2022 Inductees

Denney G. Rutherford (’66 Lib. Arts) retired from WSU in 2004 after serving 26 years on the hospitality and business management faculty. As a faculty member, Rutherford’s teaching and research interests were in the legal aspects of hospitality operations as well as understanding the management characteristics of major hotel departments. He was the program’s lead scholar providing research and service to the hospitality, academic, and industry communities and, over a significant period of time, his efforts resulted in WSU’s program gaining national stature. He was ranked as one of the most prolific authors of research in the mainstream hospitality research journals. His expertise in third party liability led to an article, “Managing Guest Intoxication: A Policy to Limit Third Party Liability,” which was voted Article of the Year for Volume 26 by the Cornell Quarterly. Rutherford was editor of three editions of “Hotel Management and Operations: A Book of Readings.” He participated in national and international conferences to help shape the future of research to benefit industry practices, as well as assisting in the development of effective teaching methodologies. He received several awards including The WSU Ivar B. Haglund Distinguished Professor of Hotel and Restaurant Administration; the John Wiley Lifetime Achievement Research Award; and the WSU Carson College of Business Dean’s Fellowship Award.

Ivar Haglund was a restaurant innovator, an advocate for workers, and a community leader—often referred to as the mayor of Seattle’s waterfront. He bought the Smith Tower in 1976 and founded one of Seattle’s first aquariums with a walk-up fish bar that got him into the restaurant business. In addition to his four full-service restaurants and seafood bars, he created one of the first food courts in the world near Seattle University, offering authentic Mexican and Chinese cuisine as well as seafood and pizza. He never sold many pizzas, which were topped with a trout staring up at the diner! However, his fish and chips and clam chowder continue to win awards 82 years after he first opened. Haglund paid employees well and offered them health and retirement benefits. Employees often retire with 40 years of tenure. As an organizer of the Seattle World’s Fair in 1962, Haglund was frustrated with the shabby condition of Seattle’s waterfront, so he painted the Marion Street Bridge—from Colman Dock into downtown—in rainbow colors. He funded the city’s Fourth of July fireworks for 44 years and served as a commissioner at the Port of Seattle. A 1938 graduate of the University of Washington, Haglund split his estate, including 15 restaurants, between the UW’s business school and WSU’s School of Hospitality Business Management.

Jan Hazelton’s (’83 HR & A) career began at the Westin Century Plaza Hotel in the management training program. Today she is an internationally seasoned hotel investment and development executive. Her experience includes banking, asset management, finance, development, feasibility, and investment analysis. Presently, she is responsible for development of the One & Only and Atlantis brands at Kerzner International. Her additional experience includes: managing director of Three Points Advisory, a boutique hotel advisory firm; vice president of development for Europe, Four Seasons Hotels; founding principal of Taylor Global Advisors; vice president of development at Hilton Hotels; lender to the hospitality industry in the United States and Europe, Calyon/Credit Lyonnais; acquisitions and asset manager, private equity fund Olympus Real Estate; hotel advisory services, ITT Sheraton; and manager, PKF Consulting. Hazelton is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, a director of the International Hotel Investment Council, a member of Urban Land Institute (ULI), and a past vice chair of ULI’s European Hotel and Resort Council. Her credentials also include a visiting professorship at Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne as well as a professor for the school’s online MBA program. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Hazelton is an avid tennis player and skier, enjoys traveling, cooking, wining and dining, and has a keen interest in health and fitness. She is actively involved with Women for Women International and a member of their Leadership Circle.

Bill Maynard earned bachelor’s degrees in psychology and biology at the University of Washington and began his career as a science teacher in a Seattle School District inner city junior high school. Six years later he earned an master’s degree in education administration at Seattle University and worked as a junior high vice principal and later as the vice principal of a Seattle high school before being appointed as the principal of Cleveland High school. He earned his doctorate in education administration at the University of Washington, worked two years as the director of desegregation, and then began a career in consulting and training. In 1980 Maynard founded and was CEO of The Effectiveness Institute, a national and international organization development and training company, where he did consulting and training for 25 years. In 1990 “Coach” Don Smith attended a workshop Maynard conducted, and they formed an everlasting bond. On several occasions, Coach asked Maynard to speak to his classes. In 1995 Coach and Terry Umbreit, then director of the WSU School of Hospitality Business Management, asked Maynard to teach a leadership course based on the work of the institute. The Leading and Living course continues to be one of the most popular within the SHBM program. Maynard’s intent for the course is to make a significant, positive difference in the lives of his students and contribute to success in their work and lives. During the first session of each class, Maynard always makes the following statement: “I have a confession to make to you. I am (pause) a recovering (pause) Husky.”

Tom Norwalk (’76 Comm.) is a hospitality veteran with extensive hotel and travel experience, ranging from international brands such as Westin and Four Seasons, to local industry organizations such as Seattle Hospitality Group, LLC, and The Golf Club at Newcastle. As president and CEO of Visit Seattle, a private, nonprofit marketing organization that promotes Seattle as a destination for international and domestic leisure travel, meetings, and conventions, he oversees more than 70 employees in the main Seattle office as well as sales offices in Washington, D.C. and Chicago. Norwalk currently serves on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Travel Association and the Washington State Destination Marketing Organization (WSDMO). He is a former board director for Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. A Seattle native, Norwalk and his wife, Linda, have three adult children and three grandchildren, and reside in Bothell, Washington.

