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Spring 2004

Scientists and researchers honored by WSU

Washington State University created the Alumni Achievement Award in 1969 to honor alumni who have provided significant service and contribution to their profession, community, and/or WSU. In recent months, three individuals have been recognized.

Richard H. Pehl

While completing his doctorate in 1963 at the University of California, Berkeley, Richard H. Pehl was the last graduate student to use the famous 60-inch Cyclotron. His research group was undertaking the initial effort to develop radiation detectors fabricated from semiconductors. He was the graduate student responsible for that effort. This work established a base for his career.

Pehl (’58 Chem. Engr., ’59 Nuclear Engr.) was honored by … » More …

Spring 2004

WSU alumni president has a grasp on things

After graduating from Washington State University in 1989, Lorie Dankers headed for the other Washington–the one on the East Coast-with no job in sight. Her first Saturday there she attended a WSU alumni event. Mingling with other Cougars provided “wonderful contacts – names of people and companies to call.” She quickly found work. As a producer for Newslink, a Washington, D.C.-based television news bureau, she attended press conferences and congressional hearings and covered White House events, marches, and protests. There were tougher assignments to tackle as well-the U.S. decision to invade Panama, Mayor Marion Barry’s arrest on drug charges, and the Supreme Court’s addressing of … » More …

Spring 2004

Happy in Hollywood, actor Larkin Campbell loves what he's doing

It’s a dark drama, set in a desert. The lead character, Zack, runs into some bad guys, and he’s in real trouble. The name of the movie, an independent production, is short and catchy: Nowhere.

But the actor playing Zack, Larkin Campbell, hopes the movie goes somewhere. He not only played the lead, he also produced the flick.

“We’ve sent it out, but it hasn’t been accepted in any of the festivals yet,” he says. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

Among other projects he’s working on is Squatch, an adventure film about two guys chasing the mythical Bigfoot.

Last year he was a co-star … » More …

Spring 2004

In search of the perfect stringed instrument

Bill McCaw was always interested in music. But he waited until he was about 50 before he began thinking about playing the guitar. When a search of music stores failed to turn up a guitar that could accommodate his broad fingers, he decided to make his own instrument. Since then he’s made 17 acoustic guitars, and now is taking on a new challenge-building a cello.

“You’re not going to make a perfect instrument the first time,” he says. “You just go ahead, and when you string it up, you’ll be enthralled with the sound.”

Some guitar makers work with an apprentice to master the craft. … » More …

Spring 2004

Navajo reservation veterinarian aids scrapie test at WSU

As a veterinarian for the Navajo Nation, Dr. Scott Bender’s practice spans more than 18 million acres in the Four Corners region of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah.

His enormous workload includes treating everything from sheep, horses, cattle, goats, dogs, and cats to elk and cougars. Periodically, he even gets to clean the teeth of a 19-year-old bear at the Navajo Nation Zoo and Botanical Park, Window Rock, Arizona, the only tribal-run zoo in the United States.

“There are 250,000 people who live on the reservation and only four vets to cover them,” he says. “It can be a little daunting at times.”

That’s … » More …

Spring 2004

Crossing the line

Snoqualmie singer-songwriter Garr Lange released a new CD last fall. Crossing the Line, recorded at Rainstorm Studios, Bellevue, and released by Sentry Records, includes a 12-song mix of the blues, country, and rock.

Lange (’79 English) tested his skills for writing music and plays in New York City after graduating from Washington State University. One play, The Water Table, was produced by the Renegade Theater Co., Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1989. On the music front, he formed The Big Rig band, Boston musicians with a bent for country-rock-rhythm and blues. He also had a short stay in Nashville during the mid-90s. In both cities, he … » More …

Spring 2004

Bridges, docks, and dams

Some of General Construction’s best work is under water

Ron Morford was only 19 when he built his first house. A quarter century later, he’s still in construction-only on a much larger scale. The president and district manager of General Construction Co. oversees projects in Washington, Oregon, California, and Alaska. Annual contracts total between $150 million and $200 million, making it one of the largest construction companies in Washington. The payroll includes 130 salaried staff, plus 400 to 500 laborers and craftsmen.

According to Morford, marine and heavy civil construction accounts for the bulk of the business. He lives on Bainbridge Island, not far from … » More …

Spring 2004

Seeing the floor, making the plays: Basketball's Marcus Moore

Very little ever got in Marcus Moore’s way.

Faced with an obstacle, Washington State University’s senior point guard could usually flash that Crest-friendly smile or whip around it with an ankle-buckling crossover dribble.

But last summer nothing, not the movie star smile, not the Mach 3 quickness, could get Moore where he wanted to be-into the first round of the National Basketball Association draft.

So after taking trips to predraft camps in Chicago and Portsmouth, Virginia, and not being assured a spot in the first round–guaranteeing a contract–Moore thought it over. He talked to his family in Inglewood, California, and decided to return for his … » More …

Spring 2004

Long-Hitting Kim Welch Puts WSU on the Golf Map

Kim Welch has a surprising knack for hitting a golf ball long and straight. The rest of her game isn’t bad either. She finished fifth in the 2003 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship, two strokes back of the winner in a field of 140 golfers. And she was only a sophomore in her first national tournament.

Welch’s ability to distance the ball from the tee seems to defy the law of physics. She carries 135 pounds on a lean five-foot-six frame. Not the imposing physical stature of a power hitter. Still she can drive a ball 300 yards on occasion. Her average is 290 yards, according … » More …

Spring 2004

Regents Scholars Reception: Young Scholars, Good Cheer

Seth Lake of Olympia mimicked the fetal position he reverted to the day his roommate’s family met him for the first time, shivering under a hat, coat, and blanket on the couch, sicker than a dog.

A hungry John Leraas, also of Olympia, overspent his dining plan the first half of the semester. Limited to eating on $6 a day, he bought a rice cooker and skillet to supplement his meals. Mariah Maki of Washington State University Admissions, seated next to Leraas, passed him her plate of hors d’oeuvres.

Amy Gordon of tiny Lacrosse radiated the bigheartedness and positive spirits of someone raised in a … » More …