1980
WSU celebrated its 90th birthday on March 28.
1980
Cooper Publications Building is the first named to
honor a classified staff member, Caroline Cooper,
Director of Duplicating and Mailing for 39 years.
1980
Alumni/Foundation Leadership Awards started under
(Alumni Association) President Richard Gustafson.
1980
Mount St. Helens erupted May 18, leaving one-half inch
of volcanic ash on campus.
1980
Connie Kravas, a 1974, doctoral graduate in education
administration and supervision, became acting director
of development. In 1981 she was named executive
director of development and WSU Foundation president.
She became University Advancement vice president in
1997, after leading the highly successful Campaign WSU,
the university's first comprehensive fund-raising
effort. Over a seven-year period, ending in 1997,
Campaign WSU raised more than $275 million. It
increased the university's scholarship endowment,
established endowed professorships to attract and
retain top faculty, and provided modern equipment for
teaching and research.
1980
March 28 Cooper Publications Building is the first
named to honor a classified staff member, Caroline
Cooper, Director of Duplicating and Mailing for 39
years.
1980
William Bugge, Washington director of highways, and
Laurence Peter, co-author of the Peter Principle,
receive 14th and 15th Regents Distinguished Alumnus
Awards.
1980
New track and field facility and new baseball field
completed.
1981
Warren G. Magnuson Nursing Education Building, home to
Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education, dedicated
Aug. 27 in Spokane. Named for State of Washington U.S.
Senator.
1981
Robert Redford Institute for Resource Management
started at WSU and University of Idaho, named for
famous actor.
1981
Football coach Jim Walden led the Cougars to the
Holiday Bowl in San Diego, where WSU lost to BYU,
38-36.
1981
Enrollment 19,303, highest between 1980-1996.
1982
Jeanne Eggart broke WSU career basketball scoring
record for women and men with 1,967 points.
1982
Institutional advancement functions consolidated under
new vice president, Stanton Schmid.
1982
Performing Arts Coliseum named for Executive Vice
President Emeritus Wallis Beasley.
1983
Mel Hein, the "greatest all-around player the game of
football has seen;" Robert Stevenson, former head of
Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co.; and world-renowned
scientist Jacob Bigeleisen given Regents 16th, 17th,
and 18th Distinguished Alumnus Awards.
1983
100,000th graduate, Cheryl Anne Breen received degree
from WSU.
1983
1962 graduate Col. John Fabian became first Cougar
astronaut to fly in space as a mission specialist on
Challenger II space shuttle. Later he received the 19th
Regent Distinguished Alumnus Award.
1984
Regents approved plans to convert 59-year-old Animal
Science barn to new Alumni Center.
1984
Dan Lynch, WSU offensive lineman, named to Associated
Press All-America First Team.
1984
WSU athletes won three gold medals and a silver medal
in 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
1984
Rueben Mayes, Cougar running back, broke NCAA
single-game football rushing record with 357 yards,
against Oregon in Eugene.
1984
For the first time in its history, WSU is using an
early-start semester academic calendar. Previously, the
university had been on a regular semester academic
calendar. Although implemented in August 1984, the WSU
Faculty Senate approved the calendar change in
1980.
1985
W. Glenn Terrell, 7th president of WSU, retired after
18 years.
1985
Samuel H. Smith, dean of the College of Agriculture at
Pennsylvania State University (Ph.D. from University of
California at Berkeley) named 8th president of
WSU.
1985
Agricultural Sciences Building named for former Regent
and 50-year advocate of state agriculture and WSU,
James H. Hulbert.
1985
Jack and Ann Lewis pledged $1 million toward the new
alumni facility, to be named Lewis Alumni Centre.
Prominent restaurateur, Ivan Haglund, left half of his
multi-million dollar estate to College of Business and
Economics.
1985
WSU celebrated its 95th anniversary of its founding on
Charter Day, March 28, 1890.
1985
WSU Board of Regents membership increased from seven to
nine persons by legislative act.
1985
Washington Higher Education Telecommunication System,
or WHETS, started transmitting live, interactive
courses from the Pullman campus to Vancouver and other
locations.
1986
WSU biochemist, Clarence A. "Bud" Ryan, selected for
membership in prestigious National Academy of Sciences;
first WSU professor to be honored.
1986
First commencement with college ceremonies held on
Saturday, May 11. Following the main ceremony, students
participated in college graduations held around
campus.
1986
WSU Research and Technology Park construction begun and
first tenant lease signed.
