alumni award winner portraits in circles.

Seattle University Magazine

Volume 50 Issue #1

Winter 2026

A portrait of Dr. Norward Brooks, ’71 MBA, Alumni of the Year

39th Annual Alumni Awards

Celebrating Legendary Leaders

Seattle University honors our remarkable Alumni Award winners including this year’s Alumnus of the Year, Dr. Norward Brooks, ’71 MBA. Read about Brooks and all of our recipients, along with the newest inductees into the Athletics Hall of Fame, below.

Alumnus of the Year: Dr. Norward Brooks, ’71 MBA
Outstanding Recent Alumna: Katrina Phiri, ’17 MBA
University Service: Anne Hotz Moran, ’87
Professional Achievement: Madeline Haydon, ’05 MBA
Community Service: Tina O’Brien, ’89, ’98 MNPL
Jesuit Mission: Dr. Sonya Quitslund, ’58
Athletics Hall of Fame: Pete Fewing, Andre Lang, ’95, ’04 JD, Blaise Wittenauer-Lee, ’17

From the President

Moving On with Reflections on Leading SU

Read the President's Message

A portrait of Patrick L. Schoettmer, PhD

Faculty Spotlight

In Demand

Political science professor is one of the media’s most called-upon experts.

Faculty Spotlight

Being Scene

Seattle University rang in the Lunar New Year with a celebration in the library plaza that included student performances, lion dancers and a gathering to welcome the Year of the Fire Horse.
On March 5, the Seattle University community came together to formally dedicate a new outdoor sculptural piece, the iconic Tom Wesselman “Tulip” now in its new home on the Union Green.
The Winter Red Talk was presented by Professor Jacqueline B. Helfgott, PhD, who discussed "How Prison Education Restores Justice."
Alumni Award winners with Eduardo Peñalver
Seattle University hosted its 49th Annual International Dinner. This tradition brings together the SU community for an evening of international cuisine, music, dance and cultural performances.
Cornish College of the Art presents: Dead Reckoning, an exhibit that brings together lens-based works that investigate the paternal side of visual artist Erin Elyse Burns’s ancestral heritage.

A portrait of Junseok Yeo in his basketball uniform

Athletics

From Seoul to Seattle for Hoops Star

South Korean star Junseok Yeo, ’26, leads men's basketball in first season back in the West Coast Conference.

Athletics

On Campus

Milestones and Momentum

A future art museum, return to WCC and reignited strategic directions among the defining achievements of a presidency.

Milestones and Momentum

Graduate Studies Reimagined

Reflecting the needs of today’s students, Seattle University’s graduate programs embrace innovation, flexibility and Jesuit values.

Graduate Studies Reimagined

Did You Know

A compendium of Seattle University news items and newsmakers.

Did You Know

An aerial photo of students at the SU fountain

Message From Alumni Engagement VP Tom Bull

Six months in, what I've learned about community.

Message from Tom Bull

In Memoriam

Remembering Ann Pigott Wyckoff

A photo of Ann Wyckoff

Philanthropist was instrumental in some of SU’s most defining moments.

The university and greater community mourns the passing of Ann Pigott Wyckoff, an influential, generous leader, philanthropist, friend to many, adventurer and an ardent supporter of Seattle University. She passed away on January 1, 2026, at age 98.

It is a near impossible task to summarize Wyckoff’s considerable impact on Seattle University. A Trustee Emerita, her connection to the university began with her friendship with then-president Arby Lemieux, S.J., in the 1960s. Through the decades that followed Wyckoff played an essential role in Seattle University’s evolution from a small local college to a top university.

Over the years Wyckoff became a close friend and advisor to former presidents William Sullivan, S.J., and Stephen Sundborg, S.J. From 1972 to 1981 she served on Seattle University’s Board of Regents and on the Board of Trustees from 1982 to 1998 before accepting the mantle of Trustee Emerita for the remainder of her life. In 1987, she was awarded an honorary doctorate for her extraordinary contributions and in 2008 she received the university’s highest honor, the St. Ignatius Medal.

Read the full In Memoriam piece on Wyckoff at The Newsroom.

Remembering David Leigh, S.J.

A photo of David Leigh, S.J.

With great sadness the university mourns the passing of Professor Emeritus of English David Leigh, S.J., who passed away on Feb. 7, 2026.

After entering the Society of Jesus in 1955, Father Leigh taught English Literature at Gonzaga University and served as rector of Saint Michael’s Institute. In 1983 he joined Seattle University and for more than 35 years was a beloved professor, mentor and spiritual companion for many at the university and in the wider community.

Wholly committed to the success and growth of his students as learners and people, Father Leigh’s own academic journey was unending. He authored two books, Circuitous Journeys: Modern Spiritual Autobiography and Apocalyptic Patterns in Twentieth-Century Fiction, as well as more than 40 chapters in books and articles in scholarly journals. Additionally, for more than two decades he served in an editorial role for the journal Ultimate Meaning and Reality and published in numerous journals ranging from Modern Philology to Religion and Literature.