Andy Olsen is a senior vice president at Columbia Hospitality in Seattle. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration in 1974 and joined Western International Hotels after graduation. He then joined Hilton Hotels before entering hospitality consulting with Laventhol & Horwath. In 1990 Olsen started The Chambers Group, a hotel consulting company, and was president and managing director until selling it to and joining Columbia Hospitality in 2011. He has consulted, advised, analyzed, appraised, and provided litigation support for countless hotel projects in the United States, Central America, Micronesia, and the Caribbean. For over 12 years Olsen was an adjunct faculty member for the WSU SHBM program formerly offered on the Seattle University campus, and he has been on the WSU SHBM Advisory Board for over 20 years. He has been a longtime instructor teaching the hotel portion of the University of Washington’s Certificate in Commercial Real Estate program. He has served on and held offices on boards for organizations including the Washington Lodging Association, Lynnwood Public Facilities District, Washington Tourism Alliance, and the Washington Hospitality Association. He has also been a member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants and the Cornell Hotel Society.

Howard (H.S.) Wright III (’76 For. Lang. & Lit, Spanish) is chairman of Seattle Hospitality Group (SHG). Founded in 2002, SHG is a holding company with interests in best-in-class event management, hospitality, tourism, and transportation companies in Washington, Oregon, and California. SHG received a Baldrige Award for Progressive Work Environment recognizing a best-in-class work environment. Wright is the managing partner of the Sheraton Grand Seattle, a 1,236-room convention-category hotel ranked number 2 in North America in Marriott’s Sheraton brand. He also serves on the boards of several closely held restaurant, hotel, and tourism ownership groups, including Seattle’s Cascina Spinasse, a nationally ranked restaurant; Cedarbrook Lodge, a TripAdvisor Hotel of the Year; Seattle’s iconic Space Needle; and Chihuly Garden and Glass, a museum in the Seattle Center showcasing the studio glass of Dale Chihuly. Wright is deeply involved in the region’s business, arts, and education issues. His regular column in the Puget Sound Business Journal adds a vital business perspective to ongoing civic conversations. He successfully co-chaired the City of Seattle’s $15-per-hour minimum wage law in 2013. A proud Coug, Wright served on the Washington State University Board of Governors, where he helped lead the University’s first $1 billion capital campaign.

Joseph Bradley received a bachelor of arts from the University of Washington and earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the UW School of Law in 1934. He worked at Mt. Rainier Lodge while in college, where he met his wife. After law school, he worked as assistant manager for the Marcus Whitman Hotel in Walla Walla. Bradley left Walla Walla to manage the Mt. Baker Lodge for two years before becoming the general manager of the Rainier Club in Seattle, prior to World War II. While in the Navy, he was the manager of the rest and recreation annex, better known as the Royal Hawaiian Hotel at the Pearl Harbor submarine base. Following the war, he managed the College Club and the Washington Athletic Club in Seattle. Bradley was named head of the WSU Department of Hotel and Restaurant Administration in 1951, where he served for 20 years. Under his leadership, the school grew and prospered. In 1971, Bradley was named Restaurant Man of the Year by the Washington State Restaurant Association. After retiring from WSU, he helped establish the hotel and restaurant management program at the University of Hawaii. In 1972 he helped set up a hospitality management school in Guam. He then retired to Whidbey Island in Puget Sound with his wife Rita, where he did consulting work for several leading hotel chains in the U.S.

After graduating, Rick Ellingson (’75 Marketing) joined Proctor & Gamble for a short stint in the Bay Area before returning to Tacoma to join the family business, Bargreen Ellingson. The company had 11 employees and generated $2.1 million in sales. Bargreen Ellingson opened a second branch in 1979 in Yakima. Forty years later, there are 22 branches in nine states and Vancouver, BC. Specialty Wood Manufacturing was created in 1979 and has fabricated some of the most outstanding spaces throughout the Northwest and western United States. Today, the company has 600 employees and generates over $25 million in sales. Ellingson and his wife Betsy (’75 Education) have been married 41 years. They enjoy golfing, boating, traveling, and spending time with their three adult children and five grandchildren. Ellingson has been on the Carson College Hospitality Advisory board, served on the WSU Board of Governors, and has been a WSU season ticket holder for over 30 years. He is an advisor to the Murdock Trust Mentoring non-profit boards, is president of the ATO house board overseeing renovation of the WSU Gamma Chi Chapter House, and is the incoming president of the Fircrest Golf Club in Tacoma.

