Commencement Awards

Distinguished Alumnus Award - Delma Tayer

Delma Tayer

Delma Tayer was born into a pioneer family that migrated from Quebec to Malheur County, Oregon. In 1947 she moved to Yakima to marry Harold Tayer. The couple and young son, made their life and home in Selah, WA. After her husband began his dental practice, Delma attended Yakima Valley College before transferring to Central Washington University (formerly known as Central Washington State College). There she studied English literature, art and philosophy. As a Ford Foundation Scholar, she earned a bachelor's in English education and philosophy, and later two master's degrees and required course work for an M.F.A. in art. Her passion for education led her to take not only all of the English classes CWU offered at the time, but the art classes, too. After earning her degrees she taught English at YVC for 20 years, then joined the administration and served as dean of Arts and Sciences from 1984 until her retirement in 1990. She also served at the national level in the formation of the Commission for the Humanities and is a past president of the Board of Trustees of Humanities Washington. She also served as President of the Two-Year-College English Association, Vice-President of the Northwest English Association, and with associates from Evergreen and Washington State Universities initiated the Art Touring Service. In 1974 she began serving as the Director of the Larson Gallery, along with her other duties, an assignment she continued until her retirement. She has also received many awards and honors including the Allied Arts Council Award for contribution to the excellence in arts. She was also recognized with the YWCA's Woman of Achievement Award, the Washington Community College Humanities Association's John N. Terrey Award, the Humanities Washington Heather C. Frank award and the Larson Gallery's 2000 Woman of the Year award. Upon her retirement she has spent many hours in her studio, in her garden, and traveling internationally.

Faculty Emeritus Award - Gordon Koestler

Gordon Koestler

Working full-time as a gravedigger in Tacoma by day and attending college classes part-time in Auburn at night, Gordon Koestler earned an Associate of Arts degree from Green River Community College in 1978. Moving to Pullman, Koestler graduated summa cum laude in American Studies from Washington State University in 1981, eventually serving as a reporter and editor for the WSU Daily Evergreen student newspaper. Koestler was then an award-winning journalist for weekly newspapers in Western Washington, ultimately earning a National Newspaper Association award for his writing (1989). Following a new calling in education, he returned to college and in 1992 graduated from Central Washington University with a master’s degree in English Language Learning. Over the next 27 years, Koestler taught composition, literature, and integrated learning and student-success courses at YVC. Koestler was founding director of the YVC Writing Center and served many years as liaison to the Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education. In 2005, he was honored with the Robert M. Leadon Excellence in Teaching award. He retired in 2019, a true believer in the power of community colleges to transform lives and communities. He lives in Yakima with his wife, former YVC English instructor Jean Raabe.

Sherrie & Daryl Parker Faculty Award - Carol Schneider

Carol Schneider

A Business Administration Instructor, Carol Schneider has taught with passion, developed innovative curricula, and provided new opportunities for students at YVC since 1998. She worked in both industry and higher education before coming to YVC. She taught at Northeastern University (Boston), Everett Community College, Skagit Valley College, Central Washington University, and Heritage University. Schneider earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Business Administration from The University of Rhode Island. She has served as the Chair of the Business Department and on numerous committees during her tenure at YVC. In addition, she has provided leadership for YVC’s Call Center Project, the U.S. Office of Housing & Urban Development’s Office of University Partnership’s Grant to build two local Family Resource Centers, the Allied Health Programs at YVC, the Center of Excellence in Allied Health Grant, and the creation of the YVC Bachelors of Applied Science Degree in Business Administration.

Robert M. Leadon Excellence in Teaching Award - Dan Peters

Dan Peters

As an English instructor in the Arts and Sciences division, Dan Peters teaches all levels of composition in addition to Creative Writing, Survey of American Literature, and Introduction to Shakespeare classes. Peters grew up in Selah and attended Willamette University in Salem, OR where he received a bachelor's degree in English. After obtaining his master's degree in literature from the University of Montana, Peters started working at YVC in 1995 as a part-time weekend college instructor. He taught part-time for the college for four years, while taking education classes at Heritage University and working as a counseling para-educator and coach at Wilson Middle School. Peters taught for three years at West Valley High School before accepting a full-time position at YVC in 2001. In addition, Peters currently serves on the Selah School Board and has recently been selected for the 2020-21 yearlong Fulbright U.S. Roving Scholar Program in Oslo, Norway.

Darlene Koch Classified Employee of the Year Award - Johnny Roger Schofield

Darlene Koch Classified Employee of the Year Award Johnny Roger Schofeld Johnny Roger Schofeld spent his early years in the Bay Area and the Sierra Nevada. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English, he moved to Seattle to start an indie rock band. From 2001 to 2009, they made fve records, played over 550 shows, and toured 240,000 miles. In 2007 they performed live on MTV, winning MTV’s Breakout Band of the Year and having their music videos promoted by the channel. Their songs have also appeared on TV shows and video games. Johnny has also written three novels. Moving to Yakima in 2012, he shifted focus to poetry, placing first in Allied Art's Juried Poetry Contest and the LiTFUSE Poetry Slam. He also created a poetry open mic series in 2017. Recently, Booth Literary Journal published his poem “Moose Blood.” Over the past six years, Johnny has tutored students as a Writing Center Coordinator at YVC, striving to teach the power of writing as a path toward “a robust life of critical thinking and amplified moxie.”