Eastern Magazine | Spring 2018 by Eastern Washington University

Alumni BEER

TAP

up front

Dear Alumni and Friends: EWU has finished a new strategic plan. The plan reflects the vision and priorities of hundreds of people on and off campus. It also builds on EWU’s 2012-2017 plan, which focused on students’ success and generated key initiatives such as rethinking student advising, revising general education, and creating the Learning Commons. From written feedback and dozens of listening sessions, the Strategic Planning Committee collated key words and themes. The word student, of course, is primary: Student success is the reason the university exists. Our planning processes will always have a laser focus on supporting academic excellence and the work of EWU faculty and staff that enables students to learn, graduate, and be successful, productive citizens. During the strategic planning process, participants stressed the importance of EWU being a model for diversity and inclusion, ensuring our campuses are safe, welcoming communities that provide opportunities for a diversity of learners. Participants in planning sessions emphasized repeatedly the importance of defining and expanding our role as a regional public university, along with our responsibility to be recognized as a significant architect of the region. People articulated the need for EWU to partner with schools, businesses, and organizations in entrepreneurial and innovative ways. EWU should help fuel economic and workforce development, furthering the overall success of the communities we serve while providing students with practical experiences and knowledge. The new strategic document is a map or a compass, giving direction to help all of us continue to foster learning, academic excellence, and students’ success in a rapidly changing world. I’m very appreciative of everyone who helped us to create this exciting, forward-looking road map for EWU’s future. It’s an inspirational guide for our outstanding university. Thank you!

Mary Cullinan President, Eastern Washington University

Mission Statement:

EWU expands opportunities for personal transformation through excellence in learning.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

features 40

20 16

Parks Inducted into Prestigious Hall of Fame

Tapping into the Craft Beer Business

Get Lit!

Meet Mandy Manning

Doug Clark

STEM

Hampson Sings Hometown Praises

Alumna honored for her role as a coach and mentor

EWU alums working hard to make every hour happy

Literary festival celebrates 20 years of sharing the written word National finalist for 2018 Teacher of the Year

A man of many talents Eastern’s new era for science, technology, engineering and mathematics World-renowned baritone reflects on his time at Eastern and beyond

on the cover Rob Jarvis ’80, founder/co-owner, Philipsburg Brewing Company

departments

2 up front 4 let’s get social! 6 on the road 8 eastern etc. 52 faces & places 57 class notes 62 in memoriam

13 E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

let’s get social! Check It Out: ewu.edu/easternmagazine

SPRING 2018

Eastern magazine has a NEW, IMPROVED website that allows you to read the latest issue from your laptop, tablet, phone or desktop.

EDITOR Kandi Carper ’05 ART DIRECTOR/SENIOR DESIGNER Ryan Gaard ’02

Web Extra

ASSISTANT EDITOR Christine Tully

This issue is full of extra content. When you see the WebExtra icon, you can find bonus content online.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Christine Tully Brad Brown ’17 Kandi Carper ’05 Dave Cook Dave Meany Adam Boyd ’09

Go Green

Photo Caption Contest Send us your best caption – IN 13 WORDS OR LESS! The winning caption will be featured in the fall issue of the magazine, and the winner will receive some Eastern swag! Email your caption to easternmagazine@ewu.edu.

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS Ginny Baxter ’05 Steve Bateman Jessie Coney PHOTOGRAPHY David Lane Pat Spanjer ’80 Larry Conboy VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT Angela Jones, JD, ’06 DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Teresa Conway

The photo is from the 1962 EWSC Kinnikinick.

INTERIM DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI ADVANCEMENT Pat Spanjer ’80 EWU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT Jeff Stannard ’91

From the fall issue: Winning caption: “Read it again ...? Without alcohol …?”

MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARD Cassie Devaney ’96 Karene Garlich-Loman ’03, ’98 Kory Kelly ’98 Nick Lawhead ’07 Lisa Leinberger ’98 Brian Lynn ’98 Kelly Naumann ’10 Robin Pickering ’03, ’97

Submitted by Dan Hoke LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK

Like Us – Follow Us facebook.com/EasternMagazine facebook.com/EWUAlumni

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

EMAIL easternmagazine@ewu.edu PHONE 509.359.6422 WRITE Eastern Magazine, 102 Hargreaves Hall Cheney, WA 99004-2413

@EasternMagazine @EWUalumni

ewualumni

Eastern magazine is published spring and fall by EWU Marketing & Communications and is mailed free to alumni of record in the United States. View this and previous issues online at ewu.edu/easternmagazine.

Save the Date for the 2018

EWU Alumni Awards Gala Friday, May 18 Spokane Convention Center

Enjoy a Champagne Reception and Celebration Dinner with fellow eagles!

Alumni.ewu.edu/events

Presented by

Numerica Credit Union

A. Eastern’s 1977 Dental Hygiene class celebrated B. Janet Camp Satchwell ’76 visited friends in E. The Fisher family (Sydney; Jolene ’01, ’99; Ally; its 40th class reunion in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene in September. (L-R): Vickie (Garner) Sienknecht; Jan (Anderson) Vander Woude; Ann (O’ Kelley) Wetmore; Linda (Croskrey) Booher; Pam (Popp) Lambrecht; Karen (Croyle) Montague; Debbie (Kintschi) Freeman; Martha (Patty) Martens, Sheila (O’Hara) Foxcurran, Gwynn (Wakefield) Barnes; Seated: Linda (Daly) McIntosh; Rita (Circenis) Rubenis; Carol (Mitzner) Moore; Elaine Berg and Cyndi (Goble) Christofferson.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

West Virginia. This photo was taken at Blackwater Falls State Park.

C. Paul ’74 and Suzann Demianew ’75 visited

the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. It was very exciting for two biology majors to see the laboratory of evolution.

D. Kathi ’72 and Mark Eckerich ’73 at Yankee Stadium, spending time in New York after attending the EWU vs. Fordham football game.

Adam ’03, ’99 and Rodrick) took Eastern magazine with them to a Steelers game in Pittsburgh in October 2017.

F. Judy Hawk ’98, a mental health counselor, visited the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island, September 2017.

G. Kory ’97 and Tracy Kelly ’00, Lisa and Curt

Griffin ’91, Sandy and Brett Wright, Krisann Hatch ’88 and James Sloan on top of the world at 11,000 ft. near Cedar City, Utah, October 2017.

on the road with eastern magazine Where will Eastern magazine be spotted next? You are invited to send photographs holding up the latest issue. Include some information about yourself with your submission. We may not be able to publish every submission. Extras will be posted on the Eastern magazine Facebook page and on the magazine’s website. Send to easternmagazine@ewu.edu or Eastern Magazine, 102 Hargreaves Hall, Cheney, WA 99004-2413.

H. Tom Kimball ’81 in front of Basilica De La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain, in September. He’s the territory manager for Cisco Systems based in Richland, Washington. I. Mark Weis ’02, ’11 and wife, Karen, with

Ginny Knox ’87 and husband, Paul, at Bryce Canyon National Park near Cedar City, Utah, where they watched Eastern’s football game Oct. 21.

K. Carol Kriegh ’88, ’73 visited Athens with friend Julie Peck during a trip tracing the journeys of St. Paul. L. Karen Peck ’79 and husband, Earl, took a train trip across Canada from Vancouver to Halifax, October 2017. M. Krysta Plato ’07 traveled to six countries

around the Baltic Sea. Here she is in Michael Roos’ birth country in the Old Town of Tallinn, Estonia.

N. David Watson Jr. ’67 (white hat) with crew members Ty Beck, Bruce Dix and Steve Hammenman at the final high school game of the season, Clem Senn Field, Sunnyside, Washington, in November. O. Terry Saxe ’65 and wife, Barb, visited the

Arizona Memorial in Honolulu in January.

P. Kathi Young ’97, retired, visited the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island, New York, September 2017.

J. Marisa Mans Asplund ’12 in Cabo San Lucas, honeymooning with husband, John. E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

eastern etc. Giving Joy Day Campaign Exceeds Goal Eastern raised nearly $260,000 as part of its annual Giving Joy Day campaign to generate money for EWU student scholarships and other areas of need, exceeding its $250,000 goal. The one-day campaign took place on the global day of giving known as Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28. University Advancement staff utilized a creative social media campaign and fanned out around the community to spread joy and encourage participation in the mission to raise more scholarship dollars. EWU President Mary Cullinan noted the success of Giving Joy Day significantly helps

the university in its goal to raise $5 million for scholarships over a three-year period (20152018). Coming off the well-recognized consumer events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday is held annually the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving to encourage generosity as people head into the holiday season, inspiring them to give back to important causes they support.

EWU Collaborates with Microsoft to Offer New Degree Eastern is excited to work with Microsoft to offer students a Bachelor of Science in data analytics, one of the highest-demand professions in the world. Courses from the Microsoft Professional Program (MPP) in Data Science will be integrated into the final year of curriculum for students studying analytics in EWU’s College of Business and Public Administration. EWU is currently the only university in the nation to have the MPP Data Science credential combined with a degree.

Eastern students completing this program will earn a BS in data analytics, as well as the certificate of completion for the MPP that confirms mastery of these functional and technical skills from Microsoft. They’ll leave Eastern as data science practitioners who are ready to become professionals. For more information: ewu.edu/mpp.

Giving Joy Day Wins CASE’s Crystal and Grand Gold Awards After winning a Grand Gold award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District VIII Communications Awards in Seattle, Feb. 8, EWU’s Giving Joy Day Campaign was announced as the 2018 recipient of the Virginia Carter Smith Grand Crystal Award, the highest honor given each year in the regional competition. The award for Fundraising, Special Events and Other Communications category was for the innovative and highly successful 2016 inaugural year of the Giving Joy campaign.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

District VIII is composed of 152 member institutions in the Pacific Northwest and western Canada.

eastern etc. Board of Trustees Update The EWU board of trustees (BOT) has elected Uriel Iñiguez to serve as board chair for the 2017-18 academic year. Appointed to the board Jan. 1, 2014, Iñiguez succeeds Judge James Murphy as chair. Iñiguez holds a BA in business administration from Eastern, and he has a Master of Public Administration from City University. The board also elected Vicki Wilson to serve as vice chair. Appointed to the board in 2012, Wilson earned her BA in business administration from EWU in 1981. Last fall, the board said goodbye to longtime trustee Paul Tanaka, appointed in 2002. When asked to reflect on his 15 years as a board member, Tanaka said, “Some of this year’s

BOT Members- Photo of BOT 2016-17; front row: Uriel Iñiguez, Vicki Wilson, James Murphy; back row: Jay Manning, Robert Whaley, former student representative Ariel McMilan, Michael Finley and Paul Tanaka. Pictured right: Kim Pearman-Gillman

freshman class were only 4 or 5 years old when I started. Aside from making me feel very old, those students represent a sense of continuity of service. Every year I was on the board, we focused on helping EWU prepare for those freshman coming to Eastern, perhaps as the first in their family to attend college, unsure of what to expect.” Gov. Inslee appointed Kim Pearman-Gillman as Tanaka's replacement on Feb. 16.

EWU Dental Hygiene Partners to Help Adults in Recovery A good smile can go a long way for patients who are recovering from substance abuse. Four years ago, clients in recovery at Community-Minded Enterprises (CME) revealed that their oral health was affecting their ability to get hired by employers. While many oral health care providers turned away from offering up its services, the EWU dental hygiene program saw potential for a mutually beneficial partnership – and the Recovering Smiles Program was created. Student involvement in this program is voluntary, and the student-client relationship is established in the beginning through an after-hours clinic orientation. For the patients,

many aren’t entirely comfortable with receiving dental treatment from students. On the other hand, the orientation is an opportunity for the students to overcome any stigmas they may have about working with people in recovery. “The students very much love this program,” said Lisa Bilich, EWU dental hygiene professor

and clinic coordinator. “They take them under their wings and are like, ‘Oh my gosh, they’re my favorite clients.’ Of course, as dental hygiene students, they would like to solve all of the world’s problems, but they realize, maybe just this little part is OK.”

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

eastern etc. National Distinction for EWU By demonstrating continued dedication to high-impact educational practices, EWU has been named one of the nation’s Colleges of Distinction. This recognition shows Eastern has created a learning environment where students not only earn their college degree and valuable life experience, but they also participate in innovative learning opportunities. Examples of those learning opportunities include the First-Year Experience, service and communitybased learning programs, diversity initiatives, study abroad and global learning programs, interdisciplinary programs, undergraduate

research, capstone projects and internships. The annual process of selecting the nation’s Colleges of Distinction requires that institutions adhere to the four distinctions— engaged students, great teaching, vibrant community and successful outcomes. This process also includes a review of each institution’s freshman experience, as well as its general education program, strategic plan, alumni success, satisfaction measures and more.

Celebrating 40 Years of Chicano and Chicana Studies The Chicano and Chicana studies program has a long history of helping students at EWU succeed through student support services, scholarship opportunities and community outreach. In October, the program celebrated its 40th anniversary. Created in 1977 to recruit Chicanx students, the program has grown to include a minor with five course offerings that focus on the history and culture of Chicanxs. The program also provides scholarship support to incoming, returning,

transfer and DACA students. In addition, they work with the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), which is designed to support students from migrant and seasonal farmworker backgrounds during their first year of college.

Addressing Food Insecurity The Dairy Farmers of Washington organization has given a $10,000 sponsorship to Eastern Washington University to help students facing food insecurity. The EWU Office of Community Engagement took the lead in working toward a permanent solution to ease student hunger on campus. After looking at other food pantry models, the office decided to implement a system where metal cabinets of nonperishable food items are strategically placed in public, but not prominent, spaces across campus for students to grab food as they need it. In the future, the Office of Community Engagement hopes to open a centralized food pantry with refrigerators to house fresh dairy, produce and meat.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

eastern etc. Delaney Hodgins EWU’s All-Time Leading Scorer EWU women’s basketball senior Delaney Hodgins set a new all-time scoring record Feb. 1 at Reese Court. Hodgins needed only 15 points to beat the previous record of 1,865, set by her older sister and former teammate, Hayley Hodgins, two years ago. Hodgins is a Pasco, Washington, native and graduate of Chiawana High School. "Delaney is a special player, but even more of a special young lady. I've had the privilege to coach her and her sister who is also an awesome

person," said Head Coach Wendy Schuller. On Feb. 22, Hodgins became the first EWU basketball player, male or female, to surpass 2,000 points. She became just the fourth player in Big Sky history to do so. As of Feb. 22, she is in fourth-place on the conference's all-time scoring list with 2,007 points, needing 42 points to move into third and 277 to break the all-time record.

Scoring Record Belongs to Bliznyuk Bogdan Bliznyuk, a senior on the EWU men’s basketball team, shattered the all-time career-scoring record with a 28-point game on Jan. 25, in front of the home crowd at Reese Court. Bliznyuk needed just two points to break EWU’s all-time scoring record, previously held by former teammate Venky Jois, who held the record of 1,802 points. A native of Lutsk, Ukraine, Bliznyuk graduated in 2014 from Todd Beamer High School in Federal Way, Washington. Besides

taking over the EWU scoring lead, he is now in fifth place on the Big Sky all-time scoring list and has 1,996 points in 131 games, as of Feb. 22. Only four players in Big Sky history have hit 2,000. Ron Cox had 1,741 points from 1974 to 1977 and held the record for 39 years – until broken by Jois on March 3, 2016.

Hickey Named Interim Athletic Director EWU President Mary Cullinan named veteran athletics administrator Lynn Hickey as interim athletic director on Jan. 26. A search committee has been formed to conduct a national search to replace former AD Bill Chaves, who accepted a job at the University of North Dakota in January. Hickey served for 18 years as associate vice president and director of athletics at the University of Texas, San Antonio, before leaving in 2017. She will be assisted and advised by EWU Senior Associate Athletic Director Pam Parks, who is serving as a senior advisor for the Athletics Department during this transition.

Board of Trustees member Judge Jim Murphy and Provost Scott Gordon are co-chairs of the search committee, which includes Aaron Best, Wendy Schuller, Macey Weitz, Leah Nemeth, Doug Kelley, Heather Wilson, Esteban Rodriguez-Marek, Alan Coelho, Laurie Morley, Jim Fitzgerald, Alexandra Rosebrook, Tommy Williams and Andrea Zaman. EWU plans to have a permanent athletic director in place by the end of the academic year in mid-June.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

eastern etc. Eastern Magazine Launches New Website We are happy to announce the launch of Eastern magazine’s brand-new website: ewu.edu/easternmagazine. The new site is more visually appealing and easier to navigate from a phone or tablet. The site allows for more behind-the-scenes photos, additional web content, blog postings and improved search capabilities. We’ve kept popular features like the “On the Road” photo gallery and issuu, the publishing

platform for magazines that allows readers to flip through a replica of the print issue. Visit us often as we will continually update our content with new blog posts, university news, and alumni and student success stories. For questions, or suggestions, email us: easternmagazine@ewu.edu.

Project ELLO Two faculty members at EWU have developed a community research campaign to promote language development in children, helping them to grow their vocabulary and raise their reading levels by having everyday conversations with adults. Allison Wilson, PhD and assistant professor of early childhood education, and Shanna Davis, PhD and assistant professor of psychology, launched Project ELLO (Everyday Language Learning Opportunities) in September in the Airway Heights Grocery Outlet with colorful signs placed throughout the store to encourage conversations between parents and their children. The project is based on research from the past 30 years – called the vocabulary gap – children’s vocabulary skills are linked to how many words

they hear before kindergarten, which are linked to word development and reading achievement. The project targets children, ranging in age from birth to 5, with colorful signs placed in a public space to promote a conversation. A sign placed in the produce section of a grocery store says, “I spy with my eagle eye, something that grows on a tree!” “Even if your young child is not talking back to you yet, these types of conversations are really important because they’re internalizing

these conversations and building that backlog of vocabulary so that when they do have those motor skills to speak, they have this experience,” said Wilson. Wilson and Davis hope to create more community partnerships throughout the Spokane area to further the project’s reach.

