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Alumni Hall of Fame: Class of 2008

The Department of Communication inducts six new members into its Alumni Hall of Fame this year.

Mary Daheim

Mary Daheim, '60

B.A., 1960
Author of over 50 novels
In 1983, Daheim published her first historical romance, Love's Pirate, for Avon Books. She followed this award-winning novel with three more best-sellers for Avon, as well as several historical novels for Harlequin. An avid mystery reader, Daheim decided to try her hand at murder and mayhem with the creation of the "Bed-and-Breakfast" series from Avon, beginning with Just Desserts, and followed by Fowl Prey, Holy Terrors, Dune to Death, and many more. Daheim is a member of the Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America and Romance Writers of America.

Wallie Funk

Wallie Funk, '48

B.A., 1948
Long-time editor, journalist and civic activist
From 1950 to 1960, Funk co-published the Anacortes American, and for the next 20-plus years he produced three newspapers on Whidbey Island, Wash.. As a journalist and editor, he was highly regarded throughout the state, and served as president of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. Funk served on the Anacortes City Council, was the 1959 chair of the United Good Neighbor drive, and served three years as president of the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce. He has twice received the Skagit County Bar Association's prestigious "Liberty Bell" award, given to people who exemplify the ideals of community service and the U.S. Constitution. Read more about Funk in a story by journalism student Keith Vance.

Jerry (Gerald) Hoeck
B.A., 1944
Advertising, public consulting and public service professional
Hoeck was a founding partner of Miller, McKay, Hoeck and Hartung, a Seattle advertising agency, well known for its innovative and creative work. He also worked on Warren Magnuson's congressional and senate campaigns and helped Sen. Henry M. Jackson in his U.S. Senate race. In 1960, he served as the advertising manager of the Democratic National Committee and played a major role in the 1964 election of four Washington state congressmen: Tom Foley, Brock Adams, Lloyd Meeds and Floyd Hicks. In the 1970s, he worked on the Jackson presidential campaigns and has been very active in community service, offering his advertising and marketing expertise to a wide variety of causes and organizations.

Stanton Patty
B.A., M.A.; 1949, 1958
Reporter and one of the foremost writers about Alaska
Patty covered the state of Alaska for most of his 57 years as a reporter. He was a former assistant travel editor of the Seattle Times and on staff at the Times for over 30 years. Patty's Alaska stories for the Times include the fight for statehood, construction of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, the campaign for settlement of Alaska natives' aboriginal land claims, the 1964 earthquake and the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He was lead reporter for coverage of the Seattle World's Fair in 1962 and is the author of Fearless Men And Fabulous Women: A reporter's memoir from Alaska & the Yukon.

Mayumi Tsutakawa

Mayumi Tsutakawa, '76

M.A., 1976
Community activist
Tsutakawa became involved in community activism while still in college and has continued her community work throughout her career. She started her professional career as a journalist and was the first Asian American female reporter working at a major newspaper (the Seattle Times) in the region at that time. She taught East Asian/Asian American history and journalism at Seattle Central Community College and co-edited the first national Asian American women's literature and art anthology, The Forbidden Stitch: Asian American Women's Literary Anthology. The anthology was awarded the Before Columbus Foundation's American Book Award in 1990. Tsutakawa worked as director of external relations for the Wing Luke Asian Museum before going to work at the Washington State Arts Commission and has been involved in a number of cultural projects, community committees, and grant-award panels.

Donald H. Wulff
Ph.D., 1985
(posthumous)
Director of the Center for Instructional Development and Research, Associate Dean in the Graduate School, and affiliate graduate faculty in the Department of Communication, Wulff spent 27 years teaching, consulting, researching and co-authoring/co-editing seven volumes on issues in higher education. His teaching areas included instructional, interpersonal, and nonverbal communication; communication education; interviewing; instructional design and teaching and learning in higher education. He received the UW Excellence in Teaching Award in 1984 and was the 2007 recipient of the David B. Thorud Leadership Award, given to one UW faculty member and one staff member who have demonstrated exceptional abilities to lead, serve, inspire and collaborate with broad impact.

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