The Shelton School Board has named the field at Highclimber Stadium after former football coach Jack Stark, B.A., P.E., ’69, M.Ed., P.E., principal’s certificate. Stark coached at Shelton from 1969 to 1993 and took the team to the state playoffs six times.
Spring 2019 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 Notes (General)
Jack Stark - 1959
Bill Kindler - 1965
Bill Kindler, B.A., chemistry, is retired from the paper products industry and active in community affairs in Port Angeles, where he’s a member of the Port Angeles School Board and vice president of the Port Angles Waterfront Center group. Kindler spoke at WWU Commencement in June 2018.
Ken Apt - 1967
Ken Apt, B.A., chemistry, has mostly retired from his work with the U.S. government in international nuclear nonproliferation. He received a Recognition of Excellence from the U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration, which noted Apt‘s work in nuclear nonproliferation and safeguards throughout the globe, including Southeast Asia, North Africa and the Middle East, and his work on some of the administration’s earliest nonproliferation partnerships. Apt lives in New Mexico and continues consulting through his company, Capstan Global LLC.
Patrick Harrington - 1967
Patrick Harrington, B.A., industrial technology, recently celebrated his 50th wed-ding anniversary with his wife Bonnie. After graduation he spent six years in the U.S. Navy then spent 34 years working for Motorola, traveling all over the U.S. and most continents.
John Dodge - 1970
John Dodge, B.A., sociology, anthropology, is a veteran journalist whose “A Deadly Wind: The 1962 Columbus Day Storm” was recently published by Oregon State University Press. Dodge was scheduled to appear on Village Books’ “The Chuckanut Radio Hour” this spring in Bellingham.
Bill Hawk - 1970
Bill Hawk, BAE, English – secondary, recently retired after teaching English for 48 years in Enumclaw, Battle Ground, White River and Muckleshoot Tribal School. Hawk was also a basketball coach and is in the Washington State Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. “It’s time for new adventures,” he writes. He now lives in Arizona.
Rey Pascua - 1971
October will be Filipino American History Month in Washington, thanks in large part to Rey Pascua, ’71, B.A., political science, who authored and championed the bill that awaited the governor's signature at presstime. Pascua, who helped create the Asian Student Coalition at Western in 1970, is retired from Washington Child Welfare Services, where he organized culturally appropriate service delivery models. He’s president of the Filipino American Community of the Yakima Valley and a trustee of the Filipino American National Historical Society. The Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs recently honored him with the Vanguard Award for his lifetime of work and service.
Ray Matlock Smythe - 1971
Ray Matlock Smythe (BAE, history – secondary) is retired after 39 years teaching in Washington, Oregon and California. His two books, “Tips to Improve your Retirement Experience” and “Creative Teaching: A Guide to Success in the Classroom,” are available on amazon. com.
David Swanson - 1972
David Swanson, B.A., sociology, is professor emeritus of sociology at University of California Riverside and recently gave three lectures as an invited visiting professor at Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo.
Samuel Green - 1973
Samuel Green, B.A., English, ’81, M.A., English, a former Poet Laureate of Washington and recipient of the 2008 Washington State Book Award for Poetry and the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry, was the speaker at the 2018 Seattle University graduate school commencement, where he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Green has taught in Seattle University’s summer abroad program in Ireland for 16 years and has served several terms as the Distinguished Visiting Northwest Writer at SU.
Calvin Knight - 1974
Calvin Knight, B.A., speech-language pathology, ’77, M.A., speech-language pathology, CEO of John Muir Health in the San Francisco Bay Area, is the 2019 chair of the California Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees.
Ken Johnsen - 1975
Ken Johnsen, B.A., urban and regional planning, the managing director and partner in the project management firm of Shiels Obletz Johnsen, has helped manage the design and construction of many high-profile urban development projects during his career in Seattle, including Safeco Field, Pike Place Market, King Street Station and the waterfront seawall. He spoke at WWU Commencement in June 2018.
