Distinguished Alumni

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    In 2022, LC started a new Homecoming tradition - the Alumni of Distinction. In the inaugural year, a committee selected 9 alumni to begin a display at LC. We invited them to our Homecoming Con and to speak to classes throughout the day. We are very excited to see this tradition continue and to invite a new class of alumni to join our Alumni of Distinction! Here are the 2022 inductees:

    Dolan    Laurie Dolan (1970) - Public Servant/Politician - In 1986 Laurie became an Area Director in the Spokane Public Schools.  From 1986 until 2004, she was responsible for supervising principals, program coordinators, and supervisors.  Laurie was elected as the first woman president of Rotary Club 21 in 1995. Dolan was integrally involved in both passing the bond to rebuild Lewis & Clark and the planning/construction work as it moved forward. Governor Chris Gregoire hired Laurie as her Director of Policy.  Laurie supervised a staff of 24 people, responsible for all aspects of state government. Laurie was elected to the Washington State House of Representatives, representing the 22nd Legislative District (Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater). In 2022, she wrote legislation to establish the new collaborative partnership between the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and UW Medicine.

    Doneen    Amy Doneen (1988) - Physician - Dr. Doneen’s research is focused on preventing heart attacks, strokes, type 2 diabetes, and chronic disease.  She is the co-founder of the BaleDoneen Method®, which has been proven to reverse heart disease.  She has published numerous peer-reviewed papers on topics surrounding CV disease prevention. She is the owner and medical director of The Prevention Center for Heart & Brain Health in Spokane WA, where she trains medical providers how to practice the BaleDoneen Method and provides clinical rotations for the medical students. She holds academic appointments at Washington State University College of Medicine, University of Kentucky College of Dentistry and Texas Tech University Health Sciences. She has authored two best-selling books about her work.

    Douthitt    Chris Douthitt (2002) - Musician - Douthitt attended Princeton University and majored in music. He was twice awarded the Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence, and I was named Valedictorian of the Class of 2006. He won a scholarship from the Beinecke Foundation to support a Master’s in Music Theory at Northwestern University, where he studied contemporary art song and experimental opera with the composer Hans Thomalla. Later he attended Mills College and studied electronic music, composition, and improvisation with Roscoe Mitchell, the legendary founder of the Art Ensemble of Chicago. In 2021 he was appointed Lecturer of Electronic Music at Washington University in St Louis. He teaches classes on studio techniques, songwriting, sound art, and composing with synthesizers.

    January    Briann January (2005) - Athlete- Played basketball for LC, then attended Arizona State University where she played for four years. As a freshman, January was named to the Pac-10's 2006 All-Freshman Team after a season in which she finished first on the team in both assists (1986) and steals (46). January was drafted with the 6th overall pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever. As a rookie in the WNBA she was granted the starting point guard position.

    Klopp    Hap Klopp (1960) - Entrepreneur - Hap Klopp, who holds a BA and MBA from Stanford University, was the founder of The North Face, where he served as President and CEO for over 20 years. During that time The North Face was honored with many awards (including from Business Week Magazine) for being the best-managed company in its industry. After selling The North Face, he began an international management consulting firm, HK Consulting, with such diverse clients as Helly Hansen, Reebok, Merrill Lynch, and Paramount Pictures. He is the author of two best selling books: Conquering The North Face, an Adventure in Leadership and Almost—12 Electric Months Chasing a Silicon Valley Dream. He has also written 12 books of poetry. Hap is a Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Hult University and lectures at various business schools including University of California, Carnegie Mellon, Stanford and the University of San Francisco.

    Kundig    Tom Kundig (1972) - Architect - Owner and design principal of Olson Kundig, he has received some of the world’s highest design honors, including a National Design Award in Architecture from the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, an Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and an election to the National Academy as an Academician in Architecture. Most recently, he was awarded the AIA Seattle Medal of Honor as well as a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Washington.

