It takes scores of volunteers of help the Washington State University Alumni Association connect with Cougs across the country. Meet three of the alumni who help make it happen.
‘All about giving back’
It was her first Cougar football game. WSU was playing Stanford at Stanford, and the Cougs had just scored.
“I remember being in the stands,” says Katey Koehn, who attended the October 23, 2010, game with her husband. “There was a group of three or four Cougs behind us, and they started singing the Fight Song. I realized I didn’t know it. That moment made me think, ‘If I really … » More …
Meleah Nordquist ’16 loves WSU, and so does her dad, Dan Nordquist. He grew up on the Palouse, has worked at WSU for 26 years, and enjoys listening to his father tell stories about his days as student body president and a Cougar football player in the early ’50s.
With those ties, you’d think that all of the Nordquists are Cougs. Truth is, Dan is not. He went to the University of Idaho. Despite his silver-and-gold education, Dan bleeds crimson and gray. Meleah knew that her dad was a Coug deep inside. She just needed to find a way to officially acknowledge it.
Hundreds of eager WSU seniors prepare to leave Pullman each spring after graduation. Some might be headed to new jobs or internships. Others will go to graduate school, the military, or the Peace Corps. Whatever the destination, almost all those Cougs have a common need: sturdy boxes.
As they pack their crimson sweatshirts, posters, and books, the graduating students will carry away another reminder of their college days: free WSU-themed packing boxes.
And they can thank Dave Wilson ’86 for his volunteer efforts in arranging delivery of about 1,500 of those boxes for the last eight years.
WSU may have transformed a lot since 1955, or even 1965, but the camaraderie of graduates from those years hadn’t changed a bit.
One of the largest groups of golden and diamond alumni in years gathered late last October at the Lewis Alumni Centre, where they joined their old friends from 50 or more years ago. Gerry Danquist ’65 thought it was great to see so many fellow pharmacy students.
“We have about half the class of 26 pharmacy graduates here,” says Danquist. He traveled from Indianapolis, where he retired after getting his MBA from Harvard Business School and working 34 years at Eli Lilly. “I saw several pharmacy students I … » More …
A promising pairing of alumni and wine lands this October when the WSU Alumni Association unveils its limited edition Cougar I (pronounced Cougar One) wine.
Joining up with Gordon Estates Winery, the Alumni Association is offering bottles of a rich red blend to members of the Wine-By-Cougars club, those who attend a special release event in the Tri-Cities, and the lucky few who can find it at their grocery stores and wine shops.
Only about 300 cases are available, and the WSUAA expects the wine will go fast.
Gordon Estates is a Washington-rooted, Cougar-run operation. Founder/owners Jeff ’71 and Vicki Gordon, and their daughter Katie … » More …
Ken Locati ’85 rediscovered his Cougar side at a football viewing party. He had lost touch for a while after moving to California. But at McGregor’s Grill and Ale House in San Diego he recaptured the pleasure of watching a game with fellow WSU fans, made some new friends, and rekindled his feelings of connection to the campus in Pullman more than 1,200 miles away.
Before college, WSU had been a big part of his life. The Walla Walla boy was a Coach George Raveling fan and often went to Pullman for games and concerts. “It was just kind of a natural progression that … » More …
In September 2003, Tim Pavish ’80 left Seattle and a 20-year career in advertising to return to Pullman and become the executive director of the WSU Alumni Association (WSUAA). He was eager to do something more for his alma mater, after all that it has given him over the years.
“I owe a lot to WSU, not the least of which is it’s where I met my wife, Carin (Hull) Pavish,” he says. “I made many of my closest friends at WSU and through WSU. I received a great education here and learned valuable life lessons outside the classroom. And now my two kids … » More …
Frequent sightings of the new Cougar license plates all around Washington prove that the WSU Alumni Association’s three-year endeavor to get the plate approved has paid off.
Since the release of the crimson-colored plates with the WSU Cougar logo in January 2012, more than 7,000 alumni and friends have purchased them. More than half are first time WSU plate holders, 4,200 and counting.
That’s good news for Cougar fans and even better news for students. The new plates have generated more than $110,000 in new scholarships.
While many sport letters and numbers assigned by the state, a number of Cougs and fans have doubled up … » More …
