Give to WSUThe Washington State University Foundation Trustees honored seven individuals in recognition of their outstanding volunteer service and commitment to advancing the work of Washington State University and the WSU Foundation during the Foundation’s annual awards luncheon in Pullman, September 30.
Receiving the WSU Foundation’s Outstanding Service Awards were Mike and Kathy Hambelton of Wenatchee, Washington; David McGoldrick of Anderson Island, Washington; and Jim and Lee Ruck of Everett, Washington. Faculty & Staff Outstanding Service Awards were presented to Dr. James N. (Jim) Petersen of Moscow, Idaho; and Gay Selby of Kelso, Washington.
“The engagement and dedicated service demonstrated by each of this year’s Outstanding Service Award honorees is extraordinary,” said John Gardner, WSU Foundation CEO and Vice President for Advancement. “Their leadership opens countless doors for Washington State University to partner with private supporters whose generous investments create opportunities for Washington State University faculty, research, and students to make a difference in our state and world.”
Mike and Kathy Hambelton
Mike (’71, Ed.) and Kathy Hambelton, second generation Cougs, made the most of their time at WSU and want others to do the same. After Mike graduated, he worked in sales and marketing for the tree fruit industry. Then, together, the couple formed a partnership with two other Cougar couples to start Double M Orchards. Through gifts and an estate plan, Mike and Kathy will help students receive an outstanding and affordable education. They are active volunteers for WSU and its College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS), and have created a scholarship fund to benefit students pursuing their educations in CAHNRS.
Dave McGoldrick
Dave McGoldrick (’65, Poli. Sci.) has been an active member of the Honors College Advisory Board for many years. Dave is an attorney at Morton McGoldrick in Tacoma. His support for the Honors College has raised awareness of the significant role and scope of the program. Davie is a global citizen who’s spent time in Uganda completing service projects. He is an Honors alumnus and former ASWSU Vice President, and worked with the Honors College Advisory Board to build an endowment in honor of former dean, Libby Walker.
Jim and Lee Ruck
Jim (’54, Chem.) and wife Lee Ella (’54, Hum. Dev.) Ruck met at Washington State College, and demonstrate loyal and generous support to WSU. Before retiring, Jim worked as an industrial engineer at Boeing in Everett, insurance salesperson, and as production manager for the Washington State Department of Corrections in Monroe, Wash, and Lee worked for many years as a teacher. In 2015, Jim received the WSU Alumni Association (WSUAA) Alumni Achievement Award in recognition of six decades of dedication and service, and that same year, the couple received the CAHNRS Alumni & Development Volunteers of the Year award. They’ve established graduate fellowships in chemistry and food science/human nutrition, and provided a gift for the construction of the Indoor Practice Facility for Cougar Athletics.
James N. Petersen, Ph.D.
Dr. James (Jim) Petersen is the Director and Professor of Chemical Engineering in the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering at Washington State University. His remarkable WSU career spans nearly four decades as a member of the faculty in the Department of Chemical Engineering, and for nearly 20 years, Dr. Petersen has served in a variety of leadership roles, including Director for the Center for Multiphase Environmental Research (1997-2002); Associate Dean of Engineering and Architecture for Research and Graduate Programs (2000-2002); and Vice Provost for Research (2002-2008).
In his current role, Dr. Petersen articulated a vision and applied leadership to raise the bar for WSU’s already strong reputation for conducting high-quality research that advances the energy sector. Among his many successes, Dr. Petersen’s efforts to engage alumni and supporters in this vision helped the program secure the then-largest individual gift in WSU history.
Gay Selby, Ed.D.
A clinical professor and Educational Leadership Program Chair in the College of Education at WSU Vancouver, Gay Selby (’80 Ed.D.), has been an educator in Washington state for more than 50 years. Her leadership was instrumental in the creation of the WSU Vancouver campus, serving on the WSU Vancouver Site Selection Committee in the 1990s and as the first chair of the WSU Vancouver Advisory Council. After a long and distinguished career in K-12 education, Selby joined the WSU Vancouver College of Education faculty in 1991.
Dr. Selby is a tireless advocate of higher education in Washington state, having served in several professional and personal capacities, including the Higher Education Coordinating Board, and as a member of the Association of Washington School Principals/Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction Advisory Committee for State Internship Programs. She has earned both the Superintendent of the Year and the WSU Alumni Achievement Award.
For more about the WSU Foundation’s Outstanding Service Award, visit: https://foundation.wsu.edu/osa/.
