Arches is the alumni magazine of Puget Sound, serving more than 40,000 Loggers worldwide.
Guided by the intellectually curious and humanist values of the liberal arts, Arches strives to capture and convey the ethos of the college through stories that are relevant to the times we are living in and that amplify the voices and experiences of Loggers in an effort to foster understanding and fuel connection within our community and beyond.
"One of the greatest joys of my presidency has been the opportunity to work alongside you — our incredible alumni... With that spirit of community in mind, I wanted to share with you my plans to retire and conclude my service as the 14th president of the University of Puget Sound on July 1, 2027.
On Endings and Beginnings
Grace Youn '13 on making music, building a brand, and defining your path
Classes for a Changing World is a new regular feature in Arches that will spotlight one of the scores of inspiring, innovative, and timely courses offered each semester at Puget Sound.
Summer Reunion Weekend 2026 is just around the corner! While official reunion activities have varied over the years, Loggers have been getting together for as long as students have been joining the ranks of alumni. At a festive all-day gathering at Titlow Beach, Mary Louise Moon Long ’50 (below, far left) and Beverly Sinkovich Marcelia ‘51 (far right) grabbed a bite with two unknown Loggers.
Ready for Reunion
When Northwest Repertory Singers (NWRS) gather to rehearse, the room fills with laughter, harmony, and an unmistakable bond that connects many University of Puget Sound alumni.
Bree Beal ’97 and Lauren DiMaggio Jorgensen ’06 were quintessential theater kids. Jorgensen remembers belting out songs with her Fisher Price microphone, while Beal would dress her stuffed animals in costumes and have them perform short plays she created.
In 1968, when he was 20, Louis Slangen ’69 left his family’s farm in the Netherlands for America. He brought along two suitcases, $200, and a game plan. After spending his senior year as an exchange student at the University of Puget Sound, his plan was to go on to earn an MBA, work in the United States for a few years, and return to the Netherlands. But the best laid plans often go awry — and sometimes, he says, they turn out even better.
Coming out of college on a softball scholarship, three things were true about Tara Brown Clark ’93. First, she had absolutely no idea that she was creative. Second, she had no idea that an adult onesie would one day change her life. And third — and most importantly — she never imagined how many women she would end up lifting up, including Olympians.
In an athletic life that has spanned decades, the latest chapter for Robert Harper ’67 may be his most surprising yet. In the early 2010s, after selling the mutual fund company he helped found, Harper decided to try out CrossFit.
THE SCHOOL-GIRL DAYS SCRAPBOOK OF LYLE FORD DRUSHEL 1912
Pictured here are pages from a Reilly and Britton Co. scrapbook titled School-Girl Days, documenting Lyle Elizabeth Ford Drushel’s time as a Puget Sound student from 1907 to 1912. After graduation, she worked as a schoolteacher in Tacoma, and then married and moved to Michigan for four years with her spouse before returning to Tacoma in 1932 to start work as the dean of women at Puget Sound. She served in that role until 1953, and also taught in the English department, attaining the rank of associate professor.
Drushel (1888–1985) is one of several alumni who returned to Puget Sound as faculty members and who later donated materials — teaching and research notes, scrapbooks, sheet music, and more — to the university archives. To explore her collection, or the collections of Walter Lowrie ’58, who taught in the history department for 44 years, or Leroy Ostransky ’48, who taught in the music department for more than 30 years, email archives@pugetsound.edu and schedule an in-person or virtual research appointment.
Do you have physical or digital materials you’d like to add to the archive? Bring your piece of Puget Sound history to the “Archives and Special Collections Alumni History Harvest” during Summer Reunion Weekend. We’ll be happy to accept your donation or scan your items between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. June 5 in the Collins Memorial Library. Questions? Email archives@pugetsound.edu.
—Story and image curation by Olivia Rouse, archivist and special collections librarian
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