Whitman College
Encyclopedia
Private university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
, co-educational, non-sectarian, residential undergraduate liberal arts college
Liberal arts colleges in the United States
Liberal arts colleges in the United States are certain undergraduate institutions of higher education in the United States. The Encyclopædia Britannica Concise offers a definition of the liberal arts as a "college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general...
located in Walla Walla, Washington
Walla Walla, Washington
Walla Walla is the largest city in and the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. The population was 31,731 at the 2010 census...
. Initially founded as a seminary by a territorial legislative charter in 1859, the school became a four year degree granting institution in 1883. Whitman College is accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges and competes athletically in the NCAA Division III Northwest Conference. The school offers 46 majors and 31 minors in the liberal arts and sciences. Whitman was the first college in the U.S. northwest to receive a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, and the first school in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to require comprehensive exams for graduation. Whitman was ranked 16th in the nation in Forbes' America's Best Colleges list.
Whitman seminary
Whitman Seminary, the precursor to Whitman College, was chartered by the Washington Territorial Legislature in 1859 at the request of Cushing Eells as a memorial to MarcusMarcus Whitman
Marcus Whitman was an American physician and Oregon missionary in the Oregon Country. Along with his wife Narcissa Whitman he started a mission in what is now southeastern Washington state in 1836, which would later become a stop along the Oregon Trail...
and Narcissa Whitman
Narcissa Whitman
Narcissa Prentiss Whitman was an American missionary in the Oregon Country of what would become the state of Washington. Along with Eliza Hart Spalding , she was the first European-American woman to cross the Rocky Mountains in 1836 on her way to found the Protestant Whitman Mission with husband Dr...
, Christian missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
who had died twelve years earlier in the Whitman Massacre
Whitman massacre
The Whitman massacre was the murder in the Oregon Country on November 29, 1847 of U.S. missionaries Dr. Marcus Whitman and his wife Narcissa Whitman, along with eleven others. They were killed by Cayuse and Umatilla Indians. The incident began the Cayuse War...
at their mission site near present day Walla Walla, Washington. Eells initially wanted to locate the pre-collegiate academy on the former mission site, but pressure from newly founded Walla Walla, combined with the donation of land in 1859 by prominent local Dorsey Syng Baker, led to the school opening in town. After Eells resigned as principal in 1869, the seminary had difficulty competing with other local schools for pupils and remaining financially solvent.
From seminary to college
Whitman's trustees decided in 1882 that while their institution could not continue as a prep school, it might survive as the area's only college. Alexander Jay Anderson, the former president of the Territorial University (now the University of WashingtonUniversity of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
), came to turn the institution into a college and become its president. After modeling the institution after North East liberal arts colleges, Anderson opened the school on September 4, 1882 (Marcus Whitman
Marcus Whitman
Marcus Whitman was an American physician and Oregon missionary in the Oregon Country. Along with his wife Narcissa Whitman he started a mission in what is now southeastern Washington state in 1836, which would later become a stop along the Oregon Trail...
's birthday) with an enrollment of 60 students and three senior faculty (Anderson, his wife and son). In 1883, the school received a collegiate charter and began expanding with aid from the Congregational American College and Education Society.
Financial turmoil and new leadership
Despite local support for Whitman college and help from the Congregational community, financial troubles set in for the school. After losing favor with some of the schools supporters, Anderson left Whitman in 1891 to be replaced by Reverend James Francis Eaton. The continuing recession of the 1890s increased the institution's financial worries and lost Eaton his backing, leading to his resignation in 1894.Reverend Stephen Penrose, an area Congregational minister and former trustee, became president of the college and brought the school back to solvency by establishing Whitman's endowment with the aid of D. K. Pearsons, a Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. By popularizing Marcus Whitman
Marcus Whitman
Marcus Whitman was an American physician and Oregon missionary in the Oregon Country. Along with his wife Narcissa Whitman he started a mission in what is now southeastern Washington state in 1836, which would later become a stop along the Oregon Trail...
's life and accomplishments (including the suspect claim that the missionary had been pivotal in the annexation by the United States of Oregon Territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
), Penrose was able to gain support and resources for the college. Under his leadership, the faculty was strengthened and the first masonry buildings, Billings Hall and the Whitman Memorial Building, were constructed.
