1990
$36.5 million expansion approved for Holland library.
1990
Frances Penrose Owen, a WSU regent from 1957-1975,
received the Medal of Merit, the state's highest
award.
1990
$2.9 million appropriation to expand WSU's
telecommunications system approved by the state
Legislature.
1990
Gary Larson, syndicated cartoonist and creator of the
Far Side, received the Regents 24th Distinguished
Alumnus Award and was the Centennial Commencement
Speaker.
1990
Tony Li took first in the 55-meter hurdles at the NCAA
Indoor Track and Field Championship.
1990
Edward R. Murrow School of Communication
dedicated.
1990
Allen C. Wilson received Regents 25th Distinguished
Alumnus Award for his work in molecular
evolutionism.
1990
Regents approved $28.6 million architectural plans for
Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
1990
WSU pitcher Aaron Sele selected to play on the USA
baseball team at the Goodwill Games.
1990
Groundbreaking for Holland Library addition.
1990
Regents approved plans for SIRTI, the Spokane
Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute
plans.
1990
Money magazine ranked WSU among "America's Best College
Buys."
1990
"The Caring Call" veterinary medicine sculpture,
located by Grimes Way, built and dedicated.
1990
Chuck "Bobo" Brayton won 1,000th game as Cougar
baseball head coach.
1990
Howard Nemerov Poet Laureate of U.S., given WSU
honorary doctoral degree at commencement.
1991
Cross country runners Samuel Kibiri and E.J. Guo named
to All-American team. Both finished in the top 25 at
the NCAA Championship in Knoxville, Tennessee.
1991
Neill Hall, a former residence hall, renovated for $4
million and became home of the Math Department.
1991
Carolyn Kizer, Pulitzer Prize winning poet, presented
WSU honorary doctoral degree at Commencement.
1991
KWSU- Northwest Public Radio "Bob and Bill" classical
music show goes nationaI.
1991
348 acres chosen at Salmon Creek in Clark County for
WSU Vancouver branch campus.
1991
Lewis Alumni Centre library dedicated in honor of
Phillip M. and June E. Lighty, Past President's Room in
memory of Henry W. and Anna Magnuson Reaugh, and the
Reception Gallery named for Weldon B. "Hoot"
Gibson.
1991
WSU West moved to the Westin Building in downtown
Seattle.
1991
Vishnu Bhatia, director of the Honors Program and
former director of WSU's Office of International
Education, appointed a Knight of the Dannebrog Order by
Queen Magrethe II of Denmark.
1991
Harold Rhodes, the women's basketball coach, and Kelvin
Sampson, men's basketball coach, both named Pacific-10
Coaches of the Year.
1991
Women's basketball team makes first-ever appearance in
NCAA Tournament.
1991
Dedication of WSU Tri-Cities new $12.7 million teaching
facility in Richland.
1991
WSU men win Pacific-10 in track and field title and
place 2nd in NCAA Track and Field Championships.
1991
WSU ranked 34th nationally in corporate financial
support.
1991
Barry Serafin, national correspondent for ABC News,
receives 26th Regents Distinguished Alumnus
Award.
1991
Ground broken for $30 million Veterinary Teaching
Hospital.
1992
Football team wins Copper Bowl, 31-28, over the
University of Utah in Tucson, Ariz.
1992
Former WSU quarterback Mark Rypien chosen as MVP of
Super Bowl XXVI in the Washington Redskins' 37-24 win
over the Buffalo Bills.
1992
WSU research moose, Morty, becomes a TV star in the
opening credits of the popular CBS show "Northern
Exposure."
1992
Mike Lowry (Class of 1962) elected governor of
Washington, first WSU grad to this office.
1992
Patty L. Murray (Class of 1972) elected to U.S. Senate.
She was the first Cougar and first woman to be elected
to the post from Washington.
1992
Sallie Giffen named vice president for Business
Affairs. WSU's first woman vice president.
1992
Todd Hall addition, home of the Hotel and Restaurant
Administration Department completed, at cost of $5.6
million.