    Larson    Bobby Larson (2010) - Military Pilot - Upon graduation from LCHS, Bobby pursued his dream of becoming a USAF fighter pilot, first by spending a year at Gonzaga University before attending the United States Air Force Academy. During his time at the Academy, Bobby completed a degree in Aeronautical Engineering while supporting NASA aeronautics research at Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. Additionally, Bobby flew Cessnas with the USAF Academy Flying Team, honing his flying skills against other schools in intercollegiate aviation competition. After graduating as a Distinguished Graduate, Bobby was selected to attend graduate school at the University of Washington for a Masters in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. Thereafter, he started Air Force Pilot Training at Sheppard AFB, TX, and finally realized his fighter pilot dream after being selected to fly the F-35A.

    Merck    Katherine Merck (2008) - Athlete - First Miss Rodeo America from Washington State. She attended the University of Notre Dame and most recently graduated from law school at Gonzaga. While at Gonzaga University School of Law, Katherine won the title of Miss Spokane Interstate Rodeo 2014 before becoming the first Washingtonian to win the title of Miss Rodeo America less than two years later. After graduating magna cum laude, Katherine began practicing as a public defender in Benewah and Shoshone Counties. Licensed to practice law in Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming, her practice now focuses on legal issues involving property rights, tax and estate planning, local and federal government involvement, and other areas of law affecting ranchers, farmers, and landowners.  Katherine also serves as in-house counsel and director of rodeo public relations for western apparel company Kimes Ranch Jeans, which has featured prominently on the hit television series “Yellowstone.” She also founded Rodeo Advantage, a consulting business

    Silverstein    Eva Silverstein (1988) - Physicist - Eva Silverstein is a Professor of Physics at Stanford University performing research on cosmology, the study of the large-scale history of the universe. The universe expands with time, and grew at a rapidly accelerating rate at early times. Some imprints of this period are detected in telescopes measuring tiny fluctuations in light coming from the time when atoms first formed.  Some of Silverstein’s leading work connects this early period of `cosmic inflation’ with the fundamentals of quantum physics and gravity.  In a different direction, she recently derived some physics-based methods for machine learning (AI). This work, like most science, involves extensive international collaboration and scientific exchange. Bio: Harvard ’92, Princeton PhD ’96, Rutgers postdoc, Stanford faculty since ’97. MacArthur Fellow ’99, Fellow of the American Physical Society ’16, Simons Foundation Investigator in physics ’17, inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences ’20

     

     

    LC Distinguished Alumni

     

    Anne Anderson (1958) - named Miss Spokane in 1958. She went on to win Miss Washington that same year, one of only three Spokane representatives to do so in the 80+ year history of the program. She was instrumental in restarting the Miss Spokane Scholarship Program in 1989 after a long hiatus.

     

    William Anderson (1943) - Educator - Principal of Lewis and Clark High School

     

    Donna (Belknap) McGinnis (1959) - Artist - The Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco includes three of her drawings in its permanent collection and her work also appears in other numerous private and public collections. She has shown her work at the Oakland Museum, Arkansas Art Center, Triton Museum of Santa Clara, Crocker Museum in Sacramento and several other public spaces and galleries.

     

    Susan Biehn (1959) - Business - Vice President of Christian Dior in charge of Public Relations.

     

    Jack Robert Binns (1951) - Ambassador/Author - graduated from the Naval Academy at Annapolis and served in the U. S. Navy. After that he was in the State Department, serving at the as Political Counsellor, Political Section of the U. S. Embassy in London, England, 1974-1979, as Chief of Mission, San Jose, Costa Rica and was Ambassador to Honduras, October 1980 to October 1981. He is author of the book, The United States in Honduras, 1980-1981, an Ambassador’s memoir, McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2000.

     

    Jay Bond (1966) - Athlete - University of Washington, Drafted by the NBA in 1970, played professional basketball in Italy

     

    Ed Bouchee (1951) - Athlete - WSU, First Baseman, Philadelphia Phillies (1955-1960), Chicago Cubs (1960-1961), New York Mets (1961-1962)

     

    Stuart Boyd ( ) - Military Officer - Brigadier General, Pilot, & SAC Commander Kansas (1957-1991)

     

    Rob Brewster (1988) - Developer - Holley-Mason Building - housing LC during the 1999-2001 renovation of LC.

