The Western campus viewed from the air looking out towards the islands and Bellingham bay

Summer 2021 Class Notes

Class Notes include professional accomplishments, awards, retirements, weddings, obituaries and other news about Western Washington University alumni; they’re gathered from published reports and communication from alumni themselves.

If you have an update you’d like us to share in Class Notes, please email it to window@wwu.edu. Tell us what’s new with you, and we’ll publish it in the next edition and online.

These are the class notes for this issue. See all class notes here.

Class Note

Alexander Flynt - 1967

Alexander Flynt, B.A., history, recently published “A Grand Unified Theory of the Humanities and Social Sciences,” offering a comprehensive model of how ideas become culture. Alexander says the roots of the work were formed in Western’s required Western civilization courses, then refined during his master’s work at the University of Washington and his Ph.D. at the University of Hawaii.    

Patrick Kersey - 1969

Patrick Kersey, B.A., and ‘70, BAE, English, works as a global public relations manager in Southern California. His most recent novel, “Swimming with the Angels,” was published by Atmosphere Press in Austin, Texas.

Cal Bratt - 1979

Cal Bratt, B.A., journalism, recently retired after 23 years as editor of the Lynden Tribune.

Duncan Wilson - 1979

Duncan Wilson, B.A., business administration, has served as town administrator for Friday Harbor since 2012 and recently announced his plan to retire in January.

Joe Withe - 1980

Joe Withee, B.A., history, has been director of publicity at Emerald Downs since 1996 and was recently inducted into the Washington Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Joseph Mayes - 1980

Joseph Mayes, B.S., design, recently retired after 17 years at Carnegie Mellon University, where he was a senior member of the technical staff in Carnegie Mellon’s Software Engineering Institute and an adjunct faculty member. His retirement culminates 41 years teaching in various settings, including high schools, technical schools, community colleges, and universities, the military, state prisons and corporate settings. He previously retired in 2009 as a Command Sergeant Major after 34 years in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve.

Thomas Horlander - 1981

Lt. Gen. Thomas Horlander, B.A., business administration, serves in the U.S. Army as the Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management & Comptroller. 

Mike Bradburn - 1982

Cathy Hayward Hughes, B.S., industrial technology, is president, general manager and co-founder of Crystal Creek Logistics, which specializes in shipping frozen and refrigerated goods through four warehouses around the country. The company was recently acquired by Lineage Logistics. She co-founded Crystal Creek in 2008 with Mike Bradburn, B.A., student-faculty designed major. 

Cathy Hayward Hughes - 1982

Cathy Hayward Hughes, B.S., industrial technology, is president, general manager and co-founder of Crystal Creek Logistics, which specializes in shipping frozen and refrigerated goods through four warehouses around the country. The company was recently acquired by Lineage Logistics. She co-founded Crystal Creek in 2008 with Mike Bradburn, B.A., student-faculty designed major. 

Jim Prather - 1983

Jim Prather, BAE, history-elementary, recently retired from teaching and coaching, most recently at Greybull High School in Wyoming, where he spent 22 years. He also spent 15 years teaching and coaching in Washington.

Douglas Cole - 1995

Douglas Cole, M.A., English, recently became media coordinator at Mythanxis Review, an online publication dedicated to art and artists. Douglas is also the magazine’s poetry expert.

Val Thomas-Matson - 1995

Val Thomas-Matson, B.A., broadcast media studies, is the producer of “Look, Listen and Learn,” a television show designed for the audience of very young children who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color. The show, available on the Seattle Channel, King County TV and online, recently won three Telly awards.

Tracy Lee Tackett - 1996

Tracy Lee Tackett, B.S., environmental policy and assessment, is a planning and zoning consultant in Pennsylvania.

Melanie Hulbert - 1996

Melanie Hulbert, B.A., sociology/psychology, was named vice president for Student Affairs at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina. Previously, she was an administrator at the School of Graduate Studies at Western Colorado University.

Darin Detwiler - 1997

Darin Detwiler (B.A., history) earned a doctoral degree in law and policy at Northeastern University in Boston, where he became assistant dean of the university’s College of Professional Studies.

