Alumni from 11 graduating classes gathered at University of Puget Sound's campus in Tacoma's beautiful North End June 9–11, 2023 for Summer Reunion Weekend. The weekend's festivities included campus tours, a BBQ and happy hour, lectures from faculty, an open house hosted by Archives and Special Collections, special receptions for the Class of 1973 and the Class of 1998, alumni awards, a volunteer reception, and more. Check out highlights from Summer Reunion Weekend below and be sure to join us next year—all alumni are welcome!

Tell me about your effort to seed stand-up in Big Sky Country.
I was doing open mics here in Bozeman [as a grad student at Montana State University]. While in Tacoma and Seattle, I had gotten to see cool, unbelievably funny people. I was like, “It sucks that that’s not here in Montana.” My motivation was to bring those experiences here.

Czarina Ramsay and her triplet siblings were 5 when their father moved the family to Anchorage, Alaska, for an assignment as a sergeant in the U.S. Army. As Panamanian immigrants with West Indian roots, their language and culture contrasted dramatically with the predominantly white community they settled into.

As a lifelong learner, W. Houston Dougharty ’83 considers himself lucky to have figured out how to “never have to leave college,” a feat he’s achieved by spending 40 years working in higher education.

Dougharty, now finishing his career as vice president for student affairs at Hofstra University on Long Island, N.Y., is this year’s recipient of the Puget Sound Professional Achievement Award. He and the other award winners (see opposite page) are slated to be honored during Summer Reunion Weekend, June 9–11.

Brett Kolb’s breakout freshman swim season came with an odd aftermath: He couldn’t keep hydrated.

Kolb ’23 would go to the Diner on campus and drink a 64-ounce cup of water. Then another. And another. He didn’t think much of it, or of the numerous nightly bathroom trips, figuring he was recovering from a hard season. Weeks later, he mentioned it to his roommate’s mother—a nurse—who urged him to get checked for diabetes.

Faithlina Abeshima ’16 majored in music and psychology, but a work-study in technology set her on a different career path. Shortly after graduating, she was hired by the university as a technology support analyst; then, in 2019, she stepped into the role of information security administrator. We asked her for advice on steering clear of the hackers, scammers, and bots.  

Sarah Strattan ’11 grew up in Evergreen, Colo., fascinated by the “Fourteeners”—the Colorado peaks that exceed 14,000 feet. In college, Puget Sound Outdoors introduced her to backpacking, and an outdoor leadership experience in Alaska taught her about mountaineering. She climbed Rainier, then Denali. Then she set her sights on the Himalayas. Strattan, who taught middle school science for a time and now works on the ski patrol at Aspen Highlands Ski Area, spends part of each summer challenging herself on Asia’s tallest peaks.

TACOMA, Wash. – University of Puget Sound mourns the passing of President Emeritus Ronald R. Thomas, who died at the home he shared with his wife, Mary, on Vashon Island, Wash., on Monday, April 17, 2023. He was 74 years old.

TACOMA, Wash. – Historian and former Tacoma mayor William H. “Bill” Baarsma ’64, P’93 will deliver the Commencement address at University of Puget Sound’s 131st Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 14, 2023. The Logger alumnus will also receive the honorary degree Doctor of History, the highest distinction bestowed by the university.