Alumni news
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Chellis Jensen
November 2009
Chellis Jensen (B.A. speech/drama and teaching
certificate, '57), is author of a new children's book,
Mrs. Annathena Gilly Gully from Puddle Rumple Tilly
Willy. The Tacoma resident, who minored in music
at WSU, also wrote a song, “We Might Even Get To
Be Friends," for the CD version of the book. The
story is written for children 7-9 years old, but is a
good "read-to-me" for younger children. Writes the
author: "Aren’t you curious about this quirky
lady, and the parrot that rides on the top of her hat?
That’s Maurice, and his antics cause a few
problems in the story. This book talks about teasing
and name calling, and how two generations finally come
together." More information is available on her Web
site, www.chellisjensen.com.
As a result of the Gaining Early Awareness and
Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR-UP) grant
and the Project Lead the Way curriculum, seventy-one
students at Toppenish High School are enrolled in the
foundational Introduction to Engineering Design class.
Sixty of those students are freshman and sophomores who
have begun the pathway to an engineering career. These
three classes, taught by Enrique Romero,
Arnulfo Gonzalez (B.A. liberal arts,
teaching certificate elementary/secondary education,
'03), and Shawn Myers, give students the cognitive
demands and hands-on experiences to apply a design
process to solve problems by improving existing
products, creating new ones, and then collaborating
their conclusions with others. From a technological
perspective, all students have the opportunity of using
the same software that professional engineers use to
design, build, and manufacture. All three teachers
received an extensive two week embedded professional
development at Seattle University. Next year’s
plan includes adding specialization courses such as
aerospace, biotechnical, civil, and computer
engineering courses.
Ella May Zuroske of Spokane Valley
(B.A. history '48, BA education '51, M.A. education
'70) died Nov. 3. She taught at Elma High School as a
young woman, and returned to teaching in 1967 when her
husband, Clifford Zuroske, was disabled by multiple
sclerosis. She taught fo 25 years at Sunnyside
elementary in Pullman, and was named Washington State
Educator of the Year for 1980. She is survived by five
children and four grandchildren. The family suggests
that memorial donations be made to an animal shleter,
hospice care or Washington State University.
October 2009
Dee Baumgartner
Delores "Dee" Baumgartner ('73 M.Ed.) was named the first recipient of the Miller-Manchester Mentor Teacher of the Year at the College of Education's annual Scholarship & Excellence event. A kindergarten teacher at Franklin Elementary School, she was honored for providing outstanding mentoring, coaching and nurturing for many practicum students and student teachers in both the undergraduate and Master's in Teaching programs. "Dee accepts the many duties of mentor teacher with dedication and commitment to high standards and expectations for quality classroom performances," said Interim Dean Phyllis Erdman. "Our teacher candidates, our program and our entire profession have benefited from Dee’s many years of service to teacher preparation." As part of Dee’s award, she received a small stipend, tickets to the WSU Homecoming football game, and a small token of recognition. She will also have the opportunity to speak to pre-service teachers.
Also recognized at the Oct. 10 Scholarship & Excellence event was Rena Mincks, (Ph.D., 2005) the 2009 Vitt and Mary Ferrucci Distinguished Educator in Math, Science and Technology Education.
Daniel Albery (B.A. ’05, M.Ed. ’08) won the Master's Research Award from the Association of Literacy Educators & Researchers for his graduate project, "Bridging Fact and Story: Using Historical Fiction in Middle School Social Studies." Says Dan: "I did a retrospective analysis of lesson plans I wrote during undergrad and student teaching and reworked them using Young Adult Historical Fiction (and pairing it with critical literacy strategies)." After teaching for one year in Japan, he is working at Hamilton Elementary School in Port Angeles, Wash., as an AmeriCorps volunteer.
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Danyell Laughlin
Michelle Kelly
September 2009
Two College of Education alumni are among Washington's
regional 2010 Teachers of the Year.