The end of religious affiliation
In 1907, Penrose began a plan called "Greater Whitman" which sought to transform the college into an advanced technical and science center. To aid fundraising, Penrose abandoned affiliation with the Congregational Church, and became unaffiliated with any denomination. The prep school was closed and fraternities and sororities were introduced to the campus. Ultimately, this program was unable to raise enough capital; in 1912, the plan was abandoned and Whitman College returned to being a small liberal arts institution, albeit with increased focus on co-curricular activities. Penrose iterated the school's purpose "to be a small college, with a limited number of students to whom it will give the finest quality of education”. In 1920 Phi Beta Kappa installed a chapter, the first for a Northwest college, and Whitman had its first alum Rhodes Scholar.World War II
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Whitman was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program
V-12 Navy College Training Program
The V-12 Navy College Training Program was designed to supplement the force of commissioned officers in the United States Navy during World War II...
which offered students a path to a Navy commission.
Campus
About 70% of the student body resides in school housing. Two of eight residence halls date to the early 1900s and several residence buildings are of neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
architectural design. There are eleven "Interest House" residences which are mostly of Queen Anne and classical design. Academic facilities are newer and of more modern
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
design.
Three women's sororities (Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta , also known as Theta, is an international fraternity for women founded on January 27, 1870 at DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury...
, Delta Gamma
Delta Gamma
Delta Gamma is one of the oldest and largest women's fraternities in the United States and Canada, with its Executive Offices based in Columbus, Ohio.-History:...
, and Kappa Kappa Gamma
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Kappa Kappa Gamma is a collegiate women's fraternity, founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois, USA. Although the groundwork of the organization was developed as early as 1869, the 1876 Convention voted that October 13, 1870 should be recognized at the official Founders Day, because no...
) are housed in the Prentiss Hall school residence hall and four men's fraternities (Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
, Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...
, Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta , also known as Phi Delt, is an international fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, Beta Theta Pi, and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad. The fraternity has about 169 active chapters and colonies in over 43 U.S...
, and Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon is a college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899 at Illinois Wesleyan University with chapters in the United States, and Canada, and affiliation with a German fraternity system known as the Corps of the Weinheimer Senioren Convent...
) are housed in fraternity houses north of Isaacs Avenue. Downtown Walla Walla is a few blocks to the west of the campus. The college also has about 22000 acres (89 km²) of other land holdings outside the main campus area, one of which — the Johnston Wilderness Campus — is used for academic and social retreats.
Academics
About 1500 undergraduate students are enrolled in Whitman College, 56% female to 44% male. Greek life is notable on campus; there is high percentage of students, around 33%, in fraternities and sororities. There are many student activities, many of which focus on student activismActivism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
and social improvement. Many students also choose to participate in varsity, club, and intramural sports
Intramural sports
Intramural sports or intramurals are recreational sports organized within a set geographic area. The term derives from the Latin words intra muros meaning "within walls", and was used to indicate sports matches and contests that took place among teams from "within the walls" of an ancient city...
such as rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, waterpolo, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, dodgeball
Dodgeball
Dodgeball is any of a variety of games in which players try to hit other players on the opposing team with balls while avoiding being hit themselves. This article is about a well-known form of team sport with modified rules that is often played in physical education classes and has been featured...
, and nationally renowned cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
and Ultimate
Ultimate (sport)
Ultimate is a sport played with a 175 gram flying disc. The object of the game is to score points by passing the disc to a player in the opposing end zone, similar to an end zone in American football or rugby...
teams. Special interest housing for foreign language
Foreign language
A foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her...
program students is also available.
The college offers 42 fields of study for Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degrees. There are also 10 additional areas that offer solely minor studies.
Degrees are awarded after successful completion of senior "comprehensive exams." These exams vary depending on the students' primary focus of study, but commonly include some combination of i) a senior thesis
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
, ii) written examination, and iii) oral examination. The oral examination is either a defense of the student's senior thesis, or is one or multiple exams of material the student is expected to have learned during their major. The written exam is either a GRE
Graduate Record Examination
The Graduate Record Examinations is a standardized test that is an admissions requirement for many graduate schools in the United States, in other English-speaking countries and for English-taught graduate and business programs world-wide...
subject test or a test composed by the department.
