Class Notes

Judy Irving, '82, BAE, elementary education and general science, and ’93, M.Ed., school administration, lives and teaches in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where she was recently visited by her basketball teammates Keri Worley VonMoos, BAE, physical education/secondary education, and Jo Metzger-Levin, ’81, BAE, physical education/secondary education, and ’85, M.Ed., physical education, who were on a three-week tour of five countries in Southeast Asia.

Judy Irving, BAE, elementary education and general science, and ’93, M.Ed., school administration, lives and teaches in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where she was recently visited by her basketball teammates Keri Worley VonMoos, ’80, BAE, physical education/secondary education, and Jo Metzger-Levin, ’81, BAE, physical education/secondary education, and ’85, M.Ed., physical education, who were on a three-week tour of five countries in Southeast Asia.

Camille VanDevanter, B.S., chemistry/biology, is an orthodontist in Federal Way.

Steve Valandra, B.A., journalism, retired in 2021 after 40 years of work, first as a reporter and editor at the Friday Harbor Journal, Bellingham Herald and the Salem Statesman‐Journal, then as a communications professional for several state agencies. He served as director of communications at the departments of General Administration and Enterprise Services and finished his career as deputy commissioner of Public Affairs for the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. Steve now splits his time between homes in Olympia and Porto, Portugal.

Dixon Hamby, B.S., visual communication, worked at Boeing for 18 years, where he was a graphic artist then became a web designer. He also worked at Trader Joe’s for several years. After living in Panama and Hawaii, Dixon is back in Seattle.

Greg Hall, M.A., sociology, retired as a captain in the Los Angeles Police Department, where, he reports, he put his graduate sociology degree to good use.

Rick Hafele, B.S., biology, is an aquatic biologist and a founder and board member of the Deschutes River Alliance. Known as “the Bug Man” in fly fishing circles, Rick wrote the Aquatic Entomology column for American Angler magazine for more than three decades.

Charles Young, BAE, physical education, taught English in Las Vegas schools for 30 years. He’s also a Shakespeare scholar who theorizes that the Bard’s grave marker is actually an elaborate puzzle that points to the true author of Shakespeare’s works, Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford.

Mike Dobb, B.A., recreation, retired after 32 years in parks and recreation. During his career, he served as president of the Washington Recreation and Park Association. He purchased a 320-acre tree farm in Minnesota in 1996, and he was named Minnesota Tree Farmer of the Year in 2017 by the American Tree Farm System and Minnesota Forestry Association.

Jean Waight, B.A., anthropology, and ’96, M.A., sociology, has a book out from Wipf and Stock Publishers, “The River Beyond the Dam: Shooting the Rapids of Progressive Christianity.” The memoir explores what a modern church can be, Jean says, inclusive, egalitarian, scholarship-infused, and vital—even fun.

Frank James, B.A., Fairhaven interdisciplinary concentration, and ’21, Distinguished Alumnus, has had an active medical career in teaching, research and medical practice both in the Pacific Northwest and globally, working in India, Thailand, Nepal, East Timor and other countries. He has been the health officer for San Juan County for over 30 years and for the Nooksack Tribe for more than 15. Most recently he was recognized by the Washington Academy of Family Physicians for providing the leadership to bring San Juan County, a very high-risk community with more than 35 percent of residents over 65, through the pandemic with only three deaths over the past three years. Frank holds teaching positions at UW School of Public Health and at Yang Ming University School of Medicine in Taipei, Taiwan.

Lon Orey, M.S., psychology, worked for 41 years in the human resources field, most recently as vice president for Human Resources at PIH Health in Whittier, California. Since his retirement, he has authored two books, both of them satires about a team of U.S. Military Intelligence agents operating in Thailand during the height of the Vietnam War: “Apricot Marmalade and the Edmondson Transmittal,” and its sequel, “Apricot Marmalade and The Sangsuwan Equation.”

John Kito, BAE, physical education – elementary, retired in June 2022 after 55 years in education in Oregon, Washington and Alaska, including 22 years as principal of William Tyson Elementary School in Anchorage.

Terry Clayton, BAE, exercise and sport science, recently published “Facing the Moment: Lessons from A Global Odyssey,” a memoir from his travels around the world and witnessing humanity’s struggle to survive and manage change in an ever-evolving world.

Janis Olson Peterson, BAE, elementary education, and Wes Peterson, ‘51, technology education, and ’58, M.Ed., elementary education, celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on June 21, 2022.

Janis Olson Peterson, BAE, elementary education, and Wes Peterson, ‘51, technology education, and ’58, M.Ed., elementary education, celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on June 21, 2022.

Colton Rasanen-Fryar, B.A., journalism-public relations, was promoted to assistant managing editor of the Wahpeton Daily News in North Dakota.

Isabel Vander Stoep, B.A., communication studies, was promoted to assistant editor of the Chronicle newspaper in Chehalis. Isabel began at the paper as an intern and was soon promoted to full-time reporter.

Irina Reinhardt, B.A., communication studies, became a business administrator for the solar energy company Unico Solar Investors.

Karlee Foster, B.A., theatre, is an actor and theatre artist in the Los Angeles area and a member of the Wallis Studio Ensemble at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. She recently performed in the ensemble’s production of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” Karlee is also on the technical crew at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy.