In celebration of the University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences’ 150th anniversary, the College has selected 150 accomplished alumni to receive a Timeless Award. Selected on the basis of nominations from colleagues and friends, honorees include Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, educators, athletes, politicians, artists, social activists and more, demonstrating the tremendous breadth of a liberal arts education and its critical role in preparing future leaders. The Timeless Awards were presented on May 4, 2012, at a special 150th anniversary celebration in Seattle.
Dean C. Allen (BS, Biology, 1976; BA/BS, Psychology, 1977) As CEO of McKinstry Co., Dean Allen helped significantly enhance the construction industry’s then-prevailing silo approach. Allen corralled previously scattered pieces of the design and build process, transforming the firm from a mechanical contractor to a comprehensive mechanical and electrical engineering, design, real estate, and construction business with over 2,000 employees. Allen serves on the boards of many organizations, including Seattle Biomedical Research Institute and Washington STEM.
James G. Anderson (BS, Physics, 1966) Jim Anderson combines the fields of physical chemistry, climate structure, and instrument design to investigate global change. He developed the instruments deployed into the stratosphere that established the cause of the Antarctic ozone hole, as well as subsequent studies in the Arctic. Current projects focus on the release of carbon compounds from melt zones in the Arctic, ozone loss mechanisms over the US related to climate change, and high accuracy satellite observations of climate change.
Alfredo M. Arreguin (BFA, MFA, Art, 1967, 1969) With his richly colorful paintings, Alfredo Arreguin, an emigrant from Morelia, Mexico, has become one of the most well-known Latino artists working in the US. His many awards include the Ohtli Award from the Mexican government and the State of Washington Governor’s Arts Award. His artwork shows in permanent collections of two Smithsonian Museums. He has donated to the UW Multicultural Alumni Partnership, which offers a scholarship in his name.
Gerald J. Baldasty (BA, Communications,1972; PhD 1978) Jerry Baldasty, vice provost and dean of the UW Graduate School, is fiercely dedicated to excellence in teaching and scholarship. A UW faculty member since 1978, the Spokane native won a Distinguished Teaching Award in 2000 and served as chair of the Department of Communication from 2002 to 2008. He is a former director of the UW Teaching Academy and has served on a variety of UW committees and boards. Baldasty leads graduate education for all three UW campuses. 2
Stardust Memories Donald Brownlee (far left) watched from the control room of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory—and applauded with relief—as a desk-sized spacecraft named Stardust made a daring rendezvous with a comet in January 2004. Brownlee, UW professor of astronomy, was principal investigator for the Stardust Mission, a NASA-funded project to capture comet dust samples, which were returned to Earth and analyzed. “Designing and building the spacecraft was a huge challenge,” recalls Brownlee. “The spacecraft needed to operate in harsh environments—extreme heat, extreme cold— using only solar power, farther from the sun than any spacecraft has ever been.” The samples revealed that the comet contained materials from the inner solar system. This surprised scientists, who had anticipated that it would be composed of interstellar dust and ice. “We’re doing things no one ever imagined we could do, even at the time we launched the mission,” Brownlee commented in 2007. “We’ve taken a pinch of comet dust and are learning incredible things.”
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Bruce Barcott (BA, Philosophy, 1988) Environmental journalist Bruce Barcott’s articles and books raise awareness and encourage constructive activism. They delve deeply into global climate change, salmon runs, and oil production, among other key issues of our time. Barcott’s articles have appeared in National Geographic and The New York Times Magazine. He was named the 2009 Guggenheim Fellow in nonfiction; his nonfiction book, The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw, was named one of the best books of 2008 by Library Journal.
Michael Reed Barratt (BA, Zoology, 1981) Michael Reed Barratt’s career in aerospace medicine has included out-of-this-world work as a NASA flight surgeon and astronaut. In 2009, he logged 199 days in space, launching aboard the Soyuz from Kazakhstan. That mission included the first sixperson crew for the International Space Station. Barratt also flew on the final flight of the space shuttle Discovery and served as deputy chief of the astronaut office. Up next: he aspires to another visit to the International Space Station.
Brian J. L. Berry (MA, PhD, Geography, 1956, 1958) The youngest social scientist ever elected to the National Academy of Sciences, Brian Berry’s research sparked geography’s transition into a modern science. He has helped to shape discussions of urbanism and public policy, lay foundations of geospatial information science, focus regional planning and development practice, and reshape research into long-wave rhythms in economic and social life. Among many honors, in 2005 he was named Vautrin Lud laureate (the “Nobel of Geography”).
Linda L. Bierds (BA, MA, English, 1969, 1971) UW English Professor Linda L. Bierds is nationally recognized for her poetry, which investigates history, art, and science and is often infused with historical figures and references. Author of nine poetry collections, Bierds regularly contributes poetry to The New Yorker and The Atlantic. Among many honors, she has received the MacArthur “Genius” award and fellowships from the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. 4
William Bolcom (BA, Music, 1958) Part of composer William Bolcom’s genius is making music accessible and appealing to listeners. A child prodigy, Bolcom began private piano lessons at the UW at age 11. Credited with reviving ragtime during the 1970s, his style often blends current and classical genres to create something new, innovative, and in perfect harmony. His contributions have been recognized with a Pulitzer Prize, multiple Grammy Awards, Musical America’s Composer of the Year, and the National Medal of the Arts.
David Bonderman (BA, Slavic Languages and Literatures, 1963) Years after David Bonderman received a fellowship at Harvard Law School that sent him to South America, Africa, and India for one year, he established the prestigious Bonderman Fellowship that enables UW students to pursue extensive, unstructured international travel. Bonderman, a founding partner of TPG Capital, a large private equity investment firm, has served in leadership roles for the UW Foundation, UW Law School, UW Investment Committee (UWINCO), and Foster School of Business.
Debbi Rook Brainerd (BS, Biology, 1996) Changing careers after 12 years and moving away from her first degree (from WSU) in clothing and textile design, Debbi Brainerd pursued a UW degree in molecular and cellular biology. In 1997, she came up with the idea for IslandWood, a 255-acre Bainbridge Island environmental learning center for inner city youth. Brainerd supports many Pacific Northwest organizations focused on disadvantaged youth, education, and the environment.
Bobbe J. Bridge (BA, Political Science, 1966; JD, 1976) After serving on the Washington State Supreme Court from 2000 to 2008, Bobbe Bridge founded the Center for Children & Youth Justice, a non-profit whose mission is to advance justice for and enhance the lives of children and youth through juvenile justice, child welfare, and related systems reform. Bridge is founding president and CEO of the Center. She has received the Distinguished Alumna Award from the Political Science Department and is an affiliate professor in the UW School of Law. 5
Sweet Smell of Nobel Linda Buck braved dozens of flashing cameras and hundreds of handshakes when she received a Nobel Prize in Stockholm in 2004 (below). The prize was in recognition of her research on the olfactory system—specifically the puzzling ability of humans and other mammals to detect more than 10,000 odorous chemicals. While working at Columbia University, Buck and Richard Axel, who shared the Nobel Prize, were the first to identify proteins that detect smell molecules and excite the olfactory neurons in the back of the nose. In subsequent studies performed in Buck’s lab at Harvard and Axel’s at Columbia, the two uncovered how odor signals are organized first in the nose and then in the part of the brain to which it sends information. “Looking back over my life, I am struck by the good fortune I have had to be a scientist,” Buck wrote in her Nobel Prize autobiography. “Very few in this world have the opportunity to do every day what they love to do, as I have. ...I look forward to learning what Nature will next reveal to us.”
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Buck hopes that her Nobel Prize will inspire others as well. “As a woman in science, I sincerely hope that my receiving a Nobel Prize will send a message to young women everywhere that the doors are open to them,” she says, “and that they should follow their dreams.”
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Photo by Mary
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Splendor in the Glass It was a meeting of creative minds when artists Dale Chihuly (standing), Gwen Knight, and Jacob Lawrence chatted at the 1996 College Dinner in Meany Hall, where large-scale artworks by both Chihuly and Lawrence are on permanent display. Later that evening, Chihuly was presented with the College’s Distinguished Achievement Award. Chihuly, who helped revolutionize the Studio Glass movement and co-founded the Pilchuck Glass School, credits his UW art professors as early artistic influences. “My second year, I took a materials class with Stephen Fuller,” says Chihuly. “It was because of that class that I began to work with glass. That was really the beginning of my career in glass.” Chihuly’s work is in more than 200 museum collections worldwide; he also is celebrated for large-scale architectural installations. Chihuly Garden and Glass, opening in May 2012 at Seattle Center, includes a 4,500 square foot Glasshouse displaying one of the largest suspended structures that Chihuly has ever created. Next door will be a 12,000 square foot Exhibition Hall featuring more Chihuly artworks. 7
George S. Bridges (BA, Sociology, 1972) When George Bridges became president of Whitman College in 2005, he brought with him an already distinguished academic career. Bridges held faculty appointments at many universities including the UW, where he received six awards for excellence in teaching, including the Distinguished Teaching Award. At Whitman, Bridges has advanced innovation in teaching and learning, enhanced campus diversity, and successfully led Whitman’s first capital campaign in nearly three decades.
Donald E. Brownlee (PhD, Astronomy, 1971) UW Astronomy professor Donald Brownlee is the principal investigator for NASA’s Stardust Mission, which garnered global attention when it captured comet dust and returned it to Earth for analysis. Brownlee’s primary research focuses on the origin and evolution of planetary materials, planets, and planetary systems. He is co-author (with UW biology professor Peter Ward) of the 2001 bestseller Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe.
Linda B. Buck (BS, Psychology, Microbiology, 1975) Linda Buck has a nose for problem solving. She was awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for groundbreaking research that defined how the sense of smell works. Buck and her research colleague Richard Axel (with whom she shares the Nobel Prize) outlined the genes and proteins that allow the olfactory system to identify over 10,000 unique odors. Their work also sheds light on how the brain translates odor chemicals in the environment into odor perceptions.
Emory Bundy (BA, General Studies, 1958) Emory Bundy aligned himself with human rights and environmental campaigns as president of the UW Student Body. As a student leader in the late 1950s, he promoted equal housing, equal employment, and equal opportunity on campus. He is a former professor of political science at Oberlin College and the University of East Africa. He served as director of public affairs at King Broadcasting Co. and worked as staff director at the Bullitt Foundation. 8
A Life in Dance By the time Holley Farmer lit up the Broadway stage in Twyla Tharp’s 2010 production of Come Fly Away (in which she performs below, with co-star John Selya), she was a seasoned professional with more than twenty years of dance experience. By her early twenties Farmer was performing in a Toronto production of Phantom of the Opera, followed by a stint with the Oakland Ballet. Sidelined with a stress fracture, she eventually returned to dance and completed the UW’s MFA Program in Dance before joining Merce Cunningham’s dance company, where she was a featured dancer for 12 years. Through an invitation from Twyla Tharp, she joined the cast of Come Fly Away, a Broadway musical that brought together Frank Sinatra’s songs and Tharp’s creative vision and choreography. “I have always been fascinated by movement,” Farmer told Broadway.com in 2010, explaining her love of dance. ”I feel that I am wired for it. On a deep level, it’s how I relate to the world.”