Danyell Laughlin (B.A., '92), has
taught English for 13 years at Klahowya Secondary
School in Silverdale, where she connects every lesson
to the world her students are living in. She believes
educators must adapt by incorporating technology and
new methods of instruction into their classrooms if
they are to truly engage all students. Her ability to
build trusting relationships with students is
unparalleled. She is so trusted by students that the
entire Students Opposing Suicide Team listed Danyell as
their personal advocate. Principal Ryan Stevens said
Danyell “exhibits courageous teaching on a daily
basis. She welcomes struggling students into her
classroom and makes them believe in their own internal
abilities. She possesses the ability to locate that one
ember that a student hides from other teachers and she
stokes that ember until the student catches fire with a
desire to learn.” Michelle Kelly (M.Ed.
'97), is a National Board Certified Teacher
who teaches a third and fourth grade class in the
highly capable program at Kent Elementary.
Michelle’s classroom includes English language
learners and special education students. She is able to
expertly accommodate the unique needs of every student
while maintaining high expectations. The result is that
each student receives the highest quality education
possible. Writes one parent, “Her success in
helping my own Asperger’s afflicted son become a
hi-cap, Honor Roll student is only one example of her
ability to overcome adversity on the path to success.
Michelle Kelly changes the lives of her student, their
parents and her co-workers in the most positive
way!”
August 2009
Jesse "Bud" Garrison
Jesse “Bud” Garrison (M.A. ’53, Ed.D. ’57) of Monmouth, Ore., died Aug. 19. He received his bachelor’s degree from Central Washington State College after World War II, in which he served in the Army Air Corps. After receiving his graduate degrees at WSU, Bud accepted his first professorship at Northern Illinois University. In 1961, he began teaching at Oregon College of Education (later Western Oregon University). While there, he was recognized as an outstanding teacher and leader. As chair of the Department of Education, he accepted on behalf of the college a Gold Award from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. He retired from WOU in 1983. Bud is survived by his wife, Shirley; three daughters, seven grand-children and eight great-grandchildren. Donations in his name may be made to the Western Oregon University Foundation Elementary Education Scholarship Fund.
Their mother chuckles about how different they were as
children. But WSU alumni Justin
Guillory (Ph.D. '08) and Raphael
Guillory (Ph.D. '02) have similar success
stories, both earning doctorates in higher education
administration. Raphael is an associate professor at
Eastern Washington University; Justin is dean of
academics and distance learning at Northwest Indian
College. Both are passionate about sharing the
benefits of education with the Native American
community. The brothers are featured in the latest
edition of WSU's Insight Magazine. Read more.
June 2009
Florence Wager ('50 BA communications, '54 B.Ed.) was honored this month as Clark County's First Citizen for 2009. The award, presented by the Community Foundation in Vancouver, recognized her advocacy for parks, recreational opportunities and healthy communities. Reports the Vancouver Columbian: During his presentation, foundation president Rick Melching cued 35 members of the audience to stand: Each person was holding a sign bearing the name of a park that resulted from Wager's activism. Later, Melching highlighted Wager's role in chairing a task force that will eventually produce 250 miles of local hiking trails and bike paths. Wager also has thrown her support behind the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District, the Vancouver Symphony and the YWCA. "In 30 years of public service, I've never met anyone like her," said David Judd. "To put in that much time and intellect and devotion..." And Wager, 81, has done it all since retiring in 1990. According to a profile in the Clark County Senior Messenger, "Flossie" left Pullman eager to find work in the arts, and became executive director of the San Francisco Symphony Foundation-- a job she landed thanks in part to her passion for volunteering. In 2007, she was among seven people honored with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's first Community Hero awards.
Rudy Johnson
Rudy Johnson (M.Ed '59) was a teacher, principal, Everett School District superintendent and Skagit County's United Way director. "Not bad for a two-time high school dropout," reads the Everett Herald obituary. Johnson spent 40 years as an educator in Washington and Oregon. His life experiences gave him special empathy for struggling students. Johnson was superintendent of the Everett School District from 1976 until he retired in 1987. It is one of the longest tenures for a superintendent in the district's history. He died June 3 at his home in California, at the age of 82.
