Skip to main content Skip to navigation
Spring 2026

Pat Caraher

WSU Military Veterans: Heroes and Legends

With three engines lost on a B-29 bombing run over Tokyo December 3, 1944, pilot Robert Goldsworthy and his crew bailed out. For the next nine months, he would endure brutal beatings as a Japanese prisoner of war. Far worse, he said, was the cold and starvation. Goldsworthy and his older brother, Harry E. Goldsworthy Jr., both flew World War II combat missions. They retired as Air Force generals with five stars between them. Their contributions to the war are among the 120 case studies chronicled in C. James Quann’s new book, WSU Military Veterans: Heroes and Legends. The author relates military experiences of former … » More …

The Hospital Doctor

When the elderly couple moved into the nursing home in Tonasket, one of their main concerns was who would take care of their chickens. Gordon C. McLean (’67 Ag. Econ. ’73 M.A. Speech), administrator of the North Valley Hospital and Nursing Home, volunteered.

Listening to people and finding solutions has been his forte during a 30-year career in hospital administration. Over the past two decades, he’s breathed new life into healthcare facilities in rural eastern Washington.

McLean’s hospital ties date to 1975, when he was director of public relations at St. Mary’s Medical Center, Evansville, Indiana. Since 2001, he’s the one who answers the phone … » More …

Erik Falter strives to keep alumni connected

Erik Falter was in his element at the Washington State University Alumni Achievement Award presentation event for Merle Sande last September (see WSM, winter 2004-05, p. 49). Keeping alumni connected with WSU and each other tops Falter’s priorities as president of the WSU Alumni Association. He wants his presidency to reflect the association’s goals of building membership, developing ways to engage alumni, and enhancing the financial strength of the association.

“We have a system set up with dedicated alumni working with a passion for WSU. The Alumni Association is the easiest and most recognizable way for alumni to stay connected with WSU,” he says.

Falter … » More …

The Best of All Worlds

“Never judge a person by the way they are dressed,” says Erianne Pearson. “People are people. We treat them with respect.”

That philosophy has kept Pearson in business since 1983, when The Best of All Worlds, her upscale gift and decorative accessories store, opened. One of four original partners, she’s been the sole owner for nearly 13 years. The store is on the corner of Sixth and Union streets in the heart of Seattle’s busy retail business district.

“Eriann’s a bit of a pioneer . . . certainly a survivor by independent small-business-owner standards,” says friend and client Marcia Garrett of Washington State University West.

… » More …

Channel Swimmer

Pushing back the age barrier

The young swimmers at the YMCA pool in Wilton, Connecticut, call him “Grandpa.”

They even ask their seasoned coach, “Are you the oldest person in the world?”

No. But lean and fit George Brunstad is the oldest person ever to swim the English Channel.

On August 28, 2004, three days after his 70th birthday, Brunstad swam from Dover, England to Sangatte, France, a feat no one older than 67 had ever tried. But just swimming the channel wasn’t enough for the retired pilot from Ridegefield, Connecticut. He also raised more than $11,000 for a project to benefit children … » More …

Abelson shaped thinking as a scientist, editor of Science

Regents’ Distinguished WSU Alumnus

 

During a life spanning 91 years, Tacoma native Philip Hauge Abelson left an indelible imprint on science. As a scientist and as longtime respected editor of Science magazine (1962-83), he shaped thinking in the science community. His leadership and service on important advisory committees also enabled him to influence national science and technology policy.

He was a man of many research interests, among them chemistry, biochemistry, engineering, geology, and physics. When he was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences in 1959, his accomplishments qualified him in all seven NAS categories. He chose geology.

His pioneering research would … » More …

WSU honors alumni Sande, Finch, Norris, Habereder

The Washington State University Alumni Association created the Alumni Achievement Award in 1969 to honor alumni who have rendered significant service and contributions to their profession, community, and/or WSU. Four individuals were recognized recently.

Merle Sande, M.D.

Dr. Merle A. Sande (’61 Zool.), Salt Lake City, is one of the country’s foremost authorities on infectious disease and AIDS. He spent 16 years as professor and vice chair of internal medicine, University of California-San Francisco School of Medicine, and chief of medical services at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH). From 1996 to 2002, he was a professor and chair of the Department of Medicine, University of … » More …

The Extreme Survival Almanac

In many cases, those who survived made acommitment to just get through the night or day.

 

This book could save your life.

Your car breaks down in a remote area. You’re lost in the woods, not knowing which way to turn, or whether to stay or to go. You’re left with serious injuries after a plane crash on a mountainside. Your boat capsizes in rough seas, miles from land and shipping lanes.

Reid Kincaid’s book, The Extreme Survival Almanac, is intended for those who find themselves in such crises and want to get out alive. The author likens the book to a helpful tool … » More …

Marissa Lemargie—Busy providing humanitarian assistance in Africa, South America

Marissa Lemargie tends to take things in on a global scale. An interest in other cultures and societies led to an anthropology degree at Washington State University in 1999. A master’s degree in international development from the London School of Economics and Political Science followed.

Lemargie is now employed by USAID as an international cooperation specialist for Colombia and Paraguay in Washington, D.C. Already, the 26-year-old Ephrata native has traveled to Africa and South America on humanitarian missions. Recent plans called for her to visit Paraguay in August 2004, and Colombia in September.

Like her older brother, Kyle (’98 Polit. Sci.), who works for the … » More …