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Loren Carpenter
(BS, Mathematics, 1974; MS, Computer Science, 1976)
Loren Carpenter is co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios and inventor of the Reyes algorithm, which renders all of Pixar’s movies. His presentation of the computer-generated film Vol Libre at the 1980 SIGGRAPH conference earned him an invitation to work at Lucasfilm’s Computer Division, which would later become Pixar. He has received Academy Awards for scientific and engineering achievement in software for visual effects and an Oscar statuette for fundamental discoveries in rendering.
Christine Charbonneau (BA, Political Science, 1982) As CEO of Planned Parenthood affiliates for 23 years, Christine Charbonneau has played a leading role in merging several smaller affiliates to create the largest geographic affiliate in the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Starting in 1982 as a sexuality educator and public policy volunteer, Charbonneau is currently CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, with 27 health centers in Alaska, Idaho, and western Washington that provide medical services and sexuality education.
Dale Chihuly (BFA, Art, 1965) Dale Chihuly is credited with revolutionizing the Studio Glass movement and elevating the medium of glass from the realm of craft to fine art. After the UW, he further honed his glassblowing skills while studying in Italy on a Fulbright Fellowship. He later made Washington state an international hot spot for glass artists by co-founding the Pilchuck Glass School. His work is exhibited in more than 200 museum collections worldwide, with a new exhibition, Chihuly Garden and Glass, opening at Seattle Center in May 2012.
Michael Christensen (BFA, Drama, 1970) Michael Christensen co-founded The Big Apple Circus® in 1977 with the mission to present family-friendly, quality art performances. He later created The Big Apple Circus Clown Care®, which arranges for clowns to visit pediatric hospitals and brighten the days of acutely and chronically ill children. Recipient of a Raoul Wallenberg Humanitarian Award, Christensen was designated a New York Living Landmark by the New York Landmarks Conservancy. 10
Peter Clarke (BA, Journalism, 1958) Peter Clarke, professor of preventive medicine and communication at the University of Southern California, revolutionized more than 150 food banks nationwide by leading them to distribute fresh fruits and vegetables deemed “edible but not sellable.” Clarke and a colleague now co-direct a project that develops digital, mobile tools that encourage low-income families to prepare healthy, vegetable-based meals. Clarke, a former UW faculty member, established a departmental fund in Communication to support research by UW graduate students.
Chuck Close (BA, Art, 1962) Chuck Close—painter, printmaker, and photographer—is noted for his highly inventive techniques and his large-scale, photo-based portrait paintings. His work has been the subject of more than 200 solo exhibitions in more than 20 countries. Paralyzed following a rare spinal artery collapse, he continues to paint using a brushholding device strapped to his wrist and forearm. Close was presented with the prestigious National Medal of Arts in 2000. At left: Chuck Close. Self-Portrait. 2001. Daguerreotype. 8.5 x 6.5 inches (in association with Jerry Spagnoli). © Chuck Close, courtesy The Pace Gallery.
Dow Constantine
(BA, Political Science, 1985; JD, 1989; MA, Urban Planning, 1992)
Dow Constantine’s early curiosity about politics led to a distinguished career in public service. A former Washington state legislative intern and aide, Constantine has served two terms in the state House, one in the Senate, and four on the King County Council. In his current position as King County Executive, he has championed government reform, environmental protection, and public transportation, among other causes.
John Corbett (BS, PhD, Chemistry, 1948, 1952) John Corbett is a pioneering inorganic solid-state chemistry professor at Iowa State University and a staff researcher at the US Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory since 1952, studying the chemistry of the rare-earth and other metals. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, Corbett has published over 460 research papers that have generated nearly 10,000 citations. He has supervised more than 50 graduate students and 70 postdoctoral students. 11
Breaking Barriers Gary Gayton has a talent for firsts. He was the first African American student body president at Seattle’s Garfield High School, and then the first African American captain of a varsity athletic team at the University of Washington. His sport was track; he was on the varsity team all four years, training with renowned coach Clarence S. “Hec” Edmundson. In the 1954 photo above, Edmundson, far left, talks with the team, including Gayton (front row, center). After earning a law degree at Gonzaga University, Gayton was appointed by Robert Kennedy as an assistant US attorney for the Western District of Washington—the first African American to hold this position. He went on to form a law firm whose clients included anti-war activists and Black Panthers, and has since worked in key federal government posts, investment banking, and law. Reflecting on his years at the UW and the track team he led, he told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in a 1970 interview, “When I was at the U, there were guys like Al Ulbrickson, and Hec Edmundson. ...He treated you like a man. They were great people for a kid to know...so even where there was discrimination and prejudice— and I was aware that it existed—I didn’t feel it.” 12
Cedars on Screen As UW creative writing professor Shawn Wong looked on, bestselling author David Guterson (below, far left) signed autographs at a packed Cinerama Theatre in December 1999. The gathering was a preview of the film Snow Falling on Cedars, based on Guterson’s acclaimed novel of the same name. Both Guterson and the film’s director, Scott Hicks, spoke at the event, which raised more than $21,000 for the UW’s Creative Writing Program. Guterson discovered his passion for writing at the UW, after taking a short story class from Professor Jack Brenner during his junior year. “The course just felt right,” he recalls. “After that, I took all the creative writing classes that were offered. From the time I started writing, I felt like it was something I had to do.” Guterson went on to earn a UW master’s in creative writing with support from a Loren D. Milliman Scholarship in Creative Writing. The scholarship, he later said, gave him early confidence in his work. Fittingly, his first published story was in The Daily; his second was in The Seattle Review, edited by UW faculty.
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Bryan Cressey (BA, Economics, 1972) A nationally recognized pioneer in the field of private equity investing, Bryan Cressey is a partner in Chicagobased Cressey & Company, a private equity firm focusing on the healthcare industry. He and his wife Christy are philanthropists for many Chicago area organizations. At the UW, they have funded endowed professorships in Economics, Communication, and Social Work. Bryan is also on the UW Foundation board.
Christina (Christy) Cressey (BA, Communication, 1978) After an early career in newspapers, Christy Cressey found her calling in volunteering, serving as a trustee for Episcopal Charities, on the board of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and as a volunteer with Cathedral Shelter. Also involved in historic preservation, Cressey chaired the “No Lights at Wrigley Field Campaign,” famously dubbed CUBS (Citizens United for Baseball in Sunshine). She and her husband Bryan have created three endowed professorships at the UW.
Robert Dahl (BA, Political Science, 1936) Robert Dahl is the Sterling Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Yale University, where he taught for four decades, helping to build the University’s hugely popular political science department. He is past president of the American Political Science Association and author of several books on political theory, two of which—Who Governs (1962) and Democracy and Its Critics (1990)—won best book of the year from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation.
Geraldine Dawson (BS, PhD, Psychology, 1974, 1979) Geraldine Dawson is chief science officer of Autism Speaks and a professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Through her research, she discovered that autism symptoms could be recognized during infancy and developed an intervention for infants and toddlers with autism. Dawson was previously a professor of psychology and psychiatry at the UW and founding director of the UW Autism Center. 14
A Pulitzer Moment Editorial cartoonist David Horsey (far right) and colleagues at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer rejoiced in April 1999 after learning that Horsey had won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Editorial Cartooning. It would be the first of two Pulitzers for Horsey, who earned his second in 2003. Horsey began drawing editorial cartoons in high school, producing cartoons for his school paper on “everything from picking on the school’s PE teachers to the Vietnam War.” At the UW, he joined The Daily as an editorial cartoonist during his freshman year, later becoming editor of the newspaper. Soon after winning that first Pulitzer, Horsey credited his liberal arts education as key to his success. “I’m glad that I indulged myself in a broad education at the UW—from history and politics to art history and literature,” he commented. “I think being able to wander through the riches of civilization really gave me the Renaissance mind that’s required to do editorial cartoons.”
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Norm Dicks (BA, Political Science, 1963; JD, 1968) Norm Dicks, who played guard for the Husky football team in the early 1960s, went on to become the longest-serving member of Congress from Washington state, serving 18 terms representing Washington’s Sixth Congressional District. Earlier this year, Dicks announced he would not seek re-election. Dicks has been a powerful House member and the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. At the UW, he serves on the Jackson School Advisory Board.
Ivan Doig (PhD, History, 1969) Ivan Doig’s first book, This House of Sky: Landscapes of a Western Mind (1978) introduced him as a major literary voice. The Montana-based memoir was a National Book Award finalist and established the tone of his subsequent nonfiction works and ten novels. Cited as an historical novelist for his research into time and place, Doig describes himself as a chronicler of that larger country, life.
Timothy Egan (BA, Communications, 1981) An online opinion columnist for The New York Times, Timothy Egan possesses a razor sharp skill for capturing the significance of the places and events he writes about. The Seattle native is author of six books and recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, three Washington State Book Awards, and the 2006 National Book Award. His most recent book is The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America.
Holley Farmer (MFA, Dance, 1996) Holley Farmer, a member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company from 1997-2009, received a 2004 New York Dance and Performance Award (“Bessie”) for sustained achievement. Farmer also has danced with The Theatre Ballet of Canada and the Oakland Ballet. In 2010, Farmer played Babe in the original Broadway cast of Twyla Tharp’s Come Fly Away, earning rave reviews and an Astaire Award nomination. Farmer has visited campus to share her knowledge with current students. 16
Sharon Lund Friel (BA, Radio & Television, 1961) Sharon Friel and her late husband Richard “Dick” Friel reinvented auctioneering for charities, infusing more than 3000 auctions with show business flare and raising more than $300 million for charities in the US and Australia. At age 22, Sharon was the press headquarters manager for The Seattle World’s Fair. She worked for three years as Emmett Watson’s assistant at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and served 24 years on the Seattle Children’s Hospital Board.
Tess Gallagher (BA, Education, 1967; MA, English, 1971) Tess Gallagher, internationally renowned for her poetry, is the author of nine books, including the recent Midnight Lantern: New & Selected Poems. Gallagher is also an essayist, short story writer, and worked on Short Cuts with Robert Altman. Her numerous awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship and two National Endowment for the Arts awards. Executor of Raymond Carver’s estate, she has worked on all his posthumous collections.
Erasmo Gamboa
(BA, Spanish, 1970; MA, PhD, History, 1973, 1984)
Erasmo Gamboa, UW professor of American Ethnic Studies, helped establish the Chicano Studies program and the Chicano student organization MECHA at the UW. A child of Mexican immigrants and an expert on Mexican labor in the US, Gamboa probed the region’s migrant contract labor history in his book Mexican Labor & World War II. Gamboa co-founded a charity golf tournament that supports community health centers and scholarships for students from farm worker families.
Mike Garvey (BA, Mathematics, 1961; JD, 1964) Mike Garvey is CEO of Saltchuk Resources, a maritime holding company with a portfolio of at least 20 businesses, including Seabear, ‘Made in Washington’ stores, and a tug boat operation. Garvey also founded Garvey Schubert Barer, one of the region’s largest law firms. He is a member of the UW Medicine Board of Directors, and serves on the advisory boards of the Foster School of Business and the Burke Museum. 17
Full Circle in Thailand What goes around comes around—at least for Darryl Johnson, who began his international career with a Peace Corps stint in Thailand in the 1960s (below, carrying supplies) and ended his career as the US Ambassador to Thailand 40 years later. Between his two postings in Thailand, Johnson enjoyed a long and colorful career that took him to Mumbai, Hong Kong, Moscow, Beijing, Warsaw, Vilnius, and Taipei. He helped to support President Nixon’s visit to China in 1972, and watched the Soviet empire collapse in 1989-91 from the unique vantage points of Poland and Lithuania. “Diplomacy is the software of national security—an essential tool in serving US interests in the wider world,” says Johnson. Since retiring, Johnson has taught a course on American Foreign Policy in the Jackson School of International Studies, following in the footsteps of former diplomats Charles Cross and Ronald Woods. He strongly encourages today’s students to pursue careers in international affairs.