Bob Manteaw (Ph.D. '08) is the new climate change adaptation strategy coordinator for the province of Alberta, Canada. He leads a team tasked with producing an adaptation strategy for the province. Bob says what he learned in WSU's Cultural Studies and Social Thought doctoral program has been critical to his new role in Edmonton, which includes stakeholder education/engagement and critical policy analysis.
May 2009
Kristen Jaquish
The family of Kristen Jaquish ('89 B.A. Education) has established a scholarship in her memory, describing her as "a truly quintessential educator, influencing countless lives and leaving a ripple effect that will impact so many others for years to come." Kristen taught fifth grade for 17 years in the Tukwila School District. She died in March, ten days short of her 42nd birthday after a 5½-year battle against breast cancer. Kristen was a passionate Cougar, Having received the WSU Alumni Leadership Scholarship as an incoming freshman, she became a King County Director of the Alumni Association after her graduation and was active in interviewing candidates for this same scholarship. She always encouraged her former students to attend Washington State University. Anyone wishing to contribute to the scholarship fund should contact Carly Young.
George Murdock ('80 Superintendent Certificate) is the new superintendent of the Douglas Education Service District. Murdock, 66, spent 40 years in education before he retired from 2007 from a nine-year stint at the Umatilla-Morrow ESD. Shortly afterward, he picked up his pen to work at the local newspaper. Murdock's current position as editor at the East Oregonian will be eliminated as of July 1 to offset declining advertising revenue and circulation drops. But the declining newspaper industry and his reluctance to retire turned his gaze back to education. “I spent about one minute thinking about retirement and decided I would rather be pecked by chickens,” he told the Roseburg, Oregon, News Review.
Pullman special education teacher Megan Itani (B.A. '02) is one of two recipients of the 2009 Educating the Whole Child Award. Megan is working on her master of education degree at WSU. She will represent Eastern Washington when she picks up her award in Seattle at the Oct. 9 conference of the Washington State Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
April 2009
Ruth Carantzas
In memoriam: The college has learned of the January death of alumna and benefactor Ruth Brimble Carantzas ('38, B.A.). Ruth grew up in Coulee City, graduating from high school in a class of nine. Her first teaching job was in Winona, followed by Granger. "Then," she said, "I came to Cashmere." It was there, during World War II, that she met Chris Carantzas, a native of Greece, who had emigrated to the United States at the age of 18. The couple married in 1948, and remained so for nearly 50 years. He was an orchardist in Dryden, while she taught business, commercial communication and office skills, at Cashmere High School for 26 years. Chris passed away in 1993. After her retirement, Ruth kept busy playing bridge and traveling; working for the St. James Episcopal Church in Cashmere; and volunteering for various cancer organizations, a local retirement home and in the Cashmere Museum. Those who wish, may make memorial donations in Ruth's name to Seattle Children's Hospital Foundation, P.O. Box 50020/S-200, Seattle, WA 98145-5020; or to Cashmere Schools Foundation, 210 S. Division, Cashmere, WA 98815.
March 2009
Gene Schmidt ('08 Ph.D. education administration, '73 B.A. liberal arts and teaching certificate) is superintendent of the Bridgeport, Wash., School District, which is a grand prize winner in the American School Board Journal’s 15th annual Magna Awards program. The contest is presented with the support of Sodexo School Services. The district will receive $4,000 in scholarship money during a presentation at the National School Boards Association’s conference in April. Bridgeport was recognized in the under 5,000 enrollment category for “College in the High School,” which offers college-level classes to high school students in the tiny district. Students from the past five graduating classes have completed high school with up to 45 college credits and many now attend colleges and universities throughout the nation. The college-level classes also have helped increase scores on state reading and writing graduation tests.