1992
Women's volleyball team invited to NCAA Women's
Volleyball Championship.
1992
Remodeled Carpenter Hall reopened as home for the
School of Architecture. Cost of renovation was $9
million.
1992
Conner Museum, home of the largest collection of birds
and mammals in the inter-mountain Pacific Northwest,
reopened in Science Hall after being closed since
1986.
1992
WSU West headquarters insert dedicated in honor of
former WSU Regent Michael Dederer.
1992
Doctor of Pharmacy program approved for WSU
Spokane.
1992
Men's basketball team receives first-ever NIT (National
Invitational Tournament) bid. Lost in second round to
University of New Mexico.
1992
Josephat Kapkory claimed 3,000-meter title at NCAA
Indoor Track and Field championship.
1992
U.S. Air Force General (ret.) Robert D. Russ receives
27th Regents Distinguished Alumnus Award for his
service as Commander of Air Force aviation during the
Gulf War.
1992
Donors contribute a record-setting $33.5 million in
private gifts, grants, and pledges to WSU.
1992
The space shuttle Columbia carried an experiment by WSU
physicist Philip Marston.
1992
WSU's extensive intramural program is a popular social
outlet for WSU students. According to Mary Ann Steele,
intramural supervisor, on the basis of the number of
participants compared to total enrollment, the
university "has the largest intramural program West of
the Mississippi." The participation rate ranks WSU's
program among the top 20 to 25 in the nation.
1993
Women's volleyball team won National Invitational
Tournament by beating Bowling Green University in
straight sets. The team did not lose a single game
throughout the tournament.
1993
R. James Cook, USDA plant pathologist and WSU adjunct
professor, selected for National Academy of
Sciences.
1993
The Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education
celebrated 25th anniversary.
1993
Heather Metcalf became sixth woman to be ASWSU
president.
1993
WSU quarterback Drew Bledsoe was first pick in the NFL
draft by the New England Patriots
1993
Former WSU baseball star John Olerud of the Toronto
Blue Jays won American League Professional baseball
batting title with .363 average.
1993
History professor Leroy Ashby selected as CASE
Outstanding College Professor in the state for second
time.
1993
Plans for new Cougar Plaza in downtown Pullman were
approved.
1993
The Boeing Company donated $7 million to WSU - the
largest private gift to date.
1993
Regents approved reorganization of College of Sciences
and Arts into two separate academic units, the College
of Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts.
1993
New Multicultural Center opened doors in renovated
former Chemical Engineering Building.
1993
WSU researchers sent a plant experiment up with the
space shuttle Discovery.
1993
John Gorham, internationally renown veterinarian and
WSU faculty member, selected as 28th Regents
Distinguished Alumnus Award.
1994
Alumnus Edward R. Murrow (Speech, 1930) was
memorialized on U.S. postage stamp, first broadcast
journalist so honored. National first day of issue
ceremony was January 21 in the Murrow Communications
Center on WSU's Pullman campus.
1994
The New Library adjacent to Holland Library was
completed at a cost of $36 million.
1994
Floyd Smith and Mariel Fulmer Doty, WSU's oldest known
alumni, both died at age 103.
1994
Regent Kate Webster retired after 18 years and eight
months of service. She served the longest term in the
past 50 years. The Physical Sciences Building is named
for her.
1994
Legendary WSU baseball coach Bobo Brayton retired after
33 years and more than 1,150 victories.
1994
The men's basketball team received invitation to play
in NCAA Championship Tournament. Lost in first round to
Boston College, 67-64.
1994
Josephat Kapkory captured 10,000 meter title at NCAA
Cross Country Championships.
1994
WSU's Army ROTC unit marched away with #1 national
ranking.
1994
Lewis Alumni Centre completed 5th year of operation.
Host to 150,000 visitors and 1,500 meetings.
1994
WSU Veterans Memorial dedicated and a special tribute
made to the 300 alumni, faculty and staff who died
during WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf
conflict.
