WSM staff

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 …

Spring 2012

The Lowell Elm

Harriet Bryan, wife of Washington Agricultural College president Enoch Bryan, planted the Lowell Elm in 1893. She had brought the seedling to her new home from Elmwood, the estate of James Russell Lowell, near Harvard University, where her husband had earned his master of arts degree shortly before becoming Washington State College’s first long-term president. Staff photo

Spring 2012

Renewing your plates

Get Your “Crimson to Go”
New Cougar Plates Hit the Road

For several years the Washington State University Alumni Association has had designs on a new WSU license plate. This January, plans to replace the blue, white, and Cougar logo plate with an all-crimson plate came through. Now alumni and friends can license their cars, show their affinity for WSU, and raise money for scholarships.

The first Cougar license plate was introduced in 1995 to wide appeal. About 3,000 sold in the first few months of the program. By 2000, that number had … » More …

Spring 2012

Thank you: Our 10-year event

The following wineries graciously contributed wine to Washington State Magazine’s 10-year celebration:

Bergevin Lane Vineyards, Walla Walla
bergevinlane.com

Colter’s Creek Vineyard and Winery, Juliaetta, Idaho
colterscreek.com

DeLille Cellars Incorporated, Woodinville
delillecellars.com

Doubleback Winery, Walla Walla
doubleback.com

Gordon Brothers Cellars, Pasco
gordonwines.com

Kestrel Vintners Winery, Prosser
kestrelwines.com

Kiona Vineyards Winery, Benton City
kionawine.com

Maryhill Winery, Goldendale
maryhillwinery.com

Milbrandt Vineyards, Prosser
milbrandtvineyards.com

… » More …

Winter 2011

Awards and Recognition

Each year, the WSU Alumni Association acknowledges alumni and volunteers who have made significant contributions to their professions, their communities, the world, and the University. The WSUAA Alumni Achievement Award was created in 1970 and of the nearly quarter of a million people who have attended WSC/WSU since 1890, only 495 have received it.

We salute the following Cougars who received the Alumni Achievement Award over the past year and thank them for the prestige they bring to their alma mater:

Robert Berry, ’50, Political Sciences

Drew Bledsoe, Former Student

Gordon W. Davis, ’68 & ’69, Agriculture

Holly Whitcomb Henry, ’78, BPH-Pharmacy

Tom Pounds, ’81, … » More …

Winter 2011

Letters in the Winter 2011 issue

Which way was that again?

Your article “When wildfire comes to town” locates the Dishman Hills west of Spokane. The Dishman Hills actually are located near the west city limits of the City of Spokane Valley and are southeast of the City of Spokane. I used to hike in the hills as a boy.

John Vlahovich ’62

Spokane

A second look

I have always looked through the magazine, but for some reason I read it this month. I don’t remember it being this good. Very informative and gave good insight. The Moos article, Judy Morrison, “A Fine Thin Skin,” “Billions Served,” and the … » More …

Winter 2011

WSM Reader Survey Results: So what do you think?

Most of you really like us. Some of you don’t. A very few of you (2 percent) ignore us, but hardly anyone outright hates us. That’s the gist of the reader survey many of you recently participated in. Either way, we’re listening. And the most striking point of the survey was that you do indeed read us.

We haven’t done a reader survey in quite a while, not because we’re not interested, but because they’re expensive. There comes a time, however, when an editor needs something a little more systematic, even more than your informal comments and letters, in gauging his readership. Fortunately, that time … » More …

Winter 2011

New & noteworthy

Standing above the Crowd
by James “Dukes” Donaldson ’79
Aviva Publishing, New York, 2011

Donaldson mines his experiences as a former Cougar basketball and NBA star, entrepreneur, mentor, and community leader not just to tell his own story, but to motivate readers in achieving success and confidence in their own endeavors. A profile of Donaldson appeared in the Winter 2003 issue of this magazine, and a web-only story in 2006.

Eliminate the Chaos at Work
by Laura Leist ’91
John Wiley and Sons , Hoboken, NJ, 2011

Noted organizational consultant Laura Leist offers proven techniques to tame … » More …