February 2009
Laurie Tuiaea
Laurie Tuiaea (Ed.M., '93) will receive the 2009 Sebesta Award, which recognizes outstanding teachers, from the Washington Organization for Reading Development. She is a language arts/social studies teacher at Chief Joseph Middle School in Richland. Her recent work has involved implementing the school's Highly Capable Program, particularly in the advanced literacy arena.
Dean Johnson (Ph.D. '03) is a clinical assistant professor in the WSU Department of Statistics. His latest publications include Johnson, H. D. and Evans, M. A.(2008) Illustrating sampling distribution of a statistic: Minitab revisited, in Australian Mathematics Teacher, Vol 64, Number 1.
Hank Sauer (M.Ed. '81), former president of the College of Education Alumni Board, was honored as the city of Kennewick's Man of the Year. Sauer, a retired teacher and school principal, is widely known for his volunteer work. He also is past president of the Kennewick Kiwanis, a member of the Kennewick Park Board and the Benton County Park Board, has served with the Eastern Washington Second Harvest Foundation and the Kennewick branch of the Tri-City Food Bank, and has been a bell ringer for the Salvation Army for 20 years. He is married to Nancy Sauer, (B.A. elementary education '70).
Daniel Allbery (B.A. ’05, M.Ed. ’08) of Spokane is teaching in Japan as part of the WSU-Nishinomiya Board of Education Exchange. He describes the experience as humbling and life-changing. Read more.
Tami Moore
Tami Moore (Ph.D. '08) has received a Dissertation of the Year Award from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Division J. Her dissertation, “Placing Engagement: Critical Reading of Interaction Between Regional Communities and Comprehensive Universities,” was selected from five finalists. She will present her findings at the 2009 AERA conference in April. Moore completed two WSU doctoral programs, Higher Education Administration, and Cultural Studies and Social Thought. She is an assistant professor of higher education at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa. Read more.
January 2009
John Doty (Ph.D., 2008) is working in the WSU Athletic Department’s Academic Resource Center in Pullman. He coordinates educational technology to focus on content-area reading with athletes. He also facilitates math talk. using questioning, collaborative learning, and hands-on experiences to connect athletes' learning to real life, and to help influence their attitudes and beliefs about themselves in relation to mathematics. Doty is also volunteer director of the READ for LIFE literacy-tutoring outreach program, which works in collaboration with the Center for Civic Engagement. He developed the program in 2005 as an outgrowth of a course in Action Research with Associate Professor Dawn Shinew.
December 2008
Jim Stewart (B.A. social studies,
teaching certificate '83) teaches mathematics at
Garfield-Palouse High School, where he created a design
team to inspire students to seek engineering
careers. The team won second place in a national
competition in spring 2008 with their Paraplegic
Agricultural Lift, and received a $10,000 grant to
improve their design and present it at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Read more.
Joe Jisa (B.A. education '97) is principal at
Christ the King School, a private kindergarten through
eighth-grade school in Richland, and co-owner of the
Towne Crier, a Coug-centric sports bar. His wife, Marta
Gray-Jisa (B.A. social studies '08) is administrative
assistant for human resources in the Pasco School
District. Read
more about the couple of diehard WSU fans and their
daughter, Mackenzie.
November 2008
Sandra Coyer (Wilson) (B.A. communications '98, teaching certificate '99) was recently recognized by the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund as a Special Recognition adviser and will receive her award at the JEA/NSPA Fall National Conference in St. Louis, MO. Coyer teaches sophomore English, sophomore journalism and newspaper production at Puyallup High School. Her students earned fourth place last year at the JEA/NSPA Spring Conference in the 17-plus page newspaper category. She serves as the Washington Journalism Education Association vice president, and judges and speaks nationally at journalism conventions to both advisers and students. She has taught at Puyallup since 2000 with a one-year hiatus to teach at Sammamish High School in the Bellevue School District. In 2007, Coyer was awarded the Puyallup School District Secondary Teacher of the Year award.
