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Washington State University
College of Education

September 2011

Japanese educator brings smile, eagerness to Pullman

Fumiko Tamura, visiting educator from Japan
Educator Fumiko Tamura from Nishinomiya

Each fall, one of the brightest smiles at the WSU College of Education is on the face of a Japanese educator who is visiting the Pullman campus thanks to a 24-year-old partnership between the college and the Nishinomiya Board of Education.

Our visitor this year is Fumiko Tamura. She’s here to improve her English language skills and teaching techniques, so spends much of her time in WSU’s Intensive American Language Center and also observes in College of Education classrooms. She’s eager to share what she learns with colleagues back home. In the picture here, she’s sitting in on Assistant Professor Hal Jackson’s classroom management course.

Fumiko is a supervisor at the Nishinomiya Board’s Study and Research Division. Last year, she taught elementary school. Her district has just started English activity classes for fifth and sixth graders.

“I’m very, very happy to be here. I appreciate everything and everyone.” says Fumiko, whose husband, Masataka, was here for a week during her first visit to the United States. Fumiko arrived in August and will leave Oct. 15.

As part of the Nishinomiya partnership, WSU doctoral candidate Mari Stair is spending a second year teaching in Japan. For information on this and other WSU College of Education international connections, click here.

A blast-from-the-past visitor

George Boyko with granddaughter and wife
George Boyko with Paige and Wyn

What a great way to end the work week — with a visit from someone who helped thousands of WSU College of Education students.

George Boyko ran the WSU student teaching center in Tacoma from 1970 until 1996. When he dropped by Cleveland Hall in Pullman on Friday, he was surprised to find people who remembered him. He got an especially warm greeting from Director of Field Services Chris Sodorff, who gave him hugs and a college souvenir. “George took care of the entire west side of the state,” Chris recalled.

Now he has a special interest in one of of our elementary education majors: his granddaughter, Paige Thomson.

George lives in Sammamish with his wife of 59 years, Wyn. Also visiting Pullman was Paige’s mom, Keren Thomson, who earned a fashion merchandising degree at WSU in 1979.

Education alumni score big time in WSU Athletic Hall of Fame

Katie Gray, basketball standout
Katie Gray

Jo Washburn, highlighted in the last EduCoug post, isn’t the only College of Education alum who will be honored at the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony next weekend. In fact, 15 of the 31 inductees are from our college. That’s a great reminder of the contributions that physical education students, in particular, have made to the university.

Here are the names of the athletics pioneers being honored, with those of our alumni shown in bold.

Harold Ahlskog, 1928-30 Football; Rick Austin, 1967-68 Baseball; Ed Barker, 1950-52 Football; Ron Bennink, 1953-55 Basketball; Gordie Brunswick, 1947-50 Baseball and Football; Carl Dietz, 1912-15 Football and Track; John Divine, 1925-27 Track; Pete Duncan, 1969-70 Baseball; Jack Elway 1953 Football and Coach; Bill Faller, 1946-48 Baseball; Doug Flansburg, 1965-67 Football; Dan Frisella, 1965-66 Baseball; Dixie Garner, 1938-40 Track; Doug Gibb, 1942-74 Swimming Coach and 1940-41 Swimming; Boyd Gittins, 1967-69 Track; Gordy Gladson, 1952-55 Boxing.

Doug Gibb, WSU Athletics Hall of Fame
Doug Gibb

Jennifer Gray, 1972-75 Basketball; Katie Gray 1974-77 Basketball; Pat Haley, 1941-44 Track; Bobby McGuire, 1948-50 Baseball; Jack Melson, 1948-51 Boxing; Bob Newman, 1956-58 Football and 1957 Baseball; Julie Newnam, 1976-80 Skiing and Biathlon; Carl O’Donnell, 1963-65 Track; Dick Rall, 1956-58 Boxing; Art Sandison, 1967-70 Track; Karl Schlademan, 1927-40 Track Coach; Paul Swift, 1931-33 Track; Bill Tomaras, 1948-59 Wrestling Coach; Laurie Turner, 1976-79 Basketball and Joanne Washburn, 1965-82 administrator.