List of Central Washington University people

• Jon Kitna[1] — NFL quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, and Dallas Cowboys. Led the team to an NAIA Div. II championship in 1995
• Mike Reilly — CFL quarterback of the Edmonton Eskimos, Formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks
• Adam Bighill — CFL Linebacker of the BC Lions
• Jared Bronson — NFL Tight end of the Miami Dolphins
• Keith Gilbertson — NCAA football coach formerly of the University of Idaho, University of California, Berkeley, University of Washington. Played football for the Wildcats for one season in 1967, later graduating in 1971[2]

• MLB pitcher Dave Heaverlo — San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners
• MLB outfielder Billy North — Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants

• Dean Nicholson — basketball coach [609 victories] who combined with his father, Leo [505 victories], to win 1,114 games at CWU, which is the most ever by a father-son duo in college basketball history
• Joe Callero — Head men's basketball coach at California Polytechnic State University and former head coach of Seattle University

• Miesha "Cupcake" Tate — former Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion, former Ultimate Fighting Championship[3] Bantamweight Champion
• Bryan Caraway — UFC bantamweight fighter, x-boyfriend of Miesha Tate[4]
• Matt Hume (business) — retired mixed martial artist; founder and head trainer at AMC Pankration in Seattle,[5] V.P. of Operations at ONE Championship
• Anthony Hamilton — professional MMA fighter in the UFC's Heavyweight Division[6]'

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Annette Hitchcock was the Dean of Women at Central Washington College of Education from 1942 to 1960. Hitchcock was also a member of the Language and Literature staff until her retirement in 1962. Before becoming the Dean of Women at Central, she was the Dean of Women and an assistant professor of English at the Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon.[15] Mrs. Hitchcock was a graduate of the University of North Dakota in which she majored in English and she also received her Master of Arts degree from Teachers’ College of Columbia University where she majored in personnel education. Annette Hitchcock was appointed to the Dean of Women at Central Washington by President McConnell in May 1942.[16][17]

Karen Blair has taught at Central Washington University from 1987 to the present. She grew up on Long Island, NY. She attended Mt. Holyoke College in Massachusetts for her B.A. and SUNY/Buffalo for her M. A. and Ph.D. in History. She has taught at CWU since 1987, balancing teaching with travel and research to explore the history of Pacific Northwest women and the history of women's voluntary associations in America. She devotes her spare time to playing classical piano, including ensemble performance with chamber musicians.[18] She has numerous publications including: Women in Pacific Northwest History: Essays,[19] edited by Karen J. Blair. Women's Club Movement in Washington[20] History of Women's Clubs[21]

Josephine Burley was an Assistant Professor of Art at Central Washington College of Education. One of the works that Burley was tasked with while at Central was the Honor Roll Plaque that recognized students and faculty men in service were fighting. The designs were provided by Sarah Spurgeon, H.J. Whitney and carved by Josephine Burley. The artwork was unveiled on May 30, 1945.[22] Carved on the panel of the Honor Roll Plaque were the words: For those we fought: For Home, an enriched life. For School, an enduring wisdom. For Country, and all humanity. For God, a spirit over all. [23] Burley was also a prize winner for two of her personal works in a Northwest Color Show in Seatlle and the Northwest Arts and Crafts Fair in Bellevue.[24]

Born in Wisconsin, Juanita Davies graduated at the top of her class from Ripon College before going on to attend Macphail School of Music and summer schools at Music Academy of the West, University of Washington, and University of Colorado. While working toward music degrees from the Chicago Conservatory of Music (B.A. 1932) and Northwestern University (M.A. 1938), Davies taught in Central Washington University's music department from 1927 to 1965. Active in student life, Davies conducted a men's glee club, a women's ensemble, and a women's triple trio in addition to teaching piano, music theory, elementary music teaching methods, and song literature for children. She also appeared as a solo performer and an accompanist for both faculty and student recitals. Davies served on numerous campus committees and was a member of the American Association of University Professors, Washington Music Teachers’ Association, Washington Education Association, State Federation of Music Clubs, P.E.O. Sisterhood, and Delta Kappa Gamma. In 1966, a newly constructed dormitory was named Davies Hall in her honor.[25]

Amanda Hebeler was an educator and professor emeritus at Central Washington State College from 1924 to 1960, returning to Central in 1963 for one additional year.[26] She is remembered for her role in developing early childhood education training at Central. She was also instrumental in the design and development of the College Elementary School located on the western edge of campus.[27] The school would later be renamed Hebeler School in honor of Amanda Hebeler's contributions to the teacher training program (3), and is currently known as Hebeler Hall.