Sandy D. Rose - 1976
Sandy D. Rose, M.Ed., retired after teaching for 40 years, including 28 in Lodi, California. She was a 2018 inductee into the Everett Community College Athletic Hall of Fame for her selection to the 1966 All-American Collegiate Gymnastics Team as well as the college’s varsity basketball, field hockey tennis and badminton teams.
Mark Choate - 1977
Mark Choate, B.A., human services, is a tort attorney based in Juneau, Alaska and practices law in Alaska, Washington, California and Hawaii. He spoke at WWU Commencement in December 2018.
Kathryn Nicholas - 1980
Kathryn Nicholas, B.A., political science, ’99, teaching certificate, is the managing editor of History of Education Quarterly at the University of Washington and completed her doctorate the same year as her daughter, Jessica A. Nicholas, ’06, B.A., French/Spanish and ’08, MiT. Kathryn graduated in June 2018 from the UW with a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies, while Jessica’s Ph.D. was in French Linguistics in May 2018 from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Quentin Walter - 1981
Quentin Walter (Art) is an artist in Florida, where her “Fashionista Series” recently appeared at the Art on 18th gallery in Vero Beach.
Will Reichardt - 1982
Will Reichardt, B.A., political science, recently retired as Skagit County Sheriff.
Cheryl Sullivan-Colglazier - 1982
Cheryl Sullivan-Colglazier, B.A., history, was honored by Gov. Jay Inslee for her outstanding leadership at Washington’s Department of Enterprise Services, where she serves as chief learning officer.
Lydia Bennett - 1983
Lydia Bennett, B.A., economics, is a broker for Saratoga Commercial Real Estate in Bellingham and owner of a commercial real estate advisory and training firm. She was also a speaker at WWU Commencement in June 2018.
Michael C. Myers - 1988
Michael C. Myers, B.A., industrial/organizational psychology, be-came vice president of sales and marketing at Duncaster, a continuing care retirement community in Bloomfield, Connecticut.
Dimitri Stankevich - 1989
Dimitri Stankevich, B.Mus., music education, recently became the executive director of the Orcas Center performing arts center in Eastsound. Stankevich was most recently the director of YMCA Camp Orkila on Orcas Island.
John Handley - 1989
John Handley, B.A., art, is director of art galleries at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas.
Lori Church-Pursley - 1992
Lori Church-Pursley, B.A., English and ’93, M.A., English, completed her Ph.D. in rhetoric, composition and teaching at the University of Arizona in 2003 and is now the development director for a nonprofit in Seattle that provides healthy produce to Northwest Harvest, Food Lifeline and other food banks. She also volunteers with Rotary, Girl Scouts and foster families.
Mike McQuaide - 1993
Mike McQuaide, B.A., English – writing, writes about his life in Luxembourg on his Facebook page, “An American in Luxembourg.” His book by the same name was recently honored as the People’s Choice winner in the Lëtzebuerger Buchpräis, which Mike called “the Oscars of the Luxembourg book world.”
Kimberly Farley - 1993
Kimberly Farley, B.S., applied environmental geology, recently became deputy CEO of Sound Transit. Previously, Farley worked with Washington State Department of Transportation on the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program and with the New York State Thurway Authority’s Tappan Zee Bridge Replacement Project.
Douglas Dreier - 1996
Douglas Dreier, B.A., theatre, recently joined the board of trustees of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Dreier is executive director of the The Dreier Group, which works with private collectors and museums.
Kristen Clapper Bergsman - 1998
Kristen Clapper Bergsman, B.A., environmental education, is the engineering education research manager at the Center for Neurotechnology at the University of Washington and a Ph.D. student at UW’s Learning Sciences and Human Development Program, where she’s studying teacher learning through the collaborative design of K-12 science and engineering curriculum. Bergsman also has her own STEM curriculum design consulting company, Laughing Crow Curriculum.
Rosanna Hughes - 1999
Rosanna Hughes, B.A., theatre, co-founded Mistresspiece Theatre in Seattle, a gender-inclusive theatre group that produces plays with diverse stories from all types of people, particularly plays with pro-woman and LGBTQIA-positive roles.