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Carver Gayton (BA, History, 1960; MPA, Public Affairs,1972; PhD, Political Science, 1976 )
Throughout his career in education reform and workforce training, Carver Gayton has maintained ties to the UW as chair of the President’s Club, Alumni Association president, and Arts and Sciences Development Advisory Board member. Gayton served as The Boeing Company Corporate Director, College and University Relations. He is former executive director of the Northwest African American Museum and is a member of its national advisory board.
Gary Gayton (BA, Political Science, 1955) Gary Gayton parlayed his political science training and athletic achievement at the UW into a distinguished career. Gayton, senior vice president at the investment bank Siebert Brandford Shank & Co., has a long record of fighting for civil rights. He was the first African American student body president at Seattle’s Garfield High School and the first African American captain of a varsity sports team (track) at the UW. Gayton served as an assistant US attorney under Robert F. Kennedy.
Dorothy Gilford (BS, MS, Mathematics, 1940, 1942) Dorothy Gilford had an immense positive impact on research and education in the mathematical sciences. She influenced many areas of statistics and mathematics as director of the Division of Mathematical Sciences at the Office of Naval Research and through her work at the Office of Education Statistics and the National Research Council. The UW Department of Statistics award for outstanding teaching by a graduate student is named in her honor.
Robert N. Golden (MS, PhD, Psychology, 1979, 1984) Rob Golden took an idea he helped develop as a researcher and engineer working in the UW Medical Center Department of Radiology and successfully transferred it to private business. Golden co-founded Lucent Medical Systems on a core technology that enables locating small magnets placed onto medical devices inside a patient. One such device—to track the tip of a catheter placed into a large vein leading to the heart— is used in about one million patients per year. 19
NASA/Courtesy
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Woman on a Mission As she poses with the rest of the NASA space shuttle crew before their 2001 mission, Janet Kavandi (far left) looks relaxed. And why not? She had already completed two successful shuttle missions in 1998 and 2000. Kavandi was fascinated with the night sky from an early age and dreamed of being an astronaut, but at that time all astronauts were male military test pilots. When the space shuttle program began hiring women—shortly after Kavandi graduated from high school—she realized she might have a chance. She still remembers the moment that her first shuttle flight launched. “After the solid rocket boosters shot us off the pad, I just started laughing and crying all at the same time,” she says. The view was stunning, says Kavandi, but for those who will never experience it firsthand, she offers some solace. “When I first looked out the window, I was actually shocked at how well the IMAX films capture what the Earth looks like. They do a very good job of almost taking you there.” 20
Chris Gregoire (BA, Sociology, Speech Communication, 1969) Before being elected as Washington’s 22nd Governor in 2004, Chris Gregoire made her national mark as Washington state’s elected Attorney General. She led a coalition of state-level attorneys general who successfully sued tobacco companies for a $206 billion settlement in health damages. As governor, she helped balance the state budget while facing severe shortfalls and historically signed legislation making Washington the seventh state to legally recognize same-sex marriage.
David Guterson (BA, MA, English, 1978, 1982) A graduate of the UW Creative Writing Program, David Guterson has received both critical and popular acclaim for his writing, which frequently focuses on the Pacific Northwest. His breakthrough novel, Snow Falling on Cedars (1994), centers on a small island in the Northwest during WWII. This novel earned him the PEN/Faulkner Award and was made into a major motion picture. He has since published four more novels.
Lenore Hanauer (BA, Comparative Literature, History, 1984) Lenore Hanauer, an executive with the Pacific Coast Feather Company—the nation’s leading brand of down and feather bedding—helped grow the family business one warm duvet at a time. The company’s success has supported her philanthropic commitments to the arts and higher education, including the Lenore Hanauer Foundation, which supports social services and women’s causes, the opera, and the creation of the UW Lenore Hanauer History Discretionary Fund.
Nicolas J. Hanauer (BA, Philosophy, 1981) Nick Hanauer began his career with the family business, Pacific Coast Feather Company, and has founded or co-founded more than a half-dozen startups, including Museum Quality Framing Company, aQuantive, Inc., and Gear.com, as well as the venture capital firm Second Avenue Partners. Committed to social and policy issues, he co-founded the League of Education Voters and The True Patriot Network. He is the co-author (with Eric Liu) of two books, The True Patriot and The Gardens of Democracy. 21
Elaine T. Hansen (PhD, English, 1975) Elaine Hansen, executive director of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth, has inspired generations as an educator. She served as professor and provost at Haverford College and editor of the University of Michigan’s Middle English Dictionary. President of Bates College from 2002-2011, Hansen created a campus master-plan and doubled enrollment from underrepresented groups. Her academic pursuits focus on medieval and women’s literature.
Bruce Harrell (BA, Political Science, 1979; JD, Law, 1984) Bruce Harrell has been a council member for the City of Seattle since 2007. His community roots run deep—Harrell attended Seattle public schools, played football for the Huskies, and became a civic leader after graduating from the UW School of Law in 1984. He was honored as the 2007 Distinguished Alumnus of the UW’s Political Science Department for his unyielding advocacy on issues such as housing, seniors, and unions. He was the recipient of the 2008 Husky Legend award.
Alexes M. Harris (BA, Sociology, 1997) Alexes M. Harris is associate professor of sociology at the UW. Her commitment to social justice is evident in her teaching, academic, and extracurricular pursuits. Her scholarly publications focus on implications of racial, ethnic and class disparities within the criminal justice system, a passion she carries into the classroom. Harris has won several UW awards for her teaching and mentoring of students. She earned her PhD in 2002 from UCLA.
Linda Hartzell (BFA, Drama, Education, 1973) Linda Hartzell’s tenure as artistic director of Seattle Children’s Theatre (SCT) since 1984 has helped establish SCT as the nation’s second-largest resident professional children’s theatre. Hartzell oversaw SCT’s move to the Charlotte Martin Theatre in 1993, which was the nation’s first theatre complex designed explicitly for youth audiences. For her work, Hartzell and SCT were honored with a Seattle Mayor’s Arts Award in 2006.
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Playing with Heart Most Huskies know Jake Locker as a stellar athlete who started his UW career by setting school freshman records for passing and rushing, and later became a top prospect in the NFL Draft, signing with the Tennessee Titans in 2011. But for Kyle Rogers (above, with Locker in Husky Stadium in 2007), he was a friend and supporter. Rogers, from Locker’s hometown of Ferndale, Washington, was six years old and suffering from a rare brain tumor when his parents asked Locker to meet with him. A friendship developed, with Locker visiting Rogers as his condition worsened. Sadly, Rogers died in 2009. Soon after, Locker helped found the UW Touchdown for Kids program, which raises money for Children’s Hospital in Seattle. “I think the platform that athletics has given me has opened up doors for me to be able to help people,” Locker told Columns magazine in 2010. “…It’s made me a better person and allowed me to grow as a young man. It’s an experience that changed my life and I will carry with me forever.”
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Gordon Hirabayashi* (BA, MA, PhD, Sociology, 1946, 49, ‘52) A US citizen by birth, Gordon Hirabayashi was a UW senior when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. When 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent were interned five months later, Hirabayashi was one of a handful who resisted. His was the first case challenging the legality of the internments; he lost and was sentenced to prison. Hirabayashi went on to a successful career in academia. The US Supreme Court finally overturned his conviction in 1987. *recently deceased
Bill Holm (BFA, MFA, Art, 1949, 1951) A respected artist and scholar, Bill Holm has been curator of Northwest Coast Indian Art at the Burke Museum since 1968. His book Northwest Coast Indian Art, An Analysis of Form (1965) is one of the University of Washington Press’s all-time bestsellers. His passion has inspired countless others and led to the creation of the Bill Holm Center for the Study of Northwest Coast Art at the Burke Museum. He has received four Washington State Governor’s Writers Awards for his books.
David R. Horsey (BA, Communications, 1976) David Horsey is a political cartoonist and columnist with the Los Angeles Times. A double threat journalist, he compels his readers with both drawings and words. With a penchant for political satire, Horsey started his career with The Daily, serving as editor in 1974. He has won two Pulitzer Prizes for his handdrawn social commentaries at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Seven of his cartoon collections have been published, including From Hanging Chad to Baghdad and Draw Quick, Shoot Straight.
Saad Eddin Ibrahim (PhD, Sociology, 1968) Sociologist Saad Eddin Ibrahim has never wavered in his championing of human rights and democracy in the Middle East, even when his advocacy resulted in a three-year imprisonment in his native Egypt. He founded the Ibn Khaldun Centre for Development Studies in Cairo and the Arab Organization for Human Rights, both leading organizations for sociological research. An outspoken critic of now-deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Ibrahim was able to finally return to his homeland in February 2011. 24
Jeremy Jaech
(BA, Mathematics, 1977; MS, Computer Science, 1980)
Jeremy Jaech is not only a software engineer but also an engineer of visionary enterprises. He co-founded Aldus, leading the technical development of the original PageMaker program. He then co-founded Visio, a graphics and diagramming software company, and Trumba, an online calendering startup. Most recently he served as CEO at Verdiem.
Charles W. Johnson (BA, Economics, 1973) Charles W. Johnson, associate chief justice of Washington State’s Supreme Court since 1991, also has served as chair of the Washington State Minority and Justice Commission and as co-chair of the Task Force on Equal Civil Justice Funding. His efforts to make legal representation more accessible to lowincome Armed Forces service members earned him a special commendation from the Washington State Bar Association Committee on Legal Services to the Armed Services in 2002.
Darryl Johnson (BA, English, 1960) During a distinguished career in the US Foreign Service, Darryl Johnson’s diplomatic duties took him to many posts around the world and in Washington, DC. He served as the first US Ambassador to Lithuania, and also served in US missions in Beijing, Hong Kong, Moscow, Mumbai, and Warsaw, plus short tours in Bosnia and the Philippines. His final posting was as Ambassador to Thailand, where his service began as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1963-65. He retired in 2005 and moved back to the Seattle area.
