During his two-year tenure, Alexander Schilt brought energy and enthusiasm to Eastern’s top job.

By his own admission, Alexander “Alex” F. Schilt — the scholar who became Eastern’s 22nd president — was never a great student. But he did have a knack for perseverance and, especially, effective leadership. In high school he was elected student body president. At the University of Wyoming, he was known for effectively representing fellow undergraduates who ran afoul of the student affairs dean.

As both a scholar and university administrator, Schilt never lost this passion for helping students — especially strivers like him — make the most of their collegiate opportunities.

He brought this passion to EWU after H. George Frederickson retired as Eastern’s president in early 1987. EWU’s Board of Trustees had convened a national search for Frederickson’s successor, and Schilt, who at the time was serving as chancellor of the University of Houston’s downtown campus, was selected. He assumed Eastern’s highest office later that year.

“Just looking at Alex, you see energy and enthusiasm for Eastern Washington University,” Mike Ormsby, then chair of the EWU Board of Trustees, told this magazine. “He has a strong background in student services; he knows how to work with people; and he has worked in both urban and rural areas.”

Schilt’s tenure included the first major renovation of the Science Building, upgrades to collections’ organization at JFK Library and securing legislative approval for development of what is now the University District in Spokane.   

Early in his term, however, Schilt gained a degree of notoriety for his decision to forego campus residency and instead move into an EWU Foundation-owned house in Spokane. He thus became the first Eastern president to decline to reside in University House, also known as the President’s House, since completion of its construction in 1929. The house regained its status as home to the university’s leaders in 1998.

After two years of service, Schilt resigned the EWU presidency in September 1989. He returned to the University of Houston, where he served as system chancellor until 1995. He is remembered there as a visionary, student success-oriented leader who “laid the foundation for its future growth.”

Alexander “Alex” F. Schilt died on July 9, 2025. He was 84 years old.

EWU’s Gary Krug was that rare public intellectual who could make his classroom come alive with learning.

Gary Krug, professor emeritus of communication studies, joined Eastern’s faculty in 2002 and, over the next two decades, served the university with distinction, passion, integrity and humor — all qualities which underscored his success as both an educator and scholar.

Krug’s intellectual curiosity was boundless. He taught undergraduate and graduate courses in media and technology, political communication, cultural studies, global communication, and integrated social science theory. He created dynamic classroom environments where learning came alive.

In addition to teaching, Professor Krug held leadership positions in both his department, where he served for many years as chair, and the United Faculty of Eastern, which he led as president and vice president for labor-management affairs. In both roles he was a tireless advocate for fairness, collaboration and faculty empowerment.

Outside of campus, Krug gained a reputation as a quintessential public intellectual. As the popular voice of the shows “Eat the Press” and “Long Waves” on KYRS Thin Air Community Radio, his commentary brought historical and cultural context to current events.

“Gary was an idiosyncratic genius, wired to cut against the grain and question everything,” says Peter Shields, Eastern’s current chair of communication studies. “He was a gift to those students who were prepared to open their minds.”

Krug was often described as a Renaissance soul: a painter, a guitarist and singer, a lover of nature, a bird watcher, a connoisseur of beer and whiskey, an amateur astronomer and a voracious reader with astonishing recall. “I so enjoyed Gary as a person,” said EWU’s Provost Jonathan Anderson. “His warmth, humor, and that spark of curiosity in everything he did. He was also a truly gifted musician, and I will always remember his love for sharing music as one of the many ways he connected with others.”

Gary James Krug died on March 18, 2025. He was 69 years old.

Elizabeth Cook-Lynn, a professor emeritus of English and Native American studies at EWU, wasn’t just an influential novelist, short-story writer and poet — though her literary legacy speaks for itself — she was also a tireless advocate in support of research and instruction centered on tribal histories and cultures. Among her lasting contributions was a lengthy catalog of scholarly publications and a prominent role in establishing Eastern’s first Indian Education Program, where she introduced hundreds of students to the emerging field of Native American studies.