Shannon Raybold - 1999
Shannon Raybold, BAE, special education, completed an M.Ed. at the University of Washington and lives in Turkmenistan, where she is teaching at an international school and studying for a school administration credential. In August, she’ll move to Kazakhstan and begin a new position as a regional learning sup-port coordinator for Quality Schools International, overseeing programming for students with exceptionalities in parts of China, East Asia and Central Asia. She’s also volunteering with UNICEF and NGOs to help design early intervention support services for special needs children and their families.
Ross Hoover - 1999
Ross Hoover, B.A., environmental education, recently became the Parks and Recreation director for the city of Tualatin, Oregon.
Jesse Salomon - 1999
Jesse Salomon, B.A., Fairhaven interdisciplinary concentration, is a public defender in Seattle Municipal Court and was recently selected to be deputy mayor of Shoreline.
Marc Eaton - 2002
Marc Eaton, B.A., sociology/psychology, is an associate professor of sociology at Ripon College in Wisconsin, and studies paranormal investigators. He co-edited “The Supernatural in Society, Culture and History,” published in 2018 by Temple University Press and is working on a sole-authored manuscript for Routledge.
Cecily Hazelrigg-Hernandez, - 2002
Cecily Hazelrigg-Hernandez, B.A., American cultural studies, Fairhaven Upside-Down Program, was recently elected to the bench on the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division 1, District 3, covering Island, San Juan, Skagit and Whatcom counties. Previously, Hazelrigg-Hernandez served in the Skagit County Public Defender’s Office.
Jesse Trushenski - 2002
Jesse Trushenski, B.S., biology - marine emphasis, recently became the president of the American Fisheries Society, which is dedicated to fisheries science. Trushenski is the director of science for Riverence and Evaqua Farms and received the society’s distinguished service award in 2011.
Julie Marie Wade - 2003
Julie Marie Wade, M.A., English, made tenure at Florida International University, where she’s an associate professor of English. Wade’s newest collection of poems is “Same-Sexy Marriage,” published by A Midsummer Night’s Press in 2018, and “The Unrhymables: Collaborations in Prose,” coauthored with Denise Duhamel and published this year by Noctuary Press.
Taylor Zajonc - 2004
Taylor Zajonc (General Studies) is a maritime historian and shipwreck expert whose first novel, “The Wrecking Crew,” about a deep-water salvage diver searching for a missing research team, was just published by Blank Slate Press.
Saron McKee - 2004
Saron McKee, B.A., human services, ’07, M.A., rehabilitation counseling, recently became the city of Philadelphia’s director of ADA Compliance.
Amber Parsons - 2004
Amber Parsons, B.S., marine biology, earned a master’s degree from the University of Washington in quantitative ecology and resource management and is now a data scientist at Allstate.
Patrick Farrell - 2005
“The Sun is a Compass” by Caroline Van Hemert, ’05, M.A., English, recently published by Little, Brown Spark, is the story of her 4,000-mile journey with her husband Patrick Farrell, ’05, art – sculpture, from Bellingham to the western coast of Alaska by row-boat, foot, packraft, canoe and skis. Fellow writer and Alaskan Eowyn Ivey, ’95, B.A., journalism, called it “My favorite book of 2019 and one of the best Alaskan books I have ever read.”
Caroline Van Hemert - 2005
“The Sun is a Compass” by Caroline Van Hemert, ’05, M.A., English, recently published by Little, Brown Spark, is the story of her 4,000-mile journey with her husband Patrick Farrell, ’05, art – sculpture, from Bellingham to the western coast of Alaska by row-boat, foot, packraft, canoe and skis. Fellow writer and Alaskan Eowyn Ivey, ’95, B.A., journalism, called it “My favorite book of 2019 and one of the best Alaskan books I have ever read.”
