note From the Chair

Congratulations to 2009 Communication Hall of Fame inductees

By David Domke
Department Chair

The Department of Communication in 2004 created a Hall of Fame to honor alumni who have made a significant positive difference in people’s lives. Each year the Department inducts a small number of people who have demonstrated professional excellence and an exemplary commitment to the public good. An outstanding professional career is part of our criteria, but just as important is a sustained engagement with the broader community and citizenry.

This October we will induct six members into the Department’s Hall of Fame. As with all whom they will join, these six have accomplished much, positively impacted many, acted with integrity, and honor the Department by joining the Hall. They have been selected for the Hall through a process of open nominations followed with election by current members of the Hall of Fame.

I wanted to take a moment here to speak about each inductee.

H. Stuart Elway

H. Stuart Elway is a three-time alum of the UW: a BA in Political Science in 1970, an MA in Communication in 1975, and a PhD in Communication in 1983. (Note to all: there is no connection between the number of degrees someone has and whether they are selected for the Hall of Fame!) Elway is a leading expert on public opinion and Northwest politics, and he runs the Elway Poll, a long-running nonpartisan, independent analysis of public opinion in the Northwest. He’s someone whose work I know well, given my interest in politics and public opinion. Elway is always fair and independent in his research, something becoming all too uncommon in U.S. politics these days.

Joanne Harrell

Joanne Harrell earned a Communication BA in 1976 and a 1979 MBA from the Business School. She currently is the Chief of Staff for the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) Division of Microsoft. In the late 1990s she served as Executive Director of the United Way of King County, leading the organization to national fundraising records and helping it to chart a course toward sustained excellence. Harrell has served on a number of community boards, including the Salvation Army, Seattle Urban League, and the Seattle Art Museum. She is a wonderful example of a person who can impact the public good from multiple vantage points over time.

Bruce Johansen

Bruce Johansen earned a BA in 1972 and a PhD in 1979 in Communication at the UW, and he has gone on to scholarly excellence. He holds the Frederick W. Kayser Chaired Professorship at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where his position is in the School of Communication, with a cross-listing in Native American Studies. Johansen has published two dozen books, with primary points of focus on Native American experiences and environmental matters, including global warming. He is, in the best sense of the term, a public scholar — someone who conducts serious scholarly research and then brings these ideas to a broader public conversation.

George Sundborg

George Sundborg will be inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame, and will be represented at the Hall ceremony in October by family members. Sundborg earned a UW Communication BA in 1934 and then entered into a world of newspaper journalism, with a lengthy tenure in Alaska. He was one of the primary authors of the Alaska Constitution, which was drafted in 1955 and 1956. Sundborg eventually returned to Washington state, and received an award for his work in getting federal land transferred to the City of Seattle that ultimately became Discovery Park. Every day those of us who love this park enjoy the fruits of his labor for the public good.

Maggie Walker

Maggie Walker received a BA in 1974 in History and BA in Communication in 1987, and is a leader in the Seattle nonprofit community. Among her current professional ties is a vice-chairship for philanthropic organization The Seattle Foundation. She is also president-elect of the Seattle Art Museum, and co- president of the Board of Trustees for the Museum of History & Industry. In the past she chaired Art Fair for Seattle and headed up Campaign UW for the College of Arts & Sciences, and she is a co-founder of Social Venture Partners, a network of publicly engaged organizations and donors. In my view, Walker is nothing short of a 24/7 force for good in Seattle.

Harold (Hal) Zimmerman

Harold (Hal) Zimmerman received a BA in Communication in 1947 and embarked on an influential career in journalism and politics. He published the Camas Washougal Post-Record for 23 years, earning several national awards, and was Washington Newspaper Publishers Association president during this time. He then served almost two dozen years in the Washington state legislature, where he was a proponent of anti-pollution legislation such as the state’s first Solid Waste Act in 1969. Along the way he was president of the Lions Club and Kiwanis Club and Chamber of Commerce in Camas — where he was named “Citizen of the Century.” We should all be so worthy.

Congratulations to these new Hall of Fame members. It’s an honor to call you alums of ours.

To learn more about our Hall of Fame nomination process or to nominate a Communication grad, please visit: http://www.com.washington.edu/alumni/hofnominations.html