Working to establish Native studies wasn’t easy. Back in the early 1970s, even as Eastern Athletics finally moved on from its “Savages” nickname, tensions with administrators over the nature and scope of the new program were rife.

“It is my opinion,” Cook-Lynn wrote in 1973 to Emerson Shuck, then Eastern’s president, “that we must no longer do just what is expedient in Indian Education—we must define our basic philosophy, come to a reasonable agreement on that and get about working within the realities of that definition. There is a difference between the supportive services for Native American students, and Native American Education/Studies as an academic venture. The former is likely to be clutched quickly to the bosoms of all of us, the latter is less instantaneously gratifying and much more hard work.” In the end, it was Cook-Lynn’s vision that prevailed, and her “hard work” that moved it forward.

Another notable milestone in Cook-Lynn’s career was her service as founder and editor of the nationally prominent Wicazo Sa Review, a “journal devoted to the mission of assisting Indigenous peoples of the Americas in taking possession of their own intellectual and creative pursuits.” The Wicazo Sa Review remains in print, now published by the University of Minnesota Press.

Cook-Lynn retired in 1990 after 19 years of service. “It is difficult to imagine what Eastern would be like,” wrote a colleague after she stepped down, “if it were not for her enormous contributions of intelligence and care.”

Elizabeth Cook-Lynn died on July 5, 2023. She was 92 years old.

Brendon Merritt, an Eagle basketball great with an indomitable will to win, died on May 16, 2024.

The force behind Eastern’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA Basketball Tournament, Brendon Merritt was the kind of guy every coach and every player wants on his team. Tenacious, tough, passionate, loyal, driven-to-win: all are descriptors both teammates and competitors used to define him. The attributes of a champion.

Merritt arrived at EWU as a junior transfer from Tacoma Community College, where he led the TCC Spartans’ 2001 team to a 28-5 record, including a 25-game winning streak (He was inducted into the TCC Hall of Fame in 2013.)

After a redshirt year due to a back surgery — Merritt’s uncanny ability to overcome injury was a hallmark of his legendary toughness — the 6-foot, 4-inch-tall guard immediately made an impact. As his close friend and Eagle teammate, Keith Brown, told The Spokesman-Review: “Every single game would be a highlight. He was the ultimate competitor.”

The highlights were especially bright during Merritt’s second Eagle season. Alongside fellow All-Big Sky Conference guard Alvin Snow in the backcourt, during the regular season Merritt played a key role in positioning Eastern for a post-season run. During conference tournament play, Merritt dominated the stat sheet, leading Eagle scorers with 22 points as they cruised to victory over Northern Arizona University in the 2004 championship game. After cutting down the net with his coaches and teammates, Merritt was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

The Eagles’ head basketball coach at the time, Ray Giacoletti, has said that, if not for the injuries that continued to pile up, Merritt had a legitimate shot at a successful NBA career. Instead, he played for two professional seasons in Europe before returning to his hometown of Tacoma, where he loved being a husband to his wife, Erin, and dad to his son, Brendon Jr., and stepson, Brantley.

Brendon James Merritt was 43 years old.

Michael Finley, a former member of EWU’s Board of Trustees, was a champion of tribal rights and culture.

After a life spent in service to his Tribe and community, Michael Finley ’03, ’05, a noted historian, tribal-rights advocate and leader of the Colville people, died on Aug. 9.

Finley, who held both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from EWU, was appointed to the university’s Board of Trustees in 2014 to complete the unfinished term of a former trustee. He was later reappointed by Gov. Jay Inslee, and served until November 2022.

Over the course of his career, Finley  served as a three-time chair of Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, as well as president of the Colville Business Council. In these roles and others, Finley acted as a powerful advocate for the rights of the Colville people, often distinguishing himself during crucial, high-stakes tribal-rights negotiations — issues ranging from the protection of fish habitat to the return of Colville Ancestors’ remains.

