WWU Alma Clark Glass Hall Dedication Ceremony set for Oct. 7

Western's campus community is invited to the virtual dedication of Alma Clark Glass Hall, Western Washington University’s newest residence hall. In December of 2020, Western’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved naming this new residence hall after Alma Clark Glass, the first Black student to attend Western.

Based on the recommendations of the University’s COVID Management Team, we will be live-streaming the event as a safety precaution for residents and guests. The in-person event will be limited to a small group of ceremony speakers, Glass family members, and key representatives. We wish we could include all of the extended Western community in person, but safety is of our utmost priority. 

WHAT:              WWU Alma Clark Glass Hall Dedication Ceremony (Virtual) 

WHEN:             Thursday, Oct. 7, at 4 p.m. 

WHERE:           Dedication Ceremony will be live-streamed on the Alma Clark Glass Hall webpage. An ASL interpreter and closed captioning will be provided. 

About Alma Clark Glass 

When she arrived at Bellingham Normal School in January 1906, Alma Clark became Western’s first Black student. She spent one term in Bellingham, studying psychology, geography, physical culture, biology, botany and observation and practice teaching. She left Western later in 1906 and in November was appointed as an assistant librarian at Seattle Public Library.  

Alma Clark Glass spent most of her life in Seattle and was active in public service. In 1913 she was a founding member of the Seattle branch of the NAACP, one of the first branches west of the Mississippi River. She was also a lifelong member of the Washington State Association of Colored Women and served on the board of directors of the Seattle Urban League in the 1940s.