Alumni Achievement Awards

Last winter the Alumni Association honored sports greats James Donaldson (’79 Soc.) and Craig Ehlo (x ’86 Soc. Sci.) with Alumni Achievement Awards for their contributions to Washington State University and professional basketball, as well as service to their respective communities.

Donaldson, who was drafted by the Seattle Supersonics after graduating in 1979, enjoyed a 14-year National Basketball Association career and was a 1988 NBA All-Star. He now lives in Seattle and is owner of Donaldson Physical Therapy & Fitness and the Donaldson Clinic, which he first opened in 1990 with the idea that he would go into physical therapy work at the end of his basketball career. (See Washington State Magazine, winter 2003-04.)

Ehlo, a native of Lubbock, Texas, played at WSU until he was drafted by the Houston Rockets in 1983. (See WSM, summer 2002.) Over the next 14 years he played in succession for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Atlanta Hawks, and the Seattle Supersonics. He now works as a color commentator for Fox Sports Net, covering the Sonics and the NBA for the Northwest Sports Report.

Both basketball greats are active in their communities, play with the Gray W National Varsity Club, and are life members of the Alumni Association.

Also named for Alumni Achievement Awards last winter was Donald M. Newbold (’50 Bus. Admin.), Spokane. A former marine who fought at Iwo Jima, Newbold returned to Washington State College at the close of World War II to earn his degree, then went into the insurance businesses. He owned Olympia Insurance Brokers near Lacey. His community work includes memberships in the Lions Club, the Masons, and the American Legion. As an alumnus, he has served on many committees, helping determine scholarships and organize local alumni functions.