Karla Gray - 1997

Karla Gray, MBA, recently became executive vice president and chief stores officer for Tailored Brands, which owns the Men’s Wearhouse, Jos. A. Bank, Moores Clothing for Men and K&G Fashion Warehouse. Karla spent 16 years at Nike, most recently as vice president and general manager for North America Factory Stores.    

Travis Goodlett - 1999

Travis Goodlett, BAE, physical education K-12, was recently selected as principal of Byron Kibler Elementary School in Enumclaw.

Cari Campbell - 1999

Cari Campbell, BAE, art - elementary, recently became assistant deputy superintendent of Seattle Public Schools’ newly formed Office of Strategy Deployment and Responsiveness. 

Drew Hobson - 2001

Drew Hobson, B.A., theatre, is an actor based in Seattle who has appeared in “The Librarians,” “Grimm,” and “Z Nation,” and as the voice of the main character in “State of Decay,” an open-world zombie survival game. Hobson also appears on stage with Last Leaf Productions, a touring children’s theatre group.

Mary Margaret Miller - 2003

Mary Margaret Miller, recreation, just finished her second term of national service with AmeriCorps VISTA. After completing a year with the Boston Mayor’s Office working in food access, Miller served a year with the Clark County Food Bank in Vancouver, Washington.

Nicole Jackson - 2004

Nicole Jackson, B.S., cellular and molecular biology, is a cardiothoracic surgeon who recently joined PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham.

Dani Pfeiffer - 2005

Dani Pfeiffer, principal’s certificate, was recently sworn in as superintendent of Federal Way Public Schools.

Sam Pauley - 2007

Sam Pauley, B.A., accounting and business administration-management, recently became the chief financial officer of Hunter Communications. Previously, he was senior director of finance and controller for Wave Broadband.

Shannon Mahre - 2007

Shannon Mahre, B.A., international business, is an athlete and coach in the Yakima area, teaching a variety of women’s clinics including standup paddle boarding, trail running and mountain biking.

Miranda Webster - 2010

Miranda Webster, B.A., American cultural studies and ‘16, M.A., history archives and records management, is an instructional designer at the University of Alabama, where she was recently awarded the university’s 2020 Outstanding Professional Award for providing instructional technology and technical support to UA faculty members transitioning to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Alix Whitener - 2013

Alix Whitener, B.S. biology/anthropology, is a technical service manager for the agricultural sciences company FMC in Oregon and Western Washington.

Lindy Soukdavong - 2014

Lindy Soukdavong, B.A., business administration-management, recently became a project coordinator for Profitable Ideas Exchange (PIE). 

Ben Gregory - 2014

Ben Gregory, B.S., geology, is an engineer and fish passage specialist on King County’s culvert survey crew, working to improve fish habitats in urban and suburban areas. “It’s helpful to think like a fish,” Ben recently told the Seattle Times while out on a culvert survey job. 

Gracie Ermi - 2017

Gracie Ermi, B.S. and ‘18, M.S. Computer Science, is a software engineer at Vulcan, Inc., in Seattle where she builds technology to support wildlife conservation. She’s also one of 120 STEM professionals featured in #IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit, the largest installation of statues of women ever assembled in one place.

Christina Clark - 2017

Christina Clark, B.S., biology, went on to the University of Washington and became a physician assistant. She now works in general surgery.

Darian Dixon - 2018

Darian Dixon, M.S., geology, a missions operations specialist with Malin Space Science Systems, is working with NASA on the Perseverance Rover mission to Mars. He also gave the commencement address recently at his undergraduate alma mater, University of Wisconsin at Waukesha  

Reumar Sanchez - 2019

Reumar Sanchez, B.A., business administration – marketing, became an escrow assistant at TitleOne in Eagle, Idaho.

Obituary

Robert Harry Weihe - 1941

Robert Harry Weihe, 102, a retired teacher and principal in Bellingham, on Nov. 18, 2019.

Betty Jean (Bayley) Brown - 1941

Betty Jean (Bayley) Brown, 99, who worked for the Olympia School District and was an active community volunteer, on May 1, 2020. 

Bertha “Buffe” Antilla - 1943

Bertha “Buffe” Antilla, 103, a retired teacher in Longview, on March 9, 2021. 

Lorraine M. Komor - 1944

Lorraine M. Komor, 96, who joined the U.S. Navy during World War II and later worked as a licensed marriage and family counselor in Santa Rosa, California, on Feb. 2, 2021.