George Forbes (’58 Hotel & Restaurant Administration) was involved in the hospitality business at a very early age. In high school, Forbes worked at the Ridpath and Davenport Hotels in Spokane. He served in the Army and was a student manager for Stouffer’s Restaurants in New York City. After graduating, he was part of the original crew that opened the San Francisco Hilton, followed by a director of sales position at the Beverly Hilton. After five years with Hilton, Forbes became one of the original six general managers with Hyatt Hotels, serving in Burlingame, Chicago, Monterey, and Atlanta. He later became the opening general manager of the Monterey Conference Center. Forbes returned to the Pacific Northwest to work as vice president of Charlies Restaurants and the opening innkeeper at the Inn at the Market. Following that, he was general manager of the Sheraton Scandinavian Inn in Solvang, California, before becoming general manager of the Governor Hotel in Portland. In Portland, he served on several travel and lodging advisory boards, including Oregon Lodging Association, who honored him with the Innkeeper of the Year award. He also served on the WSU School of Hospitality Business Management Advisory Board over 30 years and was twice the chair. He has two sons, three daughters, and five grandchildren.

Chris Marker (Hotel & Restaurant Administration ’64, MBA ’66) applied to the WSU HRA program after a visit to Pullman, lunch with Professor Joseph Bradley, and a tryout with legendary swim coach, Doug Gibb. Marker became a three-time All American with the Cougar Swim Team and graduated with honors in 1964. In 1966, he and his wife, Susan Kelley (‘64 Education) began their journey with Westin Hotels at The Olympic in Seattle. After moves to Chicago, Johannesburg, South Africa, Kansas City, and Detroit, they returned to the Westin Corporate offices in Seattle in 1980, where Marker became vice president of human resources. He spent another eight years with Westin, rising to executive vice president of operations. During these years, he was privileged to be mentored by Joe Bradley, Dwight Call, and Harry Mullikin. In 1988, Marker was recruited to become president and CEO of The Hillhaven Corporation, then the nation’s second largest provider of long-term care services. He retired when Hillhaven was sold in 1996. The couple’s WSU volunteerism includes co-chairing The President’s Associates and chairing the WSU Foundation in the final years of Campaign WSU. He and Susan received an Alumni Achievement Award and the Weldon B. “Hoot” Gibson Outstanding Service Award (1999). Marker is also a member of the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame. The Markers support several programs with in the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine as well as hospitality business management, education, athletics, and art. They also supported the Martin Stadium renovation and founded the Palouse Ridge Golf Course. The Markers reside in Medina, Washington, near their two children, Allison Rider (’91) and Todd and four grandchildren.

Harry Mullikin began his long and much loved career in the hotel business in Wenatchee, where he worked as an elevator operator at the Cascadian Hotel. After a stint in the Air Corp during WWII, he attended Washington State College and studied liberal arts. He managed the Davenport Hotel in Spokane and The Washington Plaza in Seattle, before moving to Los Angeles, where he was instrumental in building the Century Plaza Hotel and became managing director. He later moved to the Westin headquarters in Seattle as vice-president. He served on the boards of directors of United Airlines, SeaFirst (Bank of America) and The Virginia Mason Hospital. He retired from Westin Hotels, as chairman and CEO. During these years, he and his wife of 40 years enjoyed sailing in the waters of the Pacific Northwest, and they traveled the world for both business and pleasure. Harry is survived by his wife, Judi, his children Michael, Trisha, Scott, Kelly, and four grandsons.

Peter Smith (’71 Hotel and Business Administration) joined Westin Hotels at the Olympic Hotel in Seattle upon graduation. Smith was later named general manager of his first hotel in Edmonton Alberta Canada, his native country. He then managed the Westin Hotel Toronto and Westin’s headquarters hotel in Seattle. Named vice president in 1986, Smith returned to Toronto to supervise the Canadian region. He relocated to the Seattle headquarters in 1989 when promoted to executive vice president of operations. In 1994 he joined Holland America/Windstar Cruises in Seattle as vice president of Marine Hotel Operations and as a member of the company’s executive committee. He was responsible for customer experience on both fleets that served over 300 ports around the world. In 2004 Smith joined Canyon Ranch segment as chief operating officer. His responsibilities included operations, marketing, sales, public relations, and new property development. Under his watch, new resorts were developed in Miami Beach and Bodrum, Turkey, and Canyon Ranch at Sea was created to operate the spa and wellness centers on three cruise lines, Celebrity, Oceania, and Regent. He retired in 2016 and is currently on the board of a startup wellness resort company.

Georgina P. Tucker (’33 Agric., Human & Natural Resource Sciences) majored in home economics with an emphasis in institutional management. She was an active member of the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority. After receiving her degree, she began her 42-year career with Western Hotels, Inc., (Westin Hotels and Resorts) in the food and beverage department. Working at properties in Spokane, Wenatchee, Boise, Seattle, San Francisco, and, finally, Los Angeles, Tucker developed menus, staff training protocol, and food service planning methods for Western Hotels. In 1961, she was named Westin’s director of food and beverage. Tucker was appointed executive housekeeper of Los Angeles’ Century Plaza Hotel in 1966. Prior to her service at the Century Plaza, in 1961, she was a consultant in the opening of Western’s International Kyoto. She wrote two books, “The Science of Housekeeping” (1969) and “The Professional Housekeeper” (1972). Tucker retired from Western Hotels, Inc. in 1975 but was an active industry consultant. In 1989 she traveled to Egypt with the USAID International Executive Service Corps to oversee opening and review operations of several hotels. She also served as an adjunct instructor to hospitality programs at Golden Gate University, Cornell, the University of California at Davis, and Kenya’s Utalii University. In her retirement, Tucker was also an active member of numerous community services. She received WSU’s Distinguished Home Economics Alumnus Award in 1978.

