Husky History
September 2, 2023
Making waves
Like the ‘Boys in the Boat,’ UW women’s rowing has its own inspiring story.
June 9, 2023
High flyers
Four Huskies have joined the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Read about their achievements in space and beyond.
June 4, 2023
Pulling together
At the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, the UW crew made history and set a legacy in motion.
May 28, 2023
Will Parnassus return?
Students returning to campus after winter break this year found the doors to historic Parnassus closed indefinitely.
Creative flow
The Chihuly Workshop has produced a photo-rich book, “The Boathouse: The Artist’s Studio of Dale Chihuly,” to tell the story of a building with UW ties.
February 25, 2023
Nuggets of history
The Department of Materials Science and Engineering was once the College of Mines. The name changed, but advancing technologies and research is stronger than ever.
February 23, 2023
Revolution to evolution
Emile Pitre captures the story of decades of activism at the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity in his new book.
November 27, 2022
Solidarity forever
After three decades, the UW Bridges Center continues to grow, as does union membership nationwide.
A Husky who did it all
Rick Redman was a star on both sides of the ball for the UW football team, playing guard and linebacker, and he shined on special teams as a punter.
November 23, 2022
Our first astronaut
In 1969, NASA launched Apollo 12, which took Richard F. Gordon, '51, to the moon and back.
September 28, 2022
Test your UW smarts
Most of us know the school colors, mascot and maybe a few building names...but how deep does your UW knowledge go? Take our quiz to find out.
September 20, 2022
Making history
History professor Margaret O'Mara explains how prior generations handled a pandemic and what we can learn from their mistakes.
September 16, 2022
Hall of famer
The former Husky defensive back turned football upside down with his unstoppable “Air Coryell” passing attack.
September 11, 2022
Huskies in our hearts
On a tragic anniversary in UW history, editor Jon Marmor pays tribute to the 17 Huskies who lost their lives on 9/11 and 9/12.
September 8, 2022
Farewell, Queen Elizabeth
Nearly 40 years ago, when Jon Marmor was a newspaper editor, he met the queen during an assignment in the Bahamas. No kidding.
March 11, 2022
Remembering Desmond Tutu
Twenty years ago, the human rights leader delivered a message of hope to Seattle.
March 4, 2022
Show us the Shell House
Efforts to preserve and renovate the historic ASUW Shell House on the Montlake Cut continue full speed ahead.
March 3, 2022
The Kelly ECC at 50
Once a student activist’s dream, the Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center celebrates five decades as a space for diversity and inclusion.
March 1, 2022
One momentous week
In the span of seven days in November 1961, civil-rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. and President John F. Kennedy spoke on campus.
December 4, 2021
Imogen exposed
Imogen Cunningham was an innovative and influential fine art photographer. A retrospective features nearly 200 of her works.
November 19, 2021
Rising above hate
A Japanese American UW grad turned businessman, Harry Kawabe was a humanitarian who built economies in two U.S. cities and dedicated his life to building community.
September 4, 2021
The Nisei story
‘Boys in the Boat’ author Daniel James Brown’s new book depicts the heroism of World War II-era Japanese Americans.
The ‘Renton Redhead’
Kermit Jorgensen was part of a Husky team that notched back-to-back Rose Bowl victories.
August 31, 2021
A name that stuck
Cassandra Amesley, ’77, ’81, made ‘Red Square’ catch on and etched her name in Husky history.
September 16, 2020
From war to hoops
After taking a bullet in World War II, Charles Sheaffer returned to captain the Husky basketball team in his senior season.
June 10, 2020
Book Store stays essential
A quick trip through the University Book Store’s 120 years.
March 13, 2020
A legacy of caring
For a life dedicated to students of color, the UW honors Emile Pitre with the 2020 Charles E. Odegaard Award.
June 3, 2019
‘Cathedral’ on the Cut
Nearly torn down in 1975, the ASUW Shell House is still a beloved building on the UW campus.
June 2, 2019
Where it all began
The 101-year-old ASUW Shell House was home to the famed “Boys in the Boat.”
Unsung healer
Alice Augusta Ball was the first woman and first African American to earn a master’s degree in chemistry, and at age 23, developed an early treatment for leprosy.
November 30, 2018
Gratefully remastered
A 1974 concert at Hec Ed Pavilion, long a favorite of Dead Heads, is one of six historic concerts being released in a beautiful new boxed set,
October 2, 2018
War in the eyes of an 11-year-old
In an essay, a 1953 alum shares how wartime affected every aspect of growing up stateside during the 1940s.
March 3, 2018
‘Patina of history’
Some UW students travel to Europe to sample castles and cafés, but for many the trip has been much shorter—just through the doors of the Burke Museum.
June 27, 2017
Welcome back, Paul Allen
Before he funded UW's computer science labs, Paul Allen got kicked out of them.
March 1, 2016
KEXP rocks its new digs
KEXP and its predecessor KCMU have been a staple of the Seattle music community for four decades. With new digs at the Seattle Center and a 30-year cooperative agreement with the UW, the station enters its next phase as an independent nonprofit.
