1940s
Ed Ray (’48 Engr.) of Conover Insurance received the top honor of the Independent Agents and Brokers of Washington, the Don C. Burnam Lifetime Achievement award, for his 62 years of service.
1950s
Roberta “Bobbie” Tucker Ulrich (’50 Engl.) lives in Beaverton, Oregon. She has written two books. American Indian Nations from Termination to Restoration, 1953-2006 was published in December 2010 by the University of Nebraska Press. Empty Nets, Indians, Dams, and the Columbia River was published in 2007 by the Oregon State University Press. Ulrich is recipient of a WSU Alumni Achievement Award for outstanding contributions to the field of journalism. The award was presented to Ulrich on November 12, 1991, in Washington, >D.C.
George Pickett (’51 Mil. Sci.) retired from the U.S. Air Force and Washington State Department of Information Systems. He has lived in Olympia for 37 years on Eld Inlet. He has four children, ten grandchildren, and two great-grandsons.
1960s
Roger Briscoe (’61 Mus.) is a professor emeritus from Raritan College in New Jersey and music director for the Central Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Master Chorale.
Larry Evans (‘66 Comm.) retired on October 31, 2009, from the Washington State Patrol Communications Division in Bremerton after having served 37 years.
Sue Gillespie ’68 and Mike Gillespie ’69 recently established a “Golden Onion Award” for Walla Walla teachers to use for supplies or training. Each year, three teachers in the Walla Walla Public Schools District will be awarded $500. Sue is a regular volunteer at Helpline food bank, a board member at the Kirkman House Museum, and secretary for the Chamber Music board. Mike, a retired orthopedic surgeon, is a board member for Helpline, the Walla Walla Community College Foundation, and the SOS Clinic.
1970s
Ronald F. Marshall (’71 Phil.) recently published two articles in the International Kierkegaard Commentary, “No Quack Doctor: Kierkegaard’s Dialectical Understanding of God’s Changelessness,” and “The Traversed Path: Kierkegaard’s Complex Way to Religious Simplicity.” Marshall has been pastor of First Lutheran Church of West Seattle since 1979.
Scott Anderson (’72 Bus.), former group president of Kohler Hospitality & Real Estate, announced the re-opening of his consultancy, High Country Hospitality. With more than 30 years of hotel operations, marketing and technology experience, Anderson will work with facility owners to identify ways to improve customer service, enhance their bottom lines, and drive market share.
Muriel Oaks (’72 MEd, ’78 PhD) retired from her post as dean of the WSU Center for Distance and Professional Education. She began working with distance education in 1982.
Russell L. Moore (’78 MS, ’82 PhD Biol.) was named provost and executive vice chancellor for the University of Colorado at Boulder. Moore has been serving as interim provost since July 1, 2010. Previously, Moore served as associate vice chancellor for research (2006-09). He also served as chair of kinesiology and applied physiology from 1994 to 2001, and was an assistant professor (1984-86), associate professor (1993-96), and then full professor (1996-present) in that department.
1980s
H. Kevin Mest (‘80 Acct.) is the new vice president of business development at Shuttle Smart Inc., the Seattle based corporate parent company of two nation-wide transportation companies, Event Transportation Associates (ETA) and Destination Shuttle Services. During the previous 24 years, Mest was the regional vice president for First Student (formerly Laidlaw Transit Inc.), providing contracted transportation services to school districts, public transit agencies, and public charter work for major events. He began his career in 1980 as a CPA with Deloitte in the Seattle office.
Joan M. Hanley (’80 Env. Sci.) was chosen to be president of the Gettysburg Foundation. She was general superintendent of the National Parks of Western Pennsylvania, which includes the national memorial of Flight 93 and Fort Necessity National Battlefield.
Joanne Dunn Smith (’80 Psych.) is a senior contract specialist at Battelle in Richland. Joanne worked for Westinghouse for 19 years and Fluor Federal Services for 12 years supporting projects such as Hanford, FEMA, AFCAP, and LOGCAP. Currently she places and administers large construction and technical services contracts.