For students who are interested in foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
, Whitman is one of 16 institutions participating in the two-year-old Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship
Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship
The U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program was renamed the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program to honor one of the most distinguished and capable American diplomats of the latter half of the 20th century. Thomas R...
program. The State Department pays for fellows to obtain their master's degree at the university of their choice in return for three years of service as a Foreign Service
United States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...
Officer. Whitman has a number of alumni who serve in foreign affairs
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs is an American magazine and website on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published since 1922 by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...
.
Students can take advantage of one of the most loyal alumni networks in the nation through the Career Consultant Network, which includes many alumni.
Whitman's Speech and Debate Program is active in policy (CEDA-NDT) and parliamentary (NPDA-NPTE) debate as well as individual events. Each year, 24 to 30 students participate in the program. Students travel to tournaments throughout the west coast as well as nationally. Whitman students Adam Symonds and Jessica Clarke won the CEDA National Championship in 1999.
Whitman also offers combined programs in conjunction with several institutions throughout the United States:
- 3-2 programsDouble degreeA double-degree program, sometimes called a combined degree, conjoint degree, dual degree, or simultaneous degree program, involves a student's working for two different university degrees in parallel, either at the same institution or at different institutions , completing them in less time than...
in engineering with the California Institute of TechnologyCalifornia Institute of TechnologyThe California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
, Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, Duke UniversityDuke UniversityDuke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, University of WashingtonUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, and Washington University; - 3-2 programs in forestry and environmental management with Duke UniversityDuke UniversityDuke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, leading to a Master of Environmental Management or an MBA degree; - A 3-2 program in oceanography at University of WashingtonUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, leading to a Whitman B.A. and a U. of Washington B.S. in Oceanography; - A 4-1 combined program in elementary education with the Bank Street College of Education in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, culminating in a bachelor's degree from Whitman, a master's degree from Bank Street, and the requirements for teaching certification
Whitman offers a "Semester in the West" program, a field study program in environmental studies
Environmental studies
Environmental studies is the academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment. It is a broad interdisciplinary field of study that includes the natural environment, built environment, and the sets of relationships between them...
, focusing on ecological, social, and political issues confronting the American West
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
. For a full semester, 20 accepted students will travel the West, focusing on various issues.
Whitman is listed in Loren Pope's
Loren Pope
Loren Brooks Pope was an American writer and independent college placement counselor.In 1965, Pope, a former newspaperman and education editor of The New York Times, founded the College Placement Bureau, one of the first independent college placement counseling services in the United States...
book Colleges That Change Lives
Colleges That Change Lives
Colleges That Change Lives is a college educational guide by Loren Pope. It was originally published in 1996, with a second edition in 2000, and a third edition in 2006...
.
Athletics
Whitman holds membership in the NCAANational Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
's Northwest Conference
Northwest Conference
The Northwest Conference is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member teams are located in the states of Oregon and Washington.-History:...
(Division III) and fields nine varsity teams each for men and women. More than 70 percent of the student body participates in intramural sports
Intramural sports
Intramural sports or intramurals are recreational sports organized within a set geographic area. The term derives from the Latin words intra muros meaning "within walls", and was used to indicate sports matches and contests that took place among teams from "within the walls" of an ancient city...
; more than 20 percent participate in a varsity sport.
Whitman's official mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
, named the 'Fighting Missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
' after Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, is a source of debate, with many student organizations and athletic teams wishing to change it in order to avoid the implied cultural imperialism
Cultural imperialism
Cultural imperialism is the domination of one culture over another. Cultural imperialism can take the form of a general attitude or an active, formal and deliberate policy, including military action. Economic or technological factors may also play a role...
. However, many alumni are in favor of keeping the unique mascot, which inspired the innuendo
Innuendo
An innuendo is a baseless invention of thoughts or ideas. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging , that works obliquely by allusion...
-laden cheer "Missionaries, Missionaries, We're On Top!" Current campaigns to change the mascot support the 'Duck', named for the many ducks residing in campus creeks and ponds, as a culturally neutral mascot.
In addition, the Whitman Cycling team has managed to win DII National Championships for the past two years, and 4 times in the past 6 years, making them the athletic team at Whitman with the most National Championships, despite their club sport status.
KWCW 90.5 FM
KWCW 90.5 FM is a Class A radio stationRadio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
owned and operated by the Whitman Students' union
Students' union
A students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...
