ALUMNI
Audrey Albertson McKnight ’42, P’66, P’70 of Tacoma died July 28, 2025. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in home economics and was involved in drama, SPURS, Kappa Alpha Theta, Pacific Rim, and other campus activities. After graduation she served on the alumni council and was involved in the Women’s League. Survivors include her children, John McKnight ’66 and Sue Ingman ’70, as well as many cousins, nieces, and nephews. Her spouse, Richard McKnight ’40, and many siblings and other family members were also Loggers.
Diane Jensen Cornforth ’50 of Puyallup, Wash., died Aug. 1, 2025. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and was involved in drama, The Trail, Chi Omega, and the Sigma Alpha Iota music fraternity. She also was instrumental in starting the college’s chapter of Mortar Board and became its first president.
Valma Vogler Poteat ’52 of Greenville, S.C., died Sept. 2, 2025.
Beverly J. Melander Gibson ’59, P’93 of Tacoma, a longtime employee in the Registrar’s Office at the university, died Aug. 13, 2025. As a student, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in education degree and was a member of Chi Omega and drama. Survivors include her daughter, Julie Gibson ’93, and son-in-law Bob M. Jones ’86.
Charlie Roe ’53, P’79, of Olympia, Wash., died Oct. 6, 2025. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. On campus, he was the intramural sports pingpong champion, a member and pledge class president of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, and a member of the U.S. Air Force ROTC. After graduation, he remained a loyal Logger throughout his life and supported the university in a variety of ways, including by recruiting football players, making financial donations, participating in alumni events, and serving on the Alumni Reunion Committee. Survivors include a daughter, Jeannine Roe ’79; cousins James Driskell ’59, Amy Driskell ’89, and Erin Driskell ’93; and nephew Thomas Roe ’93. His mother Gladys Roe 1923; aunt Marion Driskell 1923; and uncle Kenneth Harding ’29 were also Loggers.
Clifford Laycock ’57 of Puyallup, Wash., died June 15, 2025. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration. Survivors include his spouse, Myrna Franko Laycock ’62.
Leslie Schmidtke ’59 of Gig Harbor, Wash., died Aug. 2, 2025. She was a member of Pi Beta Phi. Survivors include her spouse, Julian Schmidtke ’58; and sister-in-law Jo Ann Schmidtke ’57. Her brotherin- law, Raymond Schmidtke ’58, was also a Logger.
Leroy W. Calbom ’57 of Phoenix died June 7, 2025. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy, and was involved in student government, Model United Nations, Madrigals, Adelphians, and the residence hall association. Survivors include his spouse, Rita Calbom ’60.
Joyce Roberts Myhre MEd’60 of Tacoma died Sept. 13, 2025. She earned a Master of Education degree. Her spouse, Lloyd Myhre ’52, was also a Logger.
Larry Stenberg ’61, MEd’69 of Silverton, Ore., died April 8, 2025. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in education and went on to earn a Master of Education degree. On campus, he was involved in student government, including serving as ASUPS president, as well as Phi Gamma Delta and the residence hall association. After graduation, he served as Puget Sound’s director of admissions for more than 10 years, where he helped expand recruitment of students to California, Hawai`i, Colorado, and beyond.
Sosamma C. John MS’62 of Shaker Heights, Ohio, died Oct. 19, 2025. She earned a Master of Science degree in chemistry.
Hilton B. “Bo” Gardner Jr. ’63 of Lacey, Wash., died May 28, 2025. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration.
We learned in October of the death of Glen McIlraith ’63 of Florence, Mont. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration.
Betty Breiten Hassler ’64 of Sun City, Ariz., died Sept. 5, 2025. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and was a member of Gamma Phi Beta. Her husband, Jeffrey Hassler ’64, was also a Logger.
Robert Izzi ’64 of Seabeck, Wash., died June 23, 2025. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in education and played football for the Loggers. David Richards ’64 of Poulsbo, Wash., died Aug. 30, 2025. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in art and design.
Galen Willis ’64, MBA’70, P’02 of Burien, Wash., died June 3, 2025. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration and a Master of Business Administration degree. On campus, he was involved in swimming, Sigma Chi, and the U.S. Air Force ROTC. Survivors include his spouse Nancy Skinner Willis ’65, P’02; and son Lehrer S. Willis ’02.
Susan Meer ’66 of Denver died Oct. 2, 2025. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in education.
