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Education

Young Chinese men in the late nineteenth century wearing western clothes
Fall 2021

China’s First Hundred

In 1872 thirty young Chinese boys landed in San Francisco to begin a ten-year period of education in the colleges and technical institutions of the United States. These students and the others who followed them returned to their homeland as the first Chinese to receive an extensive education in Western technology and ideas.

“China’s First Hundred,” as they were called, built China’s first railroads, developed China’s mines, constructed a nationwide system of telegraph lines, became naval officers in an attempt to modernize China’s navy, and took a prominent part in the events leading to the Revolution of 1911.

In his book, China’s First Hundred: Educational … » More …

Fall 2003

World War II decision influenced Brimble's career

A single gunshot wound influenced Bob Brimble to change his career direction more than 50 years ago.

While serving with the U.S. Army in China during World War II, he was shot in the leg. The nearest doctor was 10 days away by pack mule. But after five days on the trail, he chose to be tended by a veterinarian who came to his aid.

The decision not to be treated by a physician, Brimble believes, cost him a Purple Heart, because an attending physician did not provide official certification of the battle-related wound. However, as a result of the veterinarian’s concern and care, Brimble … » More …

Fall 2003

WSU Alumni Association honors Seals, Sharratt

 

Rupert Grant Seals, one of WSU’s first Black Ph.D.s

Rupert Grant Seals was honored twice by Washington State University, where he gained distinction as the fifth African American to earn a doctorate (’60 Animal Science).

He received the Alumni Achievement Award “for exemplary academic leadership in agricultural education, and for his advocacy and action in creating a national awareness of the vital need for increased economic support and opportunities for African Americans at land-grant universities.”

He also was named “Distinguished Graduate: Science, Education and Technology” for 2003 by the Department of Animal Sciences. Both awards were given at the April 12 animal sciences recognition … » More …

Fall 2003

Dick Bennett's mantra: "Play hard, smart, and together"

In more than three decades of coaching, Dick Bennett has developed a simple philosophy about basketball. It’s a team game.

“Once players understand and embrace that concept, basketball becomes simple-at both ends of the floor,” he says.” Viewed strictly as an individual showcase, it becomes more difficult. There is room for individual play to shine within the team framework, but in Bennett’s scheme of things, “we” takes precedence over “me.”

Listening to Washington State University’s new basketball boss talk about the game, one learns about the sport and the man. He’s as much a student of the game as he is a teacher/coach. He … » More …

Summer 2003

George E. Duvall, gentleman scholar

George E. Duval, 82, a pioneer of shock physics research and professor emeritus at Washington State University, died January 3, 2003 in Vancouver. He was internationally recognized as a founder and leader in studies related to shock wave propagation in solids and liquids. Many colleagues regarded him as the dean of U.S. shock wave science.

The Louisiana native spent his youth in Oregon. His studies at Oregon State University were interrupted in 1941 when he joined the University of California’s Division of War Research to work on underwater acoustics problems. He returned to OSU in 1945 to finish his bachelor’s degree and completed a doctorate … » More …

Summer 2003

White gave students and colleagues “a sense of hope and pride”

More than half of Washington State University’s living pharmacy alumni graduated during Allen I. White’s 39-year tenure (1940-1979) as professor and/or dean of the College of Pharmacy. He was appointed dean in 1960, a position he held until retirement 19 years later. Last June, he and his wife, Edith, moved from Pullman to Fountain Hills, Arizona, where he died December 23, 2002 at age 88.

The Silverton, Oregon native and son of a Lutheran minister completed three degrees from the University of Minnesota-a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy (1937) and both a master’s degree (1938) and a doctorate in pharmaceutical chemistry (1940). In 1983 he won … » More …

Summer 2003

Bhatia built Honors, International Programs

Career educator Vishnu N. “Vic” Bhatia was a builder. Not with bricks and mortar, but with vision, drive, and diplomacy. He demonstrated this during his 47 years (1951–98) at Washington State University as a teacher, administrator, innovator, and ambassador. His efforts were not limited to pharmacy, his chosen field, but were interdisciplinary, as well as international.

His greatest contributions were as head of the Honors Program (1964-93) and director of International Education (1973-90). Shortly after his arrival at WSU, he and other faculty colleagues, including mathematics professors Sidney Hacker and Donald Bushaw, began laying groundwork for an academic program that would rank among the very … » More …