Vivian Shearer - 1946

Vivian Shearer, 100, a retired teacher, on Sept. 15, 2020.

Kathleen Gibson - 1948

Kathleen Gibson, 92, on Aug. 28, 2020, in Sequim. 

Donna Mae Mills - 1949

Donna Mae Mills, 92, a retired teacher of special needs children and board member for organizations that empower young women, on Nov. 7, 2020.

Esther Marie Hanson - 1949

Esther Marie Hanson, 92, who taught elementary school at Lincoln School then later worked at Northwest Veterinary Clinic in Stanwood, on Dec. 23, 2020.

Mildred Louise Whealdon - 1950

Mildred Louise Whealdon, 93, a retired teacher, on March 15, 2021, on Bainbridge Island. 

Cecil Thomas - 1951

Cecil Thomas, 91, a mountain climber and community volunteer who retired from Shell Oil Co. in Anacortes, on Feb. 18, 2021.

Ted George - 1951

Ted George, 92, an education advocate, former tribal councilman and oldest elder of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, on May 13, 2021. The tribe created a lifetime service award in his honor in 2018.

Sharon Ehlers - 1952

Sharon Ehlers, 90, former president of Volunteer Services for the California Association of Hospital and Health Systems, on March 21, 2021.

Verner Tovrea - 1952

Verner Tovrea, 94, a U.S. Army World War II veteran and retired science instructor at Everett Community College, on March 8, 2020.

Harris Joseph Seckel - 1953

Harris Joseph Seckel, 92, a World War II veteran and retired teacher, on Jan. 6, 2020.

Loretta Wilson - 1953

Loretta Wilson, 87, who worked for Seattle District Court after raising 10 children, on March 7, 2019. 

Frank Gadwa - 1953

Frank Gadwa, 100, a carpenter, sheet metal worker and World War II veteran who survived 18 months in a prisoner of war camp, a 500-mile forced march and, after the war, became an elementary school principal in the Marysville School District, on Aug. 28, 2020. 

Arnold Torseth - 1955

Arnold Torseth, 90, a retired teacher and principal at La Conner Elementary School, on Sept. 19, 2020, in Mount Vernon. 

Robert Ley - 1955

Robert Ley, 91, a retired music teacher and administrator in the North Kitsap School District, on May 22, 2020.

Rita Dunn - 1955

Rita Dunn, 87, retired teacher at Talkeetna Elementary School in Alaska, on Sept. 15, 2020. 

Ronald Hall - 1956

Ronald Hall, 86, retired senior vice president for the Washington Casualty Co., on June 28, 2020.

Edward Whitefield Swan - 1957

Edward Whitefield Swan, 86, a retired teacher and counselor for the North Thurston School District, on Feb. 19, 2021.

Pat Ingram - 1957

Pat Ingram, 90, retired physical education faculty at Oregon State University, OSU’s first director of Women’s Athletics, and a member of OSU’s Sports Hall of Fame, on Oct. 6, 2020.

Darrell LeMarr Fairchild - 1957

Darrell LeMarr Fairchild, 91, a U.S. Army combat veteran who ran Fairchild Floors in Port Angeles, on March 24, 2021. 

Jim Sager - 1959

Jim Sager, 87, a retired teacher, coach and school administrator who worked in San Jose, California, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Peru and the United Arab Emirates, on March 28, 2021.

Lester Kiel - 1959

Lester Kiel, 86, who owned an insurance business based in Idaho Falls, on Jan. 27, 2021. 

Roger John Donnelly - 1959

Roger John Donnelly, 82, retired from Rocket Research, on June 19, 2020, in Shoreline.

Kenneth M. Brossard - 1959

Kenneth M. Brossard, 91, a U.S. Army veteran and retired teacher and coach in the Burlington-Edison School District, on Oct. 25, 2020. 

Norman Arthur Heggenes - 1960

Norman Arthur Heggenes, 83, a retired principal, coach and high school teacher, on Jan. 27, 2021, in Langley. , 83, a retired principal, coach and high school teacher, on Jan. 27, 2021, in Langley. 