Jill Johanson (’81 Poli. Sci.) graduated from Willamette College of Law in 1985. She worked for Cowltiz County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for many years. In 2002 she was appointed and then elected to Cowlitz County Superior Court. Judge Johanson was recently elected to Washington State Court of Appeals, Division II. She has been married to attorney Patrick Kubin for 23 years and they have four children.
Ken Raffa (’81 PhD, Ent.) received the Founders’ Memorial award from the Entomological Society of America. Dr. Raffa is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Mark K. Comstock (’83 Poli. Sci.) has joined Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) in the newly created role of vice president of real estate and store development. Mark’s leadership responsibilities include new store site acquisition and development, management of REI’s growing companywide portfolio of real estate assets, and facilities management of the co-op’s headquarters in Kent.
Robert M. McNutt (’83, ’84 MBA) is senior vice president and chief financial officer of Greif Inc., an industrial packaging products and services company. He was previously at Boise Inc. as senior vice president and chief financial officer. He began his career as an auditor for Boise Cascade Corporation, and served in several positions for the company, working in treasury, international business development, and building products.
Mike Nolan (’84 Crim.Jus.) began his career with the Seattle Police Department in 1985. In July of 2010, he was promoted to captain and assigned as the city-wide night duty commander. He began his assignment as the Commander of the south precinct in December of 2010.
Dwight Anderson (’85 MS, ’88 PhD Chem. Engr.), bioconversion lead for Catchlight Energy LLC, has been recognized by Cambridge Who’s Who for demonstrating dedication, leadership, and excellence in technology management and engineering. Anderson has 22 years of experience in the profession, with three years of experience at Catchlight Energy.
Stephen Hinck (’85 Bus.) has been appointed resident manager of Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, returning to the 1,310-room resort where he previously served as food and beverage director from 2005 to 2008. Most recently, Hinck served as director of operations at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island.
Eric Patten (’85 Poli. Sci.) is Esri’s new director of defense and intelligence global solutions. Patten was commissioned as a U.S. Navy officer in 1985. He received his master of arts in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College in 2000. He piloted helicopters, flying missions during the Persian Gulf War. He later served as commander of a helicopter antisubmarine squadron. From 2005 to 2007, he was the navigator of the USS Ronald Reagan, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with a crew of 4,500 personnel. His last post was director of operations and public safety for Navy Region Southwest, which oversees more than 10 installations including Naval Base Coronado, Naval Base Point Loma, and Naval Station San Diego.
Wade Luce (’87 Comm.) took the position of director, Business Consulting Group, for Dominion Marine Media. The group provides boat builders, equipment and accessory manufacturers, and large dealer groups with custom advertising and lead generation programs on YachtWorld.com, BoatTrader.com, Boats.com, and MarineWebServices.com.
John Pietig (’88 Bus.) became city manager of Laguna Beach, California, in December. Pietig worked for nine years as assistant city manager in Laguna Beach, and previously worked in Alhambra and Riverside.
1990s
Roger Nyhus (’90 Comm.) is president and CEO of Nyhus Communications LLC, a leading Seattle-based strategic communications and advocacy firm. He has been named Public Relations Professional of the Year by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Puget Sound Chapter.
Jeff Auter (’91 Comm.) was appointed by Platt Electric Supply as vice president of the western Washington region. He has worked for the company for 17 years. Auter will oversee Platt’s 20 branches in the western Washington region and new branch expansion, including all sales, marketing, and operational activities.
Leah Barker (’91 Elem. Ed.) has a new role at Duval County’s Take Stock in Children. A childhood bout with encephalitis took her eyesight temporarily and nearly her life. Her mentors during her recovery led her to a career in education. Barker is married to former NFL (Jaguars) punter Bryan Barker. They started a sports camp for girls in 1996 called Let Us Play! and live in Atlantic Beach, Florida.