After serving in the U.S. Army, John Ascuaga (’52 Hotel & Restaurant Administration) earned a B.S. in accounting from the University of Idaho and later attended WSU. While working as a bellman in McCall Idaho, Ascuaga met restaurateur Dick Graves. Graves was so impressed that he immediately hired Ascuaga when he graduated from WSU to run food operations for his Idaho restaurant chain. When Idaho outlawed gambling, Graves, who had built his empire on slot machines, moved to northern Nevada, and Ascuaga followed him. Ascuaga served as the manager of his Sparks location, a sixty-seat coffee shop with a handful of slot machines. When Graves retired a couple of years later, Ascuaga purchased the Sparks Nugget. Over the course of nearly 60 years, Ascuaga grew the Nugget into a 1,500-room hotel/casino with eight restaurants, 110,000 square feet of convention space, and 80,000 square feet of gaming. He also operated three ranches and Nugget Meat Packers. Ascuaga and his wife Rose have been married for 58 years and have four children (two of whom worked with him at the Nugget), and eight grandchildren. Ascuaga is known as one of Nevada’s most famous businessmen.

Stan Boyd (’77 Hotel & Restaurant Administration) had a 30-year career in the hospitality industry, first with Westin Hotels and then with Fairmont Hotels, where he was senior vice president of sales and marketing. After retiring, he started his own winery, Boyd Family Vineyards, located in the Napa Valley. He had a vision of creating very special wines and memories on the 22-acre property acquired in 1998. Today, Boyd Family Vineyards produces ultra-premium wine grapes used in Boyd wines and in many of Napa Valley’s most sought after wines. Stan also developed and until recently owned the Napa Valley Holiday Inn Express, is immediate past chairman of Visit Napa Valley, past board member of the Napa Valley GrapeGrowers, past president of the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley, and past president of the American Canyon Tourism Investment District. An active bicyclist, Stan recently completed his second transcontinental ride—a 4,100 mile from Bar Harbor, Maine to Anacortes, Washington.

Chris Burdett (’90 Hotel & Restaurant Administration) is a senior vice president for CBRE Hotels in Seattle and is responsible for the day-to-day activities and hospitality investment advisory services in the United States’ northwest region. He has over 25 years of varied experience in the hospitality and franchise industries and has participated in over $2 billion worth of hospitality dispositions and related activities. Burdett has spent time in operations and development with Marriott International, consulting with the Chambers Group and PKF Capital Advisors, and began his investment and brokerage career in 1999 with Colliers International Hotels and now CBRE Hotels. He has actively participated with WSU since 2004 and has held the following positions; School of Hospitality Business Management Advisory Board member 2004-present, Board Chair 2010-2012; Carson College of Business National Board of Advisors member 2005-present, Board Chair 2015-present; City of Edmonds Lodging Tax Advisory Council 2002-2010. Burdett is an active outdoor enthusiast, born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. He resides in Woodway, Washington, with his wife of 25 years, Lisa, and daughters Emily and Hailey. He and his family are investors in multiple hotels on the West Coast.

Jerry Burtenshaw (’56 Hotel & Restaurant Administration) learned the restaurant business from his parents and opened several restaurants throughout the Pacific Northwest. He later founded ABC Services Inc. and Alpine-Burtco, an international catering and concessions company that was the concessionaire for the Kingdome, the Tacoma Dome, and Husky Stadium. He has received numerous honors and awards including the WSU’s Alumni Achievement Award, induction into the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s College of Diplomates, the Washington Restaurant Association’s Hospitality Man of the Year, and the Carson College of Business’s Dean’s Distinguished Leadership Award. He also established the Calvin Brett Burtenshaw Memorial Scholarship and the Burtenshaw Distinguished Lecture Series in honor of his and his wife Angelina’s late son, who was registered in the WSU hospitality program before being tragically struck down in an auto accident.

Dwight Call (’56 Hotel & Restaurant Administration) earned a B.S. in business from the University of Idaho in 1952, then served two years in the U.S. Army. Acting on the advice of Joe Bradley, then the director of the WSU hotel and restaurant administration program, Call took the first step toward his future career and earned his hospitality credentials. He joined Westin in 1956. In addition to several management positions, he served as general manager for three of the company’s hotels, including the Westin Hotel in Calgary, Alberta; the Westin Benson in Portland, Oregon; and the Westin Hotel in downtown Chicago. Call became vice president of the company in 1971, serving as operations/project manager. He was named executive vice president in 1982, responsible for worldwide hotel operations. In 1984, he became president of the hotel company. Call’s executive career spanned 32 years. He retired in 1988 and attributes much of his success to his wife Beverly’s support during their 50+ year marriage. He was active in the American Hotel and Motel Association and community affairs and was inducted into University of Idaho Alumni Hall of Fame in 1988.