Amanda Hebeler was born to pioneering parents in the early 1900s in Maple Grove, Michigan. After graduating from Saginaw High School, Hebeler received degrees from Michigan State Normal School in Ypsilanti and received her BS and MA from Teachers College, Columbia University.[27]

Hebeler came to what was then known as the Washington State Normal School in 1924 to take on the newly created position of supervisor of student teachers at teacher training centers in the region and throughout the state.[26][27] She began her work as supervisor of intermediate grades at the (then) Edison School. Within a year, working with Principal Loren Sparks, Hebeler established an off-campus student teacher training program in Selah in 1925.[28]

Hebeler's expertise in teacher-training was quickly recognized and in 1929 she was promoted to administer the Edison School by CWSC president George H. Black.[28] In 1931, new president Robert E. McConnell began developing plans for a new training school building. A Public Works Administration grant was secured for the project in 1937, and the entire faculty and staff of the school chimed in with suggested features to the new school. The planning team decided early on that their objective was to design "a building which would be beautiful as well as functional in design."[28] Initially called the College Elementary School, the new school was designed to achieve two goals, providing quality education for young area children, and creating a teacher-training laboratory for CWUC early childhood education students. Hebeler played a major role in the design of the school and its curriculum, and was later honored by having the school named for her.[27]

Hebeler died of complications from a stroke on June 17, 1969. When officiating at her funeral, Father Paul Fitterer reminisced, "I remember her telling me of her very early days here. She had to commute, sometimes daily, down to Selah. That was in the days before the canyon road was paved and she drove a Model "T"—the Normal School car—by herself and in the middle of winter. She used to tell me how frightened she would be coming back at night by herself. But she never stopped—she continued driving back and forth as long was it was necessary. And I can see her behind the wheel doing it and that picture is a symbol to me—that wholehearted dedication and conviction that were a part of everything she did."[29]

Margaret Coffin Holmes served as the Dean of Women for the Central Washington College of Education for 10 years.[30] In addition to her service to CWU, Margaret was also a poet and writer, her published works included college ballads, tribute poems for her colleagues, a booklet of rhymes for children called "Out of the Sky", a work called "Polmes by Holmes,"[30] and editing of the Congressional Club Cook Book (the creation of which funded the mortgage for the Congressional club house).[31] Margaret was married to Washington U.S. Congressmen, Hal Holmes.[30] She is known for stepping in as a substitute for the main speaker and preparing a speech for the Congressional Club in 8 minutes flat.[32]

In 1960 Central Washington named the Grupe Conference Center, in Honor of Mary A. Grupe, who served at Central Washington during 1897–1907 and then again during 1912–1929.[33]

Mary A Grupe was born in Peabody Kansas in 1873. She attended the Oswego, New York Normal school, then went on to continue her education at the University of Chicago. She became a member of the Washington State normal school as an educator where she was head of the psychology department and a director of teacher training. Grupe also served a large purpose in the Ellensburg community as a member of the Governing Board of the Chamber of Commerce, as well as a member of the Ellensburg Park Board.[34]

Sarah Spurgeon was a professor of painting and drawing in the Department of Art at Central Washington University from 1939 to 1971.[35] Sarah received her B.A. and M.A. from Iowa State University where she studied with Grant Wood and received a Carnegie Fellow at Harvard.[36] Spurgeon's contributions to art on campus included supervising student art for Hebeler School. She oversaw student art in the building to create the tiles around the fireplace and drinking fountains, and the stained-glass inserts for the rooms originally used for kindergarten and nursery.[37] Along with her contributions to CWU, Spurgeon was also a part of community projects such as creating the memorial panels that decorate the Ellensburg Community Pool.[38] Regionally, Sarah served on the CWU delegation at the Pacific Northwest Arts & Crafts Fair in Bellevue (circa 1953), along with Merton Berry and Reino Randall from the CWU Art Department.[39] One of her public murals of a ginkgo leaf is viewable today at the Ginkgo Petrified Forest.[36] In 1977, the Sarah Spurgeon Gallery was put up in Randall Hall in honor of Spurgeon's career at CWU.[38] Upon her retirement in 1971, she received the honor of professor emeritus.[38]

One of Central Washington University's dormitory buildings was named after Sue Lombard Horsley in 1926. The women's dormitory was named "Sue Lombard Hall" after she had been the first female member appointed to the board of trustees in 1915, and she had been a member for 12 years at the time the hall was named after her. The hall had been built during her term of service at Central Washington University.

Sue Lombard Horsley was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1858. Her family moved to Yakima, Washington, in 1889 and she later became very involved in civic circles in the Yakima area. She was a member of many clubs in Yakima and was a driving force in establishing the Yakima YMCA and was its first president. [40]

Clara Meisner was born in Davenport, Iowa and moved to Ellensburg, WA in 1906. She studied at Columbia University and loved working with children. She advocated for public kindergarten noting that students would learn more from observing children and parents as well as well as through a formal classroom setting. Her work was so successful it became the model for Washington State and then became the framework for the nation. Ms. Meisner became such a beloved member of the faculty for the Central Washington College of Education that a special fund was created upon her death in 1938 to build Mesiner Hall and a tribute sculpture, "Affection" by noted artist, William Zorach. [41]