Male Dolphin – North

Crux Knot – North

Crayfish – North | Tom McQuaid

Tom McQuaid was born and raised in Seattle. The Reading Room in Suzzallo Library was an important place where Tom and his friends studied and socialized. As owner of Nordic Cold Storage near Seattle’s Pioneer Square for 48 years, Tom’s work was physically rooted in the center of a growing metropolis. Through the years, Tom balanced running a business and supporting local organizations committed to improving the quality of life where we all live and work, including The Seattle Opera, the Museum of History and Industry, UW’s Meany Center for the Performing Arts, and the UW Libraries. Tom realizes how central libraries are to all UW students, regardless of their major and degree. In 2017, Tom joined the Board of the Friends of the UW Libraries as an ambassador for UW Libraries and as an advocate for the success of every student, faculty, and community user. Unlike most programs, UW Libraries has no alumni, and it depends on community philanthropy for emerging needs. “I want to support the Libraries greatest needs, and my gift to the Libraries Catalyst Fund reflects the central role of Libraries supporting the work of every Husky since the University opened in 1861 and for generations to come.”

Hand – North

Two Keys – NE

Scorpion – East

Reservoir Tank – East | Tom McQuaid

“As Suzzallo Library prepares to celebrate its centennial in January 2027, I am honoring the dedicated staff of the UW Libraries by sponsoring the Reservoir Tank (Window #8). When I was a student at UW, I studied in the Reading Room, even then, I realized that the Libraries staff are the heart of the University. Across every one of the 16 physical buildings and spaces are stacks of books and collections. Yet, through the pandemic, earthquakes, sunshine, rain, and snow, it’s the Libraries staff who are there creating services and helping users collaborate, use databases, and visualize and curate data to help solve challenges like hunger, transportation, and training the next generation of healthcare providers. Indeed, UW Libraries staff are teachers, keepers, protectors, and disseminators of information in every format – both physical and digital. In dedicating this window, I want others to know about the many ways today’s Libraries staff are working hard many times behind-the-scenes and many times stretching to help provide barrier free access to resources and data that fuel new ideas, research, and learning for the public good. I’m excited about and feel grateful to be able to help every Husky succeed by investing in the Libraries Catalyst Fund.”

Basilisk – East

Ornate bell – East

Fleur-de-lis | Janet Pliske

Janet Pliske, former staff supervisor in Cataloging, had a 24 year career with UW Libraries. She helped transition from card catalog to our online database. After retiring in 2000, Janet stayed in touch with many staff and retirees. She loved people and especially loved helping people and supporting growth in their jobs and careers. Upon her passing, we learned that Janet included UW Libraries in her estate plan, which provided seed funding to establish the Libraries Professional Development Endowed Fund  – a permanent endowment that could grow. With Janet Pliske’s generous estate gift and additional donations from others, the value of the annual RenewU scholarship has increased from a minimum award of $500 to $2,000. In FY25, two scholarships can be awarded.

Round Towers – East

Mermaid – East

Scallop

Crossed Cutlasses

Sphere – East

Castle with Keep – East

Column

Two Notched Keys

Weight Scales – East

Inverted Fleur-de-lis

Male Goat – East

Bell – East

Crown – East

Hat

Male Dolphin – East

Lantern – SE

Insect – South

Sun with Colors

Crossed Cutlasses – inverted

Sailboat | Doug & Karen Forsyth

We both have a long-standing love of the University of Washington and especially Suzzallo Library as we spent many hours there together studying and dreaming in the Reading Room during our time at the University. We fell in love with its timeless architectural beauty and calm atmosphere. The first century BCE historian Diodorus Siculus (1.48.3) recorded that in a library at Ancient Thebes in Egypt there was an inscription that described the library as a ΨΥΧΗΣ ΙΑΤΡΕΙΟΝ (psyches iatreion), ‘a healing place of the soul.’ The Reading Room in Suzzallo is certainly such a place.

The sailboat medallion is special to us as we are lifelong recreational sailors and worked with ships professionally as well. To us, boats symbolize connectivity, such as that which we share with friends, family, and the University of Washington.

Libraries are depositories of accumulated knowledge, both past knowledge as well as the eventual storage destination of future knowledge. They are almost by default the engine room of the entire university enterprise. We are very pleased to be able to support the mission of the University of Washington Libraries both in their traditional sense as keepers of past works and in their vibrant role in shaping the presentation of knowledge and access for future scholars and students of what is yet to come.

See also The Engine Room of Knowledge: An Interview with UW Libraries Donors Doug and Karen Forsyth

Castle | Donald Easterbrook

Dr. Donald Easterbrook earned his BS, MS, and PhD in geology from the University of Washington and taught for more than 40 years at Western Washington University, including 14 years as department chair. His research focused on global climate change in western North America, New Zealand, Argentina, and other parts of the world. Thanks to Don’s vision and support, in 2008 Libraries Special Collections started a remarkable collection of visual images depicting landforms and glaciers in the Pacific Northwest and around the world. He continues to help build the collection by identifying other geologists’ photography collections. Don also philanthropically supports digitally preserving these materials, some of which date to the early 1900s. Among the frequently accessed materials are Don’s visual images of before-and-after Mount St. Helens’ epic eruption on Sunday, May 18, 1980.

Round Towers – West

Sphere – West

Sun

Mermaid – West

Crayfish – West

Scallop in color

Ornate Bell – West

#40 Reservoir Tank – West

Basilisk – West

White Tulip

Elaborate Hat

Man

Male Goat – West

Male Dolphin – West | Suzanne Ragen

When friends visit Seattle, the Reading Room in Suzzallo Library is on Suzanne Ragen’s Top 10 sites. She is very pleased to sponsor window #46, the Male Dolphin window, because of a strong connection shared with her late husband Brooks to the sea life around San Juan Island where their family spends time together. “We often see dolphins as well as Orcas and seals and eagles and all sorts of wildlife near our home away from home. I also like that the dolphin is in color.”

Bell – West

Bull with Mouth

Inverted Insect

Weight Scales – West

Tulip

Man – Tinted Glass | Sharon Sinclair

Sharon Sinclair’s education started in a one-room schoolhouse in a logging camp on Vancouver Island, British Columbia during World War II. Later, while attending Forks High School, the school librarian, UW alumna Dr. Lena A. Hartge with advanced degrees in botany and librarianship, motivated Sharon’s interests in the history of science, pharmacy and medicine. Dr. Hartge encouraged Sharon to apply for admission to the University of Washington, where the late Professor Giovanni Costigan expanded Sharon’s interests in world history. To inspire research and life-long learning, Sharon has given back to UW Libraries by supporting the Giovanni Costigan film preservation project, establishing the Sharon Maureen Sinclair Library Endowed Fund, and dedicating this window with her gift to the Libraries Catalyst Fund for Innovation.

Crux Knot – West

Bull sans Mouth

Lantern – West

Crown – West