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Summer 2024

Washington State Magazine

Alumni News
Winter 2016

Road rave

We have a bunch of ways to express our pride: waving the flag, joining the Alumni Association, yelling “Go Cougs!” But considering how much time we spend in our vehicles, what better way to tell the world you’re an alum than a crimson Washington State University license plate?

You certainly won’t be alone. WSU plates outnumber every other specialty plate in the state, and can be spotted all over the Northwest. Almost 21,000 plates grace the roads and highways—more than all state collegiate plates combined, and more than twice as many as the University of Washington.

It’s not just about pride. Each license plate sends … » More …

Class Notes
Winter 2016

Class notes

To read more class notes or post your own, visit the online class notes site, MyStory

1950s

Ken Schmauder (’54 Ag., ’70 EdD), retired superintendent of the Evergreen School District, was designated as the early learning champion by Educational Opportunities for Children and Families (EOCF) of Washington, for his work with southwest Washington public schools.

Ornithologist, artist, and emeritus professor at the University of Nebraska Paul Johnsgard (’55 MS Wildlife Bio.) received the WSU Alumni Achievement Award in recognition of writing and teaching that has expanded public understanding of natural history, conservation, and pressing environmental issues.

1960s

The American Veterinary Medical Association granted … » More …

Winter 2016

Call it the Urban Extension

The massive Oso landslide killed 43 people, caused extensive flooding, and destroyed a key highway north of Everett in 2014, pushing the communities of Arlington and Darrington to their breaking point.

For months, grieving residents and community leaders remained so immersed in the search and recovery demands that nearly everything else had to be put on hold. That’s why, when they were invited to participate in a national competition that could funnel up to $3 million or more toward desperately needed economic revitalization efforts, Arlington Mayor Barb Tolbert was practically on the verge of tears, again.

“It was this rare opportunity but we had no … » More …

In Memoriam
Winter 2016

In memoriam

1930s

Lois Eleanor Henkins (’35 Office Admin.), 103, July 28, 2016, Spokane.

Thomas A. Golding (’39 Zool.), 97, March 29, 2016, Sequim.

1940s

Harry L. Hokanson (’40 Ag.), 98, April 7, 2016, Chehalis.

Edith Thurley Scheel (’40 Pharm.), 98, August 15, 2016, Vancouver.

Dorothy E. Street (’40 Socio.), 99, May 1, 2016, Portland, Oregon.

Rae G. McCain (’41 Home Econ., ’54 Ed.), 96, June 7, 2016, Spokane.

Paul Bergquist (’42 Elec. Eng.), 96, August 22, 2016, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Jack P. Meiners (’42 Agro., ’46 PhD Plant Path.), 96, April 24, 2016, Silver Spring, Maryland.

Mary McColl Neilson (’42 Socio., Kappa Delta), 95, … » More …

Winter 2016

Prevention of cruelty to animals

A teenaged Marvin Mackie ’63 DVM was working all summer on the family farm at the end of the rail line in Buhl, Idaho, wondering what to do with his life.

“One day I saw a cloud of dust coming down the gravel road. It was the veterinarian and he was going to go save an animal. And the light came on.” Off Mackie went, first to the University of Idaho for his undergraduate degree, and then next door to Washington State University for his doctorate of veterinary medicine.

Mackie ended up in southern California, where he loved the weather and found lots of work. … » More …

Retreat from a Rising Sea: Hard Choices in an Age of Climate Change cover
Winter 2016

Retreat from a Rising Sea

Retreat from a Rising Sea: Hard Choices in an Age of Climate Change cover

Hard Choices in an Age of Climate Change

Orrin H. Pilkey ’57, Linda Pilkey-Jarvis, and Keith C. Pilkey

Columbia University Press: 2016

 

Our planet’s rapidly changing climate will make the bursting of the real estate bubble look like a picnic on a sunny spring day. Upside-down equity and underwater mortgages don’t begin to describe the scope of what rising sea levels … » More …

Winter 2016

Welcome Back, Kotter—and George

George Hollingbery ’76 studied education at an interesting time, as the profession underwent significant change in the 1970s. Teachers began asking where the classroom began and ended, and how could they better reach and help students who learn in different ways.

During that time, Hollingbery says they all faithfully watched the TV sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. Set in a Brooklyn remedial high school class, the show offered a glimpse into how “difficult” students could defy expectations.

Hollingbery, a fourth-generation Coug and grandson of legendary WSU football coach Babe Hollingbery, started teaching high school sociology and other classes in Lacey. Although he had all kinds … » More …

Fall 2016

Cougs behind the Seahawks

Nearly two weeks before the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII, Cindy Kelley was arriving in New York to set up a temporary team headquarters that would become like a cross between a satellite office and a MASH unit.

Kelley ’81 and the rest of the advance crew scrambled to keep up with a schedule measured in hours, not days. Telephones, computers, office space, accommodations, meals, air and ground transportation, special events, family activities—all needing to be arranged immediately.

“The whole goal is to make sure there are no distractions for the players and coaches,” says Kelley, vice president for human resources for the » More …