In 1982, Larry Culver (’64 Hotel & Restaurant Administration) founded Inn Ventures Inc., a hotel development and management company—the first franchisee of the Residence Inn brand. He served as chairman and CEO, developing, owning, and operating over 20 hotels and creating the Stonehill Suites brand. He served on the Residence Inn Association Board for 25 years and was chairman for two terms. He also founded Innco, Inc. in 1973 and developed eight hotels including Hiltons, Sheratons, and two independent properties in eight Midwestern states. Culver has been recognized numerous times for his innovative leadership. He received the Inn of the Year Award, earned many of Marriott International’s highest awards, and was a six-time winner of Marriott’s Hotel of the Year Award. He retired in 2011 and serves on various boards of directors of civic and charity groups. He has served WSU and the WSU Foundation for more than 23 years, chairing many committees and chairing the Foundation for two terms. He received the Weldon B “Hoot” Gibson Award for Distinguished Volunteer Leadership, the Foundation’s highest award. He also co-chaired the Carson College of Business’s national campaign, which raised over $75 million. He served on the college’s National Board of Advisors, was past chair of the Hospitality Business Management Advisory Board, and is a guest lecturer. He created the Culver hospitality relations manager position currently held by Tony Thompson, who coordinates student internships and industry jobs. Culver also was one of the original founders of the WSU Palouse Ridge Golf Course. Larry and his wife Vickie have been married 27 years and have five children and five grandchildren.

Tom Drumheller (’75 Hotel & Restaurant Administration) was recruited and accepted into the Hyatt Hotel Management Training Program after graduating. It set the foundation of his philosophy toward the hotel and restaurant industry, where he worked for 25 years before establishing his own business and becoming CEO of Escape Lodging, a company that builds luxury hotels differentiated by innovative architecture and smart design. Collectively, Drumheller had 34 years of extensive experience in administration, operation, and development of unique hotel and restaurant properties. He was committed to exceeding guest expectations and managing profitability. He served on the Carson College of Business National Board of Advisors and loved to share what he had learned in the hotel industry with business students. He and his wife Christy have two adult daughters, Brook and Britney.

Jerry Jaeger (’70 Hotel & Restaurant Administration) began his career washing dishes in the seventh grade. He had to stand on a wooden Pepsi box to reach the machine—a box he still has in his office. After graduation, he went through a management training program with Westin Hotels at the Century Plaza in Los Angeles. He is president and co-owner of Hagadone Hospitality Company. The Coeur d’Alene Resort is the company’s flagship. He is a recipient of WSU’s Alumni Achievement Award, past president of the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce, United Way and the Idaho Innkeepers Association. He was selected as the first statewide chairman of the Idaho Travel Council. Earlier this year, he received the Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award in Recreation and Tourism. He and his wife Ellen have two children and five grandchildren.

Craig Schafer (’76 Hotel & Restaurant Administration) began his career in Westin Hotels’ management training program. Later he earned an MBA from the University of Puget Sound in 1980 and then worked as a consultant for a major accounting firm performing feasibility studies and appraisals for hotel developers. He founded Colliers International Hotel Realty in 1985 and was president for 15 years. In 1992, he and business partner Alan Battersby began buying, repositioning, and selling distressed hotels in several Pacific Northwest markets. Today he owns two award winning hotels in Seattle: Hotel Andra and the Inn at the Market. Schafer lives in Seattle with his wife Lisa, daughter Talia, and son Torin.

Lothar Kreck retired from WSU in 1997 after 26 years with the Hospitality Business Management program. He was director of the Hotel and Restaurant Administration program from 1971-79 and was the program’s first Ivar B. Haglund Distinguished Professor. He wrote numerous papers on tourism, travel, and hospitality and led many industry organizations. After retiring, he traveled to international universities and corporations, sharing his tourism expertise. He wrote numerous academic papers and published two books. He was installed as president of the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education in 1980, served on the board of directors, and edited the council’s newsletter. In 1999, Kreck received the Order of Merit medallion, Germany’s highest civilian honor recognizing his many efforts to promote academic relations between the U.S. and Germany and his outstanding service to German universities.