1987
The State Higher Education Coordinating Board assigned
WSU the full responsibility for upper division
undergraduate and graduate education in Tri-Cities and
Vancouver and gives WSU responsibility in Spokane for
research programs and doctoral education, as well as
undergraduate and master's programs in WSU's official
lines of responsibility, including engineering and
agriculture.
1987
WSU offered its first three undergraduate courses the
university will offer in Vancouver, beginning Aug.
24.
1987
Private giving to the university through WSU Foundation
surpassed $9 million. Major gifts included
Distinguished Professorships from the Kennedy family of
Seattle and from five high-tech companies; $1 million
from the Boeing Company and $1 million in computer
equipment from AT&T.
1987
Washington Mutual Bank donated former Union Pacific
train depot in downtown Pullman to WSU. As the Cougar
Depot, it has the athletic ticket office, visitor
center, and community meeting facility.
1987
First 170 Glenn Terrell Presidential Scholars
chosen.
1987 New leadership selected for key athletic posts -
Jim Livengood, athletic director; Dennis Erickson,
football coach; Kelvin Sampson, men's basketball
coach.
1987
Ground was broken for nearly $50 million in
construction, which included the Lewis Alumni Centre,
Chemistry Building, and Food and Human Nutrition
Building.
1987
Leo K. Bustad, Dean Emeritus of College of Veterinary
Medicine and internationally recognized speaker,
humanist, and founder of People & Pet Therapy
programs, awarded 20th Regents Distinguished Alumnus
Award.
1987
First pre-registration for classes held during spring
semester of fall 1987 classes.
1988
WSU Cougars defeat the University of Houston Cougars,
24-22, in the Eagle Aloha Bowl in Honolulu. ABC-TV
nationally televised game played on Christmas
Day.
1988
First year of the Summer Orientation Program (for new
students and parents).
1988
Vibration-free laser laboratory constructed under
Fulmer Hall.
1988
Former WSU president, C. Clement French, died in Lacey,
Wash.
1988
Baseball monument constructed along the walkway at
entrance to Bailey Field.
1988
Mary Turner DeGarmo, renowned for her work in
transcribing musical compositions into Braille, and
William Julius Wilson, sociologist, received Regents
21st and 22nd Distinguished Alumnus Awards.
1988
Peter Koech (Class of 1986) won silver medal in
3,000-meter steeplechase at Summer Olympics in Seoul,
South Korea.
1989
During the state of Washington Centennial celebration
in 1989, 100 individuals, including the following with
WSU connections, were chosen for the Washington
Centennial Hall of Honor in the Washington State
Historical Society: Philip Abelson (Class of 1933),
"Father of the Atomic Submarine;" Enoch Bryan, WSC
president (1893-1916); Gary Larson (Class of 1972),
acclaimed Far Side cartoonist; Edward R. Murrow (Class
of 1930), preeminent broadcast journalist; Archie Van
Doren (Class of 1937), father of controlled atmosphere
storage for apples, conducted research for WSU at its
Wenatchee Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center;
Orville Vogel (Class of 1939), agronomist who
revolutionized wheat breeding, made possible the Green
Revolution. He worked for USDA at WSU in Pullman.
1989
McEachern Hall dedicated in honor of former WSU Regent
Robert and his wife Margaret McEachern.
1989
Alumni Centre opened and named for benefactor Jack and
Ann Lewis. The Alumni Association Conference was the
first event held in the building.
1989
Food and Human Nutrition Building completed.
1989
Six-story addition to Fulmer Hall constructed.
1989
WSU's Hotel and Restaurant Administration Program
ranked 4th nationally among hospitality programs.
1989
WSU signed agreement with Far Eastern State University
in Vladivostok, Russia, to begin an exchange
program.
1989
Branch campuses in Spokane, Tri-Cities and Vancouver
officially began on July 1 by legislature act.
1989
Former WSU track star Peter Koech broke the world
record in steeplechase with a time of 8 minutes, 5.35
seconds.
1989
AT&T donated $1.8 million in computer-aided design
and analysis network equipment for molecular
science.
1989
Neva Martin Abelson received Regents 23rd Distinguished
Alumnus Award. She is co-founder of the global test for
Rh. It has saved millions of babies' lives.
1989
National Institutes of Health granted WSU $473,000 to
train graduate students in the science and applications
of protein chemistry.
1989
Michael Utley, former student and 1989 All American
offensive guard, was paralyzed by spinal cord injuries
during Detroit Lions football game. NFL established a
scholarship at WSU in Utley's name for students
studying sports medicine.
1989
Jason Hanson, field goal kicker, named first team
academic athletic All-American. Only Cougar to achieve
the feat. The Detroit Lions of the NFL later signed
him.
1989-90
WSU celebrated its Centennial.