People
September 1, 2009
The best Samaritan
To tell the story of Phil Smart Sr. is to encapsulate one of Seattle’s most beloved businessmen, philanthropists and volunteers.
Gretchen Howison Whiting, 1968-2009
When Gretchen Howison Whiting, ’90, was diagnosed with stage III melanoma in 2004, she began a journey—not just to heal herself but to educate the public about the deadly disease, push for more funding for melanoma research, and continue to live her life to the fullest.
Honoring heroes
On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2009, the University of Washington will dedicate a Medal of Honor memorial, recognizing eight alumni recipients.
Jim Owens, 1927-2009
One of the most iconic figures in Husky football history, Jim Owens, died June 6 at his home in Bigfork, Mont. He was 82.
Samuel E. Kelly, 1926-2009
Higher education lost a friend and champion of diversity with the July 6 death of Samuel E. Kelly, ’71, from congestive heart failure at his Redmond home.
The yankee muckraker
I rather think Britain's Members of Parliament wish I'd chosen a different career. You see, it was my freedom of information requests that lifted the lid on the MPs' expenses scandal.
Reaching out
“Where can you make the biggest difference?” It’s a question Annie Lam, ’97, senior lecturer in the University of Washington Department of Pharmacy, asks rhetorically, but her answer has been demonstrated clearly over the course of her UW career.
June 1, 2009
Teachers of the year, 2009
The seven recipients of this year’s Distinguished Teaching Awards represent the broadest range of disciplines, from English to maxillofacial surgery. But they all have one thing in common: the ability to hold their students spellbound.
Saving faces
This year, Lisa Dabek, '91, '94, scored a major victory in the fight to save tree kangaroos, securing the first-ever national preserve in Papua New Guinea.
Marquis Cooper, 1982-2009
Former Husky football standout Marquis Cooper and two other passengers aboard his 21-foot fishing boat were presumed dead March 6 after the vessel capsized in rough seas near Clearwater, Fla., five days earlier. He was 26.
The first bioengineer
Wayne Quinton not only designed a laundry list of life-saving medical devices, but became the first practitioner of an entirely new field: bioengineering.
Professor of innocence
Since 1997, when Professor Jackie McMurtrie established the Innocence Project Northwest Clinic at the UW School of Law, she and her students have helped exonerate 13 wrongfully convicted people.
March 1, 2009
Haunted hallways
When Kevin Rupprecht, '06, accepted the job of principal at Forks High School, he didn't realize he was signing on to be a minor celebrity as well.
A very odd year
In the early 1970s, while earning my master’s degree in political science from the UW, I lived in a halfway house for psychiatric outpatients. I was not a psychiatric outpatient myself, but it was the only place I could find that had rooms for rent.
Found in translation
Seattle native Ken Barron, ‘03, spent his middle-school years living in Japan, where baseball was big and his favorite player was Orix BlueWave superstar Ichiro Suzuki. Now he works side-by-side with his childhood idol.
December 1, 2008
Spreading the word
Wanna Net doesn’t know how old he is, but he does know one thing: He’s one of the very few Western-credentialed librarians in Cambodia — maybe the only one.
Edwin O. Guthman, 1919-2008
Before earning the Silver Star, Purple Heart and Pulitzer Prize, Edwin O. Guthman earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington.
Rosie Santizo, 1979-2008
Baseball lost one of its most promising stars Sept. 3 when Rosie Santizo, 29, died in a car accident in Amman, Jordan. Santizo was a UW student finishing up degrees in business administration and Near Eastern studies.
Students to the rescue
A charitable group set up by two UW students after the May 12 earthquake in China’s Sichuan Province has been as no-nonsense as its name, raising $65,000 for children in the disaster zone and winning a prestigious award
Pepper protection
In a recent study of wild chili plants in Bolivia, researchers discovered that spice levels increase in peppers growing in areas threatened by fungus-carrying insects.