Judith “Judy” Sanders Fletcher (B.S. Education ’63) is a math/science specialist at Wilson Elementary School in Houston. She reports: “Wow! Are things in public schools ever different from 1982 when I retired. I ‘un-retired’ in the fall of ’07 and am happily getting used to all the changes. The kids are basically the same but the curriculum and methodology are vastly different. It is a great way to keep one’s 66-year-old brain active. I see 300 students once a week following up on the math and science lessons the kids are taught in their homerooms. Our school is a public Montessori school so I’m in training to become a certified Montessori teacher. That training is 8 weeks (8-5 M-F) in the summer – there goes the old summer off! My husband and I lived aboard our boat for 10 years and cruised 22,000 miles during part of the time we were retired. Our last great cruise was a six month trip to Alaska…. When the work of maintaining a boat became more than we were happy doing, we retired from retirement."
October 2008
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Karen Wysaske (B.S. '74 home economics, M.Ed. '90) has been named Clark County 2008 Teacher of the Year. Karen, who teaches math at Washougal High School, is a member of the College of Education Advocacy Board. She says her favorite part of teaching is when her students “get it," realizing how education -- and math in particular -- will benefit them. She was praised for putting a high priority on preparing her students for life, for teamwork with her colleagues, and for her calm, friendly presence.
Heather Byington (BA liberal arts '97, MIT '99) was a regional finalist for the 2009 Washington Teacher of the Year Award, representing ESD 113. An English-as-a-second-language teacher at Evergreen Elementary School in Shelton, Byington spends half her day teaching in English and half teaching in Spanish. She knows it's critical with language learners to meet them where they are and take them one step further. A colleague noted that Byington's students sing about nocturnal animals, re-enact the Lewis and Clark expedition or dance the "electron bump" to learn about atoms and electricity. To expose her students to Native American history, Byington researched more than 100 Native American legends. She used six to introduce her students to Native American culture, a project that blossomed eventually into explorations of other cultures and a series of plays students wrote and performed based on their research into legends.
Gary Schulz (BS '76 vo tech education) has been named executive vice president of the California Raisin Administrative Committee and the California Raisin Marketing Board. The Tulare resident, a fifth generation farmer, managed Tulare's International Agri-Center for fifteen years and, most recently served as program director for the Central Vally Business Incubator while consulting for various economic development and political clients.
September 2008
Kevin Johnston, (BA '88, recreation and leisure studies) hopes to change the beliefs about and the use of personal flotation devices to convince more people to practice safe behavior in and around Idaho’s water. Johnston is a faculty member in the University of Idaho College of Education Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. He recently was awarded a $2,000 National Swimming Pool Foundation Fellowship to continue his doctoral research and help educate people about safe water behaviors. Last year Johnston was recognized by Aquatics International as one of the top 25 most influential aquatics professionals in the world. He is scheduled to present at the World Aquatic Health Conference Oct. 14-18 and already has been invited back to present next year. Read more.
August 2008
Damien Pattenaude (B.A. English/secondary education '99, M.A educational leadership '05) was named principal of Renton High School in Renton, Wash. He had most recently been assistant principal at Renton's Hazen High School. Read more.
Susan Pavel (Ph.D. '99) is not only a master weaver in the Coast Salish tribal tradition, she’s also the curator for a show just opened at Auburn, Wash.'s White River Valley Museum. “SQ3Tsya’ya” – pronounced “cutse-ya-ya” – mean’s “weaver’s spirit power,” and it showcases not only 25 of Pavel’s works but those of 12 other weavers both contemporary and historical: blankets, skirts, vests, cedar hats. Pavel is also, by training and nature, an educator, and her plan to include a few touchable exhibits in the WRVM show is part of her larger work over the past 12 years – to teach people about this elegant, personal and politically powerful art form. Read more.