Delgado Named Multicultural Center Director After a nationwide search, Vanessa Delgado was selected as the first permanent director of EWU’s Multicultural Center. The center was created in 2017 to provide resources and support to students. Since 2015, Delgado managed the Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity at the University of Kansas. Prior to that, she spent three years directing initiatives for the LGBT Resource Center and the Multicultural Office for Student Access, Inclusiveness and Community

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. She received her BS at Texas A&M University and a master’s in mental health counseling from Northern Arizona University. The Multicultural Center will have a permanent home in the new Pence Union Building once the renovation is completed in the fall of 2018.

eastern etc. Pi Kappa Alpha Brothers Raise $250,000 for EWU Libraries Four years ago, alumni of the Zeta Nu chapter of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity set out on an endeavor to give back to the university that helped bring them together more than 50 years ago. They set a goal of raising $250,000 and in summer 2017, they met their goal. The money raised will be used to support two major library initiatives for student success – the endowed Randy Van Turner Scholarship and the Pi Kappa Alpha Library Fund. Of the money raised, $225,000 funds the Archives Hidden Collections Digitization Project, which digitizes more than a quarter of a million items of significance currently not accessible. EWU Libraries is renaming the room the Pi Kappa Alpha Archives and Special Collections to commemorate the fraternity’s significant

Pi Kappa Alpha brothers gather at the 2017 Red Tie Gala.

philanthropic effort. The remaining $25,000 endowed the annual Randy Van Turner Scholarship, which is awarded to military veterans and descendants of the EWU Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. This scholarship commemorates Van Turner, a founding member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at EWU, who was killed in Vietnam. “We all remember Randy Van Turner fondly,” said Jamie Wolff, a PIKE alum who helped organize this drive. “So he formed sort of a focal point for

the rallying cause. We all came together 60 years later, put away our families, our professions, our hobbies to spend some time together, joyfully, thinking about how to help Eastern, all in the name of Randy.” The brothers – who have been meeting for lunch regularly for the last 30 years – hope to continue their fundraising endeavor to increase the amount of money granted through the scholarship and expand it to more people.

Soccer Team Wins Big Sky Championship The EWU soccer team wrapped up its season in a double overtime 2-1 loss against the defending national champions, Southern California, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in November. The game marked a back-to-back appearance in the tournament facing USC. The Eagles had a program-best record of 16-6-1. EWU went unbeaten for 11 games, the best in school history. EWU was crowned the Big Sky Regular Season Champions after going 8-1-1 in the conference, marking the most Big Sky wins in a season for an EWU squad. Alexis Stephenson, Jenny Chavez and Savannah Hoekstra were named to the AllTournament Team, while Chloe Williams was named the Tournament MVP. The

championship marked the fourth year for head coach Chad Bodnar, who holds a 49-24-5 overall record and is 24-11-5 in the Big Sky Conference. Chloe Williams, No. 10, earned the alltime career points title on Sept. 17 and broke the all-time career goals record on Oct. 20. She ended the season with 12 goals and 27 points after starting in all 23 games. Her 12 goals puts her in second for all-time most

goals scored in a season in school history. Williams also holds first place for scoring 15 in 2016.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

eastern etc. Student-Athletes Share their Talents EWU student-athletes from several sports teams are mentoring young people at the HUB Sports Center, part of the HUB 360, a nonprofit after-school program in Liberty Lake, Washington. The community-based organization helps middle school youth. The Athletic Department began its partnership with the HUB last fall. Jim Fitzgerald, Eastern’s assistant athletic director for student success, coordinates EWU’s involvement in the program with Phil Champlin, the executive director at the HUB. Eastern’s student-athletes participate in a physical activity with the students, and share some of the skills and practice techniques from their sport. They also talk to the students about their academic and athletic endeavors, and help tutor the students with their homework.

Kennedy Addresses Mental Health Forum Patrick J. Kennedy was the keynote speaker at “Making Mental Health Essential Health,” a community conversation held in January in Spokane. The event was presented by Eastern Washington University and Providence Health Care. Kennedy is the youngest son of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, and a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He is a longtime advocate for health care reform related to the treatment of mental illnesses and addiction.

In his remarks, Kennedy explained how the health care system must adapt to better accommodate mental health and addiction treatment and why we need to invest in technological innovations to save lives.

Coffee with a Cop There’s nothing quite like a free cup of coffee to bring people together and spark a conversation.

Police Sgt. Lorraine Hill with EWU student

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

The idea behind EWU Police’s Coffee with a Cop gatherings is simple: No agendas, no speeches — just stop by and meet the officers who work to keep the community safe. “We let the students drive the conversation,” said Lt. Jay Day. “Sometimes people just need a sounding board or somebody to talk to, and if that happens in the midst of this, then we’re good with that.” Coffee with a Cop is a national initiative that began in 2011. EWU Police adapted their own version in 2017 with the help of EWU Libraries

providing the location and supplying the free coffee. “This right here is the very grass-roots level of law enforcement,” Day said. “Back in the day, when cops were walking foot beats, this is what they did. They interacted with the community and got to know people on a personal level. There’s something going on at a national level that has impacted all the law enforcement nationwide, and this is our own little contribution to help fix that problem one cup of coffee at a time.”

C hairs Snacks

Sunglasses ! Eagle Pride

Eagle Pride. Got yours? Available Now! Visit ewu.edu/plates $28 from each specialized-plate fee is directed to EWU SCHOLARSHIPS. $39,000 was awarded to 29 students for the 2017 school year. Personalized and motorcycle plates are available. The $28 plate fee is tax deductible.

ewu.edu/plates

Parks Hall of Fame Prestigious Inducted inTO

By Brad Brown ’17

Being inducted into the Inland Northwest Sports Hall of Fame is a tremendous honor. Former Eastern volleyball coach and current Senior Associate Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator Pam Parks is one of just a handful of former Eagles to achieve this claim to fame, and only the third to be honored as a coach. She’s in excellent company with football coach Dave Holmes and basketball coach Red Reese. Lanny Davidson, Irv Leifer and Launi Meili are the former Eastern athletes who have been honored, and numerous others with an association to Eastern have been honored as contributors or are included in the organization’s Scroll of Honor. Parks never thought she’d be inducted into this Hall of Fame. The Scroll of Honor, maybe, she thought – a great recognition in its own right. But for the many others who have witnessed her unprecedented success as a volleyball coach at Eastern, as a pioneer of the entire region’s passion for the sport and her immeasurable impact as EWU’s primary woman athletics administrator, this award came as no surprise at all. Parks’ path to coaching greatness began with a humble upbringing. A Spokane native, she

Anytime people put themselves out there on the court, the field, or on the stage, you have the chance of success but also failure. No team or athlete ever wants to lose, but sometimes it is inevitable.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

was raised in multiple houses in Spokane’s East Central neighborhood – all of which she recalls have been torn down over the years. When she was young, her family moved around a bit, but throughout all of the changes, one thing remained consistent – her love for competition. The opportunity to play organized sports didn’t become available until the family moved to small town Oakesdale, Washington, where there was a progressive mindset for allowing women to play organized sports. “What we had at Oakesdale was interscholastic athletics,” said Parks. “We played in a league against other schools, we had a schedule and uniforms, the whole bit.

In Spokane, they only had intramural sports, so a lot of the women that I played with at Eastern had that background only. Oakesdale was a blessing to me, and it wasn’t typical of that time.” When the time came to choose a college, Eastern Washington State College was the obvious choice. Parks knew she wanted to be a teacher, and “Eastern had a tremendous reputation for producing excellent teachers.” From the moment she stepped on campus, finding opportunities to play sports was another major goal. She began playing setter on Eastern’s volleyball team in the early 1970s, but what set her on the path to coaching was her interactions with Bill Neville – an Olympic Gold Medalwinning volleyball coach for the U.S. national team. At the time, Neville was a director at the YMCA in Spokane, and through local connections and perseverance, the Eastern volleyball team convinced him to give them a two-week trial to prove they were worth coaching. “He wasn’t excited about the idea of coaching women and didn’t really want us to succeed,” said Parks. “But we just kept coming back, and coming back. It nearly killed us, but I just wanted

to play a sport with that level of coaching. We were so determined and dedicated that he eventually quit coaching the men’s team to focus on us.” Playing for Neville is when Parks says the light bulb went on for her to make coaching volleyball a career. After graduating in 1974 and playing semi-pro in Montreal, she returned to Eastern and began serving as an assistant coach for EWSC’s volleyball team for two years, before becoming the head coach in 1976, when she was merely a few years older than the players on the team. “I was just in the right place at the right time,” said Parks. “Or you could say the wrong place at the wrong time. If you ask what made me ready to coach, I would say youthful stupidity. I thought I could do it because I knew the game. However, the first time I questioned ‘what the heck am I doing’ was on the very first road trip. I was sitting behind the wheel of a van with 15 young people looking at me, when I fully realized that they were my responsibility and mine alone!” At that time, the athletic department was in the process of restructuring. Her first two years revolved around recruiting efforts to build the program, but there was no budget for recruiting

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

2017 Inductees: Sister Madonna Buder, Alli Nieman, Dennis Patchin, Pam Parks, Jay Rydell and Rueben Mayes; (not pictured are Steve Gleason and the late Denny Spurlock).

and no scholarships to be handed out. One year later, a decision was made to combine coaches with multiple sports and administrative duties. After the dust settled, Parks accepted a job to coach at Sandpoint High School to “hone her skills,” but what resulted was the start of a string of successes that remains unparalleled in the Inland Northwest. Within two years, Parks led Sandpoint to a state championship in 1980, followed by an undefeated season the next year that ended in a playoff loss. She then continued with a short stint coaching at Montana State University before returning to the place where it all began – Eastern Washington University – in 1985. “When EWU was hiring a new volleyball coach, they had Larry Hattemer, who was a storied football coach here, be the head of the search committee,” said Parks. “I knew he was a hard-nosed coach. I believed that when I came into the interview that I needed to be prepared. I think I came across as intimidating to the committee, even Coach Hattemer, because I thought that was what he wanted to see in a coach. I was so aggressive that I almost blew it.” This second time at Eastern, Parks knew what she wanted to accomplish and the style of program she wanted to run. Right off the bat, she went to the administration to stake a claim for practice jerseys. They accommodated. She later focused on improving the locker room, making sure it was painted and that players had their names above their lockers. Then she fought to provide travel bags, the right to play on the main court, for better food and better transportation.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

“I’m embarrassed to say, but early on I drove a motor pool van, and I’d pull a U-Haul trailer on road games,” said Parks. “We’d get to the hotel, drop off the trailer, go to the game, come back and pick it up, and come home. Every year I pushed and pushed for better transportation. We went from a van to a van pulling a trailer to a commuter bus – which was huge because I didn’t have to drive. If I coached for 18 years here, I drove everywhere for at least 12 of them. I mean, I drove to schools like Weber State, which is a 16-hour drive.

The one thing I’ll tell you about this whole van experience though is that it was wonderful in a weird way. No iPads, no cellphones, no screens. We had to talk to each other, tell stories, share goals, dreams, and sometimes sing songs. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

Eastern sports have had their fair share of success over the years, but no athletic program in the 1990s had more growth and success than the Parks-led volleyball team. In 1989, she became the first coach in any sport at Eastern to win a Big Sky title. She initially set a goal to win the Big Sky Championship within her first five seasons. She did it in four. In her 18 seasons coaching at Eastern, she had a 319-256 record, and in her final three seasons the team won nearly 80 percent of their

matches, including two NCAA Tournament appearances. In 1989, she was named Big Sky Coach of the Year and American Volleyball Coaches Association Northwest Region Coach of the Year. In 2007, she was inducted into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame. Her success doesn’t stop there. Never passing up an opportunity to advance the sport, Parks and fellow Hall of Famer Irene Matlock launched Spokane’s first club volleyball team – a program that started with 12 players and now hosts more than 3,400. In 2000, she became Eastern’s Senior Woman Administrator, along with her eventual promotion to Senior Associate Athletic Director. Parks plans to retire at the end of the 201718 school year. What a way to celebrate such an outstanding career – with one of her highest honors yet – being inducted into the Inland Northwest Sports Hall of Fame. When Parks walked onto the stage for the Hall of Fame awards ceremony at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on Oct. 17, family, friends, former players, co-workers and the many others whose life she’d affected all rose in a standing ovation to celebrate her long overdue acknowledgement. Among the iconic sports figures inducted that day; Steve Gleason, Dennis Patchin, Alli Nieman, Rueban Mayes and Denny Spurlock – none received a more prolonged applause than Eastern’s own Pam Parks. “Anytime people put themselves out there on the court, the field, or on the stage, you have the chance of success but also failure,” said Parks. “No team or athlete ever wants to lose, but sometimes it is inevitable. When I think back upon locker rooms, when players are hurting and looking for answers, I reflect back to something that I said in those times. You are feeling, sad, frustration and pain…but at least you are feeling something. Many people cruise through life and rarely feel anything to that level. When competing and testing yourself against others, you have the rare opportunity to feel the highest highs and the lowest lows. You have the chance to truly feel. When you are sitting at home 50 years from now, you will know that you experienced those years to the fullest! That is why I coached.” E

Helping Eagle spirit soar! Show your Eagle spirit with the new EWU Visa® debit card.

ICA NUMER IT UNION CRED

EWU EAGLE

Now available EXCLUSIVELY at Numerica. numericacu.com • 800.433.1837

Federally Insured by NCUA

By Adam Boyd '09 and Kandi Carper '05

This story has been fermenting for a while. We scoured and searched to compile a list of EWU alums paying the bills by making our beer. While all of these brewers are at different stages of commercial production and distribution, they demonstrate their shared love of good, clean, wellcrafted beer. They have all put in hundreds of hours

CRAFT BEER TRENDS Craft beer is an ever-shifting, morphing culture. Ingredients, processes and the palates of the craft beer drinkers are always changing and evolving. Here are a few trends currently making an appearance in the beer spotlight.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

THE NEW ENGLAND/HAZY IPA Fruity, juicy and definitely hazy, the New England IPA is a new interpretation of the classic India Pale Ale. Originating on the East Coast, this style has swept the nation, trading hop bitterness for bright, tropical hop flavor and a softer mouth feel. Whether the NE IPA is just a fad, or the next step in IPA evolution, is up for debate, but either way, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s delicious!

to get their businesses off the ground. Many are family-owned and operated businesses that provide employment opportunities in small hometowns across the Northwest.

WASHINGTON CRAFT BEER SALES STATISTICS, 2016 Craft beer sales and production by state, breweries per capita, economic impact of craft breweries and other statistics as gathered and maintained by the Brewers Association.

ECONOMIC IMPACT Small and independent American craft brewers contributed $67.8 billion to the U.S. economy in 2016, a 21.7 percent increase from 2014, according to the Brewers Association. The figure includes the total impact of craft beer as it moves through breweries, wholesalers and retailers, as well as non-beer products like food and merchandise sold in brewpubs and taprooms. The industry also provided 456,373 full-time jobs, with more than 128,000 jobs directly at breweries and brewpubs, including serving staff at brewpubs – a 7.5 percent increase from 2014. Bart Watson, chief economist for the Brewers Association, said, “With a strong presence across the 50 states and the District of Columbia, craft breweries are a vibrant and flourishing economic force at the local, state and national levels. As consumers continue to demand a wide range of high-quality, full-flavored beers, small and independent craft brewers are meeting this growing demand with innovative offerings, creating high levels of economic value in the process.” Beer tourism is growing, with the average craft beer fan visiting 3.5 breweries near their homes and 2.5 breweries within a two-hour driving distance. There were 5,301 breweries operating in the United

THE U.S. IS THE SECOND LARGEST HOP PRODUCER IN THE WORLD BEHIND GERMANY. A WHOPPING 77 PERCENT OF U.S. HOPS ARE GROWN IN WASHINGTON’S YAKIMA VALLEY.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY. Any misuse of alcoholic beverages is unacceptable. We promote designated drivers and safe rides home, and want servers and retailers to promote responsible sales, helping prevent sales to minors.

States at the end of 2016, up 17 percent over 2015, on top of a 15 percent increase over 2014. If we missed you, please drop us a note and share your story, easternmagazine@ewu.edu. We’ll be happy to add you to the list on our website.

THE CRAFT MALT MOVEMENT The world of craft beer is experiencing a craft malt revolution: Small-batch, independent maltsters are working with local farmers to grow small crops of specialty grain not typically available to brewers. The result is malted grain for beer making that will eventually contribute unique and sometimes brand-new flavors to your favorite bubbly beverage. In Washington, two craft malting companies, Skagit Valley Malting Co. and Palouse Pint, have been partnering with Northwest farmers to bring new and heirloom malted grains to breweries across the state, which means distinctive flavors in your glass.

MIXED FERMENTATION BEER Borrowing techniques from centuries-old Belgian brewers, some American breweries are now experimenting with mixed fermentation beers. Using a combination of bacteria and wild yeast, these beers can boast flavors and aromas that are funky, sour, fruity, spicy or all of the above. Many are even barrel aged for extended periods of time to add more complexity to their taste. The process in making these beers is risky, time consuming and unpredictable, but the reward can be some of the best and most unique flavored beers currently in the market.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

101 W. Broadway, Philipsburg, Montana 406.859.2739 | philipsburgbrew.com

WORTH THE WAIT:

Philipsburg Brewing Company For a decade, people passed the ornate Victorian building in Philipsburg, Montana, with a sign reading, “Opening Soon — Future Home of Philipsburg Brewing Company.” “Soon” was a relative time frame.