     

    Lance Brigham (1964) - Athlete & Physician - High School All-American Basketball player. University of Washington Basketball. Became an orthopedic surgeon in Seattle.

     

    Louise Henry Bryson ( ) - Media Executive - President, Distribution and Affiliate Business Development, Lifetime Networks Executive Vice President & General Manager, Lifetime Movie Network

     

    Jerry Campbell (1962) - Athlete - University of Idaho, 9 time All Pro Canadian Football Hall of Fame (1996), Calgary Stampeders (1966-1968), Ottawa Roughriders (1968-1975), Calgary Stampeders (1976)

     

    Robert Carbaugh, Ph.D. ( ) - Educator- Professor of Economics, Central Washington University. Author of two textbooks used at colleges throughout the world and has had numerous articles published in highly regarded journals.

     

    Ray Cattage (1979) - Athlete - University of Washington (3 Rose Bowls), played professionally for Arizona Wranglers (1983), Chicago Blitz (1984), & LA Express (1985)

     

    Erik Coleman (2000) - Athlete - Washington State University, Defensive Back, New York Jets (2004-2007), Atlanta Falcons (2008-2010), Detroit Lions (2011-2012)

     

    Gail Cogdill (1956) - Athlete - All Pro Detroit Lions (1960-1967 & 1968), Baltimore Colts (1968), & Atlanta Falcons (1969-1970)

     

    Peggy Conley (1965) - Athlete - inducted into the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Hall of Fame

     

    Clay Damon (1983) - Athlete & Orthodontist - Basketball player for the University of Washington and is an orthodontist in Spokane.

     

    Dwight Damon (1958) - Athlete & Orthodontist - Basketball and Baseball player at Washington State University. Dr. Damon has been very involved in his profession, and now lectures throughout the world on the latest Damon Bracket orthodontic technology.

     

    Dan Donohue (1984) - Actor - member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Scar in the Disney's Lion King on Broadway

     

    Bill Donner ( ) - Educator - Principal of Lewis and Clark High School

     

    Pierce Kagari Emata (1974) - Musician - Featured in the Musical America International Directory of the Performing Arts 

     

    Bill Etter (1969) - Athlete - High School All-American Football. Played for the University of Notre Dame and professional football in Canadian Football League Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1973-1975)

     

    Jamie Leigh (Fife) Hansen (1993) - Author - wrote Betrayed - published in 2007

     

    Shelley (Gilchrist) Broader (1982) - Business - Spokane Lilac Festival Queen, CEO of Michaels, CEO Chico's FAS, CEO Walmart's EMEA region (Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa)

     

    Lola Shirley Graham Du Bois (1915) - Author/Composer/Activist - In 1926, Graham moved to Paris, France, to study music composition at the Sorbonne. She thought that this education would provide her with better employment opportunities to support her children. Graham discovered new music in the African diaspora after meeting African and Afro-Caribbean people in Paris. Shirley and Shadrach divorced in 1927.⁠ In 1931, Graham enrolled at Oberlin College as an advanced student and, after earning her B.A. in 1934, went on to do graduate work in music, completing a master's degree in 1935. In 1936, Hallie Flanagan appointed Graham as Director of the Chicago Negro Unit of the Federal Theater Project, as a part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration. Shirley Graham composed the opera 'Tom Tom', which premiered in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1932, commissioned by the Stadium Opera Company. 'Tom Tom' featured an all-Black cast and orchestra, structured in three acts; act one taking place in an indigenous African tribe, act two portraying an American Slave plantation, and the final act taking place in 1920s Harlem. The music features elements of blues and spirituals, as well as jazz. The score of this opera was considered lost and had not been performed since its premiere until it was rediscovered in 2001 by Harvard University.⁠ Graham used theatre to tell the Black woman's story and perspective, countering the white narrative of Black history. Despite her unsuccessful attempts to land a Broadway production, her plays were still produced by Karamu Theatre in Cleveland and other major Black companies⁠. In 1951, Shirley Graham married writer and sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois.