Jessica A. Nicholas - 2006
Kathryn Nicholas, B.A., political science, ’99, teaching certificate, is the managing editor of History of Education Quarterly at the University of Washington and completed her doctorate the same year as her daughter, Jessica A. Nicholas, ’06, B.A., French/Spanish and ’08, MiT. Kathryn graduated in June 2018 from the UW with a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies, while Jessica’s Ph.D. was in French Linguistics in May 2018 from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Robin Vazquez - 2006
Robin Vazquez, B.A., Spanish, political science, is the section chief of Workforce Strategies in the State Human Resources Division of the Office of Financial Management. She is also working toward a Master’s in Public Administration degree with a public policy focus at Evergreen State College.
Robert Hand - 2007
Robert Hand, B.A., ’07, communication, was named 2019 Washington State Teacher of the Year. Hand teaches family and consumer sciences and leadership at Mount Vernon High School.
Ben Dragavon - 2007
Ben Dragavon, ’07, B.S., exercise science, was inducted into the WWU Athletics Hall of Fame for 2019 for soccer. Dragavon was a four-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference all-star as a goalkeeper and set numerous WWU game and season records, completing his Viking career as the program leader in shutouts, with 18, and third in goals against average at 1.38. He went on to play for the Seattle Sounders and made his Major League Soccer debut in 2009. After several years as a coach, Dragavon operates a private goalkeeper’s academy.
Deborah Dull - 2007
Deborah Dull, B.A., business administration–operations management, is a principal of supply chain at GE Digital. She was a speaker at WWU Commencement in March.
Sarah Greenstreet - 2007
Sarah Greenstreet, B.S., physics, completed her doctorate in 2015 from the University of British Columbia and is a senior research-er at the B612 Asteroid Institute.
Lindsay Mann-King - 2007
Lindsay Mann-King, ’07, B.S., fitness science, was inducted into the WWU Athletics Hall of Fame for rowing. Mann-King, in the No. 7 seat, was part of seven straight national championships in women’s rowing at Western, an unprecedented event in NCAA I and II rowing. Mann-King won three titles as a rower in the varsity eight shell and four as an assistant coach. She’s one of just nine Vikings in any sport to earn All-America honors three times. The WWU co-Female Athlete of the Year for 2006-07, Mann-King also was featured in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd” for the issue of June 25, 2007. She’s now the wellness coordinator and ergonomics specialist at BP Cherry Point Refinery.
Aaron Hicks - 2008
U.S. Navy Lt. Aaron Hicks, B.S., biochemistry, was selected to be a flight surgeon for the 2019 Blue Angels Team.
Amy Harder - 2008
Amy Harder, B.A., journalism, was selected to be a Visiting Fellow in Journalism at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago for the 2018-19 academic year. Harder, an energy reporter for Axios, is moderating a series of events on campus and sharing her expertise through workshops and discussions.
Ardith Feroglia - 2008
Ardith Feroglia, B.A., communication, is a senior account manager at Aduro Biotech Inc.
Sean Packer - 2008
Sean Packer, ’08, B.A., business administration – marketing, was inducted into the WWU Athletic Hall of Fame for golf. Packer was the WWU Male Athlete of the Year for 2007-08, tying for third place at the NCAA II National Tournament that spring, the second-highest finish in school history and just one stroke behind the co-leaders with a 72-hole total of 1-under par 279. He earned third-team Golf Coaches Association of America All-America honors in 2008, helping the Vikings place eighth at nationals, second at regionals and first in the GNAC with a 72.3 scoring aver-age. A three-time Tacoma City Amateur champion, Packer works for the Social Security Administration.
Katy Gratton - 2008
Katy Gratton Cooke, B.A., humanities, is a federal prosecutor in Virginia. She graduated from William & Mary Law School in 2012, where she was a lead articles editor on the Law Review and volunteered with the Children’s Advocacy Law Society. She also clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Mark S. Davis.
