Alumni Association to honor alums today

Western Washington University will hold its annual Distinguished Alumni Awards and Recognition Celebration on Thursday, May 15.

This year’s award winners span a wide range of accomplished alumni, including leaders in business, education, public health, performing arts, the environment and human services, in addition to a community member who has made an impact for Western students.

“Two of the proudest moments of a president’s career are handing diplomas to graduates and having the opportunity to recognize outstanding alumni and community members who have gone on to put their higher education to higher purposes and achieve great things. It’s a pleasure to recognize our exceptional award winners who epitomize the Western values of making a difference in their professions, their communities and the world,” said Western President Bruce Shepard.

The following individuals will be recognized at Thursday’s dinner celebration:

Lifetime Achievement Award: Mina Ghattas (‘59 & ‘60)

Dr. Mina Ghattas began his journey to Western from war-torn Palestine as a teenager who fled with his family to Lebanon. His interest in audio visual technology led him to meet KVOS radio and television owner Rogan Jones. Jones offered Ghattas an internship opportunity if he returned to Bellingham. Ghattas interned at KVOS, and with full funding support from Jones, earned his bachelor’s and master's degrees in Education at Western. Ghattas spent time as an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse and later became the director of the Office of Learning Resources at Northeastern University in Boston. He has taught in both pre- and in-service teacher education programs in the U.S. and abroad. In retirement, Dr. Ghattas continues international education consulting activities on the topics of media and the political climate of the Middle East.

Larry “Go Vikings!” Taylor Alumni Service Award: Joanne Metzger-Levin (‘81 & ‘86)

Joanne Metzger-Levin is one of the most outstanding athletes in Western’s history. She was an All American basketball player and a finalist for the the Wade Trophy. Since graduating she has taught at Everett High School for 32 years, and has been an honorary coach for University of Washington and Duke University. But Metzger-Levin remains a devout Western supporter, showing her Viking pride by cheering on the WWU teams as often as she can and serving the Goodrich-Dolfo Endownment for Excellence in Women’s Basketball.

Young Alumnus of the Year: Brett W. Mitchell (‘01)

In his short time since graduating from Western, Brett Mitchell has followed his love of music around the world. He is heralded as one of the most prominent and successful conductors of our time, having led musical performances in London and France, as well as stateside in Philadelphia, Dallas, Houston and Saginaw, Mich. He is currently the assistant conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra.

College of Fine and Performing Arts: Francis Johnston (‘73)

Francis “Fritz” Johnson graduated from WWU in 1973. That was the same year he married his wife Diane, also a Western alum, and started his long career at Boeing. After 41 years, Johnston will retire from Boeing with distinction this year. As he looks back on his career, he highlights his work on the Boeing and McDonnell merger as one of his major achievements because it represents the coming together of the two aerospace giants into one strong company. He oversaw the rebranding of Boeing through that merger and went on to become vice president of Global Brand Management and Advertising.

College of Humanities and Social Sciences: Kirby Larson (‘76)

After working two jobs while attending Western and graduating with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast communications, Kirby Larson found her love of writing. After becoming a mother, she was inspired to pursue writing children’s books and has since published 19 titles from picture books for the American Girl brand to historical fiction to true-life adventure tales about animals. In 2007 her book “Hattie Big Sky” was a 2007 Newbery Honor Book. Larson supports Western’s Children’s Literature Conference and student scholarships.

College of Sciences and Technology: Robert Matson (‘69 & ‘71)

At Western, Robert Matson’s interests included becoming a science teacher, booking bands on campus for student entertainment and being the Victor Viking mascot at football games. His research opportunities with Dr. George Kriz led him to go on to a successful career developing industry-changing technology for biomarker discovery and in vitro diagnostics. He is in the Inventor’s Hall of Fame at Beckman Coulter, Inc. with 12 U.S. patents and six European patents issued. As president and co-founder of QuantiScientifics, he continues to advance research while being a mentor within his Orange County community as well as Western.