Laura “Betty” Johnson - 1960

Laura “Betty” Johnson, 91, who worked as a medical records librarian, as a secretary at Boeing, and as a teaching assistant at Columbia Basin College in Richland, on Feb. 21, 2021, in Spokane. 

Ronald Streeter - 1961

Ronald Streeter, 85, a retired middle school industrial arts teacher in Santa Cruz, on May 17, 2020.

Barbara Jean Stewart - 1961

Barbara Jean Stewart, 81, a retired elementary school teacher in Onalaska, on June 10, 2020, in Centralia.

Mary Mae Leighty - 1961

Mary Mae Leighty, 80, who worked in banking, on May 4, 2020, on Camano Island. 

Marilyn Gerspacher - 1961

Marilyn Gerspacher, 82, a retired Edmonds School District teacher, on Feb. 7, 2021, in Everett.

Betty Lavonne Andres - 1961

Betty Lavonne Andres, 82, a homemaker, on Sept. 18, 2020. 

Ernest M. Hinds - 1962

Ernest M. Hinds, 80, on March 21, 2021, in Bellingham. 

Charles A. “Tony” Clinton - 1962

Charles A. “Tony” Clinton, 81, who taught anthropology at Mississippi State University, worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs and retired from the U.S. Postal Service, on Feb. 1, 2021, in Eugene, Oregon.

Robert Stougard - 1962

Robert Stougard, 81, a retired teacher on Vashon Island, on May 28, 2021.

Nora Jean Smith - 1962

Nora Jean Smith, 82, a retired English teacher, on Dec. 18. 2020. 

James Ronald Sandin - 1962

James Ronald Sandin, 86, who fished in Alaska, worked as a truck driver, and ran boat tours to Kodiak, on Jan. 1, 2021. 

Charlotte Murray - 1962

Charlotte Murray, 80, who worked in management in telecommunications companies and later in computer animation for UW Medical Center, on May 23, 2021, in Everett.

Charles Edwin Lusby - 1963

Charles Edwin Lusby, 81, a retired banking executive, on Feb. 9, 2021. 

Gordon Craig Kimbell - 1963

Gordon Craig Kimbell, 85, a retired computer science instructor at Everett Community College, on Oct. 9, 2020. 

Art Benson - 1963

Art Benson, 80, a retired systems analyst for Boeing, on May 24, 2020.

Jan E. “Jeb” Baldi - 1963

 Jan E. “Jeb” Baldi, 83, a retired environmental education teacher active in environmental conservation, on May 19, 2020, in Ellensburg.

Wendell Weld - 1963

Wendell Weld, 83, a retired sixth-grade teacher in Prosser, on March 15, 2020. 

Carl Burton Williquette - 1964

Carl Burton Williquette, 81, a retired principal and administrator in Redmond, Oregon, on Feb. 9, 2021.

Ron Staflin - 1964

Ron Staflin, 80, a U.S. Army veteran who later worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency, on Feb. 19, 2021, in Litchfield Park, Arizona. 

Robert James Smith - 1964

Robert James Smith, 79, a U.S. Air Force combat veteran, entrepreneur and private pilot, on May 31, 2021, in Chesterfield, Missouri.

George G. Smethers - 1964

George G. Smethers, 86, a retired high school teacher and coach in Ephrata, on March 31, 2021. 

Berva Bartlett - 1965

Berva Bartlett, 90, a retired Everett High School English teacher, on March 27, 2019.  

Jeffery Brooke Florence - 1966

Jeffery Brooke Florence, 77, on Feb. 2, 2021, in Bellingham. 

John Hill - 1967

John Hill, 75, a retired teacher and administrator, on Dec. 28, 2020, in Shelton.

Danielle Parshall - 1967

Danielle Parshall, 75, a longtime teacher who ran Clearview Dahlias, growing, hybridizing and selling dahlias, on July 15, 2020.

Donald R. Johnson - 1967

Donald R. Johnson, 79, a retired recreational therapist at Western Washington State Hospital and union president, on March 17, 2020.

JoAnn Colley Reich - 1968

JoAnn Colley Reich, 73, a retired educator on Aug. 14, 2020.

Clifford Morris Nelson - 1968

Clifford Morris Nelson, 74, on Dec. 16, 2020. 