Courtney Schneider - 2008
Courtney Schneider, '08, B.S., community health, was inducted into the WWU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019 for volleyball. Libero Schneider averaged a school-best 7.0 digs per game during her four-year career at WWU, crushing the NCAA II national record by nearly one dig per game. She finished third nationally among NCAA II career dig leaders with a GNAC and school record of 2,695, and was named Western’s Co-Female Athlete of the Decade. In addition to coaching, she now serves as an administrator and youth director for Liberty Towers Church and Community Impact Center in Sacramento, California.
Coral Garnick - 2009
Coral Garnick (Journalism) recently became the health care and retail reporter for the Puget Sound Business Journal.
Stephanie Grow - 2010
Stephanie Grow, B.S., Huxley College of the Environment student/faculty designed major, completed her Masters in Public Health from Columbia University and is now living and working in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, for Project Concern International.
Brooke Costa - 2010
Brooke Costa, B.S., computer science, is the lead engineer for Jam City’s “Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery” game.
Nhan Nguyen - 2011
Nhan Nguyen, B.S. mathematics, ’13, M.S., mathematics, completed his doctorate in mathematics at the University of Montana in 2018 and recently became a research staff member in the Information Technology and Systems Division of the Institute for Defense Analyses.
Hannah Sturtevant - 2011
Hannah Sturtevant, B.S., chemistry, completed her doctorate in chemistry and chemical education at Purdue University in 2016 and is a postdoctoral research associate at University of Virginia’s Center for Teaching Excellence.
Devin Dattan - 2011
Devin Dattan, B.A., history, French, spent a year teaching English in France, then moved to England and completed a Ph.D. in history at the University of York.
Rashawn Nadine Scott - 2011
Rashawn Nadine Scott, theatre, is an actress and comedian who has appeared on “Empire” and “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.” After several years with Second City in Chicago, Scott recently moved to Los Angeles to perform in the 2019 CBS Diversity Sketch Comedy Showcase and will be a part of the upcoming Comedy Central series, “South Side.”
Sherri Reed - 2012
Sherri Reed, B.A., Fairhaven interdisciplinary concentration, recently completed her M.A. in religion from Yale University, where she specialized in religion and literature.
Callie Halstead - 2012
Callie Halstead, B.A., communication sciences and disorders, Spanish, is a speech pathologist in Longmont, Colorado, working with people recovering from strokes and other brain injuries.
Joseph Connelly - 2013
Joseph Connelly, B.A., recreation, is a firefighter for Spokane Valley and came in 14th out of about 2,000 fire-fighters in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Big Climb at the Columbia Center in Seattle in March, climbing 69 flights of stairs in about 13 min-utes to raise money for blood cancer research.
Emily Mulnick - 2013
Emily Mulnick, B.S., biology-anthropology was a teacher for two non-traditional high schools in Idaho, the Alzar School, where she taught Spanish and science and led back-packing trips in Chile, and the One Stone School, which focuses on project-based learning and design thinking. Now, she’s back in school herself to become a physician’s assistant.
Evan (Johnson) Gates - 2014
Evan (Johnson) Gates, B.S., mathematics, physics and ’16, M.S., mathematics, is a doctoral candidate in medical physics at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and a National Library of Medicine fellow in biomedical informatics and data science.
Erika Burns - 2014
Erika Burns, B.Mus., performance, plans to complete her doctorate in 2020 in violin performance and pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma and was a 2018 Emerging Artist Fellow at the Garth Newel Music Center in Virginia. This coming summer, she’s traveling to Toronto to study baroque violin at the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute.
Emily Kunz - 2014
Emily Kunz (B.S., kinesiology) is working toward a doctorate in osteopathic medicine at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences in Yakima. She spent her summer in clinical rotations in Skagit County and recently received an Academic Endowed Scholarship from the American Association of University Women of Port Townsend and the University Women’s Foundation of Jefferson County.
Taneum Bambrick - 2014
Taneum Bambrick, B.A., Fairhaven interdisciplinary concentration, was awarded the American Poetry Review/Honickman First Book Prize for her manuscript, “Vantage,” which will be published in September by Copper Canyon Press. Bambrick is a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University.