“I got a lot of grief for that sign,” said Rob Jarvis, founder of Philipsburg Brewing Company. “It was up for a long time. I’d tell people if I would have done it then, our brewers would have been in kindergarten. It wouldn’t have worked too well.” Now, many of these same people gather in the Philipsburg Brewing Company taproom, sharing their stories over a pint of award-winning craft beer, munching on peanuts and playing Wednesday night trivia. It began in 1991, when Jarvis visited Philipsburg, a town of about 800, after skiing at nearby Discovery Ski Area. The former mining town is located 75 miles southeast of Missoula. “I felt like this town, this area, really fit me,” said Jarvis. He fell in love with the ski mountain and the town, in particular the 1886 Sayrs Building, formerly a bank, which he purchased six months later. It became his dream to open a brewpub there. That dream became a reality in 2012. Jarvis, who grew up in Spokane, graduated from Eastern in 1980 with a degree in occupational safety. His work took him to the Tri-Cities, then Tacoma. After grad school in Missouri, he settled in Bremerton, Washington, for a 30-plus-year career with Lockheed Martin. “Sometime in the early ’80s, I started to develop a love for craft beer,” said Jarvis. “It was better than having a $1 quart of Oly. I started homebrewing and doing a lot of market research. When I traveled for business and on vacations, I’d pull out the ALES: Brewed from a top-fermenting yeast with a relatively short, warm fermentation; fuller-bodied, robust and complex with nuances of fruit or spice and a pleasantly hoppy finish. Ales are often darker than lagers, ranging from rich gold to reddish amber. LAGERS: Brewed from a bottom-fermenting yeast and given a long, cool fermentation. Lager comes from the German word “lagern,” which means “to store.” Crisp, refreshing with a smooth finish, lagers are the world’s most popular beer. Lagers, ranging from sweet to bitter and pale to black, usually describe brews of Dutch, German and Czech styles. Most have high carbonation and a medium to high hop flavor.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

BEER TYPES

BEER STYLES

Rob Jarvis, founder and co-owner of Philipsburg Brewing Company

AMBER: Versatile beer, full-bodied malt aromas with LIGHT: Extremely light in color and mild in flavor. Light beer hints of caramel, these beers could be either lager or ale. has fewer calories and/or lower alcohol content. BLONDE: Blonde ales are very pale in color and tend DARK: Dark ale is a British-type beer, combining hops, yeast to be clear, crisp and dry, with low-to-medium bitterness and a blend of malts. It’s a medium chestnut brown color, with and aroma from hops and some sweetness from malt. a delicate fruity smell and robust, malty character. BROWN: Dark amber or brown in color, brown ales FRUIT: Most fruit beers are ales; however, they typically don’t have evidence of caramel and chocolate flavors and may carry an ale character. For the fruit flavor to come through, the have a slight citrus accent. Can be strong, malty or nutty. malt’s flavor is not dominant, and there is a low bitterness level.

BEER IS THE THIRD MOST POPULAR DRINK OVERALL, AFTER WATER AND TEA.

BEER TIMELINE phonebook to see where the breweries were.” While the building in Philipsburg waited, Jarvis, who was 600 miles away in Bremerton, knew he’d need to recruit a local partner to help renovate the building when the time was right. In early 2011, Jarvis formed a partnership with Philipsburg residents Nolan and Cathy Smith, and things finally began to move forward. Shortly after that, they hired Mike Elliott, formerly of Kettlehouse Brewing Co. in Missoula, as their head brewer. Jarvis took early retirement from Lockheed Martin and moved to Philipsburg to live full time. In addition to the taproom/brewery in The Vault (the bank building), in 2015, the partners opened a second brewery, The Springs, half a mile down the road. During warmer months, this taproom is open with a patio, garden area and concert venue. The 50-barrel production facility brews about 3,500 barrels and grows annually. More than 1,000 cases per month are distributed throughout Montana. Philipsburg Brewing currently bottles its Haybag Hefeweizen, Tramway Rye and Otter Water Sessions Pale Ale in Alumi-Tek – a recyclable aluminum bottle with a screw-top lid – one of the most sustainable packages for beer. “No one is using this kind of bottle [for craft beer] at this kind of scale,” said Jarvis. “The bottles were designed for Coors Light. We contacted Ball (the manufacturer), and they said they’d make that

container for us. Right after that, they got so much business with MillerCoors that we’re the only other brewery that they’ll work with.” The brewery is proud of its quality ingredients: malt grain from Great Falls, Montana; local water; hops from Oregon’s Willamette Valley and yeast from Hood River, Oregon. Those ingredients, and recipes from Elliott and lead brewer Ben Johnson, combine to make award-winning beers. Since 2013, the brewery has won numerous gold, silver and bronze medals in high-level competitions. While Jarvis admits that the medals are a great recognition for the quality of their beer, the support of the Philipsburg community matters most. “One of the coolest things we found after we opened the brewery was that the locals really embraced it,” said Jarvis. “It was originally a Bud Light-, Coors Light-town. We’re not a bar; we’re a place where we can educate people about beer, have a good time with it and also give back.” And they do give back. Jarvis and the Smiths have likewise embraced the community. Thursdays are “pint night,” where a dollar from every beer benefits a local charity or fundraiser. The brewery donates its aluminum bottles to the Philipsburg Youth Athletic Club for recycling and over 200,000 pounds. of spent grain goes to the local livestock. Everyone’s happy, even the cattle.

GOLDEN: First developed in the U.K., golden ales are straw-colored PALE: Originating in England, pale ale has a fruity, copper-colored style. with a slight hint of citrus and vanilla. The beer can sometimes contain Pale ales are robust beers that can be enjoyed with strong, spiced foods. spicier flavors. PILSNER: Made with neutral and hard water. Tend to be golden in color HONEY: A full-bodied beer with a creamy texture and copper color. with a dry, crisp and somewhat bitter flavor. Pilsner stands out from other Honey beers are slightly sweet with hints of caramel. lagers due to its more distinctive hop taste.

The brewing of beer dates back to the dawn of civilization and is recorded in Sumerian and Egyptian texts but because of space, we’re moseying down America’s memory lane only.

1587 1612

Colonists in North Carolina brew beer using corn.

Dutch immigrants start America’s first commercial brewery in New Amsterdam (Manhattan).

1620

Pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock because their beer supplies were running low.

1734

Mary Lisle takes over her father’s Edinburgh Brew House in Philadelphia, which she operated until 1751.

1757

George Washington writes To Make Small Beers, a beer recipe in his notebook.

1775

Revolutionary War soldiers were rationed one quart of spruce beer per man per day.

1829

Eagle Brewery, later renamed the Yuengling Brewery, begins production in Pottsville, Penn., and is the nation’s oldest brewery still in operation. STRONG: Any beer over 7 percent alcohol by volume. Typically dark in color, some are almost black. Can include old ales, double IPAs, and barleywines.

WHEAT: Light, easy to drink, very little aftertaste. Wheat provides a soft character to beer and is sometimes hazy or cloudy with a touch INDIA PALE ALE (IPA): A hoppier version of pale ale. Originally RED: Red ales can either be red or light brown in color. They are of spice notes. brewed in England with extra hops to survive the journey to British troops moderate to heavy in flavor and contain hints of caramel that is offset CREAM: A very mild, sweetish, golden style of ale. stationed in India. by the predominant hop characteristic of the beer.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

1162 Wind River Hwy., Carson, Washington 509.427.3412 | backwoodsbrewingcompany.com

ALL IN THE FAMILY:

Backwoods Brewing Company For brothers Kevin and Tom Waters, owning and operating a brewery and brewpub in Carson, Washington, is a family affair. After pursing communication studies degrees from EWU, Kevin ’03-’08 and Tom ’05-’09, returned to their hometown and took the plunge into the world of craft beer. The Waters grew up in Stevenson, Washington, a stone’s throw away from Carson; both towns are near the Columbia River in the south-central part of the state. Kevin recently visited Cheney on a business trip, and remembers when he first moved there. “I bought a house on 8th and Cedar with my parents’ help. My dad had all this homebrewing equipment and he thought I should take it with me. So I started homebrewing in college.” Two years later, Tom joined Kevin at EWU and he also learned how to homebrew. After Eastern, the recession hit and Kevin’s plans for a job vanished, so he returned to his hometown. He worked at the local jail for a while and hated it. He convinced his parents to open a grocery store in Carson. Two years later, in 2012, the family used the space in the back of that building for their brewery and brewpub – Backwoods – a name Kevin had thought of back at his time at EWU. “We started really small. It was just me and my buddy who helped run the pub,” said Kevin. “I brewed six days a week, twice some days. People thought we were nuts. It’s a small town of about 2,500, and all the locals, who I’ve known all my life, were like, ‘You’re absolutely insane.’” Tom joined the family business as a brewer a year and a half later and is now Backwoods’ operations manager. Tom’s wife, Emily, sells soaps, balms and lotions made from their beer and hops. Last year,

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

Jim Waters with sons Tom and Kevin

BEER IS OO PR F THAT GOD LOVES US AND WANTS US TO BE HAPPY. ~ Benjamin Franklin

immigrants bring 1840 German lager-style beers to the U.S. Louis Pasteur unraveled the secrets of 1865 yeast in the fermentation process and developed pasteurization to stabilize beer 22 years

before the process was applied to milk.

Prohibition the 1920-33 nation was dry

for 13 years. their brother Steve, a CPA, joined them. Their sister, Annette, has worked there on and off, helping in the office, and their mom comes in a couple times a week. Backwoods started with six employees and now has 40. Carson, a logging town, lost jobs when the industry slowed. As Backwoods Brewing Company grows, its goal is to provide more jobs and give back to the local community. The brewery’s production has steadily continued to grow. At first, the brews came out of a one-barrel system. It quickly grew to a seven-barrel system and is now operating on a 20-barrel system. In 2015, the family opened a 10,000-squarefoot bottling/canning facility in nearby Stevenson. They bought their own canning line, grain silo and centrifuge. Kevin admits that there’s a lot of competition in the beer business. “I knew that if we didn’t do the canning and bottling, we’d be left in the dust. The flip side was once we started canning, people started coming to our pub because they were buying our beers at the grocery store. It’s people who never would have heard of us because they don’t go to bars. The beer works as a marketing arm for the pub business.” Kevin highly recommends that brewers open a brewpub. “We came up with a pizza, and it’s a huge hit. That wasn’t what we were trying for. We

honestly thought we’d sell a lot of beer and maybe a little bit of food. It’s been the opposite. We thought if we could do $1,000 a day in sales, that would be great. In 2017, our pub had 220,000 visitors. Not bad for a small town.” For any brewery, getting the word out is crucial and Backwoods has invested in good marketing, including an amazing website and the use of social media. “The best thing I ever learned from Eastern was in English class, where I learned how to write properly,” said Kevin. “That’s what taught me how to be effective on Facebook.” Backwoods is the No. 1 followed brewery on social media in Washington and Oregon. And it’s the fourth-fastest-growing brewery in the Northwest, according to the Brewers Association. Backwoods distributes to Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Some of its best-selling craft beers are Logyard IPA, Copperline Amber, Gifford Pinchot Pilsner and Big-Cedar India Red Ale, along with a host of seasonally available beers like The Stumbler (a bourbon barrel stout), Pecan Pie Porter and an Imperial Maple Porter. “If you notice the names of the beers, they are logging related,” said Kevin. “My dad worked at the sawmill – my grandpa worked at the sawmill. We want to honor the local heritage.”

1933-78

Beer culture undergoes a massive shift. Barley becomes scarce during the Great Depression, then is shipped overseas and rationed at home before and during WWII. Lagers rule the marketplace with big brewers dominating the market. Canned beer introduced by American 1935 Can Company and Krueger Brewing Co. of Newark, New Jersey.

1938

Elise Miller John runs Miller Brewing. The first woman to operate a major brewery. Brewers are required to allocate 1943 15military percent of their production for use.

230 breweries in operation. 1961 Only 140 are independently run. beer outsells bottled 1969 Canned beer for the first time. The New Albion Brewery in Sonoma, 1976 California, will become known as America’s first craft brewery.

becomes 1978 Homebrewing officially legal.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

1909 E. Sprague, Spokane, Washington | 509.290.5018 | benniditosbrewpub.com

BREWING UP A LEGACY: Bennidito’s Brewpub

Mark Irvin is not new to the craft beer scene in the Inland Northwest. In fact, depending on whom you ask, they might tell you Irvin is one of the main reasons the craft beer scene in the Spokane area exists. “It’s humbling,” Irvin says. “I was just happy to have the opportunity to play that role and lay some of the groundwork for the breweries that are here now.” Irvin, currently the head brewer at Bennidito’s Brewpub, has had a passion for beer since he was a student at EWU in the late 1980s. He dabbled in homebrewing while earning a degree in business. “I wanted to own my own manufacturing business, but initially, I wasn’t thinking beer,” Irvin recalls. “I just knew I wanted to make something.” After graduating in 1988, Irvin learned about Coeur d’ Alene Brewing Company, a brewery producing craft beer in the region. Wanting to know more about the production process, Irvin got a job at the brewery. After a short time working in a brewery position at Coeur d’ Alene Brewing, he was offered a job to brew at Hale’s Brewery in Kirkland, Washington, in 1991. “I was the Spokane and Cheney boy going into the jungle,” Irvin says, remembering his shift to working in a larger city. Irvin’s work with Hale’s brought him back home almost two years later, where he helped the brewery open a new facility in east Spokane. But at that point, Irvin was ready to start making his own beer. In 1993, he purchased a decommissioned 10-barrel brewhouse from Hale’s before leaving the company and landed it in a warehouse space in Airway Heights, Washington. That same year, he sold his first keg of beer to The Viking Tavern in Spokane under his new brewery’s name, Northern Lights Brewing Company. Irvin grew his brewery from a small operation

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

Mark Irvin, head brewer, Bennidito’s Brewpub

MORE THAN

78 PERCENT OF ADULTS OF LEGAL DRINKING AGE LIVE WITHIN 10 MILES OF A BREWERY.

brewing movement, fed by 1980 Craft homebrewers, gains momentum. Breweries are allowed to 1982 sell their own beer and food at their bar. The brewpub is born.

out of a warehouse to a large production brewery and restaurant over the next two decades. In 2002, the brewery relocated to its current location in downtown Spokane, expanding the brewery’s production capabilities and adding a full kitchen and food offerings to the business. In 2012, Irvin partnered with beer industry veteran Jon Bryant to help further develop the business and its beer distribution. That same year, a trademark dispute arose between Northern Lights and an east coast brewery partially owned by Anheuser-Busch, who was using the name Northern Lights for its IPA. Rather than get tangled in expensive litigation, Irvin and Bryant took the high road. Their brewery underwent a major rebranding, changing its name from Northern Lights Brewing Company to No-Li Brewhouse. The name change didn’t faze the brewery. Irvin’s beers went on to win multiple awards in international beer competitions as well as a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival. “I couldn’t believe it,” Irvin recalls. “Your beer can be spot on, but there’s also a little bit of luck involved to be selected as the best beer in that category. Winning a gold was super cool.” Irvin also found that No-Li’s growth was demanding more and more of his time. “I knew that the next phase was going to require that I make a commitment to the business, really, over

my family,” Irvin says. He and his wife, Stacy, who helped him with all the brewery’s business tasks, agreed it was time to put their family first. So, in 2014, Irvin sold his portion of No-Li to Bryant and left the brewing industry. But Irvin was unable to stay away for long. In the fall of 2016, Chris Bennett, owner of Bennidito’s Pizza, reached out to Irvin to see if he would be interested in taking over brewing operations at Bennidito’s Brewpub. After some time away from the brewing world, Irvin was feeling the itch again and took the offer. Irvin is now finding renewed energy in his brewing at Bennidito’s. With a more localized distribution footprint, Irvin’s brewing schedule is more relaxed than his days at No-Li. “The rhythm here is definitely slower paced. It allows you to be more spontaneous,” Irvin said. “When you’re juggling production deadlines on multiple brands and packaging bottles, it shifts your focus away from the creativity. When you work at the level I’m at now, it frees you up to think more about the beer and less about the business side.” A quick glance at Irvin’s résumé would paint a picture of a veteran brewer with a diverse history in the beer industry. But one thing has clearly remained consistent for him – his passion for craft beer.

The U.S. produces 20 percent of 1991 the world beer volume. Approximately 500 craft breweries 1995 are operating in the U.S., and they are estimated to increase at a rate

of three or four per week.

2002

South African Breweries buys two-thirds of Miller Brewing for $3 billion in stock. The company leaps past rivals, making SABMiller the second-largest brewer behind Anheuser-Busch. Smithsonian Magazine states: 2008 “The best beers in the world today are being made in the U.S.” craft breweries, composed 2012 2,347 of 1,132 brewpubs, 1,118 microbreweries and 97 regional craft breweries.

Craft brewers reached 7.8 percent 2013 volume of the total U.S. beer market, with a dollar share of 14.3 percent

estimated at $14.3 billion.

More than 3,400 U.S. breweries 2014 operated for some or all of 2014, of which 99 percent were small and

independent craft brewers. There were 1,412 brewpubs, 1,871 microbreweries and 135 regional craft breweries.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

1302 W. Second Ave., Spokane, Washington 509.474.0722 | irongoatbrewing.com

TAPPING INTO THE COMMUNITY Iron Goat Brewing Co.

