Wallie Funk honored at Western

During his long career as a photographer, journalist and co-owner of the Anacortes American, the Whidbey News-Times, and the South Whidbey Record, Wallie V. Funk photographed a diverse and eclectic range of subjects, including several U.S. presidential visits to the state of Washington; the Beatles’ and Rolling Stones’ concerts in Seattle; the 1970 Penn Cove whale capture; local and regional accidents and disasters (both natural and man-made); and community events and military activities on Fidalgo and Whidbey islands.

On Tuesday, Feb. 2, Funk was honored at a ceremony in Western Libraries Special Collections at Western Washington University.

A photographic exhibit featuring Funk's images is available for viewing weekdays in Special Colelctions between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., (excluding weekends and holidays).

Panelists at Tuesday's ceremony were Theresa Trebon, Swinomish Indian Tribal community and local historian; Paul Cocke, director of Western’s Office of Communications and Marketing and former news editor of the Anacortes American; Elaine Walker, curator of collections at the Anacortes Museum and former news editor of the Anacortes American; and Scott Terrell, photojournalist for the Skagit Valley Herald and WWU journalism instructor.

Roughly 75 to 80 people were in attendance to hear tales of Funk’s contributions and their place in the history of local and national photojournalism.

The presentation was sponsored by Western Libraries Heritage Resources, the WWU Department of Journalism and Western’s Office of Communications and Marketing.

The photographs on display in the exhibit represent a small sample from a far larger collection of papers, prints, and negatives donated by Walle V. Funk to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies in 2003. If you are interested in learning more about this collection, contact Heritage.Resources@wwu.edu.

For more information about this exhibit and the panel presentation, please contact Western Libraries Special Collections Manager Tamara Belts at 360-650-3193 or Tamara.Belts@wwu.edu.

Photos by Libby Keller and Clarissa Mansfield.

Western Today staff
Photo by Libby Keller / for Western Today
Photo by Clarissa Mansfield / Western Libraries
Photo by Clarissa Mansfield / Western Libraries
Photo by Clarissa Mansfield / Western Libraries
Photo by Clarissa Mansfield / Western Libraries
Photo by Clarissa Mansfield / Western Libraries
Photo by Clarissa Mansfield / Western Libraries
Photo by Clarissa Mansfield / Western Libraries
Photo by Libby Keller / for Western Today
Photo by Libby Keller / for Western Today