, the Associated Students of Whitman College.
"K-dub" as it is known to students, is located inside the Reid Campus Center on Whitman Campus. Broadcasting at a power of 160 watts, the station's range is approximately 15 miles (24 km) as well as online at kwcw.net.
College leadership
Whitman College is governed by TrusteeTrustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
s in conjunction with a college President, Overseers and Alumni Board.
List of presidents
- Alexander J. Anderson, 1882–1891
- James F. Eaton, 1891–1894
- Stephen B. L. Penrose, 1894–1934
- Rudolf A. Clemen, 1934–1936
- Walter Andrew Bratton, 1936–1942
- Winslow S. Anderson, 1942–1948
- Chester C. Maxey, 1948–1959
- Louis B. Perry, 1959–1967
- Donald Sheehan, 1968–1974
- Robert Allen SkotheimRobert SkotheimRobert Allen Skotheim is an educator who has served as president of several colleges and institutions. He served as president of Whitman College in the 1970s and 80s and the Huntington Library in the 2000s...
, 1975–1988 - David Evans MaxwellDavid Maxwell (academic)David Maxwell is the president of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. He is the 12th president of Drake and stepped into the role on May 15, 1999. He is the son of jazz trumpeter Jimmy Maxwell.-Academic career:...
, 1989–1993 - Thomas E. CroninThomas CroninThomas Edward Cronin is a noted political scientist and professor. He served as President of Whitman College from 1993-2005. He is currently the McHugh professor at Colorado College and an expert on campus lore. An authority on the expanding power of the American Presidency in the 20th Century, Dr...
, 1993–2005 - George S. Bridges, 2005–
Alumni board
Whitman College alumni started the Alumni Association in 1895 to relay alumni reaction to college programs back to the Alumni Office. The board is currently chaired by Ryan Hagemann, Portland, with Tom Oldfield, Gig Harbor, as vice chair.Notable Whitman alumni
- – Otto HarbachOtto HarbachOtto Abels Harbach, born Otto Abels Hauerbach was an American lyricist and librettist of about 50 musical comedies...
, MA, lyricistLyricistA lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
and librettist of about 50 musical comedies, including Rose Marie and The Desert SongThe Desert SongThe Desert Song is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel. It was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riffs, a group of Moroccan fighters, against French colonial rule. It was also inspired by stories of Lawrence of...
. - 1919 - Frances Penrose OwenFrances Penrose OwenFrances Penrose Owen was a noted community volunteer in Seattle, Washington, a 22-year member of the Seattle School Board and the first woman on the Board of Regents of Washington State University, the state's land-grant research institution, serving from 1957 to 1975.-Early life and...
, BA Greek, honored for her extensive public service in Seattle, first woman Regent of Washington State UniversityWashington State UniversityWashington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university... - 1920 – William O. DouglasWilliam O. DouglasWilliam Orville Douglas was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. With a term lasting 36 years and 209 days, he is the longest-serving justice in the history of the Supreme Court...
, BA EnglishEnglish studiesEnglish studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
-EconomicsEconomicsEconomics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, U.S. Supreme Court Justice. - 1921 - Wallace R. BrodeWallace R. BrodeWallace Reed Brode was an American chemist. He was president of the American Chemical Society in 1969 and of the Optical Society of America in 1961...
, BA, chemist, absorption spectra of dyes. - 1922 – Ralph Cordiner, BA Economics-Political Science, CEO and Chairman, General ElectricGeneral ElectricGeneral Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, Corp. Chairman & CEO (1958-1963); President (1950-1958) - 1924 – Walter BrattainWalter Houser BrattainWalter Houser Brattain was an American physicist at Bell Labs who, along with John Bardeen and William Shockley, invented the transistor. They shared the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics for their invention. He devoted much of his life to research on surface states.- Early life and education :He was...
, BA PhysicsPhysicsPhysics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, physicist, co-inventor of the transistor, Nobel PrizeNobel PrizeThe Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
winner. - 1924 – Vladimir RojanskyVladimir RojanskyVladimir Borisovich Rojansky was an American physicist, author and educator. He was born in Bologoye, a small town outside St. Petersburg, Russia. His father was a railroad construction engineer and one of his grandfathers was a general.At the outbreak of the Russian Civil War he enlisted in...