Larry A. Jones (BA, Sociology, 1965; JD, Law, 1989) Larry Jones is a Seattle disability lawyer. His daughter’s disability motivated him to pursue a JD at the UW. A nationally-honored advocate for persons with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, Jones regularly advises undergraduates and law students who are considering such a career. Among his publications is Doing Disability Justice: 75 Years of Family Advocacy, which celebrates Washington’s pioneering role in the field. 25
ob Lambert
Photo by Jac
Young Minds, Deep Thoughts Former attorney and philosophy PhD Jana Mohr Lone (at Seattle’s John Muir Elementary School, above) spends many of her days in K-12 classrooms, exploring philosophical questions with elementary school students. As a philosophy graduate student, after noticing that her young son’s questions were “deeply philosophical,” she organized a program in his school to encourage philosophical thinking. Before long she had founded a non-profit, Northwest Center for Philosophy for Children, to reach more young people. Fifteen years later, the program—now affiliated with the UW Department of Philosophy—has introduced philosophy to more than 2,500 students in more than 50 schools, encouraging them to think like philosophers as they tackle topics like friendship, courage, identity, and fairness. “People sometimes think that what we do in elementary schools is baby philosophy— not the same as real philosophy,” says Mohr Lone, “but in fact children are capable of way more than we think they are. …Frequently I will come out of a session with kids and think, ‘I would never have thought of it that way.’ Even if I’ve led a discussion on a topic many times, I still don’t know what’s going to happen in the class.” 26
Bringing Asia to Seattle Frustrated that she had to buy a San Francisco newspaper to get any Chinese news in Seattle, Assunta Ng—raised in Hong Kong until her late teens—decided to take action. In 1982, Ng founded the Seattle Chinese Post, a Chinese language newspaper; in 1983 she added the Northwest Asian Weekly, published in English. In the 1996 photo below, she poses with the two newspapers for a College of Arts and Sciences newsletter story about alumni entrepreneurs. Ng had been a writer for The Daily while studying journalism at the UW. “I was really pleased when I could get paid as a writer,” she recalls of her Daily stint. Lessons learned at the UW still ring true. “I don’t like everything I write,” Ng admitted in a 2005 article in the Department of Communication newsletter. But, she added, in those moments she remembers the advice of her UW journalism professor, B.J. Johnston: “Just keep writing. No matter what, just keep writing.”
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Richard Karn (BFA, Drama, 1979) Seattle native Richard Karn found stardom playing Al Borland, the tool-man sidekick on the 1990s hit television show Home Improvement. Karn later was the popular host of the game show Family Feud. Closer to home, he founded an annual celebrity golf tournament in 1994 that benefits cancer research at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Overlake Hospital. Karn will soon be doing another event to benefit Children’s Hospital.
Kristina Katsaros (BS, PhD, Atmospheric Sciences, 1960, 1969) Kristina Katsaros was director of the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami, Florida before retirement and previously held a similar position in France. Her research has focused on air-sea interaction and satellite observations of storms. She has been active in international programs of research and education. Her awards include the Sverdrup Gold Medal from the American Meteorological Society and membership in the National Academy of Engineering.
Janet Kavandi (PhD, Chemistry, 1990) Janet Kavandi is director of flight crew operations at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Putting the term “world traveler” into perspective, she has logged more than a month at zerogravity in her three flights to space and has orbited Earth 535 times, traveling more than 13.1 million miles. Retired from space travel, Kavandi now oversees the astronaut corps and aircraft operations for NASA. She was selected as an astronaut candidate only four years after graduating from the UW.
Harold H. Kawaguchi
(BFA, Industrial Design, 1961; MFA, Art, 1965)
Harold H. Kawaguchi, who spent the majority of his career in the medical device industry, is chairman of Stratos Group LLC and sits on the boards of Stratos Genomics, a developmentstage gene sequencing company, and Wildwest Technology, which develops cloud-based small business applications. He is a partner in Resolute, which specializes in lighting for the healthcare market. Kawaguchi currently serves on the UW School of Art’s advisory board. 28
Lawrence M. Knopp, Jr. (BA, Political Science, 1983) Larry Knopp is Director of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at the UW Tacoma. After earning a PhD in geography at the University of Iowa, he traveled to places as far-flung as the United Kingdom and Australia doing his scholarly work. He has since boomeranged back to his roots at the UW, where he also serves as an adjunct professor of geography.
Robert Kocher (BA, Political Science, 1994; BS, Zoology, 1994) A fourth generation Husky, Bob Kocher’s diverse academic background helped him contribute a unique perspective as a member of the National Economic Council and as Special Assistant to the President for Healthcare and Economic Policy. In the latter position, Kocher served as an advisor to President Obama regarding the healthcare reform legislation enacted in March 2010. He currently is with a venture capital firm that works with companies focused on the healthcare sector.
Allan Kollar (MFA, Art, 1976) Allan Kollar began his career as an artist and high school art teacher. His love of 19th and 20th century American art soon led him to collect art and later become an art dealer, opening the nationally recognized A.J. Kollar Fine Paintings with his daughter in the early 1990s. With his wife Mary and another couple, he established the Seattle Art Museum’s Council of American Art, and he has been instrumental in establishing important American Art collections in the region and advising museums and collectors nationally.
Mary Kollar (BA, Education, 1965; MA, English, 1981) As a student, Mary Kollar found the campus and her English classes in Parrington Hall to be like home. After graduation, she was an English teacher for nearly 30 years. She also worked with the UW Puget Sound Writing Program and served as co-director of the UW Robinson Center. In retirement, she is a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) and volunteers with the Market Foundation and the UW, writes poetry, and fills a monthly poetry box outside of her house. 29
A Second Act Ron Simons, performing below (center) in a UW production of Man of Mode in 1999, discovered a passion for acting in high school. But another interest—computer science—led Simons to a career at Hewlett-Packard, IntelliCorp, and Microsoft before he returned to his first love in his 30s. “I found that this little actor voice in my head had not stopped talking to me over the years and was still whispering,” Simons recalls. After what he describes as “sleepless nights and the wringing of hands,” he decided to leave Microsoft and pursue acting more seriously. He started with community theatre, then earned roles at Seattle’s top theatres. “That’s when I realized I should go back to school to hone my craft,” he says, noting that the UW School of Drama’s Professional Actor Training Program (PATP) was his first choice.
Photo by Frank
Rosenstein
Since graduating from PATP, Simons has had success as an actor on stage, screen, and television, and as a producer. His production company, SimonSays Entertainment, is dedicated to developing and presenting the stories, fables, and narratives of underrepresented minorities. His first two films, Night Catches Us and Gun Hill Road, premiered in competition as Grand Jury Nominees at Sundance in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
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Robert Kraft (BS, MS, Mathematics, 1947, 1949) Robert Kraft is past president of the American Astronomical Society and the International Astronomical Union. For a decade, he served as director of the Lick Observatory near San Jose, California—the world’s first permanently occupied mountaintop observatory. Kraft is renowned for his research on Cepheid variables, novae, and the evolution of the Milky Way. He was a Bruce Medalist in 2005, one of the highest honors awarded by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.
Jack Lenor Larsen (BA, MFA, Textile Design, 1949, 1951) Jack Lenor Larsen’s career weaves together creativity and innovation. An internationally acclaimed textile designer whose fabrics are featured in museums across the world, he was the second American to have a solo exhibition at the Louvre. He pioneered textiles in 60 countries, has 7 doctorates, has received 14 gold medals, and has written a dozen books. He founded LongHouse Reserve (www.longhouse.org) as a case study to exemplify a creative approach to contemporary life.
Arthur Levinson (BA, Biology, 1972) Art Levinson is chairman of Genentech and was named non-executive chairman of Apple Inc. in 2011, filling a vacancy created by the death of Steve Jobs. A Seattle native, Levinson started his storied science career with the beakers and microscopes in the UW’s labs. He went on to earn a PhD in biochemistry from Princeton University. Levinson has authored or co-authored more than 80 scientific articles and has been a named inventor on 11 US patents.
Herbert Lindenberger (PhD, Comparative Literature, 1955) Herbert Lindenberger founded Stanford University’s Comparative Literature Program in 1969 and was instrumental in establishing it as one of the most prestigious in the nation. An expert in English, German, and French literature of the 19th and 20th centuries, Lindenberger is the recipient of Fulbright, Guggenheim, and National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships. He has served as president of the Modern Language Association of America, the nation’s largest professional humanities organization. 31
Jake Locker (BA, History, 2010) Jake Locker, who led the Huskies to the 2010 Holiday Bowl championship, was picked in the first round of the NFL Draft the following year. He is now quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. Locker’s charitable endeavors and volunteerism are as strong as his 50-yard passes. He started the Touchdowns for Kids foundation with his Husky teammates; in its inaugural year, the charity raised more than $50,000 for Seattle Children’s Hospital.
George W. Long (BA, Asian Languages, 1977;
MA, JSIS, International Studies East Asia, 1979; MBA, 1981)
George Long is chairman of LIM Group, a global investment management firm. He has served leadership roles at the Hong Kong Society of Financial Analysts, the CFA Institute, the Alternative Investment Management Association, and the International Swaps & Derivatives Association. At the UW, Long has created endowed funds to support Korean language, Korea Studies, and a class on Asian capital markets.
Jane Lubchenco (MS, Zoology, 1971) Marine ecologist Jane Lubchenco was appointed the first female administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 2009, where she championed new policies to end overfishing, establish a National Climate Service, create the groundbreaking National Ocean Policy, and restore scientific integrity. She co-founded PISCO, the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans, an innovative endeavor to understand coastal oceans from Alaska to Mexico.
Barbara Madsen (BA, Political Science, 1974) Barbara Madsen is chief justice of the Washington State Supreme Court. Madsen’s interest in access to the judicial system is steeped in her commitment to equality and humane treatment. Since 1998, she has chaired the Washington State Gender and Justice Commission, a group that notably passed legislation banning the shackling of women prisoners while they are in labor.
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Shirley Mahaley Malcom (BS, Zoology, 1967) Shirley Malcom, among the first African Americans to earn a UW zoology degree, has been dedicated to making scientific study available to all students. As head of Education and Human Resources for the American Association for the Advancement of Science, she developed programs to broaden the talent pool of those pursuing science, mathematics, and technology. In 2003, Malcom was awarded the prestigious Public Welfare Medal of the National Academy of Sciences for her work.
Hans-Peter Marshall (BS, Physics, 1999) Hans-Peter Marshall, assistant professor at Boise State University and expert consultant for the US Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, studies the Cryosphere—any part of Earth’s surface where water forms as ice and snow—and has worked in Washington, Colorado, Idaho, Alaska, Greenland, and Antarctica. His current research is focused on improving snow estimates from ground-based, airborne, and satellite radars, and using these tools to study snow distribution, melt, and avalanches.
Mary Kay McCaw (BA, Art, 1976) Mary Kay McCaw is president of the Keith & Mary Kay McCaw Foundation, which has been supporting Washington State’s arts scene since 1995. At the UW, McCaw delighted in throwing clay as a ceramics student. With her late husband, McCaw created a special fund for UW students studying genetics or neuroscience with a research focus on cystic fibrosis, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s disease.
John McKay (BA, Political Science, 1978) John McKay is a professor at the Seattle University School of Law. McKay served as US attorney for western Washington for five years, until he resigned with eight others in 2007. He also served as a White House Fellow and later as president of The Legal Services Corporation in Washington, DC. McKay’s commitment to equal access in the judicial system led the Washington State Bar Association to name him Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year in 1995. He teaches courses in constitutional law of terrorism, national security law, ethics, and leadership. 33
Nate Miles (BA, Communications, 1982) Nate Miles is vice president for strategic initiatives at Eli Lilly and Company, where he previously served as director for state government affairs. He began his career as a marketing executive for KIRO Broadcasting, then served as legislative aide to former Washington state senator George Fleming. A tireless community volunteer, he has served on numerous boards and is currently director of the UW Foundation Board. Ebony magazine named Miles one of its “30 Leaders of the Future.”