But it was his work as a historian, Finley’s colleagues say, that was his true passion. Finley was a guiding presence in the Colville Tribes’ History and Archaeology Department, according to a tribute in the Tribal Tribune newspaper, and “an outstanding researcher, often finding overlooked or new data.” Finley also, the Tribune said, collaborated with noted scholars, interviewed dozens of tribal elders on cultural property matters, and served as chairman of the Colville Tribes when DNA evidence established that one of the oldest, most complete set of human remains ever discovered in North America was, in fact, an Ancient One of the Colville.

The book he co-authored with Richard Scheuerman, Finding Chief Kamiakin: The Life and Legacy of a Northwest Patriot, was hailed by reviewers as an “engrossing” exploration of a pivotal figure in Native history.

Finley was the recipient of a number of awards for these academic and professional achievements, among them EWU History’s 2011 Cecil Dryden Alumni Award for scholarship and service.

“He was an outstanding board member, an outstanding person, outstanding father, husband and leader for the Colville Tribes,” said BOT chair Jay Manning. “He was a great advocate for the Tribe and a great person to work with.” Michael Finley was 44 years old.

Bob Quinn, a geography professor with a passion for the weather, died on Oct. 10.

In 1967, Robert “Bob” Quinn, a newly minted assistant professor of geography at Eastern Washington State College, arrived in Cheney to find himself confronted by the coldest, snowiest winter in the city’s recorded history. His new colleagues no doubt thought it odd that Quinn, who grew up in balmy Southern California, seemed right at home.

Over the next 49 years, faculty, students and staff at what became Eastern Washington University would learn that Professor Quinn was, in fact, a scientist who could make his home in an impressive array of scholarly environments. Among these was predicting weather, snowy or otherwise. 

“I’m not sure that I can spell meteorologist, but I want to be one” a youthful Quinn once told his mother. He would go on to become one of the nation’s premiere long-range forecasters, and today there is a weather station outside Isle Hall named in his honor.

By the time he retired in 2016, Quinn had used his amazing range of talents to guide hundreds of students through coursework in geography, oceanography, climatology and, of course, atmospheric science. He also pursued a passion for riparian ecology, founding a program in wetlands study at EWU and serving for years as the go-to wetlands consultant for Spokane County. 

Teaching and field work weren’t the only things that sparked Quinn’s enthusiasm and loyalty. As both a faculty member and retiree, he never waned as a faithful booster of Eastern Athletics. For many years he served as the faculty advisor for EWU’s club hockey team, while rarely missing the chance to attend Eagles football, basketball and volleyball games in person — no matter the weather.

Bob Quinn was 79 years old.

Raphael Guillory ’94, an EWU professor of psychology who made notable contributions as an Eastern scholar, athlete and advocate for Native rights, died on Nov. 29.

Guillory, who grew up on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation in Lapwai, Idaho, was a standout free safety for the Eagles’ 1993 Big Sky Conference championship team. After earning his bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1994, Guillory went on to earn both a master’s degree in counseling psychology and a doctorate in education at Washington State University.

He joined Eastern’s faculty in 2002, and over the course of his career taught coursework in advanced educational psychology, psychology of human relations, developmental theories and applications, and grant-writing. He was widely published in his primary research area of American Indian education, and he delivered numerous scholarly presentations at national conferences.

A dedicated husband and father, he and his wife, Gloria, had five children. He was 49 years old.

“There are no words to express the passing and loss of my dear, beloved husband and the kids’ father,” his wife wrote. “He fought the good fight, he finished the race, and he kept the faith.”

Sarah Keller, founder of the university’s anthropology program and one of Eastern’s longest serving faculty members, died on Dec. 24.

As a child growing up in Boston, Sarah Keller told Eastern magazine in a 2017 interview, she caught the anthropology bug from Digging in Yucatan by Ann Axtell Morris, an account of excavations of Mayan temples.