1994
Morty, the WSU research moose and CBS-TV "Northern
Exposure" star, died of an illness linked to a mineral
deficiency.
1994
WSU broke ground for its Vancouver campus.
1994
Necia Bennett Huntley (Class of 1935) and husband Elmer
C. Huntley left a 890-acre wheat ranch at Thorton to
WSU, ultimately to fund scholarships.
1994
Campaign WSU kicks off with goal to raise $200
million.
1994
Museum of Art celebrates 20th Anniversary.
1994
New Student Services building, named for benefactors
Phil and June Lighty, under construction at cost of $17
million.
1994
African American Alumni Alliance conducted its first
meeting at WSU.
1994
Albert Wilder Thompson, dean of the College of Sciences
and Arts at WSU from 1953-64, dies at 95. Thompson Hall
(old Administration Building) is named for him.
1994
Cougar fans celebrated 23-6 Apple Cup football victory
against University of Washington, in the snow at Martin
Stadium.
1994
WSU football team beats Baylor University 10-3 at the
Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.
1995
Cougar pride went on the road. WSU Cougar logo license
plates support student scholarships.
1995
HillTopics alumni newspaper celebrated 25 years. Its
only editor has been Patrick Caraher (Class of
1962.)
1995
Stevens Hall, listed on the National Register for
Historic Places, celebrated its centennial.
1995
Mary E. Turner DeGarmo, the second
woman to be honored with WSU's highest award for
alumni, the Regent's Distinguished Alumnus
Award, died at
91.
1995
Coach Kevin Eastman took WSU men's basketball to NIT
Tournament.
1995
WSU captured the Pacific-10 North baseball title under
first year coach Steve Farrington.
1995
Butch the Cougar and Mickey Mouse spent the day at
Disneyland at a pregame rally for the WSU vs. USC
football game.
1995
Money magazine ranked WSU among the top eight of the
436 Honors programs at American public
universities.
1995
Golden Grads of 1945 gave as a class gift a grand piano
which was dedicated during a concert in the Rotunda of
the Holland Library addition.
1995
The WSU women's junior varsity eight crew team captured
the crown at the National Collegiate Rowing
Championship Regatta on Lake Harsha, Ohio.
1995
Coach Lisa Gozley and the WSU soccer team made their
first NCAA Tournament appearance, ranking them 19th by
"Soccer America."
1995
WSU opened a new 130-unit Yakama Village apartment
complex for families and graduate students.
1995
President Emeritus Terrell, who led WSU from 1967-1985,
returned to WSU for dedication of the Glenn Terrell
Friendship Mall.
1995
Cougar women's volleyball team ranked 5th
nationally.
1995
Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Norman Borlang received
WSU's honorary doctoral degree at Commencement.
1995
Campaign WSU passed $200 million mark eight months
before its scheduled end.
1995
U.S. Army Gen. John M Shalikashvili, U.S. Dept. of
Defense Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair, spoke at
Commencement. His son was one of the graduates.
1995
Thomas "Les" Purce, former senior administrator at The
Evergreen State College in Olympia, was selected
vice president for Extended University Affairs at
WSU.
1995
Jack Friel, coach of the Cougar men's basketball team
for 30 years and 495 victories, died at 97.
1995
"Common
Ground," a three-piece acrylic-on-canvas painting
celebrating diversity at WSU, was dedicated in the
Compton Union Building. WSU colleges and administrative
units donated funds for the mural by artist Katrin
Wiese, Riverside, Calif.
1995
Volleyball Coach Cindy Fredrick concludes her seventh
season at WSU by being named Pacific-10 Conference
Coach of the Year. The team finished 22-7 overall and
third in the Pac-10, led by All-American Sara
Silvernail.
1996
WSU President Samuel Smith received Boy Scouts of
America's Distinguished Eagle Scout Award.
1996
Thrifty Payless contributed more than $100,000 for
computer equipment, software and student scholarships
for the College of Pharmacy.
