970s

Michael W. McDonald (’70 Political Sci.), December 23, 2003, Houston, Texas, Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Marion Davis Bateman (’71 Journalism), 95, December 2, 2003, Sun City, Arizona. Alpha Delta Pi sorority.

Arthur K. Bell (’71 Elect. Engr.), 56, December 13, 2003, Spokane Valley. Worked for WSU, American Sign and Indicator, General Instruments, and Transtector until 1988.

Phyllis Adrienne Haynes  (’75 Apparel, Merch. & Interior Design), 51, December 17, 2003, Seattle. Created Adrienne Originals, a business providing tailoring services and original designs. Consultant for Bedazzles, a clothing retail store in Seattle. In 1991, she began working as an account executive for Dudley Products, a beauty-product company. Founded Native Flavor, a travel agency specializing in trips to Jamaica.

Rich Novak (’75 M.S. Forest & Range Mgmt.), 56, January 21, 2004, Charlotte County, Florida. Since 1997, he was a Charlotte County extension agent for the Florida Sea Grant, researching artificial reefs, marine and habitat enhancement, and coastal and marine recreation. Earlier worked for the North Carolina Sea Grant for 14 years.

1980s

Gina Tomasi (’84 Engl.), 42, January 30, 2003, Gig Harbor, cancer. Served as chief executive officer of Irving Cares, Inc. Was an English-as-a-second-language trainer for a Vietnamese relocation project.

Guy Stehly (’87 Ph.D. Pharm.), 49, March 6, 2003, La Crosse, Wisconsin. Worked for the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration at the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1987-88; the Armstrong Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio, 1989; and the Food and Drug Administration’s Fishery Research Laboratory on Dauphin Island, Alabama, 1990-93. From 1993 on, he was a research pharmacologist at the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center in La Crosse.

1990s

Army capt. James Allen Shull (’95 Criminal Justice), 32, November 17, 2003, from Kirkland, died in Baghdad while serving with the 1st Armored Division. Joined the U.S. Army in 1996. Most recently was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas.

Renee Armel Wolfson (’95 D.V.M.), 40, December 10, 2003, Port Angeles. Veterinarian at Angeles Clinic for Animals. Earlier practiced in Tacoma and Olympia.

Mark T. Sullivan (’97 M.B.A.), 41, November 21, 2003, Vancouver, leukemia.

Faculty & Staff

Hank Wolfe, 82, January 9, 2004, Redmond. Spent 40 months in the Army during WWII. Agronomist for the University of Nebraska, and then worked for the WSU Extension Service for 20 years. Retired in 1977.

Ronald Sorem, 79, December 22, 2003, Tekoa. WSU geology professor, 1959-82. Authority on manganese nodules occurring on the deep-ocean floor. Part of an international scientific team that studied manganese nodules and the ecological impact of deep-ocean mining. His collection of manganese nodules at the Smithsonian Institution is unique to the world. Authored many technical articles.

Luverne J. Williams, 77, September 5, 2003, Bainbridge Island. Secretary to longtime sociologist Paul Landis, WSU dean of Graduate School, 1946, and assistant to Stuart Hazlet, dean of the Graduate School, 1946-49.

Ladd Mitchell, 70, November 29, 2003, Ephrata. Spent 35 years in WSU Extension Service.