Tom Zink - 2015
Tom Zink, B.S., kinesiology pre-healthcare, is in medical school at Tufts University Maine Track Program at Maine Medical Center, and recently completed his core third-year rotations. He’s planning to apply into orthopedic or vascular surgery. He’s also active with the Maine Medical Association Medical Student Section.
Ruth White - 2015
Ruth White, B.A., communication sciences and disorders, will complete her Doctorate of Audiology in May at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is completing her residency at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. She plans to be a pediatric audiologist.
Rachel Wulff - 2015
Rachel Wulff, B.Mus., music education, is a full-time music teacher at LaVenture Middle School in Mount Vernon. She’s pursuing National Board Certification this year and serving on the executive board of the Washington American Choir Directors Association.
Caitlin Villaroman - 2015
Caitlin Villaroman, B.A., communication sciences and disorders, recently came back to Western to earn a master’s degree in speech-language pathology. She was a supervisor at Sardis Raptor Center in Ferndale for several years and continues to volunteer there.
Anna Magidson - 2015
Anna Magidson, B.A., economics, left the corporate world be-hind and became a ski instructor. So far she has worked at ski resorts in Breckenridge, Colorado, and Perisher, Australia.
Le’Ana Freeman - 2016
Le’Ana Freeman, B.A., Fairhaven Interdisciplinary Concentration, is an English teacher and travel consultant in Bangkok, Thailand.
Cami Gates - 2016
Cami Gates, B.Mus., music education P-12, is a high-school orchestra director in the Houston, Texas, area and preparing for graduate school.
Danny Edgel - 2016
Danny Edgel, B.A., economics, earned a master’s degree in economics at the University of Toronto in 2017 with the help of a Fulbright grant and now works for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond as a research analyst in Baltimore. He’s also preparing to apply to doctoral programs in economics.
Caitlyn Jobanek - 2017
Caitlyn Jobanek (B.S., environmental science – freshwater ecology) was selected to play on the women’s soccer team that will represent the U.S. in the 2017 World University Games in Taipei, Taiwan.
Dayna Patterson - 2017
Dayna Patterson, MFA, creative writing, was an editor for “Dove Song: Heavenly Mother in Mormon Poetry,” recently published by B10 Mediaworx.
Alicia Duncombe - 2017
Alicia Duncombe, B.A., sociology, is working toward a Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Texas at Austin, where she recently received a 2019 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.
Adam Kane - 2017
Adam Kane, B.A., English literature, recently began a Ph.D. program in English at Boston University.
Sierra Shugarts - 2018
Sierra Shugarts, B.A., communication studies, and Caitlyn Jobanek, ’17, B.S., environmental science – freshwater ecology, signed contracts last year to play soccer for Motala AIF in the Sweden Professional League.
Obituaries
Bernice Vossbeck - 1944
Bernice Vossbeck, 95, a long-time teacher and the first woman principal in the Lynden School District, on May 12, 2018, in Lynden. Lynden’s Vossbeck Elementary School was named in her honor.
Margaret Rose O’Neill - 1945
Sister Margaret Rose O’Neill, who taught in Catholic schools and colleges and helped launch the Jubilee Women’s Center transitional housing program in Seattle, on June 8, 2018, at St. Mary-on-the-Lake in Bellevue.
Arlene Eleanor Niegemann - 1949
Arlene Eleanor Niegemann, 89, a former teacher who lived and volunteered in Mukilteo for many years, on April 17, 2018.
Billie Jean (Garling) Ershig - 1952
Billie Jean (Garling) Ershig, 78, who with her husband Herb helped establish the Ershig Assistive Technology Resource Center at Western, on Nov. 10, 2018.
Al Cornett - 1952
Al Cornett, 91, a World War II veteran, WWU Athletic Hall of Fame honoree, and retired teacher and coach in the Anacortes School District, on July 12, 2018. Memorials may be sent to the Charles Lappenbusch Athletic Scholarship with the Western Foundation.