September 1, 2015
UW Press at 100
The University of Washington's press dates back to Edmond Meany's 1915 book on the governors of the state and territory.
March 1, 2013
Lake life
Living on a houseboat was a way of life that brought about a great deal of companionship, sharing and good humor.
Soviets in Seattle
When Washington hosted the inaugural Windermere Cup in 1987, it was the first competition for Soviet rowers in the United States in 25 years.
June 1, 2012
Country care
The UW School of Medicine’s multi-regional medical program, WWAMI, is celebrating 40 years—and some serious accomplishments.
September 1, 2011
Stadium memories
Venerable Husky Stadium is in need of updating, so after the Nov. 5 game against Oregon, it will close for a year while it undergoes a much-needed makeover.
December 1, 2008
David Kopay's homecoming
David Kopay, '64, became the first professional athlete from a major team sport (he retired from the NFL in 1972) to announce publicly that he was gay.
Back in time
Frank Nowell’s photographs offer an intriguing glimpse of the UW in its infancy, and suggest the significant role the school played in introducing Seattle to the world.
June 1, 2008
Century of magazines
There have been astonishing changes over the first century of the UW's alumni magazine, but at its heart it remains true to the mission of its first edition.
‘Legend’ has it
With this issue, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the UW's alumni magazine by celebrating the living legends among us.
March 1, 2008
40 years of change
In the mid-1960s, only two of the UW’s 1,734 professors were African Americans. Students of color made up only 4 percent of the total enrollment that year. That began to change on May 20, 1968, when students from the Black Student Union staged a sit-in at the office University President Charles E. Odegaard.
December 1, 2007
One for the Rhodes
DeLaine Emmert, wife of President Mark A. Emmert, '75, asked a simple question: How many Rhodes Scholars does the UW have? No one knew the answer.
Home pride
For 65 years, Hill-Crest has been the home to 12 presidents. It has seen glittering parties, teenage sleepovers and even police protection during Vietnam War student unrest.
March 1, 2007
Strong signals
Thirty-five years ago, John Kean, ’72, helped launch the UW’s first student radio station by installing a 10-watt transmitter in McMahon Hall.
December 1, 2006
Riding the rails again
The difference between the crowded confusion of the trolley of 1895 and the quiet comfort of the yet-to-be-seen Sound Transit light rail will be a clear indication of the passage of over 120 years.
September 1, 2006
50 years for the heart
Fifty years ago, the UW perfected its own heart-lung machine and did the first open-heart bypass surgery in the West. Now advances are coming so quickly that they could put future cardiac surgeons out of business.
June 1, 2006
Funny papers
A map in The Daily seemed to be a helpful aid for campus newcomers. But those who followed it soon found themselves hopelessly lost—and miles from their intended destinations.
March 1, 2006
Historic Hec Ed
Basketball players, U.S. presidents, billionaire computer moguls and Boy Scouts: what do these people have in common? All are part of the rich history surrounding one of the UW's most iconic buildings: Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
December 1, 2005
The stolen years
After Pearl Harbor, as the U.S. imprisoned thousands of its own citizens in internment camps, more than 400 Japanese American students had to drop out of the UW. This is the story of some forced to leave — and the efforts the UW made to protect them.
Well-earned salute
Every time Hiro Nishimura, ’48, passes the William Kenzo Nakamura Federal Courthouse in Seattle, he raises his hand in a salute. The courthouse was renamed four years ago to honor Nakamura, who earned the nation’s highest military award—the Medal of Honor.
September 1, 2005
The last waltz
From parties to salsa competitions to Experimental College dance classes, UW students and alumni alike have been enjoying the Wilsonian Ballroom since the 1920s. That may come to an end, however, as developers plan to demolish the 82-year-old space.
March 1, 2005
Mystery mansion
Once upon a time, the UW president lived right on the campus grounds. The president’s house sat at the end of what would become the University’s quadrangle, the site of today’s Music Building.
June 1, 2004
Queen for a day
For a campus that had seen U.S. presidents, rock stars and Hollywood icons, it was still a momentous occasion. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were coming to the UW on the last stop of a 10-day West Coast visit to the U.S.
December 1, 2003
He saved the UW
The UW was facing a crisis. Without funds from the state Legislature, the school was forced to cut programs and faculty. The strapped president was left with nowhere to turn. His only hope was a donation from a charitable citizen.
September 1, 2003
Rocky marriage
The alumni were angry. They had had enough of the rampant commercialism of intercollegiate athletics—especially the salary of the football coach. The time was almost a century ago.
Slippery elm
The Washington Elm started from a cutting from a majestic tree in Cambridge, Mass., under which Gen. George Washington took command of the Continental Army on July 3, 1775.
June 1, 2003
Lane closures
On May 5, 1970 — the day after four students were killed by National Guardsmen at Kent State University in Ohio — a march from the UW employed a new tactic never tried before in the nation: blocking a freeway.