1996
WSU officials and community partners announced plans to
develop six pilot Learning Centers in Port Townsend,
Wenatchee, Colville, Longview/Kelso, Tacoma and
Yakima to
expand educational opportunities.
1996
Time magazine named WSU graduate William Julius Wilson,
noted sociologist, one of America's most influential
people.
1996
WSU Vancouver's new Salmon Creek 384-acre campus
dedicated. It is WSU's first all new campus in more
than a century.
1996
The $16 million Lighty Student Services Building, which
adjoins French Administration Building, opened. It is
named for WSU graduate Phil Lighty and his wife, June.
The Lightys established one of WSU's largest
scholarship endowments for students with demonstrated
leadership potential.
1996
At the first anniversary of the state of Washington
collegiate motor vehicle program, more than 5,119 plate
featuring the WSU Cougar logo have been sold. More than
all the other public schools in the state
combined.
1996
The $3.1 million Phi Kappa Theta fraternity opened.
High-tech in every respect, it reflects the "wired
world" commitment of WSU alumnus and fraternity member
Paul Allen, Microsoft co-founder. He funded the
building and equipped each of the other Greek houses at
WSU with Internet connections.
1996
Money magazine ranked WSU among top 15 best value
four-year undergraduate universities and colleges in
the Western U.S.
1996
Mrs. George Randolph Hearst, Sr., widow of the oldest
son of late newspaper giant William Randolph Hearst,
became an Adopted Cougar.
1996
Dedication of WSU's Thomas S. Foley Institute for
Public Policy and Public Service. It is named for the
former speaker of the house and State of Washington
Congress member.
1996
WSU's $38 million Veterinary Teaching Hospital opened.
On Sept. 9 the hospital made history when an
80-year-old woman became the first human patient to use
the hospital's magnetic resonance imaging unit. Under a
cooperative agreement, the vet hospital provides
imaging services for human patients.
1997
Gretchen Bataille named provost and vice president for
academic affairs, effective July 1. She had been
provost of the College of Letters and Science at the
University of California at Santa Barbara.
1997
The seven-year Campaign WSU, the university's first
comprehensive fund-raising effort, concluded with final
total of $275.4 million, surpassing its original $250
million goal. Supporting WSU's vision to be one of the
top public universities in the nation, the monies
raised benefit scholarships, teaching and research
programs, student programs and learning initiatives
statewide.
1997
WSU President Samuel Smith chaired the NCAA Presidents
Commission, the major governing body for college
intercollegiate athletics.
1997
The Consolidated Information Center at WSU Tri-Cities
opened. Funds for the $18.6 million literary and
teaching center came from the state of Washington and
the U.S. Department of Energy.
1997
WSU biochemists Rod Croteau and Linda Randall were
elected to the National Academic of Sciences. They
joined four other WSU researchers in the academy, C.A.
"Bud" Ryan, a biochemist; Jim Cook, a USDA plant
pathologist at WSU, John Hirth, a materials scientist,
and Dieter H. von Wettstein, a plant geneticist.
1997
Debbie Pipher, senior member of the WSU coaching staff,
resigns after 20 years as coach of the women's swimming
team.
1997
Dave Cooper retired as manager of the Students Book
Corporation, after 27 years leading the "Bookie."
1997
WSU received $10 million, five-year grant from the U.S.
Department of Energy to create an Institute for Shock
Physics. The institute is directed by WSU physics
Professor Yogi Gupta.
1997
Picked to finish 7th in the Pac-10, the 1997 WSU Cougar
football team finished first, earning the right to play
the Rose Bowl game (Jan. 1, 1998) for the first time in
67 years.
1998
WSU Cougar football team played
January 1 in the Rose Bowl game in Pasadena, Calif.,
pushing national champion and No. 1 ranked Michigan to
the last play of the game before losing, 21-16. Some
101,219 fans and a world-wide television audience saw
the game. In February, football coach Mike Price signed
an eight-year contract extension through Dec. 31,
2005.