Jack L. Bowman - 1954
Jack L. Bowman, 86, a musician and retired pharmaceutical executive who with his wife Jo Ann endowed the Bowman Distinguished Professorship in Leadership at Western, on Nov. 2, 2018, on Lummi Island.
Eugene C. Thramer - 1955
Eugene C. Thramer, 90, retired principal of Harmony Elementary School in Whatcom County, on Jan. 24, 2019.
Norman Richardson - 1955
Norman Richardson, 95, a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II who later worked as a teacher and coach in Olympia and in construction for more than 30 years, on Oct. 18, 2018.
Ernest R. “Ernie” Eerkes - 1957
Ernest R. “Ernie” Eerkes, 80, a retired administrator for the Oak Harbor School District, on Nov. 21, 2018.
Diane Lochaby - 1958
Diane Lochaby, 81, a retired teacher in the South Whidbey School District, on July 9, 2018.
Berniece Claire “Bernie” Leaf - 1958
Berniece Claire “Bernie” Leaf, 92, a retired teacher in Mount Vernon and Sedro-Woolley, on Jan. 22, 2019, on Camano Island.
Joe Stottlebower - 1959
Joe Stottlebower, 91, a Korean War veter-an and retired teacher and coach, on March 1, 2019, in Eugene, Oregon.
Frank E. Handy - 1959
Frank E. Handy, 88, a Korean War veteran and retired teach-er and coach at R.A Long High School in Longview, on Dec. 22, 2018.
Kirby R. Cleveland - 1959
Kirby R. Cleveland, 81, a retired teacher and administrator in the North Thurston School District, on Feb. 23, 2019.
Jean Lois Copeland - 1961
Jean Lois Copeland, 106, of Anacortes, on Dec. 8, 2018.
William H. Hutsinpiller - 1962
William H. Hutsinpiller, 81, who served as a parks and recreation director in Yakima, Bellingham, Renton and King County, on March 7, 2019, in Bellingham.
Arthur Alan Antilla - 1963
Arthur Alan Antilla, 75, a longtime customer service agent for United Airlines, on May 19, 2018.
Shelley J. (Dempster) Weldon - 1965
Shelley J. (Dempster) Weldon, 76, a former elementary school teacher who helped direct student musicals at LaVenture Middle School in Mount Vernon and served as the volunteer coordinator at the Lincoln Theatre, on March 13, 2019, in Mount Vernon.
Juanita C. Bravard - 1969
Juanita C. Bravard, 93, a re-tired teacher and world traveler, on March 26, 2018.
David K. Thompson - 1971
David K. Thompson, 69, a longtime science teacher at Centralia Middle School, on July 30, 2018.
Margaret Louise “Peggy” Rock - 1973
Margaret Louise “Peggy” Rock, 67, who retired from working in the federal government and Tacoma Public Schools, on June 11, 2018, in Tacoma.
Kurt Othberg - 1973
Kurt Othberg, 74, a geologist and former director of the Idaho Geological Survey, on Feb. 10, 2019, in Walla Walla.
Patricia Pilik - 1975
Patricia Pilik, 65, on Oct. 19, 2018, in Mount Vernon.
Edward Charles Knutson - 1976
Edward Charles Knutson, 63, on Oct. 21, 2017.
Thomas C. Graham - 1976
Thomas C. Graham, 65, a longtime accountant in Marysville, on March 2, 2019.
Pamela Hall Lane - 1977
Pamela Hall Lane, 63, who retired from Boeing, on June 17, 2018.
Charlotte Brand - 1978
Charlotte Brand, 75, a retired teacher and principal in the Bellingham School District and later a faculty member in elementary education at Western, on June 28, 2018.
Anthony Mauhar - 1978
Anthony Mauhar, 67, an attorney in Sequim, on May 13, 2018, in Port Townsend.
