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Summer 2024

History of University

Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center
Summer 2021

Gallery: Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center

The Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center at Washington State University provides inclusive, creative and educational programming to empower and transform individuals and communities.

The beautiful building pays homage to the Palouse hills and to the traditional Nez Perce and Palus lands that WSU Pullman sits on.

On the web

Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center

More features of the Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center

What’s new? (WSM Fall 2016)

At our table (WSM Winter 2017)

Of place and history (WSM Summer 2021)

Summer 2021

Memories of Stevens Hall

Its architecture is eclectic, a mix of New England Shingle, ornamental Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival styles with Pacific Northwest touches. Local basalt, clay from campus, and Puget Sound fir and red cedar were all used in its construction in 1895.

In those early years, Stevens Hall was not only an all-women’s residence hall but a social center for the students of Washington State. This is where they would come together—for dances and dinners, teas, readings, and receptions.

Today, Stevens Hall, placed on the National Register of Historic Places and steeped in tradition, remains women-only, and its residents tend to form close bonds, often … » More …

We met at WSU on the Blue Heart at WSU Pullman campus
Spring 2021

We met @ WSU

Love stories from Cougs far and wide

We asked. You answered.

Washington State Magazine wanted to hear from couples who had met at Washington State University. Turns out WSU is quite the prolific matchmaker.

Here are some stories of how Coug couples met.

Want to add yours? Email your anecdote along with then-and-now photos to associate editor Adriana Janovich at adriana.janovich@wsu.edu.

Meantime, enjoy these meet-cutes.

Erin Baily & Ommid Zarafshan

Chrissy Pettepiece & Carl Christoferson

Candace Baltz & Matt Smylie

Amy Finley & Jason Bruce

Kelsey Knack & Kohl Kaelin

Jessica Stafford & Joel Harper

… » More …

vaccine vial
Winter 2020

The lost history of polio at Washington State

The message was so important that it was repeated twice above the fold.

The February 8, 1928, issue of The Evergreen exclaimed on both sides of the masthead, “All college entertainment features, athletic contests and social events have been cancelled until further notice is given as a precaution against the spread of infantile paralysis.”

Infantile paralysis is an old synonym for poliomyelitis, or polio, a viral disease that causes muscle pain, weakness, stiffness, and paralysis. At one time, it was among the most feared diseases in the United States.

In early 1928, a student at Washington State College died from the disease, and the college … » More …

Cougar snarling
Winter 2020

The Butch Brawl

The plan seemed simple enough: launch Kenyon “Ken” Bement into the air at just the right moment so the Cougs could reclaim their cougar.

University of Washington fans had stolen it more than a decade earlier. And Bement and his friends on the Yell Squad decided enough was enough. It was time to bring the stuffed cougar mascot back home to Pullman.

They spread the word through the student section of the stands at Husky Stadium during the rainy, muddy Apple Cup on November 12, 1932. And almost everything went according to plan.

“The basic idea is to pick up Ken—he’s the smallest of the cheerleaders—and, as the Huskies parade by at halftime with the stuffed cougar, he’s going to go up … » More …

Butchmen spelled out by crowd for WSU football game
Winter 2020

Butchmen memories

They got Butch where the cougar needed to be: on the field for football games.

Some forty years after Washington State University ended the tradition of a live cougar mascot and the Butchmen disbanded, alumni share memories of the spirit group.

 

Al Kirkpatrick 
“Our job was to get the cougar to the football games and then, after we would score a touchdown or field goal, we would take him around the track,” recalls retired Colfax dentist Al Kirkpatrick (’75 Zool.), a member of the Butchmen for three years.

One time, he and his fellow Butchmen simply couldn’t get the cougar out of his cage and into its trailer. “We were the ones … » More …

silhouette of soldiers raising flag on Iwo Jima
Winter 2020

Profiles of valor

The Fallen Cougars Project aims to honor the legacy of former students who served in the Second World War and made the ultimate sacrifice.

Some 200 servicemen with ties to Washington State College—now WSU—died in World War II. Learn about a little more about their lives, deaths, and service to America here.

 

Charles Noble Kirkham

Charles Noble Kirkham (x’45 Mech. Eng.) Charles Noble Kirkham (x’45 Mech. Eng.) was a pilot aboard the U.S.S. Shangri-La at the beginning of June 1945 when the aircraft carrier was preparing for the invasion of the Japanese island of Kyushu. During that series of airstrikes, Shangri-La’s airmen faced their strongest resistance to date—and suffered their heaviest casualties.

… » More …