Alumni Updates
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John Ashford
M.Lib, 1971
John has written a book about traveling in the Kalahari Desert and making connections with the Kalahari Bushmen after a two-year stint in the Peace Corps. The book, "Meeting the Mantis," is available from Amazon. Recently, it won a 2016 writing award from Peace Corps Worldwide.
Donna Hanson
M.Lib, 1971
Donna spent her professional years as an academic librarian at the Science Library at Washington State University (1972-1981) and as the Science Librarian at the University of Idaho (1981-2001). After her retirement at the end of 2001, she remained active for several years in the Pacific Northwest Library Association and the Idaho Library Association. However, she found that kept her a bit too busy, so she has reduced her involvement and now focuses on spending time with her family.
Louise Lindsey
M.Lib, 1971
Louise retired in 2012 from the Mabee Legal Information Center at the University of Tulsa College of Law in Tulsa, OK. Her retirement plans include traveling, volunteering, and taking photography classes.
Jackie Spurlock
M.Lib, 1971
Jackie retired 2018 from her position as manager of Vancouver Community Library in the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District. She is a co-founder and current board member of Peace Corps Iran Association, representing Peace Corps volunteers who served in Iran between 1962 and 1976.
PCIA advocates for peaceful solutions to the current tensions and for mutual understanding between the American and Iranian people.
Jackie is the proud grandmother of three!
Nicholas Belkin
M.Lib, 1970
As of 2024, Nicholas was a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University. At the 2023 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, he was honored to be named the first ASIS&T Fellow.
Robert "Bob" Pankl
M.Lib, 1970
As of 2024 Bob has been retired but states that, "being a librarian is forever."
Bob Perrin
M.Lib, 1970
Bob is retired, now teaching at Wofford College (Spartanburg,SC) Continuing Ed program on U.S. 20th century diplomatic and military history.
Phillip Rafferty
M.Lib, 1970
Phillip recently retired as Associate Professor Emeritus after 29 years at Mississippi State University's Mitchell Memorial Library. During his time there, he published dozens of book reviews and database reviews in ARBA, Serials Review, Library Journal, American Libraries and Reference Books Bulletin, plus articles in Psychology and Law, and Mississippi Libraries. During his career, he also spent four years working at Tacoma Public Library and two years at the Tacoma Community College library.
Sharyl Swanson
M.Lib, 1970
Sharyl is volunteering as an advocate for school library programs in Utah. She currently is working on keeping school library books and electronic resources in the Utah state education budget, and to establish a multi-year impact study of teacher librarians on student achievement. So far, Sharyl and her advocacy group PALS (Parents Advocating for Libraries in Schools) have met with over 50 district superintendents, state school board members and legislators. The Utah State Board of Education voted to include both line items, which now require approval from the State Legislature.
Gail Dykstra
M.Lib, 1969
Gail is the Senior Technology Manager for Software at CoMotion, the collaborative hub for expanding the societal impact of the University of Washington community.