Two alumni from the class of 1975 had shining moments in 2004
Twenty years ago, Linda Buck, '75, won the Nobel Prize. Meanwhile, Mark Emmert, '75, became president of the UW.
UW President Mark Emmert, ’75, joins Nobel Laureate Linda Buck, ’75, and Provost Phyllis Wise.
For two members of the UW’s class of 1975, 2004 was a big year—make that a huge year. On June 14, 2004, Mark Emmert became only the third alum to be named president of the UW. Barely four months later, on Oct. 4, Linda Buck, affiliate professor of physiology and bio-physics at the UW School of Medicine, became the UW’s first woman alum to receive the Nobel Prize (hers was in Medicine or Physiology).
According to “The Campus History Series” book on the University of Washington, Emmert also hosted a 2004 dinner for the Nobel laureates on the UW faculty. It turned out that the three other Nobel laureates who attended the celebration had been at the UW when Emmert and Buck were undergraduates. Joining Buck and the president was a high-powered group: Hans Dehmelt (1989 Nobel Prize in Physics), Edwin Krebs (1992 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology) and E. Donnall Thomas (1990 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology). Thomas and Buck were honored for their prize-worthy research at Fred Hutch.
Bucking tradition
Buck, a Seattle native, earned her B.S. in psychology and microbiology at the UW. Now in her 22nd year as a professor in Fred Hutch’s Division of Basic Sciences, she shared the Nobel Prize with Columbia University professor Richard Axel for identifying the genes that control odor receptors.
Fife fantastic
As an undergrad, Emmert, a native of Fife, transferred to the UW from Highline Community College to earn his bachelor’s degree in political science. He served as UW president from 2004 to 2010, when he left to become president of the NCAA. During his tenure here, the University received record amounts of funding for research, state support and private philanthropy. Graduation records were also tops in school history.
Two local kids who went on to make an incredible impact in the world and at their alma mater. What a story.