March 1, 2003
Rarified air
Fifty years ago this month—March 17-18, 1953, to be exact—the Huskies qualified for the Final Four, the only time in UW history.
December 1, 2002
Lasting legacies
From winning the Nobel Prize to inventing the Wave; from circling the moon to inventing the disposable diaper. We list 101 outstanding UW achievements.
September 1, 2002
Jewel renewal
After a decade of planning and construction, a $47 million price tag and a 6.8 earthquake, Suzzallo Library returns to its rightful place as the soul of the university.
Suzzallo memories
A brief item in a past issue of Columns asked for alumni memories of Suzzallo Library. Here are some of the responses.
Why it's named Suzzallo
Henry Suzzallo felt that a campus of beauty would enhance the intellectual and moral growth of his students.
June 1, 2002
Who was Henry?
In 1926 Seattle businessman Horace C. Henry gave 172 works of art to the UW-and enough money to build a museum to house them.
The inside story
By perfecting ultrasound, Don Baker revolutionized the way doctors make their diagnoses, and put Seattle on the biotech map.
March 1, 2002
Dream season
Of the myriad highlights in the long history of the storied University of Washington football program, one of the sweetest just turned 10 years old.
December 1, 2001
Architect of the Towers
A native of Seattle, Minoru Yamasaki, ’34, was born on Dec. 1, 1912, in a cold-water tenement in the Yesler Hill district of Seattle. His most famous work was the World Trade Center.
September 1, 2001
Inspiration on a whim
On a whim, Lester J. Wilson, who enrolled at the University of Washington in 1909, wrote "Bow Down to Washington."
Row show
While most Huskies take them for granted, our Greek Row houses are architectural gems that some day might comprise a historic district.
March 1, 2001
33-year experiment
It’s now a UW tradition, but when it was founded in 1968, the Experimental College was anything but traditional.
December 1, 2000
Fading star
In its heyday, the UW campus observatory was a magical place. Now the future of the cute little building, sitting just east of Memorial Way, is up in the air.
A civil action
Almost a century after snubbing Takuji Yamashita, the state's legal establishment is taking steps to honor the first Japanese graduate of the UW Law School.
September 1, 2000
'Radio Free Seattle'
On May 7, 1970, during a student strike, a group of about 50 students walked into KUOW's studios in the Communications Building and demanded air time.
June 1, 2000
King for a day
Martin Luther King Jr.'s lunchtime speech at the old Meany Hall on Nov. 9, 1961, came during the legendary civil rights leader's only visit to the Pacific Northwest.
March 1, 2000
So long, Sand Point
Starting this summer, the "temporary" housing left over from World War II will see the wrecking crew.
December 1, 1999
100 memorable alumni
Our unofficial listing of the most interesting 100 alumni of the 20th century.
September 1, 1999
Goal postmortem
Today the UW has a new set of stronger goal posts that cannot be torn down.
June 1, 1999
Standing up for bricks
A student protest in the 1960s prevented the UW administration from tearing up the Quad's brick pathways and replacing them with blacktop.
March 1, 1999
Fore fathers
The UW golf course was doomed the day the University decided to build the School of Medicine.
September 1, 1998
Columns’ origins
Student Marshall W. Gill, son of Seattle Mayor Hiram Gill, came up with the idea of incorporating the columns into a Sylvan Theater.
June 1, 1998
Past, present, future
Somehow, despite budget cuts, student riots, two world wars, the Great Depression and the Internet, this magazine has survived for 90 years.
March 1, 1998
Major malfunction
The 1987 collapse of the newly built addition to Husky Stadium may have drawn more attention, but one of the most painful crashes at the UW that year happened in Loew Hall.
December 1, 1997
Seeing red
Fifty years ago, a hearing on “un-American” activities tore the UW campus apart, setting a precedent for faculty firings across academe.
Radical cheek
It was 1974. On college campuses across the nation—including the UW—a new fad delivered a different kind of naked truth. It was called streaking.
September 1, 1997
UW’s first mascot was a hunk of wood that got around
For three years (1920-23), the UW's mascot was Sunny Boy, a 3 1/2-foot, gold-painted wooden statue.
June 1, 1997
The day the UW campus went ‘Bully’ for Roosevelt
“Teddy" Roosevelt had been out of office for two years, yet his popularity was never higher when he visited the UW in 1911.
March 1, 1997
Monkey business: The story of the UW Medicinal Herb Garden and its guardians
In the 66 years they have rested atop twin 12-foot poles at the entrance of the UW's Medicinal Herb Garden, two guardian monkeys have repeatedly been sitting ducks to vandals.
December 1, 1996
Photographer captured Husky Stadium collapse for posterity
John Stamets captured eight shots as the Husky Stadium addition fell upon itself.
Gift from 4 generations helps students in law, medicine, engineering
The history of a Seattle family is honored through a bequest to the University from John Brace Scurry.
When Seattle’s grunge scene exploded, you had to be in the know
Many UW students were part of the grunge music scene from its beginning, and the campus radio station KCMU played a crucial role in its formation.