, physicist, author and educator. - 1933 – Gordon Wright, BA, historian.
- 1934 – Bernard BerelsonBernard BerelsonBernard Reuben Berelson was an American behavioral scientist, known for work on communication and mass media.He was a leading proponent of the broad idea of the "behavioral sciences", a field he saw as including areas such as public opinion...
, BA English, behavioral scientist known for work on communicationCommunicationCommunication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
and mass mediaMass mediaMass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
. - 1935 – Al UllmanAl UllmanAlbert Conrad "Al" Ullman , was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives who represented from 1957 to 1981...
, U.S. congressman for 24 years. - 1941 – Lucile LomenLucile LomenHelen Lucile Lomen was the first woman to serve as a law clerk for a Supreme Court justice.Lomen was born in Nome, Alaska in 1920. Her family later moved to Seattle, where she graduated from high school in 1937. She then attended Whitman College, from which she graduated with honors in 1941. Lomen...
, first woman to serve as a law clerkLaw clerkA law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...
for a Supreme CourtSupreme Court of the United StatesThe Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
justice. - – Jack FeareyJack FeareyJack Fearey was an American director of the Seattle Center and a television pioneer in the Pacific Northwest...
, attended three years, television pioneer at KING-TVKING-TVKING-TV, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Seattle, Washington, affiliated with the NBC network. Owned by Belo Corporation, it broadcasts on UHF digital channel 48. Its offices and broadcasting center are located just east of Seattle Center...
, director of the Seattle CenterSeattle CenterSeattle Center is a park and arts and entertainment center in Seattle, Washington. The campus is the site used in 1962 by the Century 21 Exposition. It is located just north of Belltown in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood.-Attractions:...
, established the BumbershootBumbershootBumbershoot is an annual international music and arts festival held in Seattle, Washington. One of North America's largest such festivals, it takes place every Labor Day weekend at the 74-acre Seattle Center, which was built for the 1962 World's Fair. Seattle Center includes indoor theaters,...
and the Northwest Folklife Festival. - 1951 – Adam WestAdam WestWilliam West Anderson , better known by the stage name Adam West, is an American actor best known for his lead role in the Batman TV series and the film of the same name...
, BA EnglishEnglish studiesEnglish studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
, actor, BatmanBatman (TV series)Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
, Family GuyFamily GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
. - 1955 – Al SwiftAl SwiftAllan Byron Swift , an Emmy award–winning broadcaster, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1995. He represented the Second Congressional District of Washington as a Democrat....
, attended two years, Washington Congressman. - 1959 – Diane MiddlebrookDiane MiddlebrookDiane Helen Wood Middlebrook was an American biographer, poet, and teacher. She taught feminist studies for many years at Stanford University. She is best known for critically acclaimed biographies of poets Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath , and jazz musician Billy Tipton...
, attended, biographer of Anne Sexton. - 1960 – Douglas ColeDouglas Cole (historian)Douglas Lowell Cole was a Canadian historian specializing in art and cultural history, particularly the cultures of Northwest Pacific Coast....
, BA Art History, historianHistorianA historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
specializing in art and Pacific Northwest cultural history. - 1960 – David R. NygrenDavid R. NygrenDavid Robert Nygren is a particle physicist known for his invention of the Time projection chamber. He currently works at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he has worked since 1973...
, particle physicist, inventor of the Time projection chamberTime projection chamberIn physics, a time projection chamber is a particle detector invented by David R. Nygren, an American physicist, at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in the late 1970s...
. - – Pat ThibaudeauPat ThibaudeauPatricia "Pat" Thibaudeau is a politician from the state of Washington whose term as a Washington state senator from Seattle's District 43 expired in January 2007...
, BA Psychology, former Washington State Senator. - 1963 – W. Michael GilletteW. Michael GilletteW. Michael Gillette is an American attorney and retired judge in the state of Oregon. He was an associate justice on the Oregon Supreme Court, where he served from 1986 until 2010...
, BA, Oregon Supreme CourtOregon Supreme CourtThe Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...
Justice. - 1964 – Walt MinnickWalt MinnickWalter Clifford "Walt" Minnick is the former U.S. House of Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
, BA, Idaho Congressman. - 1965 - Webb MillerWebb MillerFor the Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent, see Webb Miller .Webb Miller is a professor in the Department of Biology and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University. He received his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Washington in 1969. He...