Alison Wyckoff Milliman (BA, Art History, 1984) Alison Milliman is a leader in the Seattle arts community, a philanthropist, and a creative visionary. MadArt, her invention, supports the work of emerging artists who showcase their installation art in surprising venues, themes, and creations. She is on the UW School of Art board, is a past member of the UW Foundation Board, as well as other local non-profit boards. After studying at Christie’s in London, Milliman launched her own appraisal business, Aspen Antique Appraisals.
Glen Stanton Milliman (BA, Economics, 1981) Glen Milliman is an entrepreneur with a long career in international trade, including the founding of Island Soda beverages. Also a philanthropist and leader for many local nonprofits, Milliman has served as chairman of Odyssey Maritime and as a member of the UW Department of Economics Visiting Committee and the UW College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Board. He is currently the Museum of History and Industry’s capital campaign co-chair.
Jana Mohr Lone (MA, PhD, Philosophy, 1990, 1996) Jana Mohr Lone is director of the Northwest Center for Philosophy for Children. She first created a philosophy class in her oldest son’s preschool when, at age four, he began asking her philosophical questions. She founded the Center, which brings philosophy into Seattle public schools, in 1996 and it became affiliated with the UW in 1998. Mohr Lone teaches in the Department of Philosophy and is chair of the department’s Advisory Board. 34
Purple People You can’t find more dedicated Husky fans than Robb Weller, Dow Constantine, and Sonny Sixkiller (from left), who posed together for a photo at a recent game. Constantine, King County Executive, recalls the many football games he attended with his father and grandfather as a child, starting with a 1969 Stanford game a week before his eighth birthday. “We lost, 21-7,” says Constantine. “Undeterred, and after another 65 games or so, I stayed [at the UW] for the education.” From 1970 through 1972, Constantine surely cheered for Sonny Sixkiller, a standout quarterback for the Huskies. In 1970, Sixkiller led the nation in total passing, completing 186 of 362 passes for 2,303 yards and 15 touchdowns. He later coauthored a book, Sonny Sixkiller’s Tales from the Husky Sidelines. Robb Weller, now a television host and video producer, was pumping up the crowd at many of Sixkiller’s games as Husky yell leader. Invited back to lead cheers at the UW’s 1981 homecoming game, Weller famously introduced “The Wave,” working with former Husky Band Director Bill Bissell to get the crowd on its feet for a choreographed sequence. Dedicated fan, quarterback, and yell leader, this trio remains purple to the core.
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Passport Required From exploring Assisi on foot to bicycling in Amsterdam (below), Rick Steves spends an estimated 120 days each year in Europe. It’s all part of the job for the founder and owner of the travel company Europe Through the Back Door. Steves was already a travel enthusiast during his UW years. As an undergrad, he worked as a piano teacher, then spent his earnings backpacking in Europe during summer breaks. Soon he was leading a wildly popular class based on his budget travel lifestyle through the UW’s Experimental College. Steves’ company now boasts a staff of 80 that produces more than 50 guidebooks on European travel, a travel series that airs on public television in the US, a weekly hourlong public radio show, and a weekly column syndicated by the Chicago Tribune. Given his commitment to travel, it’s no surprise that Steves is an advocate for study abroad for college students. “There’s a lot of fear in our society today,” he commented in a recent USA Today editorial. “Students who travel learn that fear is for people who don’t get out much. And they learn that the flip side of fear is understanding. Travelers learn to celebrate, rather than fear, the diversity on our planet.” .
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Bryan Monroe (BA, Communications, 1987) Bryan Monroe, editor of CNNPolitics.com, was past president of the National Association of Black Journalists, had a 16-year tenure with Knight Ridder newspapers, and served as vice president and editorial director for Ebony and JET magazines. Monroe conducted the last major interview with pop icon Michael Jackson and had the first interview with presidentelect Barack Obama after his historic win in 2008. He led the team that won a Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal for Public Service in 2006 for coverage of Hurricane Katrina in Biloxi, Mississippi.
A. Bruce Montgomery (BS, Chemistry, 1975; MD, 1979) Bruce Montgomery, CEO of Cardeas Pharma, has spent his career developing pharmaceutical drugs that have eased the suffering of thousands including those with cystic fibrosis and HIV. Working for several biotechnology firms, Montgomery has led teams responsible for six drugs approved by the FDA. He also has served as chairman of the Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association.
Johsel Namkung (MA, Music, 1950) Johsel Namkung emigrated from Korea to Seattle in 1947 to study music at the UW. His artistic focus moved to art photography around 1957, and he developed a unique style informed by his musical sensibility. A member of the Northwest School, he is best known for large format images of subjects selected from nature. From a distance, his work is often mistaken for abstract paintings. Close up, viewers are amazed by the crispness of the smallest details. The first photographer to have a solo show at the Seattle Art Museum, his work has been collected and exhibited internationally.
Hal Newsom (BA, Communications, 1952) Hal Newsom is retired president and CEO of Cole & Weber, a marketing and public relations firm. A self-made marketing man, Newsom has faced a new challenge—Parkinson’s disease—by running marathons and climbing mountains. He is a supporter of the UW Sociology Department with his wife (and college sweetheart) Peggy; the couple also supports the College Success Foundation. Newsom was recently inducted into the UW Communication Hall of Fame. 37
Assunta Ng
(BA, International Studies, 1974; MA, Speech Communication, 1979)
Assunta Ng is president and publisher of Northwest Asian Weekly and the Seattle Chinese Post, both of which she founded in the early 1980s. As publisher, Ng has used her position to inform and influence on issues important to her, including children, women, and social justice. She has donated and fundraised for scholarships for many UW programs.
Bruce Nordstrom (BA, Economics, 1955) Bruce Nordstrom, president of the Nordstrom company from 1963 to 2006, established a corporate culture known for its customer service and employee empowerment. He also has served on the boards of Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle Goodwill Industries and, as an avid UW sports fan, is the former chairman of the UW Tyee Board of Advisors.
Pete Nordstrom (BA, English, 1985) Pete Nordstrom is president of merchandising and a member of the Board of Directors for Nordstrom, Inc. He started in the stockroom, then worked as a salesperson, as a buyer, took on store and regional management roles, and serves on the executive team. At the UW, Nordstrom played for the Husky basketball junior varsity team for three years and coached the JV team for two years. Nordstrom serves on the Governing Board for KEXP and is a co-founder of Loveless Records.
Dara Norman (MS, PhD, Astronomy, 1996, 1999) Dara Norman is a scientist at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory in Arizona, studying Active Galactic Nuclei. She is a member of the American Astronomical Society’s Committee on the Status of Minorities in Astronomy and co-chair of the Astronomy section of the National Society of Black Physicists. The first African American woman to earn a doctorate in astronomy from the UW, Norman is an advocate for involving more underrepresented minorities and women in the “astronomy enterprise.” 38
Tiina Nunnally (Graduate Studies, Scandinavian Studies, 1977-79) Tiina Nunnally, freelance translator and novelist, is a preeminent translator of Nordic fiction. She has published three novels and more than fifty translations that have helped introduce English readers to Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian literature. Nunnally was awarded the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize in 2001 and, in 2009, the Swedish Academy honored her with a special award for facilitating the introduction of Swedish culture around the world.
Grace Milliman Pollock (Drama, 1941) After the UW, Grace Milliman Pollock, a former prima ballerina, was dancing on Broadway and then touring Europe. The Seattle native returned to the States to continue dancing. Grace is a long-time philanthropist and has created a performing arts center in her home town of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, as well as establishing several endowments at the UW. Her dedication to the UW English Department will result in a bequest for the Creative Writing Program.
Dixie Jo Porter (BA, Political Science, 1959) Dixie Jo Porter is a retired community activist for education, women, and the environment. A pioneer in personal finance for women, she co-authored a financial planning book and conducted seminars on money management. Her philanthropic efforts include co-chairing a drive to replace dying cherry trees in the UW’s quad, providing a scholarship in Landscape Architecture, serving as board president of the YWCA, and co-creating a native plant pocket park lauded by the Cascade Land Conservancy.
Michael I. Posner (BS, Physics, 1957; MS, Psychology, 1959) Michael Posner’s research has helped illuminate the relationship between the mind and brain, including the cognitive structures of attention and self-regulation and the interaction between genes and experience. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the recipient of the American Psychological Association’s Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award and (with colleagues) the 2008 National Medal of Science. 39
The Music Man Marcus Tsutakawa is in his element in this 2000 photograph, conducting an orchestra at Garfield High School in Seattle. When he joined Garfield’s staff in 1985 the orchestra was small, but with his enthusiastic leadership it has grown into multiple orchestras, including an award-winning symphony orchestra. His first few years teaching, Tsutakawa wasn’t sure he was on the right career path. “I liked composition and arranging,” he recalls. “I wasn’t used to being a taskmaster and disciplinarian. As a teacher, it’s a balance between the art and being an administrator.” But when Tsutakawa joined the Garfield teaching staff, he found his niche. “It’s a wonderful job,” he says. “It’s a lot of work, too, but I don’t mind. It’s worth it, seeing young people get so excited.”
Photo by Karen Orders
Adds a former student, now an orchestra director himself, “Through music, he taught us how to work with other people, to really see how a whole is greater than the sum of its parts….We not only learned how to become musicians but ultimately to be better citizens.”
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Altitude Adjustment With his ascent of Annapurna (above) in 2005, Ed Viesturs achieved an 18-year goal of successfully summiting all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen. At the time he was the first American, and only the sixth person in history, to accomplish this feat. Viesturs’ fascination with climbing dates back to high school, when he read Annapurna, an account of the first ascent of an 8,000-meter peak. His obsession grew stronger during his UW years. “I could see Mt. Rainier from my dorm room and it became my focus,” recalls Viesturs. “I was maniacal about it.” Since reaching his goal, Viesturs has written several books about climbing. He also serves as a design consultant for outdoor equipment manufacturers and has been a motivational speaker for sports teams and corporations on topics like leadership, teamwork, and risk management. He continues to climb, leading a climb of the highest peak in Antarctica in 2011.
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Sharon Landesman Ramey (PhD, Psychology, 1974) Sharon Ramey, Distinguished Research Scholar and Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology at Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, has developed new treatment approaches that help bridge the gap between science and effective public policy in health and human services. Her parenting books are the basis for two acclaimed public television series, Right from Birth and Going to School. She currently is engaged in new research on brain development across the lifespan.
Norman B. Rice
(BA, Communications, 1972; MPA, Public Affairs, 1974)
After three terms as a Seattle City Council member, Norman B. Rice made history when he was elected Seattle’s first and only African American mayor. During two terms (1989-1997), Rice provided leadership to improve schools, reduce crime, revitalize downtown, and implement an effective welfare-to-work program. Rice is now president and CEO of the Seattle Foundation and a member of the White House Council for Community Solutions.
Jim Riswold (BA, Communications, History, Philosophy, 1983) Jim Riswold, a former creative director/partner at Wieden+ Kennedy, worked in advertising for almost 30 years, primarily on Nike. Newsweek once named him one of the 100 most influential people in American culture. Another magazine wrote, “Riswold’s campaigns have created more American icons than anyone since Walt Disney.” Diagnosed with leukemia in 2000, Riswold quit advertising in 2005 to make art, going from “a career of selling people things they don’t need to making things that people don’t want.”