In 1994, Don Smith, the “Coach” as he was called by students and friends, was inducted into the College of Diplomates by the National Restaurant Association in recognition of his positive influence on thousands of students and professionals in his 39 years of service to the hospitality industry. Smith left a successful eight-year career as a winning high school football coach to manage a failed restaurant in Chicago. Under his stewardship and ultimate ownership, the award-winning Chateau Louise became the Chicago area’s eighth largest restaurant in sales. After selling Chateau in 1973, Smith became director of new ventures for Kentucky Fried Chicken and president of Shakey’s International. In the mid-1980s, he returned to his teaching, his first love. He was the director and professor in the Michigan State University School of Hotel Restaurant and Institutional Management for six years and received MSU’s Teacher of the Year Award in 1984. He also published three hospitality texts, including “Menu Engineering” coauthored by Michael Kasavana. While at WSU, Smith held the Westin and Taco Bell distinguished professorships. In 1995, the University named its annual chain restaurant conference in his honor. Smith retired in 2000. He was an avid supporter and speaker for the National Restaurant Association, Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators, Club Managers Association of America, American Hotel & Motel Association, and numerous educational institutions. Smith lived with his wife, Jackie, in Anderson, Texas, and they were married over 60 years. Together, they enjoyed spending time with their children, 10 grandchildren, and 11 great grandchildren.

Gretchen Mathers (’62 Agric., Hum. & Nat. Res. Sci.) was the operating partner at Schwartz Brothers Restaurants and founder of the longloved Seattle café and catering company Gretchen’s of Course. After graduating from WSU, Mathers became a corporate executive in New
York. There she worked for Stouffer’s Restaurant Group and General Foods, later returning to Seattle to work for Western International Hotels (now the Westin), where she was the company’s first female food and beverage director. Eventually Mathers went into partnership with Schwartz Brothers Restaurants, developing Shoebox Express (whose fleet of red vans can be seen all over town), Schwartz Brothers Bakery, and Columbia River Bakery, under the corporate umbrella of Gretchen’s of Schwartz. She helped develop Cool Whip, won the Nellie Cashman Woman Business Owner of the Year award, and was the first woman president of the Washington Restaurant Association. And though she grew up wanting to be the next Betty Crocker, she instead became a brand name herself. “I’ve never heard one bad word said about Gretchen in her whole life, and you know how restaurant people talk,” said her youngest brother, Jack Mathers, owner of Jack’s Fish Spot in Pike Place Market. “She was the big sister who watched over everybody.”

Patrick Foley (’55 Educ.) retired, served as the chairman, president, and chief executive officer of DHL Corporation Inc. and its major subsidiary, DHL Airways Inc., a global document, package, and airfreight delivery company, for 11 years. Prior to joining DHL, Foley was associated with the Hyatt Hotels Corporation for 26 years in a variety of capacities, including management positions in four cities (1962-1972); as executive vice president for operations (1972-1978); as president (1978-1984); as chairman (1984-1988); and as vice chairman, also serving as CEO of Braniff Airlines, a Hyatt subsidiary (1984-1988). Foley served as nonexecutive
chairman of Procurepoint Travel Solutions and as a private business consultant. He was a director of Glenborough Realty Trust Inc. and served as a board member on the Foundation Health Systems Inc., Nuvine Logistics Inc., New Vine, Inc., V-Commerce Inc., Del Monte Corporation, and Vcustomer. He served as a director of Health Net, Inc. (1997-2015) and was a member of Flextronics International Ltd.’s Board of Directors. He also served as a director of Continental Airlines Inc. and as a director of FHC, a neuroscience and neurosurgery solutions company, during his distinguished career.

Ted Baseler(’76 Comm.) led the company’s expansion throughout Washington and winery acquisitions in California and Oregon. Baseler began his career at Ste. Michelle in 1984 as director of marketing, eventually becoming chief operating officer before being named president and CEO in 2001. He focused on building a high quality wine portfolio that received Wine Spectator Magazine’s coveted number one Wine in the World title in 2009. Prior to working at the winery, he was a creative marketer of consumer packaged goods at ad agencies J. Walter Thompson, Chiat Day, and Cole & Weber. Baseler’s achievements include being named to Vineyard Winery Management’s list of “20 Most Admired People in the North American Wine Industry” (2013); Southern Wine & Spirits of America Lifetime Achievement Award (2015); named as the 77th Seattle-King County First Citizen (2015); Seattle Business Magazine’s Executive Excellence Award (2018); and Puget Sound Business Journal’s top 35 most influential business leaders of the past 35 years. Baseler was chairman of the Washington Wine Commission, chairman of the Napa-based Wine Market Council, and director of the Washington Wine Institute. He has served on the Washington Business
Roundtable, the Seattle Children’s Hospital board, currently serves on the WSU Board of Regents, and led the development of the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Science Center at WSU Tri-Cities.

Terry Umbreit (’84 Educ.) retired from WSU in 2008 after serving 32 years on the hospitality and business management faculty. In 1984 he was appointed director and served in that capacity until his retirement. As a faculty member, Umbreit’s publications focused on human resource issues. As director he brought prominence to the school through fund-raising, industry relationships, facility development, student career services, faculty recruitment, conference programming, and international program expansion. He was an industry leader in education, serving as president of the Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (International CHRIE) as well as serving on the boards of the state hotel and restaurant associations. He was a founding member of the Education Foundation of the Washington Restaurant Association. He is currently on the advisory board of Florence University of the Arts, Florence, Italy. He received numerous awards including CHRIE’s Meek Award for Lifetime Contributions and Outstanding Service; César Ritz Award in Switzerland; Lifetime Academic Achievement from Michigan State University’s School of Hospitality Business; and the Founder’s Award for Leadership during the 2013 Annual Graduate Education and Graduate Student Research Conference. He completed his career as director of the Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management at the University of Memphis. Umbreit now lives in Port Ludlow, Washington, with his wife, Julie.