Andrew Michael Roberts of Seattle (B.A. ’95, elementary and secondary education) is a 2008 recipient of the Iowa Poetry Prize. He won the honor for his debut collection, "something has to happen next," which will be published in April 2009 by the University of Iowa Press. Andrew also earned an MFA in poetry from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he was a Juniper Fellow and received the distinguished teaching award. He is currently Youth Art Works Manager at the Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle. Nominated for the Pushcart Prize, his work has been published in journals including Tin House, the Iowa Review, LIT, Gulf Coast, the Cincinnati Review, the Colorado Review and Fugue. He is the author of two chapbooks, "Give Up" and "Dear Wild Abandon," which won the Poetry Society of America National Chapbook Award in 2007 and was published by the society in 2008. Read more.
July 2008
Dave Andrews (B.S. '85 physical education) will shadow the U.S. men’s soccer team before and after they step onto the soccer field next month during the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Andrews, a Gig Harbor High School athletic trainer, was appointed to serve as the U.S. team’s head athletic trainer to manage injury prevention, evaluation, rehabilitation, nutrition, recovery and hydration, doping control and communication with the chief medical officer.
June 2008
Harold C. Scholle (M.A. '51), of Lisle, Ill., died June 30 at age 80. His long education career in Illinois included serving as superintendent of the Yorkville school district from 1978 to 1986. He also held a bachelor's degree from Northern Illinois University, a master's in business administration from northwestern University, and a doctorate from Walden University. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and active member of the Lions Club.
Stan Clarke (M.I.T. '93) will be inducted in the Washington Wine Hall of Fame this summer. Clarke, one of the first faculty members of the Enology and Viticulture Center at Walla Walla Community College, died unexpectedly in November 2007. Martin Clubb, owner of L'Ecole No 41, said Clarke "was enormously respected by everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. Stan was passionate about his work, intelligent, easy going, and endlessly giving of his time." Earlier this year, Clarke was posthumously awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers. Clarke previously served as grower relations manager for Chateau Ste. Michelle and in 1982 became a founding member and general manager at Quail Run. He next became the winemaker and general manager at Hyatt Vineyards. He began his teaching career in the Prosser School District. During that time he continued to write articles about grapes and wines, judge competitions and in 1987 was president of the Washington Wine Institute, the precursor to the Washington Wine Commission.
May 2008
Tim Wood, (B.A. '05 elmentary and secondary education) has been named head boys basketball coach of the Rogers High School Pirates. "He has great rapport, a lot of energy and is passionate about basketball," said Rogers activities coordinator Eric Anderson, activities coordinator at the Spokane school. Wood said his goal was always to be a head coach. He did his student teaching at Rogers and stayed on as a special education instructor and assistant coach.
April 2008
Alfred M. "Al" Philips (Ed.D. ’58), founding president of Tulsa Community College, died April 24 at age 84. Before attending WSU, Philips received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Emporia Teachers College in Kansas. He also attended the University of California and Michigan State University. Thomas McKeon, current president and CEO of Tulsa Community College, said: "Because of his passion, vision and leadership, he created the blueprint and laid the foundation for Tulsa Junior College, now Tulsa Community College. When we look back over our life we typically can identify a few people who had a significant impact. For me, Al Philips is one of those individuals."
Shirley Ott Kiehn (B.A., ’43 home economics and M.A. ‘67 in teaching home economics) died April 5 in Pullman. Early in her career, she taught home economics at Pomeroy, Ritzville and Colton high schools. She later was a WSU associate professor, home and family life consultant in adult and youth education. She then spent 18 years teaching family relations at the University of Idaho before retiring. She came out of retirement in 1987 to again join the faculty at WSU, where she taught for another five years. She also served as a consultant to the U.S. Office of Education. She received numerous awards during her career for outstanding teaching and advising, including the Displaced Homemaker Service Award and the Phi Upsilon Omicron District Director Award. In 1978, she received the WSU Outstanding Alumni Award.