Marilynne Summers Robinson (MA, PhD, English, 1968, 1977) Marilynne Robinson teaches at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and has been a writer-in-residence and professor at several universities in the US and abroad. Her books and essays have tackled the environment, materialism, and religion. Her novels include Gilead, Home, and the 2005 Pulitzer Prize-winning Housekeeping, which was included in The New York Times Books of the Century and listed as one of the 100 greatest novels of all time by the UK Guardian Observer. 42
A Tomb Rediscovered On a sweltering morning in 1995, after six years of intermittent excavation, Kent Weeks opened the door to an Egyptian tomb that had been buried under 3,000 years of dirt and debris. What he discovered created a media frenzy, including a Time magazine cover story and an interview in Egypt with ABC News’ Hugh Downs. Opening that tomb door, Weeks expected to find a small chamber. Instead he discovered a corridor extending 100 feet, flanked by another 20 doors, some opening onto whole suites of rooms. “When we realized how big this set of rooms was—larger and different in plan than anything that had come before—we were just dumbstruck,” recalls Weeks (below, outside the tomb). “It was overwhelming.” Further excavation revealed 130 rooms built for several of the more than 40 sons of Egyptian ruler Ramesses II (who ruled from 1279 BCE until his death 66 years later). “The tomb is going in every conceivable direction,” commented Weeks soon after making the life-changing discovery. “It looks like the tentacles of an octopus.” Weeks later wrote The Lost Tomb, a book about the discovery, published in 1999.
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Jon Runstad
(BS, Building Construction, 1965; BA, Economics, 1965)
Jon Runstad is chairman and CEO of Wright Runstad & Company, a major Seattle real estate development firm. Runstad’s projects have helped shape the Seattle skyline and the UW campus. A fourth generation Husky, he served on the Board of Regents, is past president of the UW Alumni Association, and is a board member of the Rowing Stewards. With his wife, he endowed a major gift in 2000 that launched the Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies.
Harriet Sanderson (BFA, Printmaking, 1988; MFA, Art, 1990) Harriet Sanderson is an internationally recognized conceptual artist. With an earlier bioscience degree, she illustrated entomological and other documents. At the UW her art evolved into an exploration of the politics and poetry of the survivor—Sanderson herself is a polio survivor—in a way that has been described as “creating a new paradigm.” Sanderson has exhibited, lectured, taught, and mentored in numerous art and civil rights settings, including the UW.
Bror Saxberg
(BA, Mathematics, 1980; BS, Electrical Engineering, 1980)
Bror Saxberg is chief learning officer at Kaplan University. A leader in the field of learning and knowledge science, his many degrees reflect his own passion for learning. In addition to his UW degrees, he has an MA in electrical engineering and a PhD in computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an MD from Harvard Medical School, and an MA in mathematics from Oxford University, earned while he was a Rhodes Scholar.
Victor Scheffer* (BS, MS, PhD, Zoology, 1930, 1932, 1936) Victor Scheffer was a pioneering naturalist and conservationist whose legacy continues to influence the field. His career included work at the US Bureau of Biological Survey, Bureau of Fisheries, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. An expert regarding marine mammals, he served as the first chairman of the US Marine Mammal Commission. He authored 14 books, including the 1969 New York Times bestseller, The Year of The Whale, which won the John Burroughs Medal. *recently deceased 44
Rodger Schlickeisen (BA, Economics, 1963) Rodger Schlickeisen recently retired as president of Defenders of Wildlife, an environmental advocacy group, and Defenders Action Fund, an electoral political organization. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a PhD from George Washington University, where he also taught. He served on the US Senate Budget Committee, as Associate Director of Economics and Government in the Carter White House, and as CEO of two private consulting firms.
Roger Shimomura (BA, Art, 1961) Roger Shimomura creates artwork influenced by his Asian American heritage. Born in Seattle, he and his family were interned during WWII. That experience and the stories from his late grandmother’s diaries influence his paintings and theatre pieces, which often address issues of ethnicity. His work has been presented in more than 125 solo exhibitions at venues including the Seattle Art Museum and the Smithsonian. The latter is preserving his private papers for the Archives of American Art.
Ronald Simons (MFA, Drama, 2001) Ron Simons is producer at SimonSays Entertainment, a film, television, and theatre production company. After a successful career at Microsoft, Simons returned to the UW to pursue his real passion: acting. His credits since graduating include 27 Dresses, Mystery Team, and Law & Order, among others. He founded SimonSays in 2009 to develop and present the stories, fables, and narratives of underrepresented minorities.
Sonny Sixkiller (BA, General Studies, 1974) As starting quarterback in the 1970s, Sonny Sixkiller led the Huskies to three winning seasons, leading to cover photos in Sports Illustrated and Boys’ Life magazines. Sixkiller played for the World Football League and appeared in the movie The Longest Yard before returning to the Pacific Northwest. He has worked as a commentator for FSN Northwest and for Husky sports, and makes frequent appearances at UW events. Sixkiller was inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame in 1985. 45
Channeling Meany When is a bench more than a bench? When Antoinette Wills is on hand to share its history. Wills, who arrived at the UW as a graduate student and stayed on as a staff writer and fundraiser, has become the UW’s go-to person for historic tours of the campus, covering everything from a giant sequoia tree planted by Edmond Meany to a bench between Savery and Denny Halls (on which she sits, below) honoring Meany’s graduating class, the class of 1885. Although Wills will retire in 2012 after more than four decades at the University, interested visitors can continue to access her campus tours online on the College of Arts and Sciences’ website (www.artsci.washington.edu/ 150/timecapsule). “History is just the way my imagination works,” says Wills. “I look at something and I see the context of what used to be.“ On the UW’s Seattle campus, she adds, “the details of the University’s history are everywhere. You walk by them every day.”
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Robert Skotheim (BA, MA, PhD, History, 1955, 1958, 1962) Bob Skotheim’s leadership and management acumen benefited countless students during his tenures as president of Whitman College (1975-1988) and Occidental College (2008-2009). At Whitman, he spearheaded a capital campaign that quadrupled the endowment. Skotheim also served 13 years as director of the renowned Huntington Library, where he encouraged the diversification of the collection to better reflect Native American, Asian, Latino, and African American contributions.
Jean Smart (BFA, Drama, 1974) Winner of three Emmy Awards with an additional three nominations for her work on Frasier, The District, 24, and Samantha Who, Smart has also made her presence known on the big screen and stage. She garnered an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her performance in the feature film Guinevere, and she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her starring role on Broadway opposite Nathan Lane in The Man Who Came To Dinner.
Hope Solo (BA, Communication, 2003) Hope Solo is goalkeeper for the US Women’s National Soccer Team. Before she was famous for her samba on Dancing with the Stars, this Richland, Washington native was making saves and winning games for the Huskies. She was the UW’s all-time leader in shutouts, saves, and goals against average. Solo is also a two-time Olympian, playing for the gold medal-winning US team. She won the Golden Glove award in the 2011 World Cup for best goalkeeper.
Helen Sommers (BA, MA, Economics, 1969, 1970) Retired Washington State Representative Helen Sommers started her election winning streak in 1972 and never broke it, serving for 36 years. As a Democrat representing Washington’s 36th District, Sommers was one of just 12 women in the 1973 legislative session. She headed the important House Appropriations Committee for many years. Sommers, who also served for many years on the UW Department of Economics Visiting Committee, was awarded the first ever UW Regents Medal in recognition of her exceptional accomplishments. 47
Rick Steves
(BA, History, Business Administration, 1978)
Rick Steves is owner of Europe Through the Back Door, a travel consulting and tour company. Steves is now a nationally known travel guru, but one of his early experiences sharing travel adventures was at the UW, where he led a class based on his budget travel lifestyle through the UW’s Experimental College. A year after graduating, he wrote and self-published his first guidebook, Europe Through the Back Door.
Bernd Sturmfels (PhD, Mathematics, 1987) Bernd Sturmfels is professor of mathematics, statistics, and computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. After earning his PhD at the UW, Sturmfels became internationally renowned for his research in the combinatorial side of convex geometry, algebra, and algebraic geometry. He has made efforts to create stars out of women and minorities in the field and has mentored 28 PhD students, including Rekha Thomas, a mathematics professor at the UW.
Travis J. Sullivan
(BA, Political Science, International Studies, 1997)
Travis Sullivan is vice president of international strategy and business development at Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Sullivan previously served as director of policy and strategic planning at the US Department of Commerce for the Obama Administration, as senior advisor to Senator Maria Cantwell, and in other US government roles. Sullivan serves on the Advisory Board for the Jackson School of International Studies.
William Thompson
(BA, MA, PhD, Political Science, 1968, 1969, 1972)
Bill Thompson is a distinguished professor of political science at Indiana University. His work on international rivalries, including the Cold War, is regularly cited in the field of conflict studies. A prolific writer, Thompson has authored 27 books and more than 120 published articles on international hostilities and global US leadership. He sits on a dozen editorial boards and consults on the subject of world politics. 48
Pang-Hsin Ting (PhD, Asian Languages & Literature, 1972) Pang-Hsin Ting is Agassiz Professor Emeritus of Chinese Linguistics at UC Berkeley, and professor emeritus of humanities at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Described as a “gentleman scholar” by peers, he is heralded for his integrity, diplomacy, and tact in the classroom. Ting is an internationally known researcher and educator in the field of Chinese linguistics; he volunteers with a non-profit group to fund graduate students studying the subject.
Mark Torrance (Economics) Mark Torrance is founder and former chairman and CEO of PhotoDisc, a digital stock photography service acquired by Getty Images. A philanthropist, environmentalist, and political activist, he also founded the Mark and Susan Torrance Foundation, which funds education and global ecosystem research and infrastructure. Torrance is frequently named one of the top 50 political donors in the state, giving to progressive think tanks, media watch groups, and campaign finance reform efforts.
Marcus Tsutakawa (BA, MA, Music/Music Education, 1979, 1985) Since 1985, Marcus Tsutakawa has hit all the right notes as director of the esteemed Garfield High School Symphony. Under his leadership, the symphony has received a Grammy nomination and three national “Best Orchestra” awards from Downbeat magazine; the orchestra has played at Carnegie Hall and throughout the US, Europe, and Japan. Tsutakawa also has worked with the Seattle Youth Symphony for more than a decade. In 2005, he received a Mayor’s Arts Award for Excellence.
Ed Viesturs (BS, Zoology, 1981) Ed Viesturs is a professional mountaineer who began practicing his craft as an undergraduate. He has summited Mount Rainier 208 times and is the first American and only the sixth person in history to summit all 14 of the world’s tallest peaks without supplemental oxygen. Viesturs moonlights as a design consultant for outdoor equipment manufacturers and gives motivational speeches on risk management, teamwork, and overcoming major obstacles. 49
A Husky By Design The display windows of clothing designer Luly Yang’s elegant boutique in downtown Seattle are a reflection of Yang herself: timeless and elegant. On November 4, 2011— known as “W Day”—the windows also reflected Yang’s Husky pride. As Huskies around the world donned purple and gold on W Day to celebrate the University’s 150th birthday, Yang designed a UW-inspired purple and gold window display, below. “I’m proud to say that I’m a Husky,” says Yang, who has hired numerous UW graduates as interns through the years. “We’re very UW patriotic around here.”
Photo by Jacob Lambert
Yang studied graphic design at the UW and pursued a graphic design career for more than a decade before switching to clothing design. “I realized I loved and wanted to design around the curves of the human form, utilizing fluid and luxurious textiles,” she explains. In addition to her downtown Seattle store, Yang has a satellite store at the Fairmont Hotel in Beijing, China.