     

    Dean Grafos (1961) - Politician - Mayor of Spokane Valley, WA. Mr. Grafos is a local business owner, developer/builder and real estate broker. City Council member since 2009.

     

    Patricia Harnetiaux (1993) - Playwright - and film producer.

     

    Britney Henry ( ) - Athlete - Pac-10 champion and All-American Track & Field Hammer Thrower, University of Oregon, 2007.

     

    Ben Hopkins (1996) - Educator - a PhD teaching at Cambridge University, England and London School of Economics with a specialization in Afghanistan.

     

    Dirk Jameson (1958) - Military Officer - US Air Force (1962-1996), Commanding Officer of Vandenburg Air Force Base (1992-1993) with the rank of Lt. General.

     

    Carl Johnson (1915) - Athlete - He was a senior at the University of Michigan when he finished sixth in the long jump at the 1920 AAU championships, which then served as the Olympic Trials. In those days, the United States wasn't limited to just three qualifiers, so a week or so later Johnson set sail for Antwerp, Belgium, and wound up winning the silver medal with a jump of 23 feet, 3 1/4 inches.

     

    Adrian Harold Jones (1936) - Military Officer - United States Army, enlisted 1942. Mr. Jones was one of the first African-Americans from Washington to achieve the commissioned rank of Second Lieutenant. Mr Jones graduated from Officer Candidate School (O.C.S.) in 1943 from Fort Monmouth New Jersey and is buried at Arlington Cemetery. He attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (LTC).

     

    Robert L. Joss (1959) - Educator - A leader in global banking, a former U.S. Treasury Department official, & a Stanford Graduate School of Business PhD, & the eighth Dean of the Stanford Business School.

     

    Karen Kelly ( ) - Journalist - KXLY TV News Anchor

     

    Britanny Kennedy (2008) - Athlete/Coach - Led the LC Tigers to 3 straight 4A championships. Coach for Spokane Community College Womens Basketball. 

     

    Carolyn Kizer (1941) - Poet - Pulitzer Prize winner (1985) for poetry

     

    Bruce Leak (1981) - Early Apple, worked on Quick Time and Quickdraw, Founded WebTV (sold to Microsoft) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Leak

     

    Dan Lynch (1980) - Athlete - All American Football Player for WSU (1981)

     

    Bob Lobdell (1964) - Educator - Teacher/Golf Coach at LC for 33 years. PAC-10 basketball official

     

    Dr. Clyde Matters (1943) - Educator - President of Hastings College - Nebraska (1972-1985)

     

    Robert C. McHarness (1924) - Chemist - Worked as a research chemist for DuPont at Jackson Laboratory, Chambers Works, in Deepwater, NJ. Involved in the discovery of Teflon he was instrumental in developing the methods for its mass production. His name was on several patents and Teflon is still produced today using those methods. He was associated with Freon for his entire career where he again was part of a team that developed the process to manufacture it. He was also part of the Manhattan Project (development of the Atomic bomb) during World War II.

     

    Ray Miller ( ) - Athlete - Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher and LC baseball coach from 1972 - 1982

     

    Bobby Minnix ( ) - Athlete - High School All-American Football. Played football at Notre Dame. WSU Senior Associate Athletics Director. President of the National Black Coaches Association. 

     

    Chad Mitchell ( ) - Singer - founding member of the folk group, The Chad Mitchell Trio

     

    Neil Everett Morfitt (1980) - Sportscaster - host on ESPN Sports Center

     

    Earl Morrison (1920) - Architect - Designer of LC Courtyard Fountain

     

    Patrice Munsel ( ) - Singer - Metropolitan Opera (1943-1958)

     

    Joanne Nail ( ) - Actress - Hawaii 5-0, S.W.A.T., Rockford Files

     

    Craig T. Nelson (1962)- Actor - Coach, The District, The Incredibles, Young Sheldon

     

    Lisa Nelson ( ) - Actor - Judging Amy, Murder She Wrote

     

    James L. Nimnicht, Ph.D. (1967) - Author/Professor Emeritus - Author or co-author of well over 40 Peer-Reviewed Scholarly Articles published both nationally and internationally. Named Washington State Professor Of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (Case). Also, named Washington State Professor of the Year by the Washington State Senate. Distinguished Professor of the University, Teaching. Only Professor ever twice named as the National Advisor of the Year by the Society of Human Resource Management.