Dennis Dotson Koeppen - 1968

Dennis Dotson Koeppen, 77, who worked for DSHS and the Department of Corrections, on Sept. 30, 2020, in Tumwater. 

Robert Knipe - 1969

Robert Knipe, 73, retired dean of Learning Technologies at Genesee Community College in New York and an expert on online learning and instructional design, on Feb. 20, 2021, in Batavia, New York.

Kenneth Taylor Hubbard - 1969

Kenneth Taylor Hubbard, 94, a U.S. Army World War II veteran and Alaska homesteader who worked in construction and as an appraiser for the municipality of Anchorage, on May 28, 2020, in Anchorage. 

Jerre Crisp - 1969

Jerre Crisp, 79, a retired history teacher and coach at Battle Ground High School, on Nov. 16, 2020. 

Donna Rae Linden - 1969

Donna Rae Linden, 83, a retired Everett middle school teacher, on May 15, 2021.

Michael D. Spinale - 1970

Michael D. Spinale, 72, retired manager of the Bellingham Senior Center, on Feb. 11, 2021, in Texas.

Linda Marie (Jansen) Smoots - 1970

Linda Marie (Jansen) Smoots, 75, retired teacher and pharmacy technician, on May 12, 2021, in Richland. 

John Warren Mattila - 1970

John Warren Mattila, 74, a retired high school teacher, coach and administrator, on April 24, 2021.

Richard Arthur Lervold - 1970

Richard Arthur Lervold, 72, a retired teacher and math analyst, on Jan. 21, 2021.

Ron Lealos - 1970

Ron Lealos, 72, an entrepreneur who visited 67 countries and published seven books, on Jan. 8, 2021. 

Diane Cole - 1970

Diane Cole, 84, a retired elementary school teacher, on Oct. 26, 2020.

Suzanne S. Bond - 1971

Suzanne S. Bond, 70, retired superintendent of the Coupeville School District and former associate professor at Seattle Pacific University, on March 3, 2021, in Coupeville. 

Thomas L. Wendover - 1971

Thomas L. Wendover, 72, retired operations supervisor at ARCO Cherry Point Refinery, on Nov. 6, 2020, in Bellingham.

Jerome Toon - 1971

Jerome Toon, 80, who owned and operated several lumber businesses, on Jan. 8, 2021.

Richard Kenneth Rico - 1971

Richard Kenneth Rico, 72, retired from Wayerhaeuser, on May 2, 2021, in Seattle. 

Carolyn Peacock - 1971

Carolyn Peacock, 73, a retired elementary school teacher in the Port Angeles School District, on Jan. 7, 2021.

Helen Dahlgren - 1971

Helen Dahlgren, 82, a retired home economics teacher at Sehome High School, on May 25, 2021.

Thomas Bowman - 1971

Thomas Bowman, 70, a retired graphic designer, on Aug. 1, 2020. 

Elaine Cahill - 1972

Elaine Cahill, 94, a retired elementary school teacher, on Nov. 1, 2019, in Tacoma.

Patrick John Brennen - 1972

Patrick John Brennen, 75, an entrepreneur, on July 7, 2020, in Cedar Park, Texas.

Waldo Virgil Taylor - 1972

Waldo Virgil Taylor, 78, a retired teacher, on Feb. 19, 2021, in Crescent City, California. 

Charles William Lawrence - 1972

Charles William Lawrence, 75, a retired telecommunications engineer, on Nov. 17, 2020, in Buckeye, Arizona.

Bonnie Sharp - 1973

Bonnie Sharp, 86, former director of the American Ex-Prisoners of War, on April 22, 2021.  

Timothy Lowell Larsen - 1973

Timothy Lowell Larsen, 68, a drug and alcohol counselor, on June 23, 2020. 

James William Kukull - 1973

James William Kukull, 74, an accountant, on May 14, 2021. 

Carole Elizabeth - 1973

Carole Elizabeth, 76, on April 9, 2021.

Duane Gasaway - 1974

Duane Gasaway, 73, a U.S. Army combat veteran, on Dec. 23, 2020, in Reno, Nevada. 

Theresa Coble - 1974

Theresa Coble, 68, a Colorado resident and former high school teacher, on Sept. 9, 2019. 

Thomas R. Nelson - 1974

Thomas R. Nelson, 68, a former teacher who also worked for Portland General Electric, Salem Printing Co, and Love Inc., on June. 1, 2020.