Sarah “Sally” Funkhouser - 1979
Sarah “Sally” Funkhouser, 78, who a former teacher, clothing store owner and commercial fisher, on Oct. 28, 2018, in Bellingham.
Patricia Diane “Sissy” Meiers - 1980
Patricia Diane “Sissy” Meiers, 86, a retired elementary school teacher, on Jan. 10, 2018.
Peggy Spreadborough Jones - 1991
Peggy Spreadborough Jones, 80, who worked for Catholic Community Services, on Nov. 4, 2018, in Bellingham.
Rebecca Lynn Bell - 2007
Rebecca Lynn Bell, 50, on Aug. 24, 2016, in Bellingham.
Jack O’Brien Daines - 2009
Jack O’Brien Daines, 30, who worked as a software developer and real estate appraiser, on Feb. 24, 2018, in Ephrata.
Joseph Jacobson McClenahan - 2010
Joseph Jacobson McClenahan, 31, a geophysicist and software engineer, May 5, 2018, in Seattle.
Anlya Grace Folsom - 2017
Anlya Grace Folsom, 24, a poet who worked at Haggen, Creativitea and The World is Fun, on Aug. 9, 2018, in Seattle.
Joan Karolyn (Sargent) Sherwood - ADM
Joan Karolyn (Sargent) Sherwood, 84, former vice president and dean of Student Affairs at Western, on Dec. 9, 2018, in Wichita, Kansas.
David Rystrom - FAC
David Rystrom, 73, who taught finance and economics in the College of Business and Economics and was a supporter of the arts and athletics at WWU, on Feb. 21, 2019. A memorial scholarship is being created in his name for Western’s Arts Enterprise and Cultural Innovation Program.
Kurt W. Moerschner - FAC
Kurt W. Moerschner, 96, a former German professor, on Nov. 3, 2018.
Sebastian Mendes - FAC
Sebastian Mendes, 69, a professor of art and head of the sculpture program who had taught at Western since 2001, on April 26, 2018. Much of his art was inspired by his grandfather, Aristides de Sousa Mendes, a Portuguese diplomat who helped thousands of refugees flee the Nazis during World War II.
Richard Vogel - FAC
Richard Vogel, 82, a longtime faculty member in the Technology Department where he taught industrial graphics and AutoCAD, on Nov. 27, 2018.
Richard J. Fowler - FAC
Richard J. Fowler, 88, a longtime faculty member in the Technology Department, on Sept. 4, 2018.
Tom Sherwood - FAC
Tom Sherwood, 81, an artist and former assistant professor of aesthetics, art history and the philosophy of religion at Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies in the 1970s, on Feb. 7, 2019, in Bellingham.
Don Dean Eklund - FAC
Don Dean Eklund, 92, a retired history professor, author, and former president of the Whatcom County Central Labor Council, on Jan. 7, 2019, in Stanwood.
Ronald Savey - FAC
Ronald Savey, 80, associate professor emeritus and chair of the Accounting Department from 1976 to 2000, on May 27, 2018, in Bellingham.
Mabel Chappelle Arnett - FAC
Mabel Chappelle Arnett, 84, who taught physical education at Western for 30 years and helped develop the kinesiology curriculum, on April 13, 2019.
John C. “Jack” Street - FRN
John C. “Jack” Street, 87, a Mongolian linguist who donated significantly to Western’s extensive Mongolia Collection, on Aug. 6, 2017, in Janesville, Wisconsin.
Donald H. House - ST
Donald H. House, 89, a former operations manager at WWU, on Dec. 15, 2017, in Bellingham.
Mabel Snowden (Pace) Benedict - ST
Mabel Snowden (Pace) Benedict, 100, who worked in Western Libraries, on Dec. 1, 2018.
Weddings
Randall Singer - 1998
Tamara Bauman and Randall Singer, ’98, B.A., history, on Aug. 27, 2016, in Seattle.
Johanna Marie Kent - 2000
Johanna Marie Kent, ’00, B.S., biology – marine, and David Anthony Saar, on Oct. 27, 2018, in Bremerton.