Class Notes

1970s

’73 Kirk West, BA education, is poised to complete a law degree at Griffith University Law School in Brisbane, Australia. Now 70, West worked as a teacher in Australia for more than 40 years. He came back to the United States after retirement, only to return to Australia to enter law school in 2019.

’78, ’84 Rick White, BA, MA music education, was inducted into the Washington Music Educators Association Hall of Fame, Class of 2020. White retired last year after a 40-year teaching career that included service in several school districts in the state of Washington.

’79 Betty Mobbs, BA communications, last year celebrated her eighth year of “regenerative ranching” at the grass-fed cattle and pastured poultry operation that she runs with her husband, John, in Hauser Lake, Idaho. The Mobbs’ Lazy M Ranch, family owned for three generations, aims to use regenerative practices to produce less resource-intensive food while revitalizing previously depleted soils.

’79 Kathie Webber, BA history, this summer retired after a 41-year career as a science teacher with the Snohomish School District. “I don’t know where the time went,” she says. “It seems like just yesterday that I graduated from EWU.”

1980s

’84, ’89 Lee Williams, BA, MEd, education, in December retired as CEO of CommunityMinded Enterprises, a Spokane-based organization working to assist marginalized populations in Washington state.

’88 Tawny Buck, BA business administration, is the executive director of the Girdwood Health Clinic in Girdwood, Alaska. Under her leadership, the once financially troubled clinic has become a vital community resource. It will soon break ground on a new, $7 million state-of-the-art facility.

People-Friendly Places

Essays edited by Eastern alumna Summer Hess explore one of Spokane’s most interesting urban spaces.

Just southwest of the University District, near the corner of N. Browne St. and Main, lies one of Spokane’s most trendy city blocks, a bustling pocket of once neglected, now mostly restored historic buildings.

The casual visitor might be forgiven for imagining that this hipster-friendly assortment of businesses is simply a funky shopping and entertainment hub. But as Summer Hess ’12 points out in a new account of the area, the minidistrict collectively known as the Community Building Campus is, in fact, merely the latest phase in a two-decades-long attempt to create a more socially conscious, community-driven form of urban development. The idea being, as one civic leader puts it, to help “good people and good organizations [do] great things for our world.”

The book, One-Block Revolution, is a collection of 19 essays that reflect on the campus and its wider impact — both in Spokane and around the country. Hess says she first encountered the campus as an EWU work-study student in 2009. She later became an assistant and project manager for its founder, Jim Sheehan, a former public defender and activist. Hess says the essays’ aim is to provide “on-the-ground examples of experimental and non-traditional philanthropy and community-centered development.”

“Most private developers put profit first,” she explains, “and some try to make accommodations for sustainability or human happiness in order to make their projects more marketable or desirable. The Community Building Campus, on the other hand, puts people and the environment first.”

Putting people before profit is at the core of the “revolutionary” aspect of the one-block campus. “This book provides an alternative framework for how wealth can be shared and used for a more collective good,” Hess says.

One-Block Revolution, which best-selling novelist Jess Walter ’87 has called “a fascinating collection of pieces about my favorite neighborhood in Spokane,” is available at major retailers and through its locally owned publisher, Latah Books.

1990s

’90 Peter C. Zahorodny, BA general studies, recently retired after 21 years as a senior software test engineer in the NetPlus division of Ventraq Corp., a data collection and analysis firm headquartered in Rockville, Maryland.

’92 Kim Reasoner-Morin, BA education, in October was named executive director of the Spokane Humane Society, a private, non-profit agency providing care, shelter, and placement for neglected and unwanted animals. As executive director, Reasoner-

(Continued next page, below.)

Building Relationships

Erin Ross, EWU alumna and member of the Cowlitz Tribe, will guide Eastern’s Tribal Relations Office.

In July, Eastern named Erin Ross ’99, ’15, alumna and member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, its new director of tribal relations. For Ross, the job is all about extending and improving engagement with the Native communities upon whose ancestral lands Eastern resides.