Gerard J. Bowen, Jr. (B.S.
athletic training, '99) officially announced his
candidacy for the U.S.House of Representatives, 4th
Congressional District of Louisiana . Bowen, born and
raised in the New Orleans area, was displaced by
Hurricane Katrina to the Shreveport-Bossier area which
has now become his home.
Bowen has served in the Navy and, besides his
kineseology degree from WSU, holds a Masters of Health
Administration from Tulane University
March 2008
Nancy Stowell, who had been acting
superintendent for the Spokane public schools, landed
the district’s top job in March. She has worked
in Spokane schools for more than 30 years.
Stowell earned three degrees at WSU: B.A. in
liberal arts (’70), M.A. in education (’85)
and Ph.D. in education (’91).
Stacey Locke, who received her superintendent's credentials at WSU and has begun work toward a doctorate in educational leadership, has been named Washington State High School Principal of the Year 2008. Stacey is principal of Yakima's Eisenhower High School. The honor makes her a candidate for National Principal of the Year.
Mike
Hambelton ('71 Education, Industrial
Technology) is an owner of Double M Orchards in
Quincy, Wash., and has been involved in the orchard
management since its beginning two decades ago. His
commitment and leadership in the Washington tree fruit
industry won him the title of 2007 Apple Citizen of the
Year. Mike has served as a board member and president
of the Wenatchee Valley Traffic Association; board
member and chairman of the Northwest Horticultural
Council, the Washington State Apple Commission, and the
Washington State Soft Fruit Commission; member of the
Washington State Horticultural Association Grade and
Pack Committee, various U.S. apple committees, and the
Foreign Trade Committee for the Washington State Apple
Commission. Nationally, Mike served as a board
member and committee member of the Produce Marketing
Association.
February 2008
Sara Gonzalez (M.A. Education, 2003), will be among the “Teachers Who Make a Difference” recognized at the University of Kentucky on March 28. Gonzalez, who teaches English at Pasco High School in Pasco, Wash., wasn’t told which former student nominated her for the recognition. At Pasco High, her activities include advising the O Ambassador Program, which is a joint project of Oprah’s Angel Network and Free the Children. The program connects young people in North America with people around the world to create lasting change by working toward the United Nations Millenium Development Goals. Participants address problems such as hunger, poverty and limited access to education.
Fritz Hughes (Liberal Arts, ’67; M.Ed.,’71) will retire June 30 from his second career as executive director of the Pullman Chamber of Commerce. He was with the chamber for nine years, and his accomplishments included launching the national Lentil Festival and putting the chamber on a solid financial footing. He was recruited for the job after serving the Pullman School District as principal at Edison, Franklin and finally Sunnyside elementary schools. His wife, Mary Hughes, is also a College of Education graduate (’67).
January 2008
Rick Adams (’75, agriculture; WSU teaching certificate) was named Washington State University's Dad of the Year for 2007. His nomination was announced during the Stanford/WSU football game on Nov. 10. Adams is a teacher and FFA – formerly Future Farmers of America – advisor from Prosser and will retire in June after 30 years of teaching. “My ag ed teacher, Roy Hallstrom, was a WSU alum, and he was what motivated me to pursue this field,” said Adams. “I saw what he did for other kids, and thought if I could do what he did, it would be a great way to spend a career.”
David Conley, (’04, Ph.D., educational psychology) clinical assistant professor in the WWAMI Medical Education Program and the School of Biological Sciences at WSU, received the University of Washington School of Medicine WWAMI Distinguished Teacher Award at the School of Medicine hooding ceremony last June. Conley was nominated by the 2007 graduating class of physicians, 20 of whom completed their first year of medical education here on the WSU-Pullman campus, in 2003-04. The award is the highest regional teaching honor given by the graduating class of physicians each year, and is only given to one faculty member throughout the five-state region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho). Conley teaches and directs the anatomy and embryology courses in the first year of the WWAMI program. He also teaches undergraduate anatomy and directs the Willed Body Donation Program.
