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Summer 2024

Pat Caraher

Summer 2002

Lt. Col. Stinemetz wanted to convey his condolences

Word of CIA agent Mike Spann’s death November 29, 2001 in Afghanistan struck a chord with Washington State University graduate Lt. Col. Kurt Stinemetz (’76 Anthro.), U.S. Marine Corps. Spann was the first U.S. casualty in the war on terrorism in Afghanistan. Spann was killed in an uprising of Taliban prisoners being held for interrogation. His hometown was Winfield, Alabama, population 1,200.

Stinemetz oversees the Montgomery Military Entrance Processing Station 200 miles away from Winfield. Some 16,000 men and women in Alabama wanting to enlist in all branches of the military and National Guard annually pass through the facility.

Stinemetz and Spann shared a common … » More …

Summer 2002

Ehlo inducted into Pac-10 Hall of Honor

Former Washington State University basketball coach George Raveling once described Craig Ehlo (’86 Soc. Sci.) as “playing on the ragged edge of being out of control.” In other words, Ehlo made things happen. His full-speed-ahead approach on the court produced some turnovers, but also a host of steals resulting in easy baskets for the Washington State basketball team.

The former Cougar star was one of 10 inaugural basketball inductees into the Pacific-10 Conference Hall of Honor. The ceremony was held during the Pac-10 Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Staples Arena in Los Angeles in March.

Other inductees included coaching greats John Wooden (UCLA) and Pete … » More …

Summer 2002

Early leader of WSU’s Native American students

 

Ki Tecumseh learned to work within the system—or stretch it

“Indian people don’t consider themselves to be a minority people.” —Ki Tecumseh

Growing up on the Yakama Indian Reservation, Kiutus “Ki” Tecumseh, Jr. learned to put his finger up to the wind to test the direction it was blowing. In his ideas and actions, he also likes to test conventional thought. A longtime public relations specialist with the Department of Energy in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he is soft-spoken and measured in his speech. But people tend to listen to what he has to say, more than how he says it.

For example, in the … » More …

Summer 2002

Forcing students to think critically

“Dr. McNamara wants you to take everything you know and figure out the solution on your own.” —Barbara Zawlocki

Rather than being “the expert” in the classroom, animal scientist John McNamara wants to shift that role to his students. Those in his non-ruminant nutrition course at Washington State University are expected to develop an “expert system” with computer program application. They must gather information in his and  other classes, from the library, and on-line. Then they must put the material together in a logical system and teach it to someone else.

The students learn by creating their own data base of information and by sharing … » More …

Summer 2002

“Adapt, improvise, overcome”

“They know the war on terrorism won’t go away, even when we finish in Afghanistan.” —Lt. Col. James M. Zuba

A four-by-two-foot map of Asia is tacked to a wall of Army Lt. Col. James M. Zuba’s office. Forty-five blue dots designate locations in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia where his infantry unit spent 36 months from 1992 to 1995 searching for U.S. MIAs and POWs.

Earlier, he commanded rifle companies for seven months in Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Now he is now completing his 18th year in the Army, and his first as professor and chair of military science at Washington State University. He … » More …

Summer 2002

Six join hall of fame

When opportunity knocked, they answered. Their athletic prowess overshadowed that of their peers. And their accomplishments have stood the test of time.

As a result, five men and one woman were inducted into the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame in March. Drew Bledsoe, John Chaplin, Jason Hanson, John Olerud, Bob Robertson, and Sarah Silvernail join 99 athletes, coaches, and administrators enshrined since the hall was created in 1978.

Here’s what Cougar colleagues have to say about the new honorees:

“When I made up the lineup, I always put Ole [John Olerud] in the third spot—where you want your best all-around player—and filled in … » More …

Spring 2002

Alumni president Ed Little: “I always wanted to work with children”

It’s been almost 30 years now, but Ed Little, president of the Washington State University Alumni Association, remembers it like yesterday.

A sophomore and a member of the Cougar Yell Team, he was in Eugene, Oregon, for WSU’s 1974 football game with Oregon in Autzen Stadium. Before the Cougars secured their 21-16 victory, Little received an urgent message on the sideline.

His father, Gerald, had been seriously injured in an industrial accident. Little was needed in Seattle. Athletic director Sam Jankovich immediately had his wife, Patty, drive Little to the Eugene airport. When they arrived, a ticket was waiting for the next flight north. The … » More …