James Filsinger (’91 Bus., ’92 MBA) is the new chief executive officer for EZYield.com, the originator of automated online distribution management solutions for the worldwide hospitality industry. A veteran of more than 14 years in the travel industry, prior to joining EZYield.com, Filsinger held the position of chief executive officer and general manager for Moneydirect Ltd., an international joint venture between Sabre Inc. and Amadeus IT.
Nancy “Lynn” Palmanteer-Holder (’91 MEd) is executive director for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation. She is a member of the Colville Tribes, and daughter of the late Eddie Palmanteer Jr., a longtime tribal leader. Palmanteer-Holder is working with five Pacific Northwest tribes on her dissertation for a doctorate in social Indian policy from the University of Washington.
Tammy Buss Alejandre (’93 Ed., ’98 MA), a teacher in the Ferndale School District, earned National Board Certification in November 2010.
Vern Thompson (’96 Crim.Jus.) moved from his position as a Kelso police captain to become chief of police in Eagle Point, Oregon.
2000s
John Jeffrey Gish (’01 Engr.) and wife Melissa (’01 Ed.) were married while attending WSU, and taught for a few years in California before they had their first child. They moved back to the northwest where John received management training at WSU Spokane. They are currently running Action Moving Services in Spokane, and Melissa has been a stay at home mom for the last few years. She has also recently started a hyper-local blog about their community, called Spokane Southie.
Troy Bishop (’03 Arch., ’04 MAR) has joined the Spokane office of NAC|Architecture as a designer/architectural intern.
John Boone Helm (’03 Comm.) is a former employee of the WSU Museum of Art. Now he is marketing director of Parlor Live comedy club in Bellevue.
Lindsay Fisher (’03 Bus.) has been promoted to vice president of administration at Evergreen Memorial Gardens Funeral Chapel in Vancouver, Washington. Lindsay has been with Evergreen Memorial Gardens since February 2006.
Justin Esch (’04 History) of J & D’s Bacon Salt have gone so far as to create a 14.25”x 8” x 11.5” statue (with marble base included) of Kevin Bacon’s head, out of bacon. The inedible statue is currently for sale. The proceeds will go to Ashley’s Team, which is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization that helps to bring joy to childhood cancer patients and their families. The statue is the product of a joint cooperation between J&D’s Foods and What Do Bacon Do?
Leah Dauer Murphy (’05 Bus., ’07 MBA) was promoted from senior associate to assistant vice president at HVS, a global hospitality consulting and valuation firm. She has been with HVS since 2007 and has developed market area expertise in Southern California.
Linda Bork (’06 Nur.), an ER nurse at the Othello Community Hospital, received the Daisy Award for nurses who go above and beyond the call of duty. In her spare time, Bork enjoys cooking, reading, and riding her bicycle. Her favorite hobby is traveling.
Julie E. Jansen (’06 Bus.) graduated from Oklahoma City University School of Law in May 2010. Julie was in the top 25 of her law class. She now works for Hayes Legal Group in Oklahoma City.
Jenna Cederberg (’07 Comm.) will write for the Missoulian newspaper’s Native American news blog, BuffaloPost.net, which delivers a daily accounting of top Native news in the United States.
Joshua P. Berning (’08 PhD Econ.) is assistant professor at the University of Connecticut in the Food Marketing Policy Center. His focus is consumer economics, food marketing, and industrial organization.
Melissa Sanborn (’08 MS) and partner Mike Pearson bought an abandoned vineyard along the Potlatch River in Idaho three years ago and transformed it into Colter’s Creek Winery and Vineyards. They will soon be shipping their wine around Washington. Melissa studied wine chemistry and sensory science in graduate school at WSU.
Tamara Vallejos (’08 Engl.) writes about the arts for NPR.org, Spin.com, and FILTER magazine, among other publications. She wrapped up a masters in arts journalism from Syracuse University in 2010 and returned to Washington to work for the Seattle Opera.
Yance Huang (’09 Nurs.), a registered nurse for more than a year at the Avalon Care Center in Pullman, was selected by Avalon Health Care from its more than 4,500 employees as the company’s Employee of the Year.