Laurie Creighton (’77, education) was recognized as statewide "Teacher of the Year.” Creighton, a fitness teacher and volleyball coach at Olympia High School, was recognized with the award given by the Connecticut-based Teachers' Insurance Plan. The award came with $1,000 for Creighton and $500 for Olympia High. Creighton's teaching career at Olympia’s Washington Middle School began in 1977. She taught there until 1990, when she moved to Olympia High. She and her husband, Greg Creighton (B.A. ’75), both majored in physical education.
Suzanne Dalton (’90, liberal arts) is the new principal of Corvallis High School. Dalton has been principal of Newport High School for two years and was previously an elementary school administrator. Her husband, Michael, is a professor and the assistant to the dean for program and research development in the College of Education at Oregon State University. Dalton holds a master’s degree from Portland State University. She has done administrative work at PSU, the University of Oregon, Lewis & Clark College, Stanford and Harvard. Among Dalton’s awards and honors are the Distinguished Principal Western Region Award, the Outstanding Alumni Award from PSU, the Spirit of Oregon Award for leadership in science education, and the Pioneer Award for leadership in arts education.
Melissa Enfield (’05, sports management and communications) reports on sports in southern Oregon and northern California for KTVL television in Medford, Ore. The Gig Harbor native had previously interned at Fox Sports Net Northwest in Bellevue and then in the sports department at KOMO in Seattle.
James Q. Hammond (’03, Ed.D., education administration) became superintendent of the Davis, Calif., school district in November. Hammond was previously superintendent of schools in Tukwila, Wash., and was a teacher and principal in Spanaway, Wash., schools. Active in community affairs, Hammond served as a board member on the King County Workforce Development Council, the Tukwila Children's Foundation, and the Tukwila Community Schools Collaboration. He was an assistant men's basketball coach at Cornell University ('95-'96), and head men's basketball coach at Evergreen State ('96-'97).
Frank Hewins, (’02, Ed.D. education administration) is the new superintendent of Washington’s Franklin Pierce School District. He was previously assistant superintendent. Hewins has worked for the 7,600-student district, which encompasses the Parkland and Midland communities, for 19 years, serving as assistant superintendent since 1997. He is active in the community and president of the Pierce County branch of the Washington Association of School Administrators. Hewins started his education career in 1978, eventually teaching history, social studies, English, math and career education in Alaska and Washington in alternative and traditional schools.
Brian Peterson (’95, education) became principal of Sunrise Elementary School in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in fall 2007. Previously, he served three years as assistant principal at Columbia Elementary and had been a fifth-grade teacher at Highland Elementary School in the same school district. At WSU, Peterson majored in elementary education with an emphasis in health. He earned a master's in educational administration from New Mexico State University. Peterson was named one of 14 new members of the Emerging Leaders Program of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development earlier in 2007.
Harold Valentine (Ph.D. ’75, education) reports that his granddaughter, Sara Price, is the third generation of teachers in her family. She was featured in a Seattle Times article when she took on her first class this fall, a group of third-graders at Chinook Elementary in Auburn. Her mother, Kathie Valentine Price (’77 education) is a longtime teacher at Ilalko Elementary in Auburn. Harold Valentine taught social studies and his late wife, Marilyn, taught middle school in Auburn. Sara is a graduate of Western Washington University.
In memoriam
Nancy Laz Christian (’64, elementary education), died Sept. 14 at age 65 at her home in Flowing Lake, Wash. During the two weeks before she died, after a three-year battle with ovarian cancer, dozens of people came to give thanks and say goodbye, said her husband, Steve Christian. Among them were some of the 27 foster children who'd made a home there, and many others helped by the couple's work in 12-step sobriety programs. Nancy Christian taught in the Edmonds and Snohomish school districts, working in special education and as a substitute teacher. She was also active in Alateen, a group associated with Al-Anon that helps kids affected by alcoholism in their families.