“I’ve never seen a more connected and supportive industry than that of craft beer,” states Adam Boyd, a brewer at Iron Goat Brewing Co. in downtown Spokane. It’s a hefty claim but one that, given Boyd’s experiences in the world of beer, rings true. Boyd admits he had little interest in beer after graduating from EWU in 2009 with a degree in filmic arts and starting a career in film. “I’d have a beer or two after a day of shooting,” says Boyd. “I liked it, but I never really considered where the beer came from or how it was made.” It was Boyd’s film work that brought him in contact with Greg Brandt and Paul Edminster, the co-owners and head brewers at Iron Goat Brewing. After meeting the beer makers in their taproom one night in 2012, Boyd offered to produce some videos for them. Boyd went on to create several videos documenting special events and the brewing process at Iron Goat, and his interest in the craft of beer making spiked. “I went from casual beer drinker to craft beer uber nerd very quickly,” Boyd notes, recalling how he would seek out any book on craft beer he could find. His path of self-education led him to take up the hobby of homebrewing. From there he joined the local homebrew club, Inland Brewers Unite, and soon he found himself appointed the club’s president. “I think it was at that point that beer stopped being a hobby for me and became a part of my life,” says Boyd. In 2015, Lupito Flores, the station manager for KYRS Thin-Air Community Radio in Spokane, approached Boyd about hosting a local craft beer radio program. He jumped at the opportunity, launching Good Brews in March of that year. His aim was to deliver a radio

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

Adam Boyd, brewer, Iron Goat Brewing Co.

, BEER IF DRUNK

IN MODERATION, SOFTENS THE TEMPER, CHEERS THE SPIRIT AND PROMOTES HEALTH. ~ Thomas Jefferson

2015

show dedicated to interviewing local brewers and beer industry representatives in order to educate people about craft beer. “As a filmmaker, your job is to tell stories. I found that the beer industry was full of people who had awesome stories I wanted to have told,” says Boyd. In the spring of 2016, Iron Goat moved to a larger location in the west end of downtown Spokane, and they were in need of more staff. Boyd inquired about a job and was brought on board. Not long after, he was helping create the beer he had enjoyed as a patron of Iron Goat. “It’s been an awesome opportunity,” says Boyd. “I’m in a place where I’m given chances to experiment with my own beer recipes and also to continue to learn about the process.” Boyd cites Iron Goat’s growing barrel-aging program as the thing that excites him the most about working at the brewery. With over 100 oak barrels, stretching from the floor to the ceiling, Iron Goat now has regular releases of unique and complex barrel-aged beer. “It’s the wild stuff I’m really passionate about,” Boyd says, referring to the dozens of wine barrels Iron Goat has filled with various mixed fermentation beers for aging. “I think all the brewers and owners here love sour and funky barrel-aged beer. The fact that I get to help make and blend these beers is unbelievable.” There are also hard lessons to be learned in the

brewery. On Sept. 30, 2017, Paul Edminster died after a brief battle with cancer. Iron Goat Brewing lost one of its founding members, and Boyd lost a mentor. “It was soulcrushing. He wasn’t just my boss. He was my friend.” However, Boyd points out there was a feeling of hope after Edminster’s death that he experienced within the brewing community. After news of Edminster had been shared, there was an outpouring of support from Iron Goat patrons, other local breweries and pubs, and fellow brewers. Many held special events to raise money to assist Edminster’s children and wife. “Brewers were sharing stories on Facebook about how Paul had helped them or encouraged them when they were starting their own brewery,” recalls Boyd. “Everyone I had ever met in the beer industry was offering their support. That’s when I realized the craft beer industry wasn’t just a community – it was a family.” Boyd took that realization to heart. He hopes to continue to explore and celebrate the craft beer community through his job and hobbies. He is still heavily involved in the local homebrew scene, and his radio show is still being produced now as a podcast. And recently Boyd has taken up freelance beer writing for media publications as well (like this one). When asked about his future in the world of beer, Boyd says, “I don’t think I could ever grow tired of beer. It offers up too many great stories.”

AMERICAN CRAFT BREWERS: TRADITIONAL : A brewer that has a majority of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation. Flavored malt beverages (FMBs) are not considered beers.

INDEPENDENT : Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled by a beverage alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.

SMALL: Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales).

Anheuser-Busch InBev announced a successful all-cash bid to acquire multinational competitor SABMiller for $107 billion. The deal closed a year later. The new entity has approximately 500 beer brands in 50 countries as of January 2017.

2017

The Brewers Association launched a new seal touting independent craft brewers. The seal captures the spirit with which craft brewers have upended beer.

2017

More than 6,000 breweries operated in the U.S. Small and independent craft brewers continue to evolve and localize the beer scene.

For more of the story, go to

ewu.edu/easternmagazine.

Four Eyed Guys Brewing

509.795.9648 | foureyedguysbrewing.com Brian Lollis ‘15 shares his story about entering the brewing industry at the nano-scale in Spokane. It has allowed him and his business partner to start their business without hefty business loans, and it gives them the freedom to experiment with the types of beers they brew.

Josh’s Taps & Caps

1800 Bickford Ave., Suite 210, Snohomish, Washington 360.217.7221 | joshstapsandcaps.com Josh Arnold ’07 isn’t a brewer, but he’s a curator of craft beer. He can offer you a freshly poured pint from one of 30 different taps, send you home with bottles and cans, refill your growler or snag you a keg of the Pacific Northwest’s finest brews. E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

615 6th St., Prosser, Washington 509.781.6228 | horseheavensaloon.com

BEER TOURISM

Horse Heaven Hills Brewery

Gary Vegar with son A.J. and wife Carol

When people think of Prosser, Washington, wineries probably come to mind. There are about 40 wineries in the Horse Heaven Hills area alone. However, there’s also a craft brewery in Prosser – Horse Heaven Hills Brewery, owned and operated by Gary Vegar, his wife, Carol, and son, Anthony. All three are EWU alums: Gary ’82, BEd industrial technology; Carol ’85, BA psychology; and Anthony, who goes by A.J. ’16, BS technology. Son Daniel is a Lance Cpl., currently serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. After 30 years as a teacher, principal, athletic director and assistant superintendent, Gary Vegar decided it was time to do something else. “Homebrewing had been a hobby of mine for a long time,” said Vegar. “We decided – I should say, I decided – to turn the hobby into a profession.” They opened the brewery in 2009 in their hometown of Prosser. Their craft beer was sold on-site at the brewery until 2013, when they bought and completely renovated a 101-year-old building for their Western-themed Horse Heaven Saloon – a farmto-table restaurant with overnight rooms, a game room and retail shop. A.J. is the head brewer and manager at the brewery, which provides the beer for the saloon. “A.J.’s degree has prepped him very well for modern technology in manufacturing,” said Vegar. “Right now, our little brewery is kind of old-school.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

It’s real hands-on, and we’re both anxious to grow the business and enjoy all the new technology to take it to the next step – not only in sales but to integrate the new technology aspects in the brewing process.” Vegar said they are fortunate to have access to the best possible ingredients – Prosser water and malt from Vancouver, Washington – to make their beers. And the hops. “Everyone talks about hops because it’s a big piece, of course,” said Vegar. “We do purchase a lot of Yakima Valley hops, but we also purchase hops for our traditional recipes from Germany, Britain and Czechoslovakia. The nice thing about having the big hop houses in the Yakima Valley like Steiner and Hopunion, Yakima Chief, Puterbaugh Farms – they have hops from all around the world, so we can drive right up to Mabton, 10 miles away, and get whatever we want from all over the world.” Horse Heaven Hills has created a number of best-selling beers developed from recipes that Vegar knew would sell well in central Washington – Honey Girl, a honey-based beer; Ruby Spur, an amber ale; and Buck Off (as bucked off the horse), a classic Northwest IPA. “Half the fun in brewing is creating names,”

said Vegar. “It’s part of the creative process. We’ll take input from our customers, create a list and something comes out inspiring.” A.J. is inventing his own beers based on his experience after two years of brewing. One of his creations is Taco Cat, a pale ale brewed with Northwest two-row single-hop Eldorado. While Prosser, a town of 6,000, located 35 miles west of the Tri-Cities, may seem off the beaten path, it’s really a booming location. “It’s worked out wonderfully,” said Vegar. “There’s a whole subindustry with beer tourists along with the wine tourists. As I tell the guys that come for wine tasting – go wine tasting with the girls and take two growlers of beer with you, or come back and hydrate after you’ve been drinking wine. We’ve been riding the coattails of wine country and the visitors who have been coming to Prosser as a wine destination. We have a lot of people in the wine industry who enjoy our beer. As the wine makers will tell you, ‘it takes a lot of beer to make great wine.’”

122 S. Monroe, Spokane, Washington 509.315.4465 | whistlepunkbrewing.com

MAKING A NAME

Whistle Punk Brewing Co. For Matt Hanson, it has been a long journey to get his brewery, Whistle Punk Brewing Co., to where it is now. Homebrewers, Hanson and his father, Craig, planned to open a brewery after Hanson graduated from EWU with a marketing degree in 2010. By 2012, they finalized their business plan and worked to acquire a three-barrel brew system, currently operating in their brewing facility in Newman Lake, Washington. In late 2013, they had acquired their brewery license under the name “Hanson Brothers,” and everything was on track for Hanson’s dream of brewing beer for a living. Then came a snag, when Hanson was contacted by another set of Hanson brothers – the ones from the famed ’90s musical group “Hanson” of MMMBop fame. Turns out the musicians had also decided to step into the beer business, releasing a beer called Mmmhops under their name, thus bringing up a trademark dispute with the EWU alum’s brewery. Hanson was able to come to an agreement with the musicians without having to test how much they were willing to spend on lawyer fees, but it meant that he and his dad had to change the name of their brewery to “Whistle Punk Brewing,” an old logging term for the person who blew the whistle on a steam donkey. In 2015, Hanson began building the Whistle

Punk brand by slowly getting his beer out in the Spokane-area market through limited distribution and a few regional beer festival events. Hanson started searching for a taproom space; a brick and mortar location where Whistle Punk could serve the beer it was making. “Our goal was always to own an off-site taproom,” Hanson says. “We own the space we brew in and have room to expand, so we liked the model of keeping the brewing space and taproom space separate.” In April 2017, Whistle Punk finally found a home for the taproom in downtown Spokane. Sporting rustic brick walls, a cozy atmosphere and 14 taps, Whistle Punk’s location joins a growing number of other breweries in the immediate area, which is now being locally referred to as Spokane’s “brewery district.” “Beer tourism is a lot crazier than I thought it would be in Spokane,” said Hanson. “There will be nights where 50 percent of the people in my taproom are not from Spokane. And when you ask them why they’re visiting, they tell you they’re here to drink the beer.” Being in the epicenter of an active beer hub can certainly be a positive thing for a new brewery trying to establish its brand, but it also raises the question of how a small brewery can stand out among its larger, beer-making neighbors. Hanson suggests that his smaller size might actually be

Owner/brewer Matt Hanson and wife Daniella

helping Whistle Punk’s business. “We really started to embrace being small, and being taproom-focused, hyper-local,” Hanson says. He points out that Whistle Punk’s model gives him the freedom to offer a diverse selection to his patrons. With the goal of constantly rotating one-off beers through the taproom, it always has something new on tap as well as a few favorites, like the Coast to Coast IPA or their coffee-infused Espresso Milk Stout. Hanson has put in a lot of work to get Whistle Punk to its current position. And of course, he hasn’t done it alone. He has the help of his father in the brewery, and his mother, Jeneen, and wife, Daniella, who assist him in getting the beer from the brewing site to the taproom. “As far as our future goes, I can see us opening a second taproom,” Hanson says. “But I think it would have a different focus. I would love to do a German beer focused lineup.” But Hanson admits that expansion may still be a ways down the road. For now, he’ll continue to work to make Whistle Punk stand out from the crowd the best way he knows how – by brewing great beer.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

A BRAND OF SHARED PASSIONS Flycaster Brewing Co.

Fly-fishing and craft beer – as brewmaster Jeremy Eubanks explains it, “I have infused the lure of a cool river and patience for the big catch into Flycaster Brewing Company, transferring my dedicated techniques from one passion to the other.”

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

Owner/brewer Jeremy Eubanks

12815 NE 124th St., Suite 1, Kirkland, Washington 206.963.6626 | www.flycasterbrewing.com

Pictures of fishing flies and rivers decorate the walls of the taproom in the Totem Lake area of Kirkland, Washington. “Fly-fishing seemed like a natural fit when we were trying to figure out the brewery name,” said Eubanks. “A lot of our beer names have been named after rivers where I’ve fished and certain styles of fishing that I really enjoy.” Eubanks’ best-selling beers are the Rocky Ford, named after a creek in Ephrata, Washington, and the Yakima River Red. Flycaster also offers Bone Fish Blonde, the Parachute Porter and Hopper Pale Ale, among others. Eubanks grew up fishing near the Tri-Cities, where he and his wife, Tara, were raised. After graduating from Kamiakin High School, he headed off to EWU and graduated in ’00 with a BA in accounting. He landed a job at Microsoft in program management. After 13 years there, he realized he wanted to do something else. That’s when the brewery idea came into the picture. While earning his MBA at Seattle University, he wrote most of his business plan for a brewery. Flycaster Brewing opened in May 2014, making it the first brewery in Kirkland at the time. It’s been reeling in customers ever since. It took Eubanks a year to find just the right location for the brewery and taproom. He describes it as a family-friendly place to relax and enjoy the company of others. It’s also dogfriendly. Wednesdays, if people bring their pups in, they get $1 off their first beer. Thursday night is bingo night; Sounders and Seahawk games are on the TV; people warm up by the fireplace. After its first year in business, Flycaster won the 2015 “Best of 425” – best brewery category and took a gold medal at the Washington Brewers Festival in 2016 for its ESB. Eubanks left Microsoft in January 2017, taking a project manager job at Expedia, where he still works full time. He says the

brewery is his after-hours/weekend job, keeping him extremely busy. Flycaster Brewing offers things most other breweries don’t. It has a beer club, where people sign up to go on fly-fishing trips twice a year. “I take them over to Rocky Ford, host a barbecue and help participants learn how to fly-fish,” said Eubanks. “Last year, more than 40 people attended. A lot of people who had never caught a fish did. It was a great time.” But it’s not just beer and fishing. Flycaster Brewing hosts its annual “Casting for Recovery,” a fundraiser to send breast cancer survivors to a fly-fishing retreat, where they learn about recovery. The second year the brewery hosted the event they raised more than $10,000. It also has done sponsorships with fly-fishing clubs to raise funds for stream restoration projects. Currently, Flycaster distributes to eight local restaurants and bars, but Eubanks plans to grow that to 20 in the upcoming months. “Hopefully, in five years, we’ll have our own brewery location so we won’t have to pay to lease the space,” said Eubanks. “At some point, I’d like to build out the restaurant portion of the brewery. “I’d love to get more EWU grads over here to the brewery to come in and share a pint. Or, if there are any Eastern Washington alums out there with bars or restaurants, we’d love to hear from them.”

IN GREAT BRITAIN,

93,000 LITERS

BEER EDUCATION

OF BEER ARE RUMORED TO BE LOST EACH YEAR

As the craft beer industry has grown during the past 20 years, so has beer education. For anyone seeking beer knowledge, the educational avenues run the gamut: from an ever-growing collection of books, blogs and YouTube channels dedicated to the beer enthusiast to formal education institutions’ training programs designed around a professional career in the beer industry.

IN FACIAL HAIR

THE HOBBY OF HOMEBREWING Nu Homebrew & Bottles/Genus Brewing

14109 E. Sprague Ave., Suite 8, Spokane Valley, Washington 509.808.2395 | @NuHomeBrew

So, when a job opened up at Spokane Valley’s Nu Homebrew & Bottles, he applied, got the gig, and ever since he’s been working with Peter McArthur, the owner, to develop new ways to encourage and educate individuals about making beer. That includes creating instructional videos that detail aspects of the brewing process and offer information about products, and recipe kits offered by their store. “We are trying to emphasize how simple a beer recipe can be, and also to share tips and tricks we’ve picked up through our own experiences to make a brew day as fast and easy as possible,” Cook notes about the videos on Nu Homebrew’s YouTube channel. But probably the most unique angle Nu Homebrew takes when it comes to beer education is through its commercial brewing side. Last year, McArthur and Cook received a license to commercially brew in their homebrew shop, and now they brew and serve beer to their patrons under the name Genus Brewing. Genus Brewing serves as a business venture in making beer, as well as getting people excited about the hobby of homebrewing. “It’s a pretty unique hybrid model – a brewery and a homebrew store,” said Cook. “It also allows us to brew a beer, put it on tap, have people try it, and then offer them a

homebrew kit so that they can brew that beer at home.” It allows Cook to demonstrate to a customer, in a hands-on manner, what each ingredient in a beer recipe contributes to the final product while they taste it. As for the future, Cook sees Nu Homebrew and Genus Brewing enduring, but with some possible shifts. “I think that we will always have the homebrew store, but in the next three to four years, I see us focusing more on the expansion of the brewery, and working to continue to get great beer out into the Spokane area.”

Nu Homebrew & Bottles/Genus Brewing: Logan Cook

Logan Cook ’16, BS biology, learned about homebrewing while studying at EWU. It didn’t take long for him to get hooked. “I kind of fell in love with it right away,” said Cook. “After a few batches, I was upgrading my equipment.”

