WSM staff

Winter 2012

Awards and Volunteer Recognition

The Alumni Achievement Award was created by the WSU Alumni Association in 1970 to honor those who have made significant contributions to their professions, their communities, the world, and WSU. Of the nearly quarter of million people who have attended WSC/WSU since 1890, fewer than 600 have received this prestigious award. We salute the following Cougars who were recognized with the Alumni Achievement Award over the past year and thank them for the prestige they bring to their alma mater:

Retired Major General Paul J. Fletcher ’72

Chad Little ’85, former NASCAR driver

Rueben Mayes ’92 & ’00, retired NFL player

James B. Niblock … » More …

Winter 2012

Master Plan for the WSU Pullman campus

Over the past 120 years, WSU has grown from a small agricultural college to a major research and teaching institution and adapted the campus as it changed. To prepare for the next 20 years, the University adopted a Campus Master Plan update which creates a framework for growth at the Pullman campus. The plan anticipates much growth in both student numbers and research efforts through 2030, with a framework for planning buildings, roads, and other infrastructure. The Master Plan has four primary goals: to create a superlative research campus, to build a sense of place with more open areas and a renovated campus core, to … » More …

Winter 2012

Posts for Winter 2012

William Julius Wilson

We were thrilled to read the article “Race, Class, and William Julius Wilson’s World of Opportunity” in the Fall 2012 issue of Washington State Magazine. Many may not realize that Dr. Wilson got his start at Washington State University and to hear him describe his choice to attend WSU as “the greatest decision he ever made” is an inspiration.

Unfortunately, the article did not mention that the university has named a national award after Dr. Wilson. The William Julius Wilson Award for the Advancement for Social Justice is bestowed upon those who follow in Dr. Wilson’s footsteps by making innovative contributions … » More …

Fall 2012

Mural, mural, on the wall

Pine Street Plaza Mural, 2009-2012

Artwork by Patrick Siler

Pullman, Washington

Artist and WSU fine arts faculty member for 32 years, Patrick Siler’s outdoor wall mural “Pine Street Plaza Mural” holds a prominent position in downtown Pullman. He completes the third and final panel this summer.

The WSU Museum of Art presented an exhibition this summer—Curator’s Choice: Patrick Siler Mural—showcasing the sketches and finished drawings that were a part of the project.

Read about the artist and project in “Patrick Siler ’61—On the wall.” Or watch a video about Siler.

The Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health building at WSU

Fall 2012

Posts for Fall 2012

Not Saddle Mountains

On my second time through the very enjoyable edition I looked more closely at the central picture on page 45 which identified the view at “Columbia River, Facing Saddle Mountains.” This picture does not show the Saddle Mountains, which are north of the Columbia, but in fact looks west toward the sun setting over Umptanum west of Vernita Bridge where Hwy 24 crosses the Columbia. Just off the gravel bar in the center of the picture is a bluish-green spot which is part of the BPA’s Midway substation, which is tucked between the river and the ridge and handles power lines into … » More …

Fall 2012

New & noteworthy

Images That Injure

edited by Susan Dente Ross and Paul Martin Lester

Praeger, 2011

WSU English professor Ross and her colleagues examine pictorial stereotypes in the media.

Seaside Stories

by S.R. Martin, Jr. ’74

Blue Nile Press, 2009

Short stories of life in Seaside, on California’s Monterey Peninsula.

Life Histories of Cascadia Butterflies

by David G. James and David Nunnallee

Oregon State University Press, 2011

A unique chronicle of the life cycles of the butterfly species native to Cascadia. Read the feature article.

Summer 2012

Dog Days, Raven Nights

John and Colleen Marzluff, illustrated by Evon Zerbetz ’82
Yale University Press, 2011

Using field notes, personal diaries, and beautiful linocuts by Evon Zerbetz ’82, the Marzluffs chronicle their three-year endeavor to research the common raven, while raising and training sled dogs to help them with their work in Maine. Zerbetz is an artist in Ketchikan, Alaska, and illustrator of six books for children and young adults.

» More …

Summer 2012

10,000 More Members!

That’s right, there are now 10,000 more members in the WSUAA since 2004, when we started the push to build membership, alumni engagement, and fiscal stability. That’s enough to pack the stands in Beasley Coliseum.

We’re celebrating an astonishing increase of over 70 percent to a total of 23,500 dues-paying members. It might be worth noting that the number of Life Members in the Alumni Association has doubled during this same time frame.

By increasing our membership, the WSUAA can provide even more support to WSU and to make available scholarship support, alumni outreach, awards and recognition, Gold and Diamond Graduate reunions, and about … » More …

Summer 2012

Donald Wayne Bushaw 1926–2012—A great teacher and a great learner

“Learning should be an unending process,” said Don Bushaw in an interview some years back. Anyone who knew him at all will know this was no idle observation. Bushaw, who first arrived at Washington State College in 1943 as a 17-year-old freshman and returned, a doctorate in mathematics from Princeton in hand, to teach and lead for a distinguished 43 years, passed away in Portland, Oregon, on January 15, 2012, surrounded by his wife and children.

Don Bushaw was born in Anacortes, Washington, on May 5, 1926, to Elmond and Ruth Bushaw. The family moved to Bremerton in 1930 when Elmond took a job at … » More …

Summer 2012

Posts for Summer 2012

Special bond
Those of us who attended Washington State University (or College) have a special bond. This is our experience and memories of our time there.

Sometimes those thoughts are made even more poignant by an article such as “A Hidden History” in the spring issue of Washington State Magazine. For all of us there is a story. It is the thread of WSU that binds us together.

Thank you for providing a periodic reminder of this wonderful bond.

David Leonard ’60

Quiet time
On the rare occasions where I have an unexpected hour of quiet time, I like to grab a … » More …