, BA, Computational Biology Pioneer. Time 100, 2009: Scientists and Thinkers - 1965 – Ben KerkvlietBen KerkvlietBen Kerkvliet is Emeritus Professor at the Department of Political and Social Change, School of International, Political & Strategic Studies, Australian National University. He works across the areas of comparative politics, Southeast Asia and Asian studies...
, author and educator in the fields of comparative politicsComparative politicsComparative politics is a subfield of political science, characterized by an empirical approach based on the comparative method. Arend Lijphart argues that comparative politics does not have a substantive focus in itself, but rather a methodological one: it focuses on "the how but does not specify...
, Southeast AsiaSoutheast AsiaSoutheast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
and Asian studiesAsian studiesAsian studies, a term used usually in the United States for Oriental studies and is concerned with the Asian peoples, their cultures, languages, history and politics...
. - – Morten LauridsenMorten LauridsenMorten Johannes Lauridsen is an American composer. He was composer-in-residence of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and has been a professor of composition at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music for more than 30 years.-Biography:Lauridsen was born February 27, 1943, in...
, composer. - 1967 – Dirk BenedictDirk BenedictDirk Benedict is an American movie, television and stage actor, perhaps best known for playing the characters Lieutenant Templeton "Faceman" Peck in The A-Team television series and Lieutenant Starbuck in the original Battlestar Galactica film and television series.-Early life:Benedict was born...
(Niewoehner), BA Dramatic Art, Battlestar GalacticaBattlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
and The A-TeamThe A-TeamThe A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
. - 1970 – Kathryn ShawKathryn ShawKathryn Shaw is a Canadian director, actor, and writer living in Vancouver, Canada. Since 1985 she has been the Artistic Director of Studio 58, an acting and production training school at Langara College.- History :...
, BA Dramatic Art, artistic directorArtistic directorAn artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
of Studio 58Studio 58Studio 58 is an intensive theatre school located in Vancouver, British Columbia. A part of Langara College's Theatre Arts Program, the school offers professional theatre training for actors and production personnel. It is the only conservatory-style theatre training program in Western Canada...
in Vancouver, British Columbia. - 1971 – Ryan CrockerRyan CrockerRyan Clark Crocker is a Career Ambassador within the United States Foreign Service and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He currently is the United States Ambassador to Afghanistan. He was the United States Ambassador to Iraq until 2009; he previously served as the U.S...
, BA English, current U.S. AmbassadorAmbassadorAn ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and former U.S. AmbassadorAmbassadorAn ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, LebanonLebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, KuwaitKuwaitThe State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, SyriaSyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, and PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. - 1971 – John MarkoffJohn MarkoffJohn Markoff is a journalist best known for his work at The New York Times, and a book and series of articles about the 1990s pursuit and capture of hacker Kevin Mitnick.- Biography :...
, BA SociologySociologySociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, New York Times journalistJournalistA journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and co-author of TakedownKevin MitnickKevin David Mitnick is a computer security consultant, author, and hacker. In the late 20th century, he was convicted of various computer- and communications-related crimes. At the time of his arrest, he was the most-wanted computer criminal in the United States.-Personal life:Mitnick grew up in...
. - 1971 – Jack RasmussenJack RasmussenJack Rasmussen is the Director and Curator of the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center in Washington, DC. A native of Seattle and raised in San Jose, Jack Rasmussen earned his bachelor’s degree in art from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, before launching a long...
, BA ArtArtArt is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, Director and Curator of the American University MuseumAmerican University MuseumThe American University Museum is located in the Katzen Arts Center at the American University in Washington, DC. It is a three-story, museum and sculpture garden located within the university’s Katzen Arts Center. The region’s largest university facility for exhibiting art, the museum’s permanent...
. - 1971 – Ben WestlundBen WestlundBen Westlund was a politician in the U.S. state of Oregon. A Democrat, he was elected State Treasurer in 2008. Previously, Westlund served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, as a Republican from 1996 to 2006, as an independent from 2006 to 2007, and then as a Democrat...
, BA Education/History, former Oregon State TreasurerOregon State TreasurerThe Oregon State Treasurer is a constitutional officer within the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, elected by statewide vote to serve a four year term. As chief financial officer for the state, the office holder heads the Oregon State Treasury, and with the Governor...
