Summer 2023
Inventing Idaho: The Gem State’s Eccentric Shape
Historical book by Keith C. Petersen » More ...
Other Notable Alumni
Summer 2023
Briefly Noted
Books and podcasts by WSU alumni, faculty, and staff » More ...
Summer 2023
A tour of Spain with Cougar winemakers
When the former executive director of the Washington State University Alumni Association asked Melanie Krause (’00 Spanish, Biol.) and Joe Schnerr (’99 Chem.), founders of Cinder Wines in Garden City, Idaho, near Boise, to design a trip for WSU alumni through northern Spain, they didn’t hesitate.
Not only are they proud Cougs, they’ve already visited the Rioja region, which “grows a lot of tempranillo, one of our focus grapes at Cinder. It’s also close to Basque country, and Boise has a lot of Basque descendants, so it’s a good fit for us on several levels,” says Krause, who “picked out beautiful coastal parts of Basque … » More …
Summer 2023
Cougar X winemaker Cameron Rushton (and his wine tasting tips)
Cameron Rushton is happy to sip other winemakers’ whites. But when it comes to crafting his own wine, he sticks to his specialty: robust reds.
Rushton (’10 Hort.), co-owner and assistant winemaker at Five Star Cellars in Walla Walla and creator of Cougar X, makes the wines he especially enjoys pairing with a juicy steak. Cabernet franc tops his list of varietals. Merlot is right up there, too. He also likes tempranillo, malbec, and sangiovese—big, bold, highly ageable reds.
“I don’t make a lot of white,” he says. “I’d rather drink everybody else’s”—Poet’s Leap by Long Shadows Vintners, for example. “I … » More …
Spring 2023
Helen Szablya in her own words
Helen Szablya’s recent memoir details her escape from Communism in her native Hungary, her time at Washington State University, and then her roles as an honorary consul to Hungary.
Szablya and her family fled their home country of Hungary and its Communist regime in a harrowing journey under the cover of night in 1956.
They traveled to Austria, Canada, and then to Pullman, Washington, where Helen received a degree, her husband John was an engineering professor, and they raised their family.
She tells the full story in the second volume of her memoir, From Refugee to Consul. Adriana Janovich, associate editor of Washington State Magazine, … » More …
Spring 2023
An MVP off the field
Alum nurse Andrea Perry saved a life at a WSU football game...and another on the way to a game. » More ...
Spring 2023
Highest and Hardest: A Mountain Climber’s Lifetime Odyssey to the Top of the World
Review of mountain climbing memoir by Chris Kopczynski » More ...
Spring 2023
The equity in equality
Rolita Flores Ezeonu seeks justice and equity in higher education. » More ...
Spring 2023
From Refugee to Consul: An American Adventure
Review of a memoir by Helen Szablya » More ...
Winter 2022
The Cascade Killer: A Luke McCain Novel
Rob Phillips ’78 Comm.
Latah Books: 2020
A father and son snag a black bear near Chinook Pass during their first hunt of the season and come across human remains—an ear among the animal’s stomach contents. Luke McCain, a Yakima-based Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife officer who also just happens to be a WSU alum, is called to the scene along with his trusty sidekick.
Jack, a yellow Labrador retriever, leads McCain and a crew of sheriff’s deputies … » More …