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

EWU’S BEER APPRECIATION 101

Chris Cindric (senior lecturer in EWU’s Physical Education, Health and Recreation Department) Chris Cindric is hoping to elevate the general perception of beer with a “beer appreciation course” he has developed for EWU’s Continuing Education program. “I’ve always been interested in the history of beer, its presentation and the different styles that exist,” said Cindric. While numerous educational institutions offer beer-related curriculum, Cindric sees his course as having a different emphasis: “I want the course to focus on service.” Cindric’s course will be structured similiar to the Cicerone Certification program; an international education and training platform that provides individuals with top-tier knowledge about beer history, styles and serving techniques. Cicerones (sis-uh-rohns) are certified beer experts. The curriculum will be comparable to the guidelines of the Cicerone Certified Beer Server

EDUCATING BREWERS

certification. If a student wanted to, they could test for the Cicerone exam after taking the course. Cindric sees this course providing an advantage to students looking to work in the beer serving industry or those simply interested in gaining more beer knowledge. But he also hopes it attracts individuals already working in the world of beer who want to take their knowledge to the next level. To enrich the class experience, Cindric plans to partner with local breweries, providing brewery tours, face-to-face discussions with brewers and beer tasting field trips. With his course, Cindric also hopes to shift the culture around the beverage on college campuses. “Beer tends to not be represented well in the college environment,” notes Cindric. “I want to take a positive approach. Let’s educate students on appreciating beer and how it has stimulated so many things in our history and society.”

Joe Byers '08 BS chemistry/biochemistry (director brewing program, Flathead Valley Community College) Several years ago, if you wanted to start a career in the U.S. brewing industry, there were few established avenues to follow. Few recognized institutions in the country provided professional schooling in beer brewing; the rest were overseas. Thankfully, times have changed. Colleges and universities across the country have begun developing brewing certification programs and degrees to provide educated and well-trained beer makers. One such curriculum is the Brewing Science and Brewery Operations Program at Flathead Valley Community College (FVCC) in Kalispell, Montana, directed by EWU alumnus Joe Byers. After graduating from EWU, Byers moved to Montana and started homebrewing. His enjoyment for beer and his background in chemistry converged with the hobby, and soon he found himself working at Tamarack Brewing Company in Lakeside, Montana, where he became head brewer. Byers spent several years at Tamarack refining his beer-making skills before moving into education at FVCC in 2015. Now he’s passing on his knowledge to future brewers by providing them with enough knowledge and training for a brewing

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

or beer-cellar management position in the craft beer industry. Students learn the basics: raw ingredients, processing, brewery safety, OSHA training and brewery equipment cleaning in the two-year program. Partway through the semester, they begin making batches of beer on the program’s pilot brewing system, which eventually leads to writing their own recipes for brewing on the school’s fullscale 3.5-barrel brewhouse. Students also take courses in chemistry and biology and earn credits through internships at local breweries. “Some of those internships have turned into jobs for these students,” said Byers. Byers sees the growth of the craft beer industry in the U.S. over the past five years as a strong indicator that not only will there be a continued interest in beer making, but also a continued need for trained and educated individuals within the industry. E

STAY CONNECTED

TO YOUR EAGLE COMMUNITY

2018 EWU Alumni Awards Presented by Numerica Date: May 18, 2018 Place: Spokane Convention Center Get inspired when you join us to celebrate the accomplishments of amazing Eagle alumni. Champagne reception and dinner included. Cost: $55/person or $400/table (8).

EWU Senior Send-Off

EWU Day at Silverwood

Date: June 7, 2018 Place: Cheney Campus Join alumni to cheer on the class of 2018 as they take their final, symbolic walk down the Showalter Hall walkway. Participants also enjoy a free barbecue reception and street party.

Date: August 2018 Place: Silverwood Theme Park, Idaho Enjoy big rides, big slides and big discounts for EWU Day at the largest theme park in the Northwest - Silverwood Theme Park and Boulder Beach Water Park.

EWU Alumni Association

@EWUalumni

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF READING, WRITING AND STORYTELLING By Christine Tully

he Get Lit! Festival has been a driving force in Spokane’s growing literary community – fostering a love of reading and writing in the area, while celebrating talented local, regional and national writers – and this April marks its 20th anniversary.

The festival started small its first year, yet showed promise that Spokane was eager to become a literary powerhouse. With a modest $1,200 budget, Get Lit! held its first festival as an 11-hour, one-day event, and more than 300 people attended. “To see something that you started, to know how small it was in the first years, and to see it blossom into a huge event with multiple venues and days and genres of writing, is powerful,” said Christine Holbert ’97, one of the individuals who had a hand in starting the festival.

Since the start of Get Lit!, more than 550 authors have participated, hosting more than 10,000 people over the years. In 2017, more than 70 authors participated in 40 events in what is now a weeklong festival celebrating all things literary. 36

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

The festival was created as the brainchild of Holbert, Scott Poole ’98 and Christopher Howell under the former EWU Press. With the continued support of EWU, Get Lit! has remained the premier literary festival in the Northwest for the past two decades. Howell, an MFA professor at EWU, credits the success of Get Lit! in its first years to the generosity of the community. Many authors came to the festival free of charge, and the space for the venue, The Met (which is now the Bing Crosby Theater), was donated. Although the funds were not there, the eagerness, excitement and expertise were. “I had some experience of this kind of thing, and Christine had boundless enthusiasm, and Scott was a very good organizer,” Howell said. “Between the three of us, we had the professional components that were necessary to get it going and keep it going.”

The second year, Holbert received a $6,500 grant from the Washington Commission for the Humanities that quickly grew the festival into a three-day event held in venues across the city. Regional writers included Denis Johnson, Nance Van Winckel and Madeline DeFrees. Over the past two decades, Get Lit! has brought a host of New York Times bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning national and regional writers to the Spokane area, providing a space for enriching, diverse events to showcase and inspire writers.

David Sedaris, 2005

Writers such as Kurt Vonnegut, Joyce Carol Oates, Salman Rushdie, Dave Barry and David Sedaris have participated in the festival. The event has also showcased emerging talent, often featuring authors on the verge of success. Get Lit! brought Anthony Doerr in 2014 just prior to the official launch of his novel, All the Light We Cannot See. One year later, his novel won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.

Joyce Carol Oates, 2013

In 2012, Colson Whitehead was paired with Jess Walter ’87 as headliners for Get Lit! Later, Whitehead’s novel The Underground Railroad, published in 2016, won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. “One of the things I tried to be intentional about in building the festival was creating opportunities for local writers to interact with these big-name authors we were bringing in,” said Melissa Huggins ’11, former director of Get Lit! and current executive director of Spokane Arts, a local nonprofit. “We wanted to provide those opportunities for people to grow, build their profile, gain wider readership and connect with people.”

Colson Whitehead, 2012

The festival provides local writers and students the chance to see the power of literature and experience Spokane’s vibrant writing community. “Our writers know that they will be reading for audiences who are eager to listen and learn, and our audiences know that they Jess Walter, 2017

Salman Rushdie, 2005

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

will be able to find inspiration, insight and a sense of belonging from attending our events. Get Lit! has always shown us that Spokane wanted to be a literary city, and it has undoubtedly become one,” said Kate Peterson ’14, current Get Lit! director. Get Lit! isn’t just for writers, though. The festival aims to have something for everyone each year – children’s events, poetry slams, book launches, themed happy hours, alumni panels and more. Get Lit! also provides year-round community programs that inspire young minds, such as its Writers in Residence and Author’s Tour, which provide children the opportunity to hear and learn from professional writers. The Get Lit! festival and Eastern’s MFA creative writing program also work closely to help graduate students become more involved in the Spokane literary community. Graduates of the MFA program have also been staying in the area to live and work, further influencing Spokane’s literary scene. “Get Lit! is not something that just happens once a year, it’s something that celebrates, fuels and feeds what is happening all the time in the community,” Howell said. Inspiring creative minds for decades, the Get Lit! Festival has been incredibly beneficial to Spokane by highlighting the area’s gifted community. “It’s my hope that Get Lit! can continue to be a tradition that brings our talented writing community together with writers of national and international acclaim in order to celebrate literature in all of its many forms,” Peterson said. E

A FEW LOCAL FAVORITES

FESTIVAL PARTICIPANTS

Nance Van Winckel is the author of eight poetry books and is the recipient of many awards, including the Poetry Society of America’s Gordon Barber Poetry Award. Van Winckel is a faculty member in EWU’s MFA program and she’s been involved with Get Lit! from the beginning, contributing for the past two decades.

While there are too many authors to name, we’ve listed a handful of favorites who have participated in the festival over the years.

Shawn Vestal ’08, ’05 is a graduate of the EWU MFA program. Vestal has been a rising star in Spokane’s literary community. He’s won the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize and most recently the Washington State Book Award for his debut novel, Daredevils. He writes a column for The Spokesman-Review and teaches in the MFA program at EWU. Jess Walter ’87 is a Spokane native, EWU alumnus and New York Times best-selling author. Walter is the author of eight books. He’s been a National Book Award finalist and Edgar Allan Poe Award winner, and has been present for the rise of the Get Lit! festival, appearing in many readings and panels throughout the festival’s 20-year history.

Get Lit! is my favorite Spokane event, a time when I get to see and sometimes meet authors I love, and reconnect with so many of the writers and readers in our city’s thriving literary culture – a culture nourished by Get Lit! I’ve attended the festival for nearly 20 years, initially as a local reader and fan, then as a student in the EWU MFA program, and later, when I published books of my own, as an author launching books with friends. I look forward to it every year the way a child looks forward to Christmas. – Shawn Vestal ’08, ’05

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

Kim Addonizio Sherman Alexie Steve Almond Reza Aslan Kim Barnes Dave Barry Lynda Barry Charles Baxter C.B. Bernard George Bilgere Gabrielle Calvocoressi Chris Crutcher Matthew Dickman Ani DiFranco Rita Dove Timothy Egan Janet Finch Tess Gallagher Perry Glasser Adrianne Harun Christopher Howell Bell Hooks Major Jackson Denis Johnson John Keeble Garrison Keillor Walter Kirn Yusef Komunyakaa Laila Lalami Anna Lappé Dorianne Laux Victor Lodato

Lois Lowry Tod Marshall Jamaal May Joseph Millar Claire Rudolf Murphy Sena Jeter Naslund Kenn Nesbitt Tim O’Brien Susan Orlean Julie Otsuka Benjamin Percy Jack Prelutsky Nancy Rawles Carlos Reyes Alberto Ríos Marilynne Robinson Emily Ruskovich Richard Russo Kevin Sampsell David Suzuki David Sedaris Sharma Shields Patricia Smith Sallie Tisdale Quincy Troupe William T. Vollmann Sarah Vowell Elissa Washuta Colson Whitehead Janet Wong Tobias Wolff Paul Zimmer

Samuel Ligon and Kate Lebo, 2017

PIE AND WHISKEY: A PERFECT PAIR Pie and Whiskey, one of Get Lit’s most beloved events, brings together an unlikely pair – homemade pie and local whiskey – with a mix of readings from some of the region’s best writers. The beginnings of Pie and Whiskey started with Samuel Ligon, author and EWU MFA creative writing professor, and author Kate Lebo’s shared interest in baking pies while at a writers’ conference in Port Townsend, Washington. Together, they baked a pie, bought some whiskey, invited other writers and watched as the comfort of that combination created a social ambience. “What we found out by baking this pie is that it made people come together,” Ligon said. “So, the next year, we did it again, but we made more pies, and we invited all of the writers. So we probably made four or five pies, and I got a bigger bottle of whiskey. And all of the writers came to this event. I was just like, ‘Wow, this is really cool,’ because we found out it was creating relationships.” With the help of Get Lit!, Ligon and Lebo hosted their first official Pie and Whiskey event at the festival in 2012 – and it was a packed house. They baked 10 pies and brought some Dry Fly Distilling whiskey, and the writers were prepared to read about pie and whiskey. Hundreds of people attended, and although the booze and sugar ran out before the event began, people stayed. “Almost immediately, we ran out of everything,” he said. “The energy in the room was really intense, but it was a cool intense. And nobody left. That was the most stunning thing to me. Everyone stayed, even though they didn’t have any pie or whiskey.” Because of the success of the first Pie and Whiskey and five subsequent readings at Get Lit!, Ligon and Lebo have served 500 gallons of whiskey, 30,000 square feet of pie, and published six chapbooks featuring the pieces written for and read at Pie and Whiskey. In October 2017, they released an anthology divided into eight sections (to represent eight pieces of pie, of course) highlighting the best pieces written specifically for the event. Ligon and Lebo are now bringing Pie and Whiskey to cities all over the country, including Portland, Seattle, New York, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Columbia, Missouri, that showcase local and regional authors specific to that area. “Without Get Lit’s support, none of this would have happened,” Ligon said. IF YOU GO Pie and Whiskey at Get Lit! Festival Thursday, April 26, 9 p.m. Washington Cracker Building, Spokane, Washington PURCHASE Pie and Whiskey: Writers Under the Influence of Butter & Booze at Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main Ave., Spokane, Washington, or on Amazon.com.

GET LIT! 2018 Here are just a few of the many ways to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Get Lit! April 23-29, including readings, craft classes, poetry slams, book signings, children’s activities and panel discussions. For the complete schedule, visit getlitfestival.org.

Too Legit to Quit The 20th anniversary of Get Lit! will kick off with a ’90s-themed reading, where readers will read their original ’90s-themed fiction, nonfiction and poetry. The lineup will include Jess Walter, Chelsea Martin, Hanif Abdurraqib, Juan Carlos Reyes, Leah Sottile and Nance Van Winckel. Attendees are encouraged to wear their favorite ’90s styles to celebrate. IF YOU GO Monday, April 23, at 7 p.m. at the Spokane Public Library, third floor

Get Lit! Anthology Don’t miss out on your chance to purchase the Get Lit! anthology published by Willow Springs Books, featuring loads of authors who have participated in Get Lit! over the past 20 years. The anthology will debut at the ’90s-themed kick-off party on April 23. Details at getlitfestival.org.

An Evening with Anne Lamott Spend an evening with best-selling author Anne Lamott. She will speak and read from her latest book, Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy, followed by an audience Q&A. Tickets available at ticketswest.com. IF YOU GO Saturday, April 28, at 7 p.m. at the Bing Crosby Theater, Spokane, Washington

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

Meet Mandy M National Finalist for 2018 Teacher of the Year

ometimes, it takes a while to find your calling. At 42, Mandy Manning had sampled several different careers until she realized teaching was what she was meant to do. It’s safe to say that she’s found her niche. Since earning her degree in radio/TV in 1998, Manning has been a producer, coached Special Olympics, joined the Peace Corps, worked at a title company and various TV stations, taught theatre, debate, English, video production and English language development. She’s lived in Spokane, Olympia, Shelton, Portland, California, various parts of Texas, the Bronx, Japan and Armenia – not in that order. “I moved around a lot, but I’ve been back in Spokane since 2008,” said Manning. “I’m married now and have a child so we’re pretty committed to the area. I love it here.” In September 2017, Manning was recognized as Washington state’s 2018 Teacher of the Year, awarded through the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. It was announced in January 2018 that Manning is one of only four national finalists selected from a pool of 56 to be considered for the top honor. She (and winners from each state and U.S. territories) is invited to the White House in April where officials will announce the 2018 National Teacher of the Year. Manning teaches in Spokane Public Schools’ Newcomer Center at Ferris High School. The current students in Manning’s classroom resemble a mini United Nations. They come from Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Guatemala, Mexico, Sudan, Thailand, Tanzania and Chuuk. Many were brought to Spokane as refugees through World Relief Spokane and Lutheran Family Services. The Center is where non-English speaking teens, who don’t have a high school diploma

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

from their home country, study English language development, reading, mathematics and computers. “The Newcomer Center is a very safe environment for the students to start their academic life in the United States,” said Manning. “It’s a very family-oriented place. After going through the program, they are more confident – they’re familiar with how a high school runs.” On a typical morning in Manning’s classroom, students write in their journals and prepare to write on the board about yesterday’s weather and how they feel about the math quiz they took the day before. They learn their ABCs, how to read, to write and they also learn about the Cartesian graph. “They are excited to go to school every day and have a set schedule, to have things provided that maybe they didn’t have provided before,” said Manning. “A lot of them come here experiencing things that are really traumatic. So, depending on their situation before, they are here and even though life in the United States can be hard, it’s a different kind of hard.” After the students finish one or two semesters at the center, they’ll move on to attend their neighborhood high school. To help encourage her students’ success at the Newcomer Center, Manning builds personal relationships with the families. She visits their homes and gets to know the parents, siblings and other family members. “I want the parents to feel like they are part of our school community, too, and that

By Kandi Carper ’05

we are not two separate entities, but that we are working together as partners on behalf of their kids. Plus, they’re coming from terrible experiences, and I want them to know me so they know their kids are cared for, safe and loved.” Manning’s journey to become an educator took many detours along the way. She never planned to be a teacher. She wanted to be a screenwriter. She continues to write. Horror is her favorite genre. She’s the writers’ club advisor at Ferris. Reading is her chosen pastime. She reads mostly horror and young adult authors. John Green and Andrew Smith are among her favorites. “They are so courageous. They tackle issues that our students face every day,” said Manning. Understanding what it means to be a successful teacher – a professional – and how to explain it took Manning a while to figure out, she admits. “There’s a reason that throughout my life, people have pushed me toward education, and that’s because I really do impact my kids. It wasn’t until 2014 that I really decided to identify as a teacher. I know that sounds crazy because 2014 isn’t that long ago.” Manning explained that completing National Board certification was transformative for her. It helped her see herself as a teacher, as a professional and to be proud of her accomplishments. “It’s not about being a perfect teacher, it’s about showing who you are as an educator and being able to reflect on why you do something,” said Manning. “It helped me own it. Before, I had always just handed over any of my successes to someone else. It was never me. It wasn’t anything I did. It was my kids, or the subject, or whatever. Doing National Boards helped me see my role in the growth

Manning my students were experiencing. That helped me be confident to know that yes, maybe I fell into teaching, maybe it fell into my lap, but there was a reason that happened.” This year Manning will temporarily give up lesson plans and grading. Her main job will be visiting Educational Service Districts throughout the state and talking with anyone who wants to listen to her as Teacher of the Year. Manning’s message to her audiences: “Get to know people and experience things outside what you already know. My kids are so fearless. They are resilient and hopeful, and they don’t always have a reason to be. In our country right now, there is a great deal of hate, distrust and fear. We need to provide our young people opportunities to experience new things and meet new people. We need to encourage them not to fear what’s different, but to learn about it, because it’s probably not as scary as it might appear. Get out there as teachers, as parents and community members and leaders. We need to encourage our kids to be like that. Not to hide, but to explore.” E

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

Look

INC

RED

IBLE EVERY day bookstore.ewu.edu 509.359.2542

Doug Clark

By Kandi Carper ‘05

A Man of Many Talents

I always wanted to write a celebrity interview. You know, the kind that appear in Harper’s Bazaar: “On a clear Saturday afternoon, Sandra Bullock, dressed in a bright pink sundress, met me in the lobby of a Beverly Hills hotel. She’s as witty and self-mocking as a fan might expect.” I finally got my chance Nov. 30, when I interviewed EWU alumnus Doug Clark, newspaper columnist extraordinaire. We met on a rainy afternoon at O’Doherty’s Irish Grille in downtown Spokane. He walked in dressed all in black, wearing his trademark Trailer Park Girls baseball cap. I hadn’t seen Clark in more than 10 years, since we worked together at The Spokesman-Review. He hasn’t changed much. We chose O’Doherty’s because that’s where Clark’s image is enshrined with a wall plaque commemorating his awesomeness as the first person inducted into the Eddie Gaedel Society’s Hall of Fame. As a columnist for The Spokesman-Review, Clark has written for years about Spokane attorney Tom Keefe’s efforts in bringing Eddie Gaedel’s story to the masses. Gaedel, a 3-foot-7-inch baseball player, became famous for participating in a Major

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

League game for the St. Louis Browns in 1951. His jersey, with the number 1/8, is displayed in the St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Hall of Fame. During Clark’s induction into the Hall of Fame in November, he was also honored by Spokane Mayor David Condon as he presented Clark with one of his prized Condon Coins in recognition of his role in making Spokane the “City of Choice” for the Northwest. The coin was something Clark had previously mocked in his newspaper column. While all in good fun, you could say it was a bit awkward. Along with these amusing antics, probably the biggest event in Clark’s life in 2017 was the announcement that he was retiring from The Spokesman-Review, Spokane’s newspaper of record, after nearly 34 years. He estimates that he wrote approximately 4,500 columns during that time, with his final column appearing Aug. 17.

