Spring 2021
Talkback for Spring 2021
Letters from Washington State University alumni about Native American health education, as well as a memory of the live mascot Butch » More ...
Resources and Offices
Spring 2021
From the president
Washington State University President Kirk Schulz writes about new buildings will further WSU research and support for the state for COVID-19 vaccination. » More ...
Spring 2021
Meet you at the depot
When the train was the way to travel to Pullman and Washington State » More ...
Spring 2021
When Duane and Arleen met
Washington State alumni Duane and Arleen Stowe met at the college, forging a lifelong romance. » More ...
Spring 2021
What to read: Offerings from WSU Press
Here’s a round-up of reading recommendations featuring 11 titles curated by the staff at WSU Press.
Be Brave, Tah-hy!: The Journey of Chief Joseph’s Daughter by Jack R. Williams with illustrations by Jo Proferes (2012). Exquisitely illustrated and rich with depictions of Nimiipuu Dreamer culture, Tah-hy’s young voice narrates this novel about the harrowing 1877 flight of the Nez Perce.
Edge of Tomorrow: An Arctic Year by Sam Wright (1998). Living in a hand-built, 12-foot-by-12-foot cabin in the Brooks Range of Alaska 100 miles inside the Arctic Circle, Wright records his experiences and thoughts through seasonal changes, as he and his wife spend … » More …
Spring 2021
We met @ WSU
Love stories from Cougs far and wide
We asked. You answered.
Washington State Magazine wanted to hear from couples who had met at Washington State University. Turns out WSU is quite the prolific matchmaker.
Here are some stories of how Coug couples met.
Want to add yours? Email your anecdote along with then-and-now photos to associate editor Adriana Janovich at adriana.janovich@wsu.edu.
Meantime, enjoy these meet-cutes.
Chrissy Pettepiece & Carl Christoferson
Jessica Stafford & Joel Harper
… » More …
Winter 2020
The lost history of polio at Washington State
The message was so important that it was repeated twice above the fold.
The February 8, 1928, issue of The Evergreen exclaimed on both sides of the masthead, “All college entertainment features, athletic contests and social events have been cancelled until further notice is given as a precaution against the spread of infantile paralysis.”
Infantile paralysis is an old synonym for poliomyelitis, or polio, a viral disease that causes muscle pain, weakness, stiffness, and paralysis. At one time, it was among the most feared diseases in the United States.
In early 1928, a student at Washington State College died from the disease, and the college … » More …
Winter 2020
The Butch Brawl
The plan seemed simple enough: launch Kenyon “Ken” Bement into the air at just the right moment so the Cougs could reclaim their cougar.
University of Washington fans had stolen it more than a decade earlier. And Bement and his friends on the Yell Squad decided enough was enough. It was time to bring the stuffed cougar mascot back home to Pullman.
They spread the word through the student section of the stands at Husky Stadium during the rainy, muddy Apple Cup on November 12, 1932. And almost everything went according to plan.
“The basic idea is to pick up Ken—he’s the smallest of the cheerleaders—and, as the Huskies parade by at halftime with the stuffed cougar, he’s going to go up … » More …
Winter 2020
Butchmen memories
They got Butch where the cougar needed to be: on the field for football games.
Some forty years after Washington State University ended the tradition of a live cougar mascot and the Butchmen disbanded, alumni share memories of the spirit group.
Al Kirkpatrick
“Our job was to get the cougar to the football games and then, after we would score a touchdown or field goal, we would take him around the track,” recalls retired Colfax dentist Al Kirkpatrick (’75 Zool.), a member of the Butchmen for three years.
One time, he and his fellow Butchmen simply couldn’t get the cougar out of his cage and into its trailer. “We were the ones … » More …
Winter 2020
Profiles of valor
The Fallen Cougars Project aims to honor the legacy of former students who served in the Second World War and made the ultimate sacrifice.
Some 200 servicemen with ties to Washington State College—now WSU—died in World War II. Learn about a little more about their lives, deaths, and service to America here.
Charles Noble Kirkham
Charles Noble Kirkham (x’45 Mech. Eng.) was a pilot aboard the U.S.S. Shangri-La at the beginning of June 1945 when the aircraft carrier was preparing for the invasion of the Japanese island of Kyushu. During that series of airstrikes, Shangri-La’s airmen faced their strongest resistance to date—and suffered their heaviest … » More …