William Pearce Newman (HR&A ’58) was a member of the Sigma Phi
Epsilon Fraternity and U.S. Army ROTC while at WSU. After graduation he was hired as a salesman for the Davenport Hotel in Spokane, which marked the beginning of a long, successful career where he traveled the world, met dignitaries, but most importantly, had a profound impact on the people he met. He had a genuine interest and caring for people that led to sincere connections and life-long friendships throughout the hospitality industry and beyond. During his career Newman worked at the Seattle Olympic Hotel (1961), the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego (1963), and the Arizona Carefree Inn (1964). Ultimately his career took him and his family back to Seattle where he became executive vice president of Westin Hotels and Resorts. Throughout his career, Newman remained a passionate Cougar and stayed actively engaged with WSU in leadership and fundraising. In 1993 he was recognized by WSU for outstanding service and leadership in enhancing the quality and visibility of WSU’s Hotel and Restaurant program. Newman and his wife, Leone, were married 58 years and had four children, 10 grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. The family enjoyed adventures ranging from dude ranches in Montana and skiing in Whistler to tours of the White House and plays on Broadway.

Doug Dreher (’87 H &RA) is responsible for all facets of The Hotel Group (THG) including oversite of the company-wide portfolio, real estate acquisitions and dispositions, investor relations, business development, and capital and strategic planning. Dreher was promoted to CEO in 2009 and has been president since 2002. Before joining THG in 1989, he worked for Westin Hotels and Resorts in various management positions. Dreher has supervised over 100 hotels in 25 states and Canada, overseen 50 new developments, and has experience with brands such as Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Corporation, InterContinental Hotels Group, and several others. He is a certified hotel administrator from the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA). He formerly held a position within AHLA’s executive committee and was also chairman of the board for the Washington State Hotel and Lodging Association. Dreher serves on the board of directors for AHLA, Hilton’s Homewood Brand Owners advisory council, and he is a current member of the Lodging Industry Investment Council, a think tank comprised of leading hotel and real estate executives that disseminates investment trends to the hospitality industry. Dreher has served as a guest lecturer for WSU and received a 75th Anniversary Honoree Recognition Award.

Joe Fugere (’84 H&RA) is a fourth-generation Seattleite. His Italian great-grandparents arrived in America and settled in the Beacon Hill neighborhood. With a desire to bring the centuries-old traditions of neapolitan cuisine shared by his beloved Italian ancestors to Seattle, Fugere founded Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria in 2004, which soon became the Northwest’s first neapolitan pizzeria to be certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. Fugere opened his first restaurant in Seattle’s Columbia City neighborhood and currently has five neighborhood restaurants in the greater Seattle area, a mobile food truck, and two in-store restaurants inside QFC groceries in Kirkland and Seattle’s University District. Fugere is passionate about the role businesses can have in affecting positive social change within the community. In 2010, he attended the signing of the Small Business Lending Act at the White House where President Obama recognized Tutta Bella for its contribution to economic recovery. He has been named to several city, regional, and state government advisory teams including Seattle Mayor Murray’s Income Inequality Advisory Committee, Mayor Durkan’s Small Business Advisory Council, and Governor Inslee’s transition team. Fugere was also awarded the Gil Centioli Memorial Award by Festa Italiana Seattle for continual support of the Italian community and the John Merrill Memorial Service Award for services to the Rainier District community. Tutta Bella closely partners with a non-profit in each neighborhood where they have a location, donates surplus food to those in need, and practices waste reduction and energy conservation.

Brian McGinnis (’77 H&RA) began his career with Westin Hotels and Resorts in Hawaii and later with Doubletree Hotels in Seattle, gaining a wide range of experience and exposure in all aspects of hospitality functions and operations. He later worked at Laventhol and Horwath, a national hotel and real estate consulting company, conducting feasibility analysis and appraisals for development projects and convention facilities before returning to Westin in 1986. During his 11-year career with Westin, he managed hotel and resort property acquisitions, market and financial feasibility studies, facilities planning, and investment analysis for hotel and resort projects in North America and Asia. He also served as Westin’s director of development. He then joined Intracorp as a commercial project manager, where he identified office development opportunities, negotiated land purchase and sale agreements, and coordinated project consultants. In 2001, he established Pinnacle Real Estate LLC to provide comprehensive hotel real estate services to users and investors. Key accomplishments included representing an investor in the purchase and redevelopment of what is now the Alderbrook Resort and Spa, the Hood Canal Marina, and the renovation of the Salish Lodge and Spa guestrooms. Currently, he provides consulting services to hotel and resort projects in the Pacific Northwest. He has served on the School of Hospitality Business Management’s Advisory Board since 2006 (chair from 2012 to 2014) and as a trustee with Forterra, formerly the Cascade Land Conservancy, from 2006 to 2012.