“I know first-hand that Eastern does great work, meaningful work, for tribal governments,” she says, citing her own time as a student in urban and regional planning. “Our students have completed projects ranging from providing planning services and tribal transportation support, to saving lives by completing research and providing solutions that have significantly reduced traffic fatalities within reservations. Additionally, we collaborate with local school districts and organizations to bring Native American students to Eastern. We want students to understand that they are capable of attending college and pursuing their goals.”

Student outcomes aren’t the only focus of the position, she says. Tribal relations outreach also encompasses efforts to shore up connections with tribal governments in the region.

“Federally recognized tribes are in effect sovereign nations, so my primary responsibility is to facilitate the relationships between EWU and tribal governments,” Ross says, adding that her job also involves providing EWU with advice and assistance for these partnerships.

It’s a role for which Ross, who has worked as a tribal activist, planning manager and professional political advisor, is particularly well suited. She says these experiences and others give her a “deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities governments face... Having this knowledge allows me to properly advise EWU in its efforts to build stronger relationships.”

And what about her years as a student? Might that help?

“Yes!” she says. “I am grateful to have the opportunity to serve Native American communities and students, and to play an active role in my alma mater. Go Eags!”

Morin says she will join with staff and supporters to “lay the groundwork for the future of animal welfare in the Spokane area.”

’96, ’09 David Henderson, BA liberal studies, MA public administration, retired in June 2020 after 47 years of working in public service related fields, including service in the U.S. Army and 39 years with the state of Washington. “It is time to venture into new and exciting journeys, and begin my second career as a traveler,” Henderson says.

2000s

’02 Heather Elder, MA English. Elder, who is also an alumna of Gonzaga’s School of Law, this summer began serving as a hearings judge for Washington’s Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals. The board hears appeals resulting from decisions made by the state’s Department of Labor and Industries, among them workers’ compensation claims. ’02 Trent Hansen, BA education, in May was named superintendent of Jurupa Unified School District in Jurupa Valley, California. Hansen began his leadership of the district on July 1.

’05 Craig Dias, BA business administration, was named general manager and vice president of finance at Clean Copack, a comanufacturing division of BumbleBar, Inc., a Spokane Valley-based maker of organic energy bars.

2010s

’13 Greta Underhill, BA, MSC communication studies, in November was awarded the inaugural Graduate Teaching Award at the 107th National Communications Association Convention in Seattle. Underhill, a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Kansas, is pursuing a doctoral degree in KU’s Department of Communication Studies. ’15 Joshua Lindberg, BA music, earlier this year earned a doctorate in educational leadership from Concordia University-Chicago. His dissertation explored how music teachers judged the effectiveness of the training they received as undergraduates. He is currently director of bands and orchestra at Southridge High School in Kennewick, Washington.

’19 Rani Duffey, BA business administration, joined NAC Architecture, a design firm with offices in Spokane, Seattle and Los Angeles, as a marketing coordinator.

’19 Dehonta Hayes, BA communication studies, in December signed a contract to play with the Green Bay Blizzard of the Indoor Football League. Hayes, a standout safety who led the Eagles in tackles during the 2019 season, has also developed a substantial following as a comedian and sports commentator on social media.

Join the Eagle Flights Wine Club

Award-winning Washington wines made by Eagles for Eagles, delivered right to your door.

You can now choose from either an all-white, all-red or mixed shipment of award-winning wines from Washington producers, each hand-selected for the Eagle4Life family. A portion of your purchase supports the Alumni Legacy Scholarships. Sign-up today at eagleflightswineclub.com. If you are a current member and would like to change your shipment type, please contact the alumni office, ewualum@ewu.edu.

NOMINATE AN EAG!

2022 EWU Alumni Awards Gala honors the accomplishments of distinguished alumni in the following categories:

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT | ALUM OF SERVICE – ORGANIZATIONAL ALUM OF SERVICE – EDUCATIONAL | ALUM OF SERVICE – MILITARY INSPIRATIONAL YOUNG ALUM | EAGLE4LIFE SPIRIT KNOW A DESERVING EAG?

Nominations open Jan. 1 and close on Jan. 31! Nomination forms can be found at ewu.edu/nominations Save the date for the 2022 EWU Alumni Awards Gala,