Nancy Parker Reid ’68 of Salem, S.C., died in July 2024. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, Adelphians, and Madrigals. She was also the 1968 Homecoming Queen.
Dorine Davis Enz ‘70, P’96, of Portland died Oct. 3, 2025. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in education and was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta and the band. She was also involved in student government and Spurs. Survivors include her spouse, Jonathan Enz ‘68, P’96; son Michael Enz ‘96; sister-in-law Linnea Enz Chu ‘66; and brothers-in-law William Simons ‘67 and Doug Hunter ‘71.
John Sharp ’70, MBA’70, P’98 of Oakville, Wash., died Aug. 10, 2025. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration and was involved in student government and intramural sports. Survivors include his spouse, Lyn Jordan, ’73, P’98; and a daughter, Erin Campbell ’98.
Susan J. Given ’71 of Tacoma died July 3, 2025. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration.
We learned in July of the death of Carolyn Sandore ’73 of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., who died Oct. 29, 2020. She was a member of Pi Beta Phi.
Pamela Van Selus ’73 of Mount Vernon, Wash., died Aug. 16, 2025.
Roger Hooper ’76 of Kentfield, Calif., died May 18, 2025. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.
Wallace Eric Wright ’77 of McMinnville, Ore., died Aug. 14, 2025.
Bonnie Mangus Musto ’78 of New Bern, N.C., died Aug. 19, 2025. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in natural science. Survivors include her spouse, Steven Musto ’80.
We learned in August of the death of Ruth Robinson JD’79 of Shoreline, Wash. She earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree.
Kenneth Ringstad JD’80 of Fairbanks, Alaska, died July 28, 2025. He earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree.
Paul Deffebach ’82 of Fresno, Calif., died Aug. 26, 2025.
We learned in June of the death of Judy E. Knight Hollar MEd’82, of Olympia, Wash. She earned a Master of Education degree.
Thomas Nolan Jr. ’82 of Friday Harbor, Wash., died April 15, 2025. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in politics and government, and he was involved in cross country and forensics. After graduation, he served as a class reunion volunteer. Survivors include his spouse, Deborah Anderson Nolan ’83.
Dianne Weaver MBA’83 of Olympia, Wash., died Aug. 28, 2025. She earned a Master of Business Administration degree.
We learned in October of the death of Kurt Mueller ’87 of Tacoma.
Carole Ressler JD’89 of Lacey, Wash., died July 30, 2025. She earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree.
Colleen M. Ross MEd’91 of Sandpoint, Idaho, died Sept. 2, 2025. She earned a Master of Education degree in counseling.
Patricia J. Blanton JD’92 of Brentwood, Tenn., died Aug. 23, 2025. She earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree.
Mahlon McDuff ’00 of Boulder, Colo., died Aug. 21, 2025. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration and was involved with Tamanawas and Sigma Alpha Epsilon.
Sam Richardson ’06 of Portland died June 16, 2025. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in international political economy and took part in a study abroad program.
FACULTY, STAFF, AND FRIENDS OF THE UNIVERSITY
David Balaam P’15 of Shoreline, Wash., died Aug. 22, 2025. He was a professor for 31 years at the university, initially teaching in the Department of Politics and Government, and then in the International Political Economy (IPE) program, which he co-founded in the early 1990s. He is remembered as an engaging teacher and mentor, sharing his knowledge, experience, leadership, and enthusiasm with students and junior faculty. His legacy includes 928 students who majored in IPE since the program’s founding.
Beverly Gibson ’59, P’93 (see alumni listing)
Jud Keim, who served as co-defensive coordinator for Logger Football, died Sept. 6, 2025. He joined the staff in the spring of 2025, following a season at Lewis and Clark College and nearly two decades at his alma mater, Pacific Lutheran University.
William J. Porter of Minneapolis died July 25, 2025. He was the general book buyer at Puget Sound in the 1970s.
Larry Stenberg ’61, MEd’69 (see alumni listing and Scrapbook p. 39)
CORRECTION
In the In Memoriam notice for Linda Reeves Wylder ’67, P’88, GP’24 in the autumn issue of Arches, we erred in listing her spouse, Jim Wylder ’66, P’88, GP’24 as deceased. Wylder is alive, well, and hard at work in his studio where he creates naked raku pottery (naked raku is a variation of the raku technique that exposes the bare ceramic body to the elements of fire and reduction, resulting in visually rich, textural surfaces). His work can be seen at instagram.com/jimwylder. We apologize for the error, Jim.