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Maggie Walker (BA, History, 1974; BA, Communications, 1987) Maggie Walker is a community volunteer and philanthropist. Walker is chair of the Seattle Foundation, immediate past president of the Seattle Art Museum, and chair of the Bullitt Foundation. She sits on numerous other community advisory boards. As chair of the College of Arts and Sciences’ last fundraising campaign, Walker helped raise $283 million–$43 million more than the College’s goal.
Patti Warashina (BFA, MFA, Art, 1962, 1964) Patti Warashina, UW professor emeritus and internationally renowned ceramic sculptor, taught in the School of Art for 25 years. She might best be described as a “lyrical absurdist,” influenced by surrealism. Her work can be seen in major museums in the US and abroad, including the Smithsonian, the Seattle Art Museum, and museums in Australia, Japan, and Korea. With her late husband Robert Sperry, and fellow artists Howard Kottler and Fred Bauer, Warashina brought national recognition to the UW’s ceramics program.
Isiah M. Warner (PhD, Chemistry, 1977) Isiah Warner is Boyd Professor of Analytical Chemistry at Louisiana State University, a school essentially closed to him in the 1960s. Raised during a time of enforced segregation in Louisiana, the son of a housekeeper and a longshoreman, Warner attended historically black Southern University on a full scholarship before earning his PhD at the UW. A widely respected scientist and teacher, legendary for encouraging underrepresented students in the sciences, Warner has consulted and advised the UW’s Learning Skills Center.
Gary Waterman (BA, MA, Economics, 1965, 1968) Gary Waterman has been a director of the Equity Lifestyle Properties since March 1993 and founder and president of Waterman Limited, a real estate services and investment company, since 1989. Waterman previously served in various roles at LaSalle Partners Incorporated (now known as Jones Lang LaSalle), including the formation of the real estate company. He became a director of Avalara, Inc., a private software company, in 2007. 51
Kent Weeks (BA, MA, Anthropology, 1963, 1965)
From an early age, ancient Egypt fascinated Kent Weeks, who worked at the Burke Museum as a UW student. After earning a PhD in Egyptology from Yale University, he became professor of Egyptology at American University in Cairo. Weeks garnered worldwide attention when, while excavating a tomb in the Theban Necropolis in 1995, he discovered a labyrinth of hallways and 130 rooms meant for several of the more than 40 sons of Ramesses II, one of Egypt’s greatest pharaohs.
Robb Weller (BA, Communications, 1972) Robb Weller, executive vice president of programming and production at MUSL-TV and executive producer of Emmywinning Weller/Grossman Productions, started his career in entertainment at Husky Stadium, where, as yell leader, he is largely credited with inventing “the wave.” His cheer squad days led to a career announcing football games with KIRO Radio. In 1984 he landed a post as co-anchor of Entertainment Tonight. Weller was the first inductee into the Washington State Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
Aber Whitcomb
(BA, Applied & Computational Mathematical Sciences, 2000)
Aber Whitcomb is chief technology officer of SGN, a social gaming platform. He also has the third account ever created on MySpace.com—not surprising since he was co-founder and chief technology officer (CTO) of MySpace. Whitcomb is also co-founder of the early stage startup program i/o ventures, which focuses heavily on mentorship. He was recognized as one of the “Top 25 CTOs of 2009” by InfoWorld.
Hannah C. Wiley (BA, Drama, 1973) Hannah Wiley, Floyd & Delores Jones Endowed Chair in the Arts and professor and former director of the UW Dance Program, founded the Chamber Dance Company (CDC) and created the Program’s nationally recognized MFA. A dance conservationist and programmatic visionary, Wiley has revived lost or forgotten works of modern dance through CDC performances, which are archived at UW’s Odegaard Library and broadcast on UWTV. 52
Antoinette Wills (PhD, History, 1975) Antoinette Wills, passionate about history and the UW, has combined both interests during her four decades at the UW. A transplant from the East Coast, Wills first found community as a graduate student in the History Department, then stayed on as a writer, fundraiser, and unofficial campus historian. She has written a history of private support at the UW and a decadeby-decade history of the College of Arts & Sciences, and she recently taped video tours of the campus for the Web.
Lorin Wilson* (BA, Economics, Business, 1940) Lorin Wilson was a partner-in-charge at Deloitte, an accounting firm. He spent his entire career with Deloitte, the company that hired him as a novice CPA, and was named by Time magazine in 1950 as one of Seattle’s 100 Newsmakers of Tomorrow. Wilson’s life was filled with professional accomplishments and service to community, both in Seattle and Los Angeles, culminating in an Outstanding Alumnus Award from the UW School of Business in 1990. *recently deceased
Art Wolfe (BFA, Interdisciplinary Visual Arts, 1975) Art Wolfe is a photographer, author, and television host. His specialty is blending photojournalism with art photography —a talent that has taken him to far-flung places to capture wildlife, landscapes, and cultures through his unique lens. He has over 70 books exclusively featuring his photography and hosts Art Wolfe’s Travels to the Edge, an award-winning American Public Television show that documents the behind-the-scenes challenges Wolfe faces as a nature photographer.
R. Y. Woodhouse (BA, Sociology, 1963; MSW, Social Welfare, 1970; PhD, Education, 1983)
R.Y. Woodhouse has served as Director of Licensing for the State of Washington, as an executive for Seattle’s Rainier Bank, and as the first woman president and chief executive officer of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle. At the Urban League, Woodhouse oversaw the organization’s many social service programs from 1984 to 1998. Woodhouse also served 12 years as a trustee of Central Washington University. 53
Robin K. Wright
(BA, General Studies, 1971; MA, PhD, Art History, 1977, 1985)
Robin K. Wright is a UW professor of art history, curator at the Burke Museum, and director of the Bill Holm Center for Study of Northwest Coast Art. A prolific grant writer, Wright has received numerous awards and grants, particularly for programs at the Burke Museum. She recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native American Studies Association in recognition of her teaching and scholarship.
Luly Yang (BA, Graphic Design, 1990) Luly Yang is founder and owner of Luly Yang Couture, with boutiques in Seattle and Beijing. Yang spent ten years as a graphic designer before transitioning to fashion. She has been named Best Couture Dress Designer by Seattle Bride Magazine for eight consecutive years and earned a Nellie Cashman Women Business Owner of the Year award in 2007. She speaks to the UW Professional & Continuing Education class on fashion design every quarter.
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Looking to the future, the College celebrates the promise of its 2012 graduating class by selecting twenty undergraduate and graduate students to receive Timeless Awards along with more seasoned Arts and Sciences alumni. This group was selected through nominations from Arts and Sciences faculty and staff, in recognition of oustanding achievement in academics, creativity, community service, and athletics. We celebrate these individuals’ accomplishments and look forward to hearing more from them in the years ahead.
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Charlotte Anthony
(BA, Communication, Near Eastern Languages and Civilization, 2012)
Charlotte Anthony is an aspiring journalist interested in Middle East peace and justice issues. She has participated in service projects through UW Hillel and Jewish Family Services, and has volunteered as an English teacher at an African refugee center during study abroad in Israel. Anthony has interned for Senator Patty Murray and at The Seattle Times, and has reported on cultural issues and events for the UW Daily.
Jeff Benca (BS, Biology, 2012) Fascinated with plants and fossils, Jeff Benca has already made his mark as a paleobotanist, single-handedly creating one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of club mosses, housed in the UW Greenhouse. A valued team member in Biology Professor Caroline Stromburg’s lab, his research has led to co-authorship on a published paper as well as major awards. Benca also makes time to volunteer as a Greenhouse tour guide and as a Burke Museum outreach volunteer.
Brie Chun (BA, Dance, BS, Biology, 2012) Brie Chun’s creativity and passion for dance have made her a promising choreographer in the Dance Program and a leader in the Dance Student Association, through which she organized a collaborative concert between the Dance Program and the School of Music and produces bi-annual student dance concerts. Study abroad opportunities—in London and India—have focused on public health, including visits to rural health clinics in the Himalayas.
Denise Ingua Dy (BA, Psychology; Minor, Military Science, 2012) Denise Dy, an All-American tennis player (with dual USPhilippines citizenship) is credited with helping revive the Husky women’s tennis program. Ranked fourth in the nation in 2011, Dy earned her first ITA All-American honor as a UW sophomore, earning the honor in both singles and doubles the following year. Noting that tennis is “a very mental game...like any sport,” Dy has an interest in sports psychology.
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Kenji Fujitani (BA, Biochemistry, BA, Business Administration, 2012) While pursuing degrees in biochemistry and business and participating in research with bioengineering faculty, Kenji Fujitani still found time to teach sailing and skiing to people with disabilities through Footloose Sailing and Outdoors for All, manage a team of volunteers mentoring students from underprivileged families, and volunteer at Swedish Medical Center. For his dedication to service, Fujitani received the national President’s Volunteer Service Award.
Joshua Gailey
(BA, Italian Studies, BM, Applied Music, BA, Music History, 2012)
Joshua Gailey, a skilled trumpeter, has combined his musical talents with his interest in Italian studies in an honors thesis on “Wagnerism and Wagnerian Influences in Verdi’s Otello.” Described by faculty as having “a rare combination of perspicacity, drive, and sensitivity,” Gailey has performed as principal trumpet with the UW Symphony Orchestra and the UW Wind Ensemble, as well as the Port Angeles and Puget Sound Symphonies.
Byron Gray (BA, Political Science, Asian Studies, and Law, Societies, and Justice, 2012)
Byron Gray is a triple threat, with three social sciences majors (plus a minor in Hindi) that inform his study of India, a country that first sparked his interest during a freshman year course. He has studied in India twice and crafted an honors project examining the politics of family law reform in India. Thanks to a Rhodes Scholarship, Gray will continue his studies at Oxford in the coming year.
Nathaniel Greenberg (PhD, Comparative Literature, 2012) Moving effortlessly among vastly different cultural milieus and languages, Nathaniel Greenberg has studied Arabic in Cairo, Spanish in Guatemala, and has conducted research on Jewish and Arab culture in Argentina. He is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including The Modern Language Quarterly Dissertation Fellowship. His dissertation focuses on the novels and screenplays of Egyptian Nobel Laureate Naguib Mahfouz. 58
Intrigued by India When Rhodes Scholar Byron Gray started at the UW, he was absolutely certain that he would go to law school. “I felt that there was not a liberal arts professor in the world who would convince me otherwise,” Gray recalls with a laugh. Gray’s interests, however, soon led him in a different direction. Intrigued by a freshman course on social movements in India, Gray followed that course with a 400-level seminar on Indian politics. “I really enjoyed trying to situate abstract political science studies in an actual place,” he explains. “India was a great place to do that. It’s such a diverse area. It just really drew me in.” Gray took more India-related courses, including Hindi language classes, and traveled to India for further study. His tenacity in seeking interviews led to memorable connections with Indian political leadership, including members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jaipur, who pose with Gray below. (The president of the BJP in Rajasthan is to Gray’s right.) Thanks to his Rhodes Scholarship, Gray will continue his studies at Oxford. He hopes for a career in academia that will combine his interests in Indian politics, justice, and law. “I believe that academics can be instruments for social change,” says Gray. “The key is figuring out how to do that effectively.”