     

    Scott Francis O'Grady ( ) - Military Officer/Author - Air Force pilot (with rank of Captain) who was shot down over Bosnia and eluded capture for 6 days in hostile territory. (1995) Also, authored the book Return with Honor based on his experiences in Bosnia.

     

    Rusty Olsen (1976) - Athlete - Professional Football player, CFL, Toronto Argonauts (1982), Saskatchewan Roughriders (1983-1985)

     

    Fred Parady ( ) - Politician - Member of the Wyoming House of Representatives

     

    Bobby Paxon ( ) - Industrialist - General Electric Vice President

     

    Jamie Redman ( ) - Athlete - Varsity 8 Crew NCAA National Champion for Yale University (2007 & 2008). Named to the 2007 USA Under 23 National Team roster for the Under 23 World Championships in Great Britain. Her team won gold in the 2008 FISA World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Brandenburg, Germany. First alternate for the US Rowing team for the London, 2012 Summer Olympics.

     

    Sam Reed (1958) - Politician - Washington Secretary of State (2000-2013)

     

    Dory Reeves ( ) - Athlete - All-American Track and Field, 1989 Inland Empire Athlete of the Year

     

    Pete Reid (1941) - Economist - CFO for Whitman College. During his time, the endowment went from $1M to $500M.

     

    Malik Roberson (1989) - Athlete/Coach - Moved to Washington State University with Cougar Head Coach Paul Wulff in 2008 (as the defensive line coach) after spending eight years with Wulff at Eastern Washington. Played football at WSU and CWU.

     

    William "Bud" Roffler (1947) - Athlete - Played football for WSU and the Philadelphia Eagles. Voted the Spokane athlete of the 20th Century.

     

    Dario Romero ( ) - Athlete - Defensive Tackle with the Miami Dolphins (2003-2004)

     

    Irwin Rose (1944) - Scientist - Nobel Prize Winner for Chemistry 2004

     

    Robert T. Schimke ( ) - Physician - American Cancer Society Research Professor of Biology, Emeritus at Stanford University. Nominated for Nobel Prize

     

    Jeff Schrock (1986) - Industrialist - Vice President and General Manager Yahoo! Broadcast Solutions

     

    Lewis B. Schwellenbach (1912) - US Senator, US District Judge, and Secretary of Labor for Harry Truman

     

    Ron Sims (1966) - Politician - King County Executive (1996-2009), Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Obama.

     

    Shane Sorey (1972) - Athlete & Consultant - Nationally ranked distance runner. PhD from Villanova University, Management consultant and most currently Vice President USATF and a Track and Field Official for NCAA, World Masters, IAAF International and USA Olympic Trials.

     

    Tom Sneva (1966) - Athlete - Indianapolis 500 Winner (1982)

     

    Jack Spring (1951) - Athlete- Relief Pitcher for the Phillies (1953), Red Sox (1956), Senators (1958), KC Athletics (1960), LA Angels (1961), Cardinals (1964), Cubs (1964), & Angels (1965), Indians (1965)

     

    Ben Stuckart (1990) - Politician– Spokane City Council President, 2012-present

     

    Jim Travis (1972) - Athlete - played baseball for the Chicago Cubs organization & is currently an LC fitness teacher

     

    Kimberly Watson & Melissa Watson (1998 & 2000) - Volunteers - first set of siblings to ever serve in the US Peace Corps in the same country (Dominican Republic) at the same time (2006-2008)

     

    Bill Yeend (1964) - Radio Personality - Drive Time News for KOMO radio in Seattle