Huxley College of the Environment: Roberta Riley (‘82)

After receiving her bachelors in Environmental Studies from Western in 1982, Roberta Riley earned her law degree and became a budding attorney in Seattle. As a cancer survivor, she became a passionate advocate for health insurance reform and a key player in advancing human rights, winning several landmark cases throughout her career. Riley was named Ms. Magazine “Woman of the Year” and has earned a Women’s History Month award and the Planned Parenthood Shining Star Award. She currently serves as the Communications Director for Northwest Health Advocates and is working to address climate change.

Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies: Thomas Thornton (‘78)

As a local, sustainable farmer and community educator, Cloud Mountain Farm owner Thomas Thornton is at the forefront of crop development processes and agricultural research. With grants, Thornton has put together half-million dollar research project for salad green production. This facility would allow for people to grow product and wash it themselves, revolutionizing the process for local farmers. In the decades since graduation, Thornton and his wife Cheryl, have employed a number of Western students at their nonprofit Cloud Mountain Farm. They provide an internship program as well as participate in speaking engagements at Fairhaven College.

College of Business and Economics: Jason Warnick (‘94)

As a student, Jason Warnick helped establish Western’s chapter of the Alpha Beta Psi accounting club and has continued to invest his time wisely to advance companies and organizations. His career began with Deloitte & Touche and gained momentum with Amazon. He currently leads Amazon’s Internal Audit team comprised of 25 auditors and 60 analysts. Warnick has stays involved with Western, coming up to talk to students about the industry and recruit top-rank students to Amazon’s internship program.

Woodring College of Education: William “Bill” Wright (‘60)

Despite coming to Western for basketball, Bill Wright grew up playing golf. Then in 1959, he became the first African-American golfer to win a United States Golf Association Championship title at the NAIA men’s golf championship. After graduation, Bill and his wife, Ceta, moved to Los Angeles where he has been teaching school and golf while competing in the PGA tour, appearing in the U.S. Open in 1966 and six Senior U.S. Opens. In 2000 he was named Western’s “Alumni of the Century.”

Campus School Recognition Award: Rob Brand (‘59 & ‘60)

Rob Brand is one of Whatcom County’s most beloved educators, having spent more than 26 years as an elementary school principal in several schools in the community. He has received numerous awards, and was listed on the Bellingham Herald’s “Ten Who Cared” list in 2009. Today, in his pseudo-retirement, he is an adjunct faculty member at Western and has an annual scholarship established by colleagues in his name.

Campus Volunteer Recognition Award: Tamara Belts (‘76)

Tamara Belts graduated from Western in 1976 and has worked for Western Libraries for 40 years. From watching computers replace card catalogs to several construction and expansion projects, she has been an essential part of Western Libraries evolution. In addition to being part of Western’s history, she collects the oral histories of students, alumni and faculty to preserve and share with future Vikings. She is an avid supporter of Vikings Athletics and volunteers at graduation and Viking Night each year.

Community Volunteer Recognition Award: Dr. R. Emil Hecht

Dr. Emil Hecht is founder of Bellingham Ear Nose and Throat and Hecht Aesthetic Center in Bellingham. He has been an influential community partner, supporting Western’s Communication Sciences and Disorders department for years by allowing speech-language pathology and audiology students learning opportunities in his clinic. Working in concert with WWU faculty, he has helped teach and shape the curriculum, and has students participate in research and patient care alongside his colleagues. Dr. Hecht supports several local organizations, volunteers in underserved medical clinics outside the U.S. and contributes to Viking Athletics as well as the Don Cole Graduate Fellowship - named after his brother-in-law and former VP for Financial Affairs.

In addition to the Distinguished Alumni Awards and Recognition Celebration dinner, honorees spend the day on campus meeting with deans, leaders and speaking to classes. This event marks the kickoff to Back2Bellingham weekend.