Husky History
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."