. Deceased 2010 while in office. - 1973 – Torey HaydenTorey HaydenVictoria Lynn Hayden, known as Torey L. Hayden , is a female child psychologist, special education teacher, university lecturer and writer of non-fiction books based on her real-life experiences with teaching and counseling children with special needs.Subjects covered in her books include autism,...
, BA, Biology/Chemistry, child psychologist, special education teacher, university lecturer and author. - 1974 – Marlin EllerMarlin EllerMarlin Eller is a programmer who was a manager and a software developer at Microsoft Corporation from 1982-1995, and he was development lead for the Graphics Device Interface of Windows 1.0 and also for Pen Windows. He was also a co-founder and the CEO of Sunhawk Digital Music LLC...
, BA MathematicsMathematicsMathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, programmer and software developer, co-author of Barbarians Led by Bill GatesBarbarians Led by Bill GatesBarbarians Led by Bill Gates: Microsoft from the Inside is a book that was jointly written by Jennifer Edstrom and Marlin Eller. Written as a third-person account of the experiences of Marlin Eller at Microsoft, it goes into detail about the early years of Microsoft and its emergence as a massive... - 1977 – John W. StantonJohn W. StantonJohn W. Stanton is the founder and former CEO of Western Wireless Corporation, former chairman and CEO of VoiceStream Wireless, and former chairman of the CTIA. John is listed as #82 in the Forbes 2001 "Richest People" study. It is estimated his net worth US$1.1 billion...
, BA Political SciencePolitical sciencePolitical Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, Founder and CEO, Western Wireless. - 1977 – Rick StevensonRick StevensonRick Stevenson is a writer, director, and producer from Seattle, Washington. In 2006, his film Expiration Date won both Audience and Jury Award for Best Film at the Omaha Film Festival and took Best Film honors at the American Indian Film Festival...
, BA History, film writer, director and producer. - 1985 – Steve McConnellSteve McConnellSteven C. McConnell is an author of many software engineering textbooks including Code Complete, Rapid Development, and Software Estimation...
, software engineering author, Code Complete - 1985 – Lance NorrisLance NorrisLance Norris is an American actor/writer/director/stand-up comic/critic/mentalist.-Life and career: Norris was born in Des Moines, Iowa and attended Whitman College where he was a wrestler and rugby player...
, BA Dramatic Art, Mystic RiverMystic River (film)Mystic River is a 2003 American drama film directed, co-produced and scored by Clint Eastwood, starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney and Emmy Rossum. The film was written by Brian Helgeland, based on Dennis Lehane's novel of the same...
. - 1990 – John MoeJohn MoeJohn Moe is an American writer and reporter. He became the host of American Public Media's Future Tense as of the May 3rd, 2010 Podcast/Broadcast...
, BA Dramatic Art, author and public radio host. - 1997 – Dorothy Metcalf-LindenburgerDorothy Metcalf-LindenburgerDorothy Marie "Dottie" Metcalf-Lindenburger was born on May 2, 1975 in Colorado Springs, Colorado and married Jason Metcalf-Lindenburger, a seventh grade teacher at the time, in 2000. She was a science teacher at Hudson's Bay High School in Vancouver, Washington when she was selected in 2004 as an...
, BA GeologyGeologyGeology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Astronaut. - 2000 – Ingrid BackstromIngrid BackstromIngrid Backstrom is an internationally ranked professional skier from Seattle, Washington. Born August 21, 1978, Backstrom graduated from Whitman College in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in Geology....
, BA GeologyGeologyGeology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, professional skier. - 2004 – Holly BrooksHolly BrooksHolly Brooks is an American cross country skier from Seattle, Washington who competed for Whitman College in 2001-04 and has competed recreationally since 2009. She has four victories in lesser events up to 10 km, all earned in 2009...
, BA SociologySociologySociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, Environmental StudiesEnvironmental studiesEnvironmental studies is the academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment. It is a broad interdisciplinary field of study that includes the natural environment, built environment, and the sets of relationships between them...
, Winter Olympian in Nordic skiingNordic skiingNordic skiing is a winter sport that encompasses all types of skiing where the heel of the boot cannot be fixed to the ski, as opposed to Alpine skiing....
.