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Jane Hung (BS, Mathematics, Physics, 2012) While pursuing a double major in physics and mathematics, Jane Hung has conducted computational chemistry research in the laboratory of Professor Xiaosong Li, resulting in two publications—as the lead author on one of them. As part of a team in the international Mathematical Contest in Modeling, she and her teammates were awarded the high honor of a Meritorious designation. A Goldwater Scholar, Hung plans to pursue graduate studies in chemical engineering at MIT.
Nadia Jackinsky-Horrell (PhD, Art History, 2012) Nadia Jackinsky-Horrell is the first Alutiiq (and first Alaskan Native) PhD in art history at the UW. Her doctoral research revolves around the study of cultural revitalization movements among Alaska Native artists and craftsmen and the use of art as a vehicle to sustain cultural identity. In fall 2011, JackinskyHorrell began as curator at the Sheldon Jackson Museum in Sitka, Alaska. She also serves as project director for a research program to identify endangered Alaska Native artistic traditions.
Isaura Jiménez (BA, CHID, American Ethnic Studies, 2012) Committed to improving access to higher education for underrepresented students, Isaura Jiménez has volunteered with the UW Dream Project and as a mentor for public school students since 2008. She recently served as volunteer coordinator for the Beyond HB 1079 Conference, which aims to create awareness around a law providing educational opportunities to undocumented students. In addition to her two majors, she has a minor in diversity studies.
Andrew Lewis (BA, History, Political Science, 2012) As director of the Associated Students at UW (ASUW)’s Office of Government Relations, Andrew Lewis spends much of his time lobbying legislators about higher education issues. It’s been a high-profile position, but not Lewis’s first experience with leadership or politics. Lewis, a 2011 Truman Scholar, has served as a Seattle Human Rights Commissioner, managed a campaign for Seattle City Council member Nick Licata, and interned for Seattle City Council member Sally Clark. 60
Edward Nolan (BA, Classics, 2012) Edward Nolan, who has studied abroad through UW programs in Rome and Spain, can read texts in Spanish, Portuguese, and French. But he is particularly adept in Greek and Latin, the latter essential in researching his honors thesis on the speeches of Marcus Tullius Cicero and the relationship between orator and city. Described by faculty as “a born researcher” and “a rigorous intellect,” Nolan plans to pursue graduate studies in classics.
Yael Nov (BA, Art History, BFA, Photomedia, 2012) Yael Nov experiences art both as an artist creating work and as a scholar studying art in a historical context. She has served as a research assistant for Professor Marek Mieczorek to curate a recent exhibition at the Henry Art Gallery and for a related course. Her own work has been in five juried shows at the UW’s Jacob Lawrence Gallery as well as at least half a dozen other public venues. She has participated in study abroad programs in Italy, London, Paris, and Israel.
Michael Peralta (BA, Geography, American Ethnic Studies, 2012) Using his technical expertise to create opportunities for others, Michael Peralta has been technology director of Scholarship Junkies—founded by a UW alumnus to raise awareness of scholarship opportunities—and oversees the Ethnic Cultural Center’s websites. Peralta is passionate about helping underrepresented groups, which led to his involvement in the Dream Project, GEAR UP, environmental advocacy groups, UW PIPE, and research on college completion among minority students.
Heather Pool (PhD, Political Science, 2011) Just months after defending her dissertation, Heather Pool had two chapters accepted for publication by prestigious peer-reviewed journals. The dissertation explores the role of political mourning in developing collective political identity. Pool has served as lead teaching assistant in her department as well as graduate student president and director of the department’s writing center. Off campus, she has served as a self defense instructor at Home Alive and an intern at Seattle’s Office for Civil Rights. 61
Photo
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by Na
Island without Birds In the mid-1940s, Brown Treesnakes stowed away on military aircraft in the Admiralty Islands and landed in Guam, where they began gobbling the island’s unsuspecting birds and their eggs. As the snake population swelled, the bird population dropped. Today nearly all native bird species are extinct on Guam, while neighboring islands in the Mariana Islands chain have thriving bird populations. Haldre Rogers, spearheading a US Geological Survey team from 2002-2005 tasked with locating Brown Treesnake populations on neighboring islands, saw a golden research opportunity to compare bird-rich and bird-free environments in close proximity. “There is nowhere in the world that has experienced bird loss like Guam,” says Rogers. “I was amazed to find that no one was studying the changes that result from these bird extinctions.” Rogers decided to pursue the research herself, enrolling at the UW as a doctoral student in biology. (Above, Rogers checks a seed trap on Guam to assess the impact of bird loss on seed dispersal.) The project has grown into a full research program with diverse collaborators, two full-scale grants, over $1 million in federal funding, and field crews on four islands, all studying the importance of birds in forested and agricultural systems and the consequences of bird loss. 62
Brent Richards (BA, Economics, 2012) Anyone who watched Brent Richards compete on the UW men’s soccer team knows why the Portland Timbers signed him to play professional soccer. As a Husky, Richards led the team in scoring and goals in each of his four seasons, accumulating 31 goals and 15 assists in 72 games—while maintaining a 3.73 GPA in economics. For his accomplishments, Richards was named the 2012 Pac-12 Men’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a FirstTeam Academic All-American by ESPN/CoSIDA.
Haldre Rogers (PhD, Biology, 2011) Haldre Rogers, wanting to explore the consequences when an entire tropical forest system loses its birdlife, established a full research program with diverse collaborators, two major grants, over $1 million in federal funding, and field crews on four islands—all while playing and coaching rugby with the Guam National Rugby Team and competing for the US National Women’s Rugby Team in the buildup to the 2009 Rugby World Cup. Rogers is now a Huxley Faculty Fellow at Rice University.
Gaelen Sayres (BFA, DXARTS, 2012) Gaelen Sayres’ sound composition was accepted for the Summer 2010 Juried Show at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery. He created visuals for Sakura Rising, a dance performed at the Northwest New Works Festival. His studies in Tokyo included an exploration of Japan’s spiritual material culture, which inspired his film Torii, and firsthand experience of the 2011 earthquake, which awakened a sense of social justice that currently influences his work.
Jasmine Zhang (BA, International Studies;
Community, Environment, and Planning, 2012)
While Jasmine Zhang wrote an impressive honors thesis on creativity education in China, it was another paper, refined from a junior year assignment, that earned her first place (college student category) in the Sustain US Citizen Science Paper competition and led to a presentation at the United Nations. Zhang has tutored for numerous groups on and off campus, including Student Athletic Services and the Robinson Center. 63
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Honoree Index Allen, Dean, 2 Anderson, James, 2 Anthony, Charlotte, 57 Arreguin, Alfredo, 2 Baldasty, Gerald , 2 Barcott, Bruce, 4 Barratt, Michael, 4 Benca, Jeff, 57 Berry, Brian, 4 Bierds, Linda, 4 Bolcom, William, 5 Bonderman, David, 5 Brainerd, Debbi, 5 Bridge, Bobbe, 5 Bridges, George, 8 Brownlee, Donald, 3, 8 Buck, Linda, 6, 8 Bundy, Emory, 8 Carpenter, Loren, 10 Charbonneau, Christine, 10 Chihuly, Dale, 7, 10 Christensen, Michael, 10 Chun, Brie, 57 Clarke, Peter, 11 Close, Chuck, 11 Constantine, Dow, 11, 35 Corbett, John, 11 Cressey, Bryan, 14 Cressey, Christy, 14 Dahl, Robert, 14 Dawson, Geraldine, 14 Dicks, Norm, 16 Doig, Ivan, 16 Dy, Denise, 57 Egan, Timothy, 16 Farmer, Holley, 9, 16 Friel, Sharon, 17
Fujitani, Kenji, 58 Gailey, Joshua, 58 Gallagher, Tess, 17 Gamboa, Erasmo, 17 Garvey, Mike, 17 Gayton, Carver, 19 Gayton, Gary, 12, 19 Gilford, Dorothy, 19 Golden, Robert, 19 Gray, Byron, 58, 59 Greenberg, Nathaniel, 58 Gregoire, Chris, 21 Guterson, David, 13, 21 Hanauer, Lenore, 21 Hanauer, Nicolas, 21 Hansen, Elaine, 22 Harrell, Bruce, 22 Harris, Alexes, 22 Hartzell, Linda, 22 Hirabayashi, Gordon, 24 Holm, Bill, 24 Horsey, David, 15, 24 Hung, Jane, 60 Ibrahim, Saad Eddin, 24 Jackinsky-Horrell, Nadia, 60 Jaech, Jeremy, 25 JimĂŠnez, Isaura, 60 Johnson, Charles, 25 Johnson, Darryl, 18, 25 Jones, Larry, 25 Karn, Richard, 28 Katsaros, Kristina, 28 Kavandi, Janet, 20, 28 Kawaguchi, Harold, 28 Knopp, Lawrence, 29 Kocher, Robert, 29 Kollar, Allan, 29 Kollar, Mary, 29
Kraft, Robert, 31 Larsen, Jack Lenor, 31 Levinson, Arthur, 31 Lewis, Andrew, 60 Lindenberger, Herbert, 31 Locker, Jake, 23, 32 Long, George, 32 Lubchenco, Jane, 32 Madsen, Barbara, 32 Malcom, Shirley, 33 Marshall, Hans-Peter, 33 McCaw, Mary, 33 McKay, John, 33 Miles, Nathaniel, 34 Milliman, Alison, 34 Milliman, Glen, 34 Mohr Lone, Jana, 26, 34 Monroe, Bryan, 37 Montgomery, A. Bruce, 37 Namkung, Johsel, 37 Newsom, Hal, 37 Ng, Assunta, 27, 38 Nolan, Edward, 61 Nordstrom, Bruce, 38 Nordstrom, Pete, 38 Norman, Dara, 38 Nov, Yael, 61 Nunnally, Tiina, 39 Peralta, Michael, 61 Pollock, Grace, 39 Pool, Heather, 61 Porter, Dixie Jo, 39 Posner, Michael, 39 Ramey, Sharon, 42 Rice, Norman B., 42 Richards, Brent, 63 Riswold, Jim., 42 Robinson, Marilynne, 42
Rogers, Haldre, 62, 63 Runstad, H. Jon, 44 Sanderson, Harriet, 44 Saxberg, Bror, 44 Sayres, Gaelen, 63 Scheffer, Victor, 44 Schlickeisen, Rodger, 45 Shimomura, Roger, 45 Simons, Ron, 30, 45 Sixkiller, Sonny, 35, 45 Skotheim, Robert, 47 Smart, Jean, 47 Solo, Hope, 47 Sommers, Helen, 47 Steves, Rick, 36, 48 Sturmfels, Bernd, 48 Sullivan, Travis, 48 Thompson, William, 48 Ting, Pang-Hsin, 49 Torrance, Mark, 49 Tsutakawa, Marcus, 40, 49 Viesturs, Edmund, 41, 49 Walker, Maggie, 51 Warashina, Patti, 51 Warner, Isiah, 51 Waterman, Gary, 51 Weeks, Kent, 43, 52 Weller, Robb, 35, 52 Whitcomb, Aber, 52 Wiley, Hannah, 52 Wills, Antoinette, 46, 53 Wilson, Lorin, 53 Wolfe, Art, 53 Woodhouse, R.Y., 53 Wright, Robin, 54 Yang, Luly, 50, 54 Zhang, Jasmine, 63