Robert Arden Rolf - 1975

Robert Arden Rolf, 74, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, a retired high school teacher and coach and a carpenter, on Feb. 21, 2021, in Mount Vernon.  

Gloria Jean Funston - 1975

Gloria Jean Funston, 80, a retired teacher in the Marysville School District, on March 12, 2021, in Yakima. 

John Robert "Bo" Cline - 1976

John Robert “Bo” Cline, 72, who worked for the FAA throughout Alaska, on July 7, 2020, in Seattle.

Sallie Mae Chamberlin - 1976

Sallie Mae Chamberlin, 65, who worked in insurance, on Jan. 31, 2020. 

James Alton Hagland - 1978

James Alton Hagland, 66, who worked for the University of Washington Athletic Department for 32 years, on April 19, 2019.

Peter Kibble Freer - 1979

Peter Kibble Freer, 72, who worked for many years for state, regional and municipal governments in Alaska, on Sept. 25, 2020, in Green Valley, Arizona. 

Judith Spicer-Qualman - 1981

Judith Spicer-Qualman, 64, a homemaker, on Jan. 21, 2021, in Washougal.

Gerald Evans Morrow - 1982

Gerald Evans Morrow, 91, a former civil engineer at Boeing and a retired junior high school math and science teacher, 91, on July 26, 2020.

Philip Randall mason - 1982

Philip Randall Mason, 66, on Dec. 24, 2020, in Fairmont, West Virginia. 

Carole Ann Johnson - 1982

Carole Ann Johnson, 83, a retired mental health counselor and psychiatric nurse, on May 10, 2021.

Susan Irene Hye - 1982

Susan Irene Hye, 73, a Lodi, California, resident, on July 17, 2020, in Tenino, Washington.

Robert Guy - 1982

Robert Guy, 69, a retired teacher and principal in the Sedro-Woolley School District, on April 16, 2021. 

John S. Williams - 1983

John S. Williams, 60, on March 27, 2020, in Post Falls, Idaho.

Kathleen Fae Wilson - 1984

Kathleen Fae Wilson, 59, retired computer systems specialist for San Juan County, on Sept. 27, 2020. 

Kurtus Leo Kocher - 1985

Kurtus Leo Kocher, 60, on Aug. 31, 2019, in Yakima. 

Colleen R. Feeney-Griffith - 1985

Colleen R. Feeney-Griffith, 69, an early childhood educator and mentor teacher, on May 11, 2021, in Ellensburg.

William James Whitlock Jr. - 1986

William James Whitlock Jr., 57, a fiscal manager who worked for Island County and for North Sound Behavioral Health Administrative Services Organization, on May 28, 2020. 

Mark Ellison - 1986

Mark Ellison, 55, a former accountant for the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, Thurston County, and other government agencies, on Oct. 20, 2019, in Lacey. 

N. Stephen Beets - 1986

N. Stephen Beets, 59, a retired King County Sheriff’s officer, school resource officer, and youth soccer coach, on May 17, 2020.

William Patrick Pugel - 1987

William Patrick Pugel, 55, on July 21, 2020, on Mount Rainier.

Karen Wayerski - 1988

Karen Wayerski, 78, a retired elementary school teacher in Bellingham, on Nov. 15, 2020. 

Richard Grendon - 1988

Richard Grendon, 73, a retired millwright and supervisor, lecturer and x-ray technologist, on June 13, 2020, in Bellingham.

Jerry Tegarden - 1989

Jerry Tegarden, 72, a musician and songwriter in Bellingham, on Feb. 1, 2021.

Dale B. Drewry - 1989

Dale B. Drewry, 54, a land surveyor, on Sept. 19, 2020.

Jamie Frances Beck - 1989

Jamie Frances Beck, 54, a former flight attendant in graduate school for a master’s degree in high school counseling, on Dec. 26, 2020, in Issaquah. 

Gloria Ellen Wagener - 1990

Gloria Ellen Wagener, a retired teacher, 80, on Feb. 24, 2020.

Tom Evans - 1990

Tom Evans, 53, who worked for the state Department of Enterprise Services, on Feb. 9, 2021, in Olympia. 