Julie Purnell (‘86 H&RA)) is the senior director of asset management at Flynn Properties Inc., an investment company focused on commercial real estate, luxury resorts, and select service hotel properties in the United States and abroad. She oversees Flynn’s investment in its expanding select service hotel portfolio. In addition to directing the asset management of this growing portfolio, Purnell assists with future acquisitions. She has over 30 years of hospitality industry experience with a focus on property acquisition, business development, and asset management. She has held leadership roles at several notable hotel companies as well as premier commercial real estate services and investment firms including Marriott International, Loews Hotels, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Denihan Investments, and CBRE, Inc. In addition, Purnell’s diverse background includes strategic planning, contract negotiations, operations, and asset value enhancement. She is also the cofounder of the Women in Hospitality Investment Network, which promotes the advancement of women in the transaction area of the hospitality industry.

Anthony Anton (’91 Poli. Sci.) is president and CEO of the Washington Hospitality Association, a member-based organization that works at the state and local level to find solutions to challenging issues facing the hospitality industry and workforce. Anton has been with the association for more than 20 years and draws on experience from being raised in a family with more than 70 years of hospitality experience in the state.

As CEO, Anton has helped the association expand, launch initiatives to help the workforce succeed, and focus on protecting and enhancing the hospitality business climate. Throughout the pandemic, when hospitality was hit the hardest of any industry, he and his team at the association helped secure hundreds of millions in relief dollars for Washington hospitality businesses and dozens of regulatory relief measures. This effort reduced the number of closures in the second six months of the pandemic by nearly 400 percent, compared to the first six months.

Prior to his role at the association, he was the CEO of Washington Lodging Association, manager of Washington State Relations at The Boeing Company, and director of government affairs for the Washington Restaurant Association.

Navin Dimond (’85 Busi. Admin., Const. Mgmt.) is the founder, chief executive officer, and chairman of Stonebridge Companies, a privately owned hospitality firm founded in 1991. Stonebridge owns and operates a diverse portfolio of 64 hotel properties in the United States, with approximately 12,000 rooms. Dimond has received numerous awards for his work in the hospitality industry, including the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award®, and the Award of Excellence from the American Asian Hotel Owners Association. Dimond is a firm believer in serving his community; currently he serves on the Board of Trustees for the University of Denver and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Dimond also served as the former chairman of the Denver Metro Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (Visit Denver). Most recently, he was appointed as chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Denver branch. He serves in an advisory role for many organizations, including Washington State University’s College of Engineering and Architecture Executive Leadership Board and Cornell University’s Dean’s Advisory Board for the School of Hotel Administration. Dimond earned his MBA in real estate/ construction management from the University of Denver.

The restaurant industry’s “original” menu engineer, Gregg Rapp (’92 Comm.), dedicated himself to revolutionizing menu design and technology worldwide for 38 years. He founded Menu Engineers, a company that collaborates with teams to increase profitability and drive guest satisfaction through their menus. Rapp passed away in late 2020, after courageous battling cancer for more than two years. As a leader in menu design and technology, Rapp presented at national conferences, symposiums, and seminars. He often spoke on menu psychology, sustainability practices in food service, hospitality, culinary arts, business innovation, and public health. He spoke regularly to graduate students at Cornell University, Duke University, and the Culinary Institute of America. The foremost expert in his industry, he appeared on major television networks as well as in popular press including Time and INC. magazines, The New York Times, Business Insider, Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Rapp revamped menus for thousands of clients worldwide, from small bowling alleys and diners to premium resorts, hotels, and destinations. His clients also included numerous well-known food chains, such as Subway, Olive Garden, Arby’s, Chili’s, Taco Bell, California Pizza Kitchen, TGI Friday’s, and Dave and Buster’s. A committed volunteer, Rapp also worked with the Los Angeles school district, searching for ways to make healthy lunch choices appeal to students’ appetites. A WSU scholarship honors Rapp’s legacy and helps support students studying menu engineering and design as a career.

Hospitality professional Clarice Turner is a board director for Delicato Family Wines, the fifth largest wine company in the United States, Blaze Pizza, and the National Restaurant Association. She is also a trustee of the Culinary Institute of America and an advisor on the dean’s development council for the San Francisco State University Lam Family College of Business.

Turner is the former president of Joseph Phelps Vineyards, a family-owned winery crafting world-class estate wines since 1973. Prior to Joseph Phelps, she was chief executive officer of Boudin Bakery and held executive leadership positions with Starbucks Coffee Company, YUM! Brands, and PepsiCo.

Earlier in her career, as president and chief operating officer for Papa Murphy’s International, Turner was one of a small group of female leaders in the foodservice sector. This group of 13 women executives attended the inaugural meeting between the White House Council on Women and Girls and the White House Business Council to address the barriers to advancement for women.

Tuner earned her MBA and undergraduate degrees from San Francisco State University and attended Fudan University and The University of International Business in China. She has been a member of or led diversity and inclusion efforts throughout her career.

A ninth-generation Californian, Turner enjoys judging wine competitions and mentoring future generations of women leaders.