Bob Hoover and Doug Clark’s album cover, Two Good Hands

In his farewell column, Clark wrote, “I have reluctantly accepted an offer that I can’t refuse. No, it doesn’t have anything to do with finding the decapitated, bloody head of a prize racehorse under the sheets. Ownership calls its offer a ‘voluntary reduction in force.’ I use the word reluctantly because this is a sweet-and-sour bowl of pork. While leaving now is the right economic choice for a guy of my, um, vintage, I hate leaving the job that I poured my heart and my soul into.” The Early Years Clark was raised in Spokane, where he graduated from Ferris High School. His dad was an insurance salesman; his mom stayed at home. “I had really nice parents,” said Clark. “Dad grew up in Chicago during the Depression. He had a good sense of humor, but he strongly believed in right and wrong. I came along six

I also found out that you can get Uber Eats to deliver directly to your hot tub. You don’t even have to leave the hot tub. They’ll come around and avert their eyes. Retirement is kind of fun.

years after my brother, who had worn my dad out. I was pretty much a delinquent.” From a young age, Clark was a good horn player, excelling in the trumpet. In the fourth grade, he played in the All-City Band Program. “I came from a musical family,” said Clark. “My brother was a music major at WSU. He played first chair sax and clarinet. He still has a jazz band. So I took trumpet and started playing in fourth grade through college.

Then I realized you can’t sing with a trumpet, and so I sold it to buy my first camera. I started guitar at age 11. My first guitar was an electric Fender Mustang, and I got an acoustic guitar later.” After graduating from high school, Clark chose to come to Eastern. “I took a lot of crap from fellow musicians that I went to high school with because I went to Eastern,” said Clark. “I heard, ‘Oh I’m at WSU and our band is great.’ I’m an Eastern guy. We were the Savages back then – EWSC. I still have some old T-shirts.” While at Eastern, Clark studied music under Professor Jim Albert. It was the early ’70s – the Vietnam draft era when a college deferment could help keep you out of Southeast Asia. If Albert hadn’t recruited Clark, things may have turned out differently. Clark left Eastern his junior year with a ton of music credits on his résumé. He and EWSC classmate Bob Hoover, ’75 BA music, made an album and went on the road. The duo, Hoover and Clark, played at camps, schools and churches.

“We played all over the country,” said Clark. “All I ever wanted to be was a singersongwriter. That was my goal.” But while touring, Clark discovered he had stage fright. He returned to Eastern and even though he was close to graduating with a music degree, he switched to journalism and earned his BA in 1977. Clark, and his lovely wife, Sherry ’77, went through the journalism program together at Eastern with instructors Pat McManus and Dick Hoover. “McManus was a character,” Clark remembers. “He was a lot of fun. “Hoover was very sincere. He left me his jazz albums when he died and his old Sinatra LPs. I played tennis with him for a number of years. I always loved Dick Hoover, just a kind guy. He was the anchor, the rock of that teaching duo.” Clark first got the journalism bug when his music tour took him to Red Bluff, California. He met a sports writer, Dave Oliveria, and went with him to cover a couple games. Clark thought, “I could do this.”

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

Being able to tag along to Texas as a uniformed, cornet-playing member of the mighty EWU band will go down as one of my most enjoyable column adventures.

Clark tries on EWU band uniform before 2010 National Championship Game. Photo: The Spokesman-Review

“I had a lot of English classes and poetry in addition to music because I wanted to be a songwriter,” explained Clark. “I’d been writing since I was a little kid. It was an easy transition to make. I always thought that music helped my writing with the cadence and the rhythm. I really pay attention to how the sentences sound. It got me a career. “Journalism is a trade that anyone can learn in six months to a year if you have any kind of command of the language. If you’re open to learning, you can get better and better at it.” Clark actually finished his final quarters in the journalism program as a sports editor at that same paper in Red Bluff. “Hoover and McManus were so happy that they sent my grades to me for my third quarter – straight A’s for on-the-job working,” said Clark. Clark spent a year in Red Bluff before moving back to the area to take a job at The Coeur d’ Alene Press, where he worked for seven years – two as a sports writer, then as a city editor and the final three as managing editor.

The Columnist Spokesman-Review Editor Chris Peck hired Clark to be a columnist in 1983, but because of a noncompete clause with the Press, Clark had to sit out a year. During that time, he was regional editor at The Spokesman before getting his dream job as a columnist in ’84-’85. Why a columnist?

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

“It’s the best job at a newspaper,” said Clark. “A columnist gets to choose the subject matter. The columnist gets to write from a point of view. Plus, a columnist gets a little photo that runs with the column.” If someone were to put all of Clark’s columns in a time capsule and open it in the future, they would be able to understand the culture, history and attitudes that make Spokane what it is. Clark was not afraid to put people in their place. Many of his columns were about injustice and sticking up for the underdog. His relentless coverage of Otto Zehm, a 36-year-old janitor who was violently confronted by a Spokane Police officer and died two days later, kept Zehm’s story in the forefront of Spokane’s conscience. “Otto Zehm really registered with the people,” said Clark. “I didn’t know where it was going to go. You get involved with something like that and you just don’t know. I started getting heat from editors to tone it down. They felt I was beating a dead horse. I really went after the county prosecutor because he wouldn’t file charges. About a year ago, Tim Durkin, the lead prosecutor for the Feds, told me that if I wouldn’t have kept writing those columns, they wouldn’t have filed charges. That’s probably the coolest thing that happened. When the verdict came in, it was crazy.” The police officer was ultimately sentenced to 51 months in federal prison. Clark wrote about disgusting career criminals; neo-Nazis; a Gypsy’s curse on Spokane City Hall; riding in a limo with Sen.

Bob Dole; his time on The Weakest Link TV game show. He’s chronicled the lives of interesting people like Billy Tipton. Born Dorothy Tipton, the Spokane jazz musician lived as a man for more than 50 years. When Tipton died in 1989, it made global news. Clark’s humor shone brightly as he wrote and recorded parody songs with his friend and bandmate Joe Brasch. One ballad was dedicated to “Spokane’s No. 1 methperado, Eddie Ray Hall” and the “Tap Three Times sendup to America’s original restroom romancer, ex-Idaho Sen. Larry Craig” (Clark’s words). “That’s the thing about humor – you just let it fly,” said Clark. “You just have to get it out there and take the consequences.” Is it possible to write humor in the politically correct environment we live in? “I never really cared,” said Clark. “I always tried to be an equal opportunity offender. From the mail I got, people didn’t know if I was a conservative or a liberal, Republican or Democrat, because I would attack both sides equally. I’d had it with partisans who make excuses for bad behavior. I gave out hundreds of buttons saying ‘Politicians – same jerks we hated in high school.’ If you’re a politician, you’re suspect. It doesn’t matter who you are. I just think bad behavior, or stupid behavior, is worth going after.” Over the years, Clark paid tribute to his alma mater in his columns, although he once referred to Eastern as a high school with ashtrays. “I was only snarky early on,” said Clark. “The older I got it, Eastern became more beloved.” One of the highlights has to be when

he joined EWU’s marching band in January 2011, making the trip to watch the Eagles pull off a come-from-behind 20-19 victory over Delaware in Frisco, Texas, capturing the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision title. “I loved doing that,” said Clark. “That was magical. Everything – the win at the last second. That was one of those stories in your career that you think was like a Disney movie.” But his cornet playing – “I pretty much had to fake everything. I’d lost the ability to read, and too many years, and your lip goes after about three minutes.” In his column following the game, Clark wrote, “This was Cheney’s greatest moment since that night in the 1880s when armed residents stormed the Spokane County auditor’s office and made off with the county records. “Being able to tag along to Texas as a uniformed, cornet-playing member of the mighty EWU band will go down as one of my most enjoyable column adventures.” In December 2013, with many band members away on Christmas break, alumni players like Clark were invited to join the band during the football playoff games at Roos Field. Clark returned for a command performance, and he wrote two columns for what turned out to be one of the coldest football games in Eastern history. It was so cold that the band’s instruments froze up. Clark wrote at the time, “Talk about misery. My eyes watered. My nose ran. I couldn’t feel my lips … And that was just walking from the music building to Reese Court. At least I didn’t have to embarrass myself by trying to find a band uniform big enough to fit me. (Band director Patrick) Winters let me hide under a red band parka that could have housed the entire cast of Glee.” In 2014, Clark wrote about playing with EWU’s tennis team: “I’m a twice-a-week hacker with bad knees and a weak backhand. The coach just wanted some publicity for his team and the tournament. He figured an aged tennis bum like me would roll over like some piddling puppy for a chance to hit with real players.” “Call me Rover.”

Doug Clark with EWU Men’s Tennis Coach Steve Clark. Photo: The Spokesman Review

The Next Chapter So, what’s next for Clark? “I never envisioned retiring this way,” said Clark. “This all came so soon that I haven’t thought much about where to go from here. I’ll probably play my guitar a lot more. And book more gigs with my band, Trailer Park Girls. There’s always whittling. I hear that’s a really popular pastime for geezers.” A few months have passed now and Clark seems to be making peace with his future. He’ll turn 67 in April. “My wife was really happy,” said Clark. “She was tired of the grind. After 4,500 columns, I had a good run and I don’t have any bitterness.” Clark isn’t sitting around eating bonbons. He writes a column for the magazine Spokane Coeur d’Alene Living. “One column a month for a nice check, and he [the publisher] said that I could write anything I wanted,” said Clark. “I’ve had no interference at all. It’s edgy enough; we’ll see how it goes.” He’s also working on the written contents for a coffee-table book for artist Mel McCuddin, who specializes in figurative expressionism. “ There’s something about a Mel McCuddin artwork,” said Clark. “Over the years, I’ve admired dozens upon dozens of McCuddins, including his huge sports and performance-oriented paintings that hang in the Spokane Arena. One of his paintings, The Last Paperboy, sort of sums up my whole career.”

Clark now owns the painting. In addition to making music with his band, Clark plans to continue presenting his annual Street Music Week – something he came up with 15 years ago. It began with him playing his guitar, like a street busker, during the noon hours of a workweek in downtown Spokane one June. He collected more than $500 and decided to donate it to 2nd Harvest Food Bank. That’s worth 3,000 pounds of food. He continued the following year and invited other street performers to join him. Now, around 350 performers participate, and together they’ve raised more than $175,000 over the years. Clark’s advice on retirement? “With retirement you just have to come up with ways to fill your day. Like yesterday, I bought underwear and socks at Walmart but … the mistake you’d make is just going to Walmart and buying your socks and underwear. I went to the Colville Walmart. So it fills up two hours to get there, an hour to look at the underwear and squeeze it and two hours to get back. That’s a day. “And the Rockford Files are on TV, and I also found out that you can get Uber Eats to deliver directly to your hot tub. You don’t even have to leave the hot tub. They’ll come around and avert their eyes. Retirement is kind of fun.” E

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

New Era for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Avista Development’s planned Catalyst Building in Spokane’s University District will feature Eastern Washington University as the primary tenant, opening the doors for EWU to be an innovation hub connecting students to the regional business community. As the main tenant, EWU will move three programs from its College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (CSTEM) in Cheney to the Spokane location – its computer science, electrical engineering and visual communication design (VCD) programs. This move will add 50 faculty members and an additional 1,000 students to Spokane, bringing a total of 4,000 EWU students to the University District. The five-story, 150,000-square-foot Catalyst Building along East Sprague Avenue will provide a space where industry and academia intersect to foster collaboration and innovation. The building will connect to Spokane’s growing University District by a Gateway Bridge. EWU’s spaces will feature modern, high-tech classrooms providing students with immersive learning experiences. By relocating programs from its CSTEM, the university hopes to increase the capacity of the regional workforce in key areas of engineering, computer science, data analytics, digital media, and tech commercialization and transfer. The Catalyst will be the first office building in the state constructed out of environmentally friendly cross-laminated timber (CLT) and will be connected to an energy-resource-sharing eco-district planned for the development. Construction begins in September 2018 and is expected to be completed by April 2020. Avista Development owns the land the building will be erected on and has formed a separate entity, the South Landing Building A, LLC, with longtime McKinstry executives to develop the project. “Eastern Washington University is excited to establish itself as a distinctive university that truly inspires knowledge, ignites change and revolutionizes the way we do education,” said EWU President Mary Cullinan. “From the beginning, we felt like the development at South Landing would provide our students a one-of-a-kind opportunity to interact with the companies that may one day employ them.” For more information on the Catalyst project, visit catalystspokane.com.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

New Science Building Approved

Eastern will begin the process of building the long-awaited Interdisciplinary Science Center (ISC) after the state legislature approved the 2017-19 capital budget. The budget includes $67 million that Eastern requested for the ISC and an additional $11.7 million for other EWU campus projects. The state-of-the-art science building will meet the needs of growing STEM programs such as biology, chemistry/biochemistry, geology and physics. The new facility will be connected by enclosed walkways to the existing science building, which the university hopes to renovate eventually for research labs, classrooms and extra space. A big thanks to the EWU Alumni Association (EWUAA) Board’s legislative committee: Jason Alvarado, chairman; Al Pjosek and Michael Moran, for their efforts in bringing this to the forefront of state legislators. “Obtaining funding for the replacement of the EWU science building was the only priority of the EWUAA legislative committee during the 2017-2019 legislative session,” said Alvarado. “Although the legislature adjourned in June 2017 without passing a capital budget, we are thankful that this ask was acknowledged in the recently passed capital budget.” During their campaign, the committee established an informative website (EWUAdvocates.org) to provide information about the

project and its funding needs, along with simple actions alumni and friends of EWU could take to assist in making this happen. “I credit this success to the many individuals who took the time to write a letter, email and/or send a postcard to their representatives, making it known that they fully support EWU and the advancement of our STEM students with the new Interdisciplinary Science Building,” said Alvarado. “I also want to acknowledge Michael Moran, past chairman of the legislative committee. Michael’s full-time job is in Olympia, working to advance issues and projects just like this one. The EWU Alumni Association is very grateful for his time and talents he volunteered both to the EWUAA Board and specifically to this project. His guidance and efforts on this campaign were absolutely essential in achieving this outcome.” This capital budget allocation means that EWU can immediately put the ISC project out for bid, and construction could start by fall 2018. It should take 24 to 28 months to complete.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

Science

Technology

Engineering

Mathematics

Engineering Team Changes Child’s Life Shannon Kellam is a full-time engineering student at EWU, president of the Rocketry Club, and a single mother to a fifth- and third-grader. As if she weren’t busy enough, Kellam also helped to build a 3-D-printed prosthetic arm for Spokane Public Schools fifth-grader Isaiah Strom. A team from EWU’s Engineering Department, which included Kellam, engineering tech Frank De Abreu and Rob Gerlick, PhD and assistant professor of mechanical engineering, used an open

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

source 3-D design to print the prosthetic arm for Strom. De Abreu and Kellam volunteered their own time to finish building it, which, for Kellam, meant helping De Abreu shape the prosthetic and string the arm.