Ron Morrison-Smith - 1993

Ron Morrison-Smith, 66, a retired special education teacher, on Jan. 17, 2021, in Kennewick.

Daniel E. Cleator - 1993

Daniel E. Cleator, 50, an avid adventure traveler who spent many years working in management, on July 21, 2020. 

Loretta Backstrom - 1993

Loretta Backstrom, 62, who taught skiing, wind surfing and accounting, on Feb. 23, 2021. 

Andrea Chapman - 1995

Andrea Chapman, 69, a former social worker, choir singer and poet, on Oct. 18, 2020.

Gabriele Caitlin Bartholomew - 1995

Gabriele Caitlin Bartholomew, 68, a former teacher and tutor in Snohomish County Schools, on Aug. 19, 2020.

Sharon Marie Ward - 1996

Sharon Marie Ward, 56, on Sept. 3, 2020. 

Richard J. Toft - 1996

Richard J. Toft, 80, who completed his master’s degree at Western after retiring as captain in the U.S. Navy, on May 4, 2021, in Oak Harbor.

Andrew David Koller - 1998

Andrew David Koller, 53, a high school French teacher in Richland and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 19, 2021.

Chris Fabry - 2001

Chris Fabry, 53, a field biologist who helped found Ecological Methods LLC, on May 10, 2021, in Fairfield, Connecticut. 

Cathryn Holden - 2004

Cathryn Holden, 57, a former juvenile probation officer, on April 26, 2021.

Christine Harem - 2006

Christine Harem, 36, a comptroller and outdoor adventure enthusiast, on Dec. 11, 2020.

Anne Mikkelsen - 2006

Anne Mikkelsen, 76, a professional cook, innkeeper, author, guardian ad-litem and active community volunteer, on Nov. 29, 2020, in Bellingham. 

Andrew Rainey - 2008

Andrew Rainey, 36, a teacher and telented musician, on March 16, 2021.

Nicholas Payne - 2011

Nicholas Payne, 77, on May 4, 2021, in Bellingham.

Joshua McCormick - 2018

Joshua McCormick, 25, on Nov. 11, 2020, in a small plane crash on Whidbey Island.

Edward Neuzil - FAC

Edward Neuzil, 90, professor emeritus of chemistry, on Dec. 5, 2020.

Leonard Helfgott - FAC

Leonard Helfgott, 83, professor emeritus of history, primarily Middle Eastern history, Jewish history, the immigrant experience and American radicalism, on April 8, 2021, in Bellingham. 

George Drake - FAC

George Drake, 90, professor emeritus of sociology and former director of the Center for East Asian Studies, special assistant to the president for international programs, and director of the Office of International Programs, on Aug. 31, 2020, in Bellingham. Dr. Drake also served on the Bellingham City Council and helped create Big Rock Garden Park.

Thaddeaus H. Spratlen - FAC

Thaddeaus H. Spratlen, a prolific business marketing and development scholar who was the first Black faculty member at the University of Washington Foster School of Business and the first Black male faculty member at WWU, on May 18, 2021. Dr. Spratlen established the Spratlen Diversity and Inclusion Grant at Western to honor his late wife Lois and to thank the community that welcomed his young family in the 1960s.

Edward Curmie Price - FAC

Edwin Curmie Price, 81, a former member of the English faculty, who helped establish the College of Ethnic Studies at Western in 1969, on April 23, 2021. After leaving Western in 1971, Dr. Price taught at several colleges in the Cleveland area and was awarded a Fulbright to teach in Zambia. He later worked in county government, served on the board of the East Cleveland Library and wrote two volumes of poetry. 

Geraldine DeMarco - ST

Geraldine DeMarco, 86, who worked as a bookbinder for Western Libraries, on March 27, 2021. 

Oliver Wilgress - ST

Oliver Wilgress, 82, who earned a master’s degree in geography in 1969 at Western and retired from Western’s Facilities Planning department in 2000, on Nov. 21, 2020, in Bellingham.

Walter Everett Springer - ST

Walter Everett Springer, 76, a longtime security officer at Western and a member of the class of 1965, on June 22, 2020.

Cloid "Chuck" Page - ST

Cloid “Chuck” Page, 85, a retired officer with University Police, on Nov. 29, 2020, in Bellingham.