1998
An alcohol-induced student riot along Colorado Street
adjacent to campus took place May 3. The Pullman Police Department
estimated several hundred students engaged
directly with police, some throwing bottles, cans and
rocks. An estimated 1,000 on-lookers were on the street
during the five-hour disruption. Similar melees
occurred at other U.S. universities that month.
1998
Washington Gov. Gary Locke participates in a dialogue
on race and bigotry in the Compton Union Building, with
students, faculty and staff. In an address, he said,
"The gift of cultural pluralism is grounded in mutual
respect and democracy."
1998
The new $27 million, 100,000-square foot Engineering,
Teaching and Research Laboratory opened. Adjacent to
Dana Hall, the four-story structure was funded by the
U.S. Department of Energy.
1998
A new state law gave WSU a major educational leadership
role in Spokane, and management responsibilities for
the Riverpoint campus.
1998
The WSU Creamery, home of Ferdinand's, celebrated its
50th anniversary. Previously located in Troy Hall,
Ferdinand's moved to new facilities in the Food Quality
Building in 1992. WSU cheeses, including Cougar Gold,
are sold worldwide.
1998
The first students recruited to WSU through the College
of Education's Future Teachers of Color program
graduated during the 1998 Commencement.
1998
Pine Manor was torn down. Built by the Works Progress
Administration in 1937 with a knotty pine interior, it
was operated as a cooperative house, independent of the
university's housing system. In 1963, fire safety
concerns brought an end to its use as a dormitory. WSU
purchased it and renovated it into headquarters for an
internationally recognized anthropology program.
1998
The Bill Chipman Palouse Trail, built on an
abandoned railroad bed, opened. The recreational path
paralleling the highway between Pullman and Moscow. is
an eight-mile recreational asphalt trail involving two
states, two cities, WSU and the University of Idaho.
The late Bill Chipman, Pullman car dealer, was a UI
graduate and supporter of his alma mater and
WSU.
1998
At age 102, Dorothy Otto Kennedy, the oldest living
graduate of the WSU College of Pharmacy, died in
Everett. She earned her degree in 1916 and went on to
practice pharmacy in Reardan in eastern Washington and
Everett in western Washington.
1998
A $1 million renovation of the "Bookie," WSU's student
book store, was completed. The facility now includes a
1,000-square foot den with a fireplace, plus an
espresso bar as part of the Wazzu Café.
1998
WSU's official fall semester Pullman campus enrollments
reached 17,912. System-wide WSU registration totaled
20,998. The 2,877 new freshmen comprised the largest
incoming class since 2,970 enrolled in
1980.
1998
Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine (Sept. 1998
issue) ranked WSU 39th among the nation's "Top 100
Values in State Universities."
1998
A new poetry corner in the Holland/New Library Atrium
was named to honor Ruth Slonim, professor emeritus of
English.
1998
On March 26, the WSU Alumni Association began a
six-month centennial celebration. The association
started in 1898, eight years after the state
Legislature created the land-grant college (March 28,
1890).
1999
In March, the 24th annual Pah-Loots-Pu, a three-day
celebration and dance competition, was held, sponsored
by Ku-Ah-Mah, the Native American student organization
at WSU.
1999
WSU's campuses in Spokane, the Tri-Cities and Vancouver
celebrated their 10th anniversaries. They were all
created by the state Legislature on July 1, 1989.
1999
Jamie Kern represented WSU's 150,000th graduate at
commencement.
1999
WSU alumnus and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen became
the 29th recipient of the Regents' Distinguished
Alumnus Award during Commencement.
1999
The Admissions Office suite in the Lighty Student
Services is dedicated in Stan Berry's name. He worked
33 years in WSU admissions, 22 as director.
1999
President Samuel Smith, who became WSU’s eighth
president in 1985, announced he would retire in summer
2000. Smith, 59, said WSU "has just finished a very
successful Legislative session that provided much
needed dollars for faculty salaries and construction"
for the Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities and Vancouver
campuses.
1999
The May issue of Yahoo Internet Life Magazine rates WSU
the No. 1 "wired" public university in America.