Spokane Public Schools approached EWU with the idea of building a prosthetic for Strom after reading a New York Times article about 3-D hand printing, beginning the partnership that would change Strom’s life. “When they asked, they said can you build this kid a prosthetic hand? I said that’s a lot of work, that’s a lot of trial and error,” Gerlick said. “When you build something in engineering,

Shannon

Fifth-grade student Isaiah Storm and Shannon Kellam

you build it a few times. The teacher said there are already plans out there, they’re all over the world.” The maximum cost to make the arm was under $50, making 3-D-printed prosthetics an affordable option, particularly for children. “The big challenge is the kid grows, and then it doesn’t fit him, so if you spend $100,000 on a prosthetic this year, then you have to do it again next year,” Gerlick said. “This is a really cheap fix.” Kellam presented the prosthetic to Strom’s fifth-grade class at Madison Elementary in January, where she, De Abreu and Gerlick answered questions from the class and helped to shape the prosthetic to fit Strom’s arm, using a hairdryer to mold the plastic. In the meantime, Strom figured out the arm quickly – within the day, he held an orange with the prosthetic and used his other hand to peel it. Kellam and Frank De Abreu ’04

Especially being a mom myself, to bring that kind of joy to a kid is indescribable,” Kellam said. “Every now and then, it’s nice to see what your time produces. Happiness is one of those things you can’t buy, so if you put a lot of time and effort into bringing someone else happiness, there are no words to describe that.

When Kellam first arrived at Eastern, she was determined to enter the field of chemistry or engineering, eventually deciding on mechanical engineering. She had always wanted to earn her degree, though she was

unsure in what field when she first attended college in Montana. “Since being here, I’ve learned how accepting and fantastic Eastern is for nontraditional students. I honestly can’t imagine being anywhere else,” she said. The faculty have helped Kellam adjust to being a full-time student and also a single mother. Her closest family lives in Moses Lake, about an hour and a half away from Cheney. They’ve let her bring her children to class on school snow days, and let her keep her cell phone in her reach in case of emergencies. “The faculty here don’t just enter the classroom, teach and leave,” she said. “They are interacting with students on more than just a classroom level, and it’s incredible.” In the future, Kellam hopes to work in research and development, where she’s able to build products and correct issues before they’re finalized. E

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

FACES & PLACES FOR MORE EWU PHOTOS, VISIT FLICKR.COM/PHOTOS/EWUPHOTO.

1967 FOOTBALL TEAM REUNION

SEPT. 8, 2017

EWU VS TEXAS TECH | SEPT. 2, 2017

EWU VS FORDHAM | SEPT. 16, 2017

EWU VS NORTH DAKOTA ST | SEPT. 9, 2017

EWU VS MONTANA | SEPT. 23, 2017

EWU VS SACRAMENTO | ST. SEPT. 30, 2017

FROM TEXAS TO NEW YORK TO MONTANA TO BACK HOME IN CHENEY

EAGLES LOVE THEIR

FOOTBALL! 52

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

EWU VS NORTH DAKOTA ST. | SEPT. 9, 2017

EWU VS MONTANA | SEPT. 23, 2017

EWU VS WEBER ST. | NOV. 4, 2017

NATIONAL POPCORN DAY

TREATS FROM THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION FOR OUR EWU ALUMNI EMPLOYEES AT EASTERN | JAN. 19, 2018

GIVING JOY DAY NOV. 28, 2017 TO SEE MORE, GO TO PG. 8.

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL NETWORKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HOLIDAY SOCIAL | NOV. 16, 2017

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

Hampson Sings Hometown Praises By Brad Brown ’17

It would be easy to assume that baritone Thomas Hampson has moved on f rom his east ern Wa shingt on ro o t s . T he East e rn al umnus do e s n’ t n e e d anyone new to mention that he’s distinctly gifted, naturally expressive, charismatic or good-looking (opera buffs call him “ Thomas Handsome”). Audiences love him. Hampson ’92 packs opera houses on both sides of the Atlantic. Critics laud him for his vast repertoire of operatic roles, all backed by extensive musicological research. More than that, he’s been an iconic figure in U.S. opera, championing the art to younger, successive generations. Singing is not so much a career to him, rather a responsibility – to the poets, the composers and to communicate the fundamentals of cultures through music. All of this points to a person who’s outgrown his local roots, but that’s not true for Hampson deep down – even now he carries a Washington state driver’s license – because he’s still the boy from Spokane. By now, Hampson’s biography is the stuff of an operatic legend, self-described as a tale of a voice finding him. He was born in Indiana and raised in Spokane, when his father went off to work as a nuclear chemical engineer at the Hanford Site. His links to music were forged early and in a quite extraordinary way. Hampson’s family were Seventh-Day Adventists – though he doesn’t claim to affiliate with any group now – and he attended a small boarding school, Upper Columbia Academy, in Spangle, Washington. His reward for good grades was

a trip to the Fox Theater to see the Spokane Symphony perform – and on Nov. 4, 2017, he returned home to perform once again at that same theater. After graduating high school, he went on to study political science at Eastern Washington University. He remembers getting traffic tickets and eating corn dogs – “all things college students did” – in addition to his work as student body president his junior year and his responsibility as dorm monitor his senior year. Aside from his studies at Eastern, this time also coincided with the birth of his musical career. A career in political science might have been in store for Hampson if it hadn’t been for a highly trained, singing Catholic nun by the name of Sister Marietta Coyle. Sister Marietta noticed Hampson in his youth at yearly competitions, where he was a talented boy soprano and alto – a relationship was then formed. Sister Marietta taught at Fort Wright College of the Holy Names in Spokane and was trained by the great German soprano Lotte Lehmann and the famous French baritone teacher Pierre Bernac. While attending Eastern, Hampson also took credits and received lessons from her in comparative vocal pedagogies and score

reading. “A lot of rubber between Cheney and Spokane,” he says with a laugh. “She was very supportive of me going to Eastern,” said Hampson. “She thought training my mind in literature, history and politics was very important. But she was also passionate that I should not neglect my musical studies.” After Eastern, Hampson moved to California to continue his studies at the University of Southern California and attended a summer program at the Santa Barbara Music Academy of the West, which initiated a rise that could be described as meteoric but not always glamorous. Hampson was in California for two years and to get by, he did what knew best – sing. He sang at parties, fundraisers and funerals, at $25 a pop, and went home as happy as can be. On the side, he waited tables and worked in landscaping (one of his favorites). One of Hampson’s favorite quotes is “fortune favors the prepared mind,” and this holds true to the start of Hampson’s professional career. He entered and won many competitions in California, and, in 1981, he won National Auditions at the Met. Instead of staying in the U.S., he headed for Germany, where he was immediately engaged with the opera house in Dusseldorf.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

I had no idea about the profession that I was entering,” said Hampson. “I called my dad and said, ‘Dad, two things. I’m going to be making my living, however humble, as a professional singer. And two, I’m young enough that I’m going to do this for a couple of years, live in another culture and see what this whole opera thing is about.’ Literally, that’s what I said. My father was a nuclear chemical engineer, a very practical man, and he was a bit nervous about some of my choices, but I think he was fascinated that I was trying to be logical about it, and was very supportive.

His career has taken him far and wide across the globe. His discography, which now comprises more than 150 albums, includes a Grammy Award, five Edison Awards, and the Grand Prix du Disque (the premier French award for musical recording). In 2010, he was honored with a Living Legend Award by the Library of Congress. The list goes on. He’s performed at just about every major opera house in the world. The day before his performance at Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, Hampson taught a special voice master class presented by the Spokane Symphony. Spokane-area voice students were invited to perform and receive feedback from Hampson. Hampson is one of the great intellectuals of classical music and seemingly has an encyclopedic knowledge about all things opera. His days of performing at concert halls around the world are far from over, but his passion today is in teaching the rising generations of singers – not to give back but to pass on. More specifically, his master classes are a treasured opportunity for highly touted students to experience the degree of detail Hampson

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

Hampson’s voice master class, Nov. 3, 2017, Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox. Photo courtesy Spokane Symphony.

puts into his performances. He teaches the students breathing and posture – how to keep their ribcages up, their spines straight and their shoulders in proper alignment. Not only does he have an impeccable ear for noticing any faults in a performance, he seems to know exactly what to say to each individual. Students visibly have “ah-ha” moments on stage when working with him. Although he claims no role as a representative for American music, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who’s done more for the cause of American song than Hampson. For him, educating younger generations in classical music is essential to keeping the music he loves alive. In 2003, he created a nonprofit organization called The Hampsong Foundation to help spread his cause. “I do not believe that the arts and humanities, under any circumstances, should be treated as an elective,” said Hampson. “I think they are as much a core curriculum item of necessity for a rich and proper life as anything, in whatever job that person may end up having.” On Nov. 4, 2017, 10 years after a $31 million restoration that saved The Fox from becoming a parking lot, it was time to again celebrate the home of the Spokane Symphony and the art deco treasure that’s now on the National Register of Historic Places. The Spokane community pulled together to save this iconic

architectural gem, and what better way to mark the occasion than a performance by a favorite son. For the experienced opera fan, hearing Hampson take on a diverse program of French, German and American composers like Mozart, Wagner and Leonard Bernstein had to be a treat. But for the inexperienced, Hampson’s greatness was in plain sight. The audiences’ eyes were glued to his eyes the entire performance. From his winning stage performance to his prodigious pipes, his international stardom comes as no surprise. Before, during and after, Hampson sang praise of Spokane’s proud venue – the place that he and many others worked hard to raise money for its rebirth a decade ago. While Hampson’s career has taken him all across the globe, in these moments, the hometown treasures in the Fox Theater and in Thomas Hampson showcase the best of Spokane. “It means an enormous amount to me that there’s still a community that says, ‘He came from here,’ and it’s very important for me to say that about Spokane. My life has been such a patchwork of influences and places. The fact that Spokane still invites me to come back as a hometown citizen, to perform and celebrate this wonderful theater, it means a great deal to me. These kinds of things are anchors in my life.” E

class notes EMAIL YOUR NOTES TO EASTERNMAGAZINE@EWU.EDU.

Amazing Rookie Year for Kupp Congratulations to Cooper Kupp for being named ESPN.com’s NFC West Rookie of the Year for 2017 and also being voted Rookie of the Year by his Los Angeles Rams teammates. He was also named to the Professional Football Writers of America’s All-Rookie Team in January. Kupp ended his first NFL season among the league’s top rookies. During the regular season, he led the Rams in receiving yards (869) and was second in receptions with 62. He added another eight catches for 69 yards and a touchdown to his total in a loss to the Atlanta Falcons in an NFC wild-card playoff game. Kupp talked about his first season in an interview with the Los Angeles Times saying, “I believed in myself coming into this and being able to play at this level. So it’s obviously great being able to help produce.” “Cooper has done a great job maximizing his opportunities,” Rams Head Coach Sean McVay said of Kupp’s rookie campaign. “You look at it, he’s had a lot of production, [and] demonstrates a lot of maturity; you almost forget that he is a rookie. He’s been a big part in some of the offensive success that we’ve had this year.” ’17 Hayden Griffith, BA Spanish, has been hired by the U.S. Navy as an interpretive cryptologic technician. ’17 Bryce Hanson, BS environmental science, has joined GeoEngineers’ Spokane office as a geotechnical engineering field technician. ’17 Molly J. Kenoyer, BA social work, and Jonah Bies married May 27, 2017. The couple live in Spokane, where she is a social worker with Sisters of Charity. ’17, ‘15 Virginia Thomas, MFA creative writing, BA English, has joined the Spokane Journal of Business as its research coordinator. She worked as an intern for the paper in 2014. ’16 Jennifer M. Hammond, BA literacy, reading and writing, has joined the Concordian International School in Bangkok, Thailand, where she is an English language specialist. ’16 Damon Hunter, MURP, MPA, has been named manager of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce Foundation in Henderson,

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

During the off-season, he plans to work with his teammates to develop a routine to find balance among working out, watching film and personal time. Kupp graduated from EWU in 2017 with a degree in economics. He and his wife, Anna ’17, BA communication studies, live in Southern California and are expecting their first child in July.

Nevada. Previously, he worked for the city of Henderson as a planner. ’16 Ryley Queener, BA criminal justice, has joined the Pacific County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy. ’16 Sydney Rae Russell, BA professional accounting, has been appointed to the board of directors of Partnering for Progress, a Spokane nonprofit that sends teams to rural Kenya to help improve health, education, economic development, water and sanitation. Russell is a CPA at Moss Adams. ’13 Cameron Boboth, OD, BA biology, has been welcomed as the first resident doctor of Arkansas Vision Development Center in Fort Smith, Arkansas. After EWU, he graduated from Arizona College of Optometry. ’13, ’90 Christopher S. Cary, MS mathematics, BA education–mathematics, received an “Exceptional Faculty” award from Community Colleges of Spokane during the District Fall Convocation. He is a mathematics teacher at Spokane Falls Community College.

’13 Tasia A. Duske, MS clinical psychology, has been promoted to CEO of Museum Hack, a New York City-based renegade museum tour company. She was hired as staff manager by the company in March 2016 and promoted to chief of staff in October that same year. Museum Hack offers alternative museum tours in New York City, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Los Angeles. ’13 Courtney Hammond, BFA visual communication design, has joined RLH Corporation as the performance media marketing manager. Previously, she was the brand marketing manager for Red Lion Hotels Corporation in Spokane. ’13, ’11 Efrain J. Sanchez, MS physical education, BS exercise science, has been named companywide general manager of Thorbeckes Fitness Centers. Since 2013, he has worked with the company as a trainer and Total Athlete Performance (TAP) director. He has instructed classes in health, fitness, weight training and nutrition at both Centralia Community College and Lower Columbia Community College.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

class notes Vestal Wins Washington State Book Award Shawn Vestal ’08, ’05, MFA creative writing, BA interdisciplinary studies, won the Washington State Book Award for fiction for his debut novel, Daredevils (Penguin Press, 2016). The award, given by the Washington Center for the Book, honors “literary merit, lasting importance and overall quality.” Winners were announced in Seattle in October. Vestal’s novel, set in the 1970s, tells the story of a teenage girl, raised in a fundamentalist Mormon community in Arizona, who takes up with a Gentile boy. Her parents catch her, and as punishment, marry her off to a local merchant who already has a wife and children. Daredevils is Vestal’s second book. His first, Godforsaken Idaho, won the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for a debut book that “represents distinguished literary achievement and suggests great promise.” Vestal teaches in the MFA creative writing program at Eastern. He has been a writer, editor and columnist for The Spokesman-Review since 1999. Over the years, his works have appeared in Tin House, McSweeney’s, Ecotone, The Southern Review, Cutbank, Sou’wester and Florida Review.

’12 Becky Backstrom, BA psychology, has joined Morning Star Community Services in Spokane as a case manager for in-home care and group therapy. ’11, ’85 Carol Harrington, MFA creative writing, BA English, received an “Exceptional Faculty” award from Community Colleges of Spokane during the District Fall Convocation. She teaches English at Spokane Falls Community College. ’11 Luke E. Rice, MEd foundations of education, of WSU College of Pharmacy, was named “pharmacy student of the year” by the Spokane Pharmacy Association at its annual meeting Nov. 2. ’11 Liz Rognes, MFA creative writing, won the inclusion category award presented by Spokane Arts for creating the Girls Rock Lab to provide access to songwriting workshops, mentors and a space where girls could be treated as leaders, collaborators and performers.

’10 Ward McDonald, BS environmental science, a geologist and environmental scientist, has moved from Hart Crowser’s Seattle office to the firm’s Spokane office. He has been with the firm since 2010 and works to support large construction projects and investigate contaminated properties. ’10, ’03, ’81 Sandi Tschritter, MEd, BA interdisciplinary studies, BA nursing, of Spokane Community College, was named “pharmacy technician of the year” by the Spokane Pharmacy Association at its annual meeting Nov. 2. ’09 Ashley Dawson, MSW, has joined the Lynnwood (Washington) Police Department as an embedded social worker. Previously, she was the lead social worker for the Edmonds School District. ’09 Bryan Jarrett, BA management, has been hired by Numerica Credit Union. A senior external home loan officer, he has nine years’ experience. ’09 Brandon K. Rapez-Betty, MURP, customer and community relations manager at Spokane

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

Transit Authority (STA), received Mass Transit’s 40 under 40 recognition for his capacity for innovation, demonstrated leadership and a commitment to making an impact in Transit. ’09 Joe Willauer, MURP, is the new executive director of the Butte Local Development Corp. Previously, he was the executive director of Headwaters RC&D, a nonprofit organization based in Butte. ’08 Carlos Acevedo, BA journalism, is the culinary innovation and research chef for Yesway, the fast-growing convenience store chain, headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. Before joining Yesway, he was the test kitchen director for Grey Dog Media, overseeing recipe development for custom food magazines. He holds a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts management from the Culinary Institute of America. ’07 Mary C. DeLateur, MSW, was honored with the Community Enhancement Award at the YWCA Women of Achievement Luncheon in Spokane in September. For 30 years, she has worked and volunteered in the Spokane

SAVE THE DATE

OCTOBER 26-27, 2018 50-YEAR REUNION AND HOMECOMING CELEBRATION

CLASSES OF 1968 AND 1969

For more information, please visit

alumni.ewu.edu/reunion2018

community. For the past 11 years, she served as a licensed clinical social worker at the Spokane Veterans Center. After pursuing additional training in Military Sexual Trauma and Bereavement, she has become a specialist in this area and has presented at national conferences to inform and train others in this difficult work.

’07 Maya Zeller, MFA creative writing, has published her latest poetry collection, Alchemy for Cells & Other Beasts (Entre Rios Books, 2017). She is an assistant professor for Central Washington University’s Professional and Creative Writing Programs, and the author of Rust Fish (Lost Horse Press, 2011) and Yesterday, the Bees (Floating Bridge Press, 2015).

’07 Casey D. Knopik, BA journalism, has been honored with the U.S. Travel Associations’ Rising Star award in tourism. Knopik is a marketing and public relations specialist for Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory (Clackamas County).

’05 Sheila Jewell, BA management, has joined Kiemle & Hagood Co., in Spokane, as human resource director and office manager. Previously, she was the human resource manager for Fred Meyer.

