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Fall 2002

Each on his own merits

Identical triplets Donald, Jack, and Joseph Claros appear to be mirror images—5 feet, 4 inches tall, 125 pounds, whitewall haircuts, small wire rimmed glasses. They are soft-spoken, polite, and typically respond to questions from their elders with a “Yes sir” or “No madam.” Sometimes they dress the same—camouflage fatigues or dress green uniforms—as Army ROTC cadets at Washington State University.

Jack (architectural studies) and Donald (communications) received their degrees and Army commissions May 11. Joseph switched from interior design to communications. He will graduate in December.

The military has been a means to an end for the brothers, helping them finance their college education and … » More …

Fall 2002

Whispered prayers

On the floor of Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum, Native American children dressed in full regalia run off steam before the grand dance at the Pah-Loots-Pu Powwow this Saturday night in April. One of them is Red Bear McCloud, the 5-year-old son of arena director Russell McCloud, seated at the announcer’s platform in jeans and a crimson wind jacket. Father looks on at son unhurriedly. The grand dance is scheduled for 6 p.m., an hour away, but McCloud knows it will most likely be later. Always factor in Indian time—about half an hour more than what’s advertised.

“I grew up going to powwows,” McCloud says. He … » More …

Fall 2002

Paying it forward

Under the right conditions, mentoring will snowball.

One of the simplest pleasures I have is turning on the radio and hearing the voice of Frank Shiers (’77 Communications), a Seattle deejay working the mid-day shift on MIX 92.5. I’ve known Frank since high school, and his influence on me was so profound, it’s the main reason I went to Washington State University.

My family does not have a long history of higher education, and Frank was nearly the only role model I had for showing me the way through a bachelor’s degree. But since then, things have changed for new students at WSU. Recognizing the … » More …

Fall 2002

“D” is for Doba

“I missed those butterflies.” —Coach Bill Doba

Bill Doba doesn’t think the football turf is greener elsewhere. He likes his coaching job at Washington State University and living in Pullman, where “the only traffic congestion is on football weekends.”

When his cell phone rang, Doba was fighting the late afternoon I-5 freeway traffic. He explained to Washington State Magazine that he was en route to Seattle after a recruiting visit to Everett.

“Good recruits make good coaches,” he said.

Doba was the last addition to the Cougar staff when Mike Price was hired as head football coach in 1989. Now, 14 years later, he’s the … » More …

Fall 2002

Right on CUE

Today students are finding new ways to work collaboratively, across academic disciplines and distance, and often in ways not convenient before at WSU.

The hub of this activity is the new $32 million Samuel H. Smith Center for Undergraduate Education.  The “CUE” was designed to support “student-centered and interactive learning,” says Gary Brown, director of the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology, one of four units housed in the five-story, 94,000 square-foot building.  Other units include the WSU Writing Program, the General Education Program, and the Student Computing Services lab. The building contains 20 classrooms of various sizes, while the SCS lab has 45 workstations, … » More …

Summer 2002

Lt. Col. Stinemetz wanted to convey his condolences

Word of CIA agent Mike Spann’s death November 29, 2001 in Afghanistan struck a chord with Washington State University graduate Lt. Col. Kurt Stinemetz (’76 Anthro.), U.S. Marine Corps. Spann was the first U.S. casualty in the war on terrorism in Afghanistan. Spann was killed in an uprising of Taliban prisoners being held for interrogation. His hometown was Winfield, Alabama, population 1,200.

Stinemetz oversees the Montgomery Military Entrance Processing Station 200 miles away from Winfield. Some 16,000 men and women in Alabama wanting to enlist in all branches of the military and National Guard annually pass through the facility.

Stinemetz and Spann shared a common … » More …

Summer 2002

Alumni Association honors past presidents

Three former presidents of the Washington State University Alumni Association have received WSU’s Alumni Achievement Award. Jim Miller, Vancouver, and Denny Jones, Redmond, were recognized in mid-November at the association’s reception for past presidents in Bellevue. John B. “Jack” Sutherland, Tacoma, was unable to attend. He received the award in December.

Miller (’65 Police Sci.,) was cited “for exemplary leadership as a district director and president (1995-96) of the Alumni Association, and for effective advocacy in supporting University programs in student enrichment, academic outreach, and intercollegiate athletics.”

Miller came to WSU from Tacoma. After earning his degree, he stayed on to complete his teaching credentials … » More …

Summer 2002

Early leader of WSU’s Native American students

 

Ki Tecumseh learned to work within the system—or stretch it

“Indian people don’t consider themselves to be a minority people.” —Ki Tecumseh

Growing up on the Yakama Indian Reservation, Kiutus “Ki” Tecumseh, Jr. learned to put his finger up to the wind to test the direction it was blowing. In his ideas and actions, he also likes to test conventional thought. A longtime public relations specialist with the Department of Energy in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he is soft-spoken and measured in his speech. But people tend to listen to what he has to say, more than how he says it.

For example, in the … » More …