uw history
November 29, 2023
Northlake’s next act
Big Mario’s, a small local chain, opened its doors to serve huge slices of pizza in a space that retains the legacy of Northlake Tavern.
November 25, 2023
‘Boys’ on the big screen
Turning "The Boys in the Boat" into a Hollywood movie took a lot of research to re-create the UW of the 1930s.
September 2, 2023
Making waves
Like the ‘Boys in the Boat,’ UW women’s rowing has its own inspiring story.
June 20, 2023
Historian, tour guide, archive enthusiast
Let Antoinette Wills show you around the UW's campus.
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.
November 27, 2022
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.
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 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
The Inn crowd is back
Raise a toast to the historic, quirky joint that has come back from a COVID-19 closure.
Imogen exposed
Imogen Cunningham was an innovative and influential fine art photographer. A retrospective features nearly 200 of her works.
The midcentury view
A new book finally shines a spotlight on Paul Hayden Kirk, ’37, who set the standard for Northwest modernist architecture.
November 19, 2021
Nursing leader’s legacy
One of Seattle’s few Black nurses in the 1940s, Rachel Suggs Pitts helped create a network of support for her colleagues and nursing students.
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.
June 3, 2021
Reliving ’91
The story of the greatest coach in Husky football history and how he led the 1991 team to the national championship is the subject of a new book.
January 16, 2021
Catch up with Jake Locker
Husky football fans remember Jake Locker for his determined play during some down years for the program.
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.
Gentle giant
Rod Stanley, a Federal Way High School graduate who was a beloved member of the Husky football teams of the early 1970s, died in 2018.
August 23, 2020
Under Astra’s spell
A Latvian refugee from World War II, the colorful Astra Zarina had a vision to bring UW architecture students to Rome. Today, her students are making sure she is not forgotten.
June 10, 2020
Book Store stays essential
A quick trip through the University Book Store’s 120 years.
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.”
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,
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.
December 29, 2016
Gridiron giant
Under head coach Gilmour Dobie, the UW Football team went undefeated for 10 years.
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.
June 1, 2015
Welcome to wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ
wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – the Intellectual House – is a place the UW Native American community can call home.
March 1, 2015
Finding my father
I was 55 when my father passed away at the age of 80, the victim of a stroke. I had to wait another 17 years from the time of his death to finally receive his unexpected “gift.” Somehow he resurrected himself and had me cheering for the man I had long ago given up on.
Editor's Eye: Jim
I first met Jim Long five years ago after he'd celebrated his birthday—his 100th. He wanted to touch base with the person who holds the same job he once held. Ever since that day, Jim became a mentor to me.
September 1, 2014
Architecture at 100
The UW’s internationally-known architecture department enters its second century with bold designs on the future.
March 1, 2014
Editor's Eye: Conviction
One hundred twenty-five years ago, the stuff of history books and museum displays happened: Washington was admitted to the union as the 42nd state and the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 destroyed most of downtown. That was also the year the UW Alumni Association was formed.
September 1, 2013
Whole new ballgame
After a $261 million privately funded renovation, Husky Stadium reopens Aug. 31, welcoming a fired-up Husky nation mad for football and excited about the prospects for the future.
Brewster Denny, 1924-2013
Brewster C. Denny, who died June 22 at age 88, held several key roles in the federal government before honoring the call from UW President Charles Odegaard to return home to Seattle to create an academic program in public affairs.
March 1, 2013
UW's first race
The first intercollegiate race for University of Washington crew – a program with some of the school’s most amazing athletic feats and that’s produced more Olympic medalists than any other Husky sport – came one Wednesday evening on Lake Washington.
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.
May magic
Every year, Huskies say the Windermere Cup creates a greatest moment for someone: a student athlete, a coach, alum, a band member, or family members watching with sack lunches along the cut.
September 1, 2012
Reel history
A collection of 3,100 film reels and 4,200 videotapes, featuring games and training and recruitment films dating back to 1928, is being preserved by UW Libraries.
June 1, 2012
More than Hope
Hope Solo will be in goal this summer when the U.S. defends its gold medal at the 2012 Olympics.
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.
Denny's legacy
Many Husky families have UW roots that go back generations, but no one has deeper roots than Brewster Denny.
Wonder years
As the UW turns 150 years old, we take a moment to reflect and celebrate the accomplishments and existence of our neighbor that has meant so much to us—even if we never realized it before.
December 1, 2010
Special collection
The Henry Art Gallery, UW Libraries and UW Press are teaming up to bring the beauty of the Seattle Camera Club to the public.
March 1, 2010
Life-saving loophole
Fifty years ago, UW doctors developed the Scribner shunt, a simple device that created a literal loophole in the death sentence doled out to those suffering with end-stage kidney disease.
June 1, 2009
A fair to remember
One hundred years ago this summer, a young University of Washington campus hosted the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (AYPE), a world’s fair showcasing the best of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
March 1, 2009
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.
December 1, 2008
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
‘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.
September 1, 2007
Dawgs bucked the odds
But the nation wasn’t convinced that the Huskies were all that tough during the 1960 season, despite their 9–1 record. On Jan. 2, Minnesota, with an 8–1 record, was a seven-point favorite, perhaps because the Huskies were so battered. But the oddsmakers were wrong.
Out of time
UW communication professors pried open a 51-year-old time capsule on April 26, revealing both its original contents and some more, um, revealing contents.
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
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.
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
Detective story
The assignment was straightforward, but it felt like mission impossible: Find out what happened to more than 400 students forced to leave the University of Washington when the federal government incarcerated Japanese Americans in 1942.
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.
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.
June 1, 2005
Back in bronze
The UW likes to think of itself as a 21st-century institution, but in February one of its buildings stepped back in time 110 years.
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.
March 1, 2004
Trail of success
Every day for the past 25 years, thousands of people stroll along the Burke-Gilman trail on their bicycles, running shoes, or inline skates. Merely one generation ago, the trail conveyed coal-carrying trains instead of bikers and pedestrians.
Tradition of giving
Recent gifts from a distinguished alumnus will create an endowed chair in the Department of Construction Management and continue a family history of dedication to a range of University programs.
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.
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.
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.
June 1, 2001
Then and now
The heart of the UW campus may look like it did in 1970, but inside the classroom, a transformation is taking place.
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.