Generous with his guidance and wisdom, Fr. Leigh held many leadership roles at SU including as chair of the English Department, as director of both the University Honors Program and Core Curriculum and was president of the Academic Assembly.

Many in the Seattle University community owe their formation in mission to Fr. Leigh. He co-created and co-facilitated the Arrupe Seminar until his retirement and brought faculty together to learn more about the university’s commitment to justice by studying Catholic Social Teachings through the Justice Seminar.
In the years prior to his retirement, he joined the Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life, where his gentle and quiet presence as a spiritual director buoyed the community and those he accompanied.

Remembering Charles Pigott

A photo of Charles Pigott

A titan of industry and philanthropy whose generosity helped reshape Seattle University and the region.

One of the last major acts of Charles M. Pigott, a giant of industry and philanthropy who shaped the modern Pacific Northwest, was one of generosity—a gift to the students of Seattle University.

Pigott, known as “Chuck” to friends, who served as the longtime CEO and chairman of commercial truck manufacturer PACCAR Inc, died Jan. 21, 2026, at the age of 96, leaving behind an unmatched legacy that is perhaps nowhere more notable than on the SU campus.

The extraordinary generosity of Charles Pigott and the entire Pigott family stands as a remarkable expression of philanthropy in the university’s history. A walk across campus makes the case, notably the William Pigott Building (home to the Albers School of Business and Economics), named for the PACCAR founder and Charles Pigott’s grandfather, along with the PACCAR Atrium and Pigott Auditorium.

Read the full In Memoriam piece on Pigott at The Newsroom.

In Memoriam Winter 2026

1948
Ruth Zelenak (November 7, 2025)

1949
Charlotte Schovaers (November 1, 2025)

1951
Eugene Styer (December 25, 2025)

1952
Mary Fran Barkshire (September 25, 2025)
Robert Gockel (November 10, 2025)

1953
Robert Bachmann (November 5, 2025)
Ann Borg (January 9, 2026)
Dolores Cullinane (November 5, 2025)
Kathleen Reilly (November 13, 2025)
James B. Smith (November 7, 2025)

1955
Dorothy Hermens (September 28, 2025)
Maureen O’Connell (November 9, 2025)

1957
Lorraine Battaglia (January 9, 2026)
Louise Betzler (November 15, 2025)
Anne Carew (January 25, 2026)
Marlene Mojas (December 7, 2025)

1958
Donna Arbow (October 29, 2025)

1959
Frederick Lanouette (December 6, 2025)

1960
Steven Medalia (December 29, 2025)

1961
Karen Riel (October 25, 2025)

1962
Shirley Faris (November 1, 2025)

1963
Carole Frieband (November 15, 2025)
Judith George (September 16, 2025)
Robert Sanders (January 26, 2026)
Clarann Taylor (January 19, 2026)

1964
Derek Harrison (October 29, 2025)
John M. James (December 27, 2025)
Mary Kay Kriley (September 12, 2025)
Dennis Ricci (November 17, 2025)

1965
Anna Hurt (January 13, 2026)
John Ruffo, ’71 MA (November 2, 2025)

1966
Geraldine Sorensen (October 3, 2025)
Nancy Taubert (September 22, 2025)

1967
Gary Buckley (January 21, 2026)
Peter Dito (December 11, 2025)
James Lyons (December 17, 2025)
James Murphy (January 8, 2026)

1969
Leo Hindery (September 18, 2025)
David Hughes (October 17, 2025)

1971
Kirk Elmers (September 15, 2025)
David Lamont (December 3, 2025)
James Panther (October 17, 2025)

1972
Mary Catey (October 22, 2025)
Thomas Meyer (January 16, 2026)

1974
Thomas Gates (September 12, 2025)
Lowell Hagan (September 22, 2025)

1975
James McKay (December 26, 2025)

1976
Julia Maher (December 24, 2025)

1980
Jawaan Oldham (January 5, 2026)
Barbara Spencer (October 8, 2025)

1982
Charles Reisig (December 3, 2025)

1983
Raleigh Burr (October 13, 2025)

1989
Mary Fran Barkshire (September 25, 2025)
Claudia Edwards (November 13, 2025)
Kathleen Mullen (September 30, 2025)
Russell Myjk (September 29, 2025)
Traci Schneider (October 11, 2025)

1994
Michael Bathum (November 29, 2025)

1996
Gerard Pigotti (October 23, 2025)

1998
Joseph Hougen (December 30, 2025)
Mark Rhonemus (October 9, 2025)

2007
Patricia Green (December 28, 2025)

2010
Lisa Cooke (December 10, 2025)
Sean Wegener (November 27, 2025)

2011
Ralph Earle (December 26, 2025)

2013
Clifton, Brittney Clifton (October 19, 2025)

2014
Stacy Hicks, ’22 EOLL (November 14, 2025)

Faculty/Staff
Ronald Clark (December 11, 2025)
Barbara Endicott-Popovsky (November 17, 2025)
Jerron Lowe (February 15, 2026)