’07 Melissa Kuntzmann, BA human resource management, has joined Zak Designs as director of human resources. She has more than 10 years of professional experience and has worked at MedData and Telect. She has also taught a course in human resources at EWU.

’04, ’02 Kathryn “Katy” Cabbage, MS and BA communication disorders, is an assistant professor in the Communication Disorders Department for the BYU David O. McKay School of Education in Provo, Utah.

’07 Jordan Page, BA accounting, has joined the board of directors for the Community Colleges of Spokane Foundation. He is a senior manager at Moss Adams.

’04, ’99 Cynthia Rogers, MBA, MPA, general management, has joined the University of Alaska, Fairbanks-Bristol Bay Campus as director. Previously, she served as the compensation and benefits director for the Anchorage School District.

’03 Tamitha Shockley-French, BS communication studies, has joined Eastern Washington University’s Advancement Division as a director of philanthropy. Previously, she served as a director of development and communication for Hospice of Spokane. ’02 Sean Gilbert, BA finance, has joined STCU as a commercial banking officer. He previously served as vice president and commercial relationship manager with Banner Bank for 15 years. ’02 Buddy Honshell, BA finance, has been named to D.A. Davidson & Co.’s Presidents Club, recognizing his outstanding integrity and service to clients. He is a senior vice president and financial adviser for the company. ’01, ’94 Lisa Poplawski, MEd, BA graphic communications, has been named the associate vice president of Philanthropy for Eastern Washington University. Previously, she served as EWU’s director of Alumni Advancement.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

Leave Your Mark at EWU Make it permanent with a brick in Showalter’s historic walkway to support student success. Join us in celebrating the 10th year of the Brick Campaign by purchasing a personalized brick. Start today at ewu.edu/brick 12546 brick magazine ad2.indd 1

’00 Jessica Kirk, BA Spanish, has been promoted to director of business retention and expansion at Greater Spokane Incorporated. She most recently was the manager of a government contracting program at GSI and spent three years in GSI’s Membership Development Division. ’98 Pia Hallenberg, BA journalism, has been named development director at Spokane Humane Society. Previously, she was a staff writer for The Spokesman-Review. ’98 Stephanie Regalado, BS dental hygiene, was honored as the Top Social Media Influencer during the 2017 National Association of Women Business Owners’ conference in Minneapolis. She is the owner of Business BirdSong, a boutique communication firm focused on content creation, social media, PR and blogs and is most widely recognized for her work in magazines, in particular her current role as editor-in-chief of Spokane Coeur d’Alene Living magazine. ’96 LeAnn Davis, BA urban and regional planning, is director of the Lake County

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

1/4/18 8:24 AM

Youth Mentor Program in Lakeview, Oregon. Previously, she worked with a 4-H National Mentoring Program. ’96 Patrick Gaffney, BEd psychology, is the new principal for Blue Heron Middle School in the Port Townsend School District. Previously, he taught mathematics in Memphis, Tennessee, and served as the athletic director and assistant principal in Chewelah. ’96 Ira Garner Jr., BA communication studies, received an “Exceptional Faculty” award from Community Colleges of Spokane during the District Fall Convocation. He is a photography instructor at Spokane Falls Community College. ’94 Douglas S. Johnson, BA sociology, has been hired as Winthrop, Washington’s new deputy marshal. He began his law enforcement career in 1993 with the Tukwila Police Department. ’94 Anita M. Reynolds, BA business, has been appointed as interim executive director of NEXUS Inland NW. The nonprofit began in 1980 and provides support and services to the deaf and hard of hearing.

’92, ’90 Steve W. Martin, MS and BS biology, has been selected to lead Washington’s Salmon Recovery Office, which coordinates the efforts of 25 community-based watershed groups’ seven regional organizations across the state. ’91 Joseph Drumheller, MS geology, has written a children’s book, Jason and the Crawdad King (Golden Bell, 2017). ’89 Hal H. Hart, MURP, has been named director of Skagit County Planning and Development Services. Previously, he served as director of planning in Juneau, Alaska, Woodinville, Whatcom County and most recently in Anchorage, Alaska. ’88 Terri L. Schibel, BA education-reading, received an “Exceptional Faculty” award from Community Colleges of Spokane during the District Fall Convocation for her work in the Head Start program. ’87 Jess Walter, BA journalism, was honored with the Humanities Washington Award for scholarship and service at the Humanities Washington’s Bedtime Stories fundraiser held

class notes Eagle Supporters Win EWU Christmas Tree In December, Eastern Washington University sponsored a tree at the annual Christmas Tree Elegance fundraiser in the historic Davenport Hotel, benefiting the Spokane Symphony Orchestra. The prize package included not only the tree and all the EWU decorations, but also a tailgate party, football tickets, a fire pit, tailgate chairs, tickets for a Best of Broadway show, a $100 gift card to Barrel House Pizza and Pub, a $500 gift card to the EWU Bookstore and $1,750 in cash and other items. Raffle tickets were purchased to win the package, and who better to win than Gary and Carole Garrett, of Sacheen Lake, Washington? They have been attending Christmas Tree Elegance since 1991, and this was the first time they won a tree. “We feel this is a great community event that supports the Spokane

Symphony,” wrote the Garretts. “It is an honor to win a tree sponsored by Eastern Washington University.” Gary served on the EWU School of Business advisory council from 1992 to 2000 as a board member, twice as chairman of the council. As president of Wells Fargo’s Eastern Washington Region, Gary was able to offer the dean advice that affected students. The Garretts’ sons both graduated from Eastern. Bryan Garrett ’94, BA graphic communications, is a senior claims adjuster at Safeco Insurance and is co-owner and marketing director of Britz Designs, LLC. Phillip Garrett ’97, BA management information systems, is claims team manager at Safeco Insurance. Both have been football tailgaters at Eastern for the past six years. “We are thrilled to receive the Eastern tree

in Spokane, Oct. 27. He received the award for his works promoting literature and the arts. Among the reasons given by Humanities Washington are his co-founding of Spark Central in Spokane, his regular participation in the Get Lit! literary festival and his work for the awarding organization, including serving on the awards’ selection committee in 2009.

’85 Greg Brown, BA public recreation, retired Dec. 31 as director of Maple Valley Parks Department. He served as director there for the past 13 years. Before that, he was assistant director at the Mercer Island Parks and Recreation Department for 18 years. In his retirement, he plans to continue working on special projects for Maple Valley as a part-time parks manager.

’86 Keller Allen, BA general studies, has been named one of Washington’s top 100 lawyers by Super Lawyers Magazine. Selection is based on peer nomination and evaluation. ’86 Curt Fuller, BA management, has been promoted to Numerica Credit Union’s vice president commercial team leader. An employee since 2012, Fuller will oversee the team in Spokane. ’86 Sean Mulvenon, BA physics, is the new associate dean of research and sponsored projects in the College of Education at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He earned his PhD at Arizona State University.

’84 Beth Chandler, BA English, has been promoted to marketing director of the Hermanson Company. She began her career with Integrus Architecture in Spokane before moving to the Hermanson Company in 1998. ’82 Mike Batista, BA criminal justice, has been named executive director of the Friendship Center’s Board of Directors. The center is a shelter serving Lewis and Clark, Jefferson and Broadwater counties in Montana. He served as director of the Montana Department of Corrections, administrator of the Montana Department of Justice, intelligence supervisor for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and worked in the victim/witness unit for the Spokane County prosecutor’s office.

Brothers Bryan and Phillip Garrett

and all the great prizes that went with it,” wrote the Garretts. “One in particular is a large piece of the red turf. This will be displayed at all future tailgate events by our sons.”

’80 Susan Doering, BA physical education, has retired after 29 seasons as Colfax High School’s volleyball coach. She entered her final season with an 807-193 record. Combined with four seasons at Deer Park, she will finish with more than 900 victories. She has done nothing but coach winners since playing for Coach Pam Parks at EWU. ’78 Tobby Hatley, BA radio and TV, has been named local government affairs manager in Spokane by the Washington Hospitality Association. He has more than 30 years of experience in TV, radio, print, politics and marketing, including 14 years as a broadcast journalist with KHQ-TV in Spokane. ’73 Joseph Folda, MA physical education, announced he will retire at the end of the 201718 academic year at Colorado State UniversityPueblo, where he is the athletic director. He has served in this position since 2005. ’60 Shirley Cutler, BA education, has retired from teaching after 57 years. She taught in the Acton-Aqua Dulce Unified School District in Southern California.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

in memoriam ’15 Ikuko Wilton, age 70, died July 23, 2017 ’13 Nathan C. Kadel, age 28, died Oct. 14, 2017 ’11 Mary E. Moe, age 69, died Dec. 8, 2017 ’02 Kelly L. Gapinski, age 40, died Sept. 18, 2017 ’00 Nicole A. Webster, age 40, died Sept. 24, 2017 ’98 Robert L. Artechevarria, age 62, died Jan. 5, 2018 ’97 Eric W. Lowry, age 47, died Nov. 27, 2017 ’97 Marjorie Stevens, age 55, died Aug. 19, 2017 ’96 Lee E. Henry, age 52, died Jan. 16, 2018 ’95 Bob Ahrend, age 75, died Oct. 25, 2017 ’94 Jerry D. Fleming, age 46, died Oct. 13, 2017 ’92 Mark M. Ferguson, age 65, died Aug. 19, 2017 ’90 Robbin W. Finch, age 63, died Dec. 18, 2017 ’90 Teresa L. Hanenburg, age 62, died Aug. 3, 2017 ’89 Cindy Wright Doyle, age 50, died Oct. 15, 2017 ’88 Windi A. Elmenhurst, age 52, died Dec. 1, 2017 ’88 Zeno L. Keeling, age 75, died Aug. 8, 2017 ’87 Sheryl L. Hansen, age 53, died Jan. 5, 2018 ’85 Wylie D. Edwards, age 63, died Oct. 23, 2017 ’85 Joe W. Jackson, age 84, died Oct. 7, 2017 ’84 Robert L. Gay, age 60, died July 25, 2017

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

’84 Edith M. Pinto, age 91, died Oct. 20, 2017

’72 David G. Krohn, age 71, died Sept. 3, 2017

’80 Carl F. Dobson, age 81, died Aug. 29, 2017

’72 Glen R. Prosser, age 69, died Nov. 13, 2017

’79 Sandra H. Conder, age 69, died Sept. 1, 2017

’71 Terry J. Sherburne, age 70, died Oct. 7, 2017

’79 Daniel L. Hoadley, age 85, died Nov. 4, 2017

’70 Ronald C. McConnell, age 69, died Dec. 18, 2017

’79 Randy L. Lindsey, age 63, died Dec. 6 2017

’70 Tracy L. Oday, age 69, died Oct. 25, 2017

’79 William C. Thompson, age 87, died Aug. 25, 2017

’69 Don L. Chumley, age 73, died Oct. 2, 2017

’78 Allan J. Goetz, age 70, died Dec. 30, 2017

’69 James F. Cox, age 70, died June 22, 2017

’78 Sally A. Hoagland, age 61, died July 12, 2017 ’78 Marcia L. Peters, age 62, died Sept. 29, 2017 ’78 Randal C. Uhrich, age 62, died Jan. 16, 2017 ’76 Robert D. Granly, age 62, died Sept. 1, 2017

’68 Charles M. Naccarato, age 74, died Oct. 22, 2017 ’68 Roy R. Spanish, age 31, died Oct. 15, 1977 ’67 Gary L. Johnson, age 74, died Oct. 23, 2017 ’67 Bert N. Lomax, age 72, died Aug. 28, 2017

’75 Jeff Lorello, age 67, died Oct. 16, 2017

’67 Roberta F. Scheibner, age 90, died Sept. 28, 2017

’74 John D. Hernandez, age 71, died Dec. 9, 2017

’66 Keith E. Fairbairn, age 74, died Dec. 21, 2017

’74 Kathy Yerxa, age 65, died Oct. 19, 2017

’66 Ronald P. Reimann, age 74, died July 30, 2017

’73 Linda R. Fisher, age 67, died July 28, 2017 ’73 Susan A. Jarvis, age 71, died Dec. 10, 2017 ‘73 Jim Millgard, age 67, died Dec. 25, 2017 ’73 Marcia L. O’Leary, age 83, died Dec. 1, 2017 ’71 Elizabeth McManis, age 81, died Jan. 5, 2018 ’72 William A. Gentry, age 72, died July 10, 2017

’65 James H. Dostert, age 75, died Nov. 4, 2017 ’65 Charles E. Hiatt, age 76, died Sept. 16, 2017 ’64 John L. Fowler, age 75, died Sept. 17, 2017 ’64 Glen E. Little, age 78, died Nov. 16, 2017 ’64 Carolyn J. Stewart, age 75, died Oct. 1, 2017 ’63 Karen L. Johnson, age 76, died Dec. 26, 2017

in memoriam Joseph W. Jackson (1933-2017) Joe Jackson (’85, BA general studies) died Oct. 7, 2017, in Pasco, Washington, at the age of 84. Jackson was appointed to the EWU Board of Trustees in 1985 and served on the board until 2000. He was the board chair from 1988 to 1989. Jackson successfully ran for the Pasco City Council in 1981 and was elected mayor two years later, becoming the first African-American to do so. His two terms as mayor extended from 1983 to 1987 and again from 1989 to 1991. He served on the city council for 22 years. Born in Arkansas in 1933, he and his family moved to Pasco in 1948. At that time, blacks were only allowed to live east of the railroad tracks. Jackson served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He spent the next four decades working for several Hanford contractors – as a mechanical engineer, designer, supervisor and manager. He retired in 1996. According to an article in the Tri-City Herald, his family said he was a role model for all young men, not just African-Americans, and spoke highly of his fellow Pasco residents and always had something good to say about others. Joseph Jackson, photo courtesy of the Tri-City Herald

’62 Ronald Gies, age 78, died Oct. 21, 2017 ’60 Paul P. Blair, age 84, died Dec. 14, 2017 ’59 Kent D. Matheson, age 81, died Sept. 18, 2017 ’59 Marlene S. McCoy, age 81, died Jan. 8, 2018 ’59 Keith A. Springer, age 81, died Dec. 20, 2017 ’58 Stanley A. Marsh Sr., age 82, died Oct. 8, 2017 ’56 William J. Riggs, age 88, died Nov. 30, 2017 ’53 Deral A. Adams, age 86, died Sept. 23, 2017 ’53 Elizabeth P. Miles, age 87, died Sept. 25, 2017 ’53 Carl E. Welch, age 87, died July 6, 2017 ’51 Elna A. Paulson, age 87, died Aug. 10, 2017

’51 Walter O. Roenicke Jr., age 93, died June 25, 2017 ’51 Enos E. Underwood, age 88, died Aug. 31, 2017 ’50 Eugene V. Elledge, age 91, died Nov. 29, 2017 ’50 Victor W. Sands, age 88, died Dec. 27, 2017 ’49 Harold R. Hartman, age 94, died Sept. 13, 2017 ’49 Beverly Porter Simmons, age 91, died July 7, 2017 ’49 Alpha M. Spence, age 90, died Sept. 17, 2017

Faculty & Staff Charles Baumann, PhD, professor emeritus, age 91, died Dec. 2, 2017. He retired in 1991, after 22 years of service to the university. He served as dean, professor of library science and university librarian.

Peter B. Buerger, PhD, age 74, died April 3, 2017. He retired from the Psychology Department in 2006, after 35 years of service. Vivian Carpine, age 87, died Dec. 2, 2017. She retired from the university in February 1995, after 15 years of service in the library. Janice Dow, age 61, died Jan. 13, 2017. She retired from the Custodial Department in fall 2017 after 39 years of service. H. Keith Quincy, PhD, professor emeritus, died Aug. 15, 2017. He retired from Eastern in 2003 after 33 years of service in the Government/Political Science Department. David Rostkoski, PhD, age 80, died Dec. 11, 2017. He retired in January 2001, after 31 years of service as a faculty member in the Music Department. Joe Yoho, age 48, died Nov. 23, 2017. He had worked in Dining Services since April 2011.

E ASTERN: SPRING 2018

EASTERN Magazine

Non Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE

University Advancement Eastern Washington University 102 Hargreaves Hall Cheney, WA 99004-2413

PAID

Eastern Washington University

r e e B t f Cra e s r u o C n o i t a i c e r p Ap

rk in the usiast, wo th n e r e e l and ft b rofessiona P oning cra e â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rg rn u te b s a a r you. il sales, E If you are a course fo try or reta g s n u ri d e in ff t o n gram is restaura cation Pro u d E g in u Contin Course world of craft n o i t a i c e r Appr on to the Craft Bee rovides a solid introducti gin, color, ingredients, ep les, ori taste. The cours istory, sty h r e e b sware and g s in la d g , lu e c ic in beer, eer serv process, b g the in w re b the eople for p re a p re help p en. e.org/ustended to n in o r o e ls ic a c is t e exam a This cours er Server* e B d e ifi rt Ce Cicerone

creation

e Health & R by d ducation, e E t l a a t ic i s l y i h Fac turer, P , senior lec

dric om fessor Chris Cin sbrewco.c l work pro ia c o s U ntainlake W u E o , m n | o t g es Brewin Tim Hil ntain Lak ou hip with M In Partners

ion @ EW

cat uing Edu n i t n o C nd

nal a

Professio

lumni 50 EWU A 2 $ r o 5 9 18 | $2 ation June 9, 20 uing educ n ti n o /c u 60 ewu.ed To enroll: | 509.359.60 u d .e u w ? ce@e Questions

rogram. ification P rt e C e n . ro ll Cice enro ed by the d older to or endors 1 years an h 2 it e w b d st u te a M affili rse is not *This cou