After earning a doctorate from nearby Harvard University in 1966, Keller traveled across the nation to join the faculty of what was then Eastern Washington State College. She began Eastern’s anthropology program shortly thereafter, and remained at EWU until her retirement in 2017.

Over the course of her 51-year career, Keller’s teaching and research positively impacted the lives of hundreds of students. She also found time to work with law enforcement agencies and local tribes to identify the bones of potential crime victims. For these and other contributions, in 2009 Keller received EWU’s Trustees’ Medal, the university’s highest form of recognition for faculty achievement.

“I do this because I love it,” she told this magazine at the time. “You’re a lucky person if you get up every morning and you want to go to work.”

Keller was 82 years old. To contribute to a scholarship in her honor, visit: ewu.edu/kellerfund.

Pauline Flett, Salish language preservationist and scholar, helped lay the groundwork for Native language education programs across Washington state

By Eastern Magazine

In June 1998, Pauline Flett appeared on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion radio show. With the host translating at her side, Flett told the traditional story of the coming of the salmon in her native dialect of Salish, a language she was working tirelessly to preserve from extinction. It was an inspiring, moving performance, one of many such inspirational moments in the life and work of Flett, a treasured teacher and elder of the Spokane Tribe, who died on April 13, 2020 in Spokane. She was 93.

“She was a trailblazing linguist who taught at EWU for years and compiled the Spokane Dictionary,” says Margo Hill, assistant professor of urban and regional planning at EWU. “She inspired myself and many others.”

Growing up in a Salish-speaking household in the West End area of the Spokane Indian Reservation, as a youth Flett became completely fluent in language. As the years passed and others’ knowledge of Salish waned, Flett became determined to ensure the language would remain accessible to new generations of speakers. She co-wrote the first Spokane-English dictionary, and for years taught the language at EWU, where her meritorious service earned her an honorary master’s degree in 1992.

“Pauline Flett was a beloved member of the EWU community and our whole region,” said EWU President Mary Cullinan in April. “Her work to preserve the Salish language was incredibly significant.”

In addition to her contributions at the university, Flett also helped lay the groundwork for Native language education programs across Washington state. LaRae Wiley, executive director of the Salish School of Spokane, remembers Flett as her first Salish teacher.

“I did an independent study with Pauline through EWU,” Wiley says. “I had never heard a word of Salish in my life and I know I sounded horrible. But she always encouraged me and even translated a few of my original songs into Salish.”

H. George Frederickson, former EWU president, led dramatic advancements in academics, athletics and fundraising.

By Eastern Magazine

George Frederickson, the revered former president of Eastern Washington University who led dramatic advancements in academics, athletics and fundraising, died on July 24 in Lawrence, Kansas. He was 86.

Over the university’s long history, few individuals have had a greater impact than Frederickson. During his decade-long tenure, he was instrumental in transitioning Eastern Washington State College into the thriving regional university today known as Eastern Washington University. He helped create the university’s schools of health sciences, public affairs, and mathematical sciences and technology. And because he saw a need for a fundraising vehicle to help Eastern students succeed long into the future, Frederickson also helped establish the EWU Foundation.

Born in Twin Falls, Idaho, Frederickson held faculty positions at the University of Maryland, Syracuse University, Indiana University and the University of Missouri. In 1977, at age 42, he became Eastern’s president. 

Frederickson was by all accounts a dynamic leader, one whose vision for what Eastern could become sometimes clashed with those reluctant to embrace change. Among his more controversial moves was one that generated perhaps his most high-profile success — transitioning EWU Athletics from membership in the NAIA to the NCAA and the Big Sky Conference. Frederickson left EWU in 1987 to become the Edwin O. Steen Distinguished Professor of Public Administration at the University of Kansas, but made a point of attending the 2010 FCS National Championship Game, where he cheered his beloved Eagles on to victory.

Frederickson was unable to watch the Eagles face North Dakota State in their return to the national championship game. “I don’t drive anymore, and my wife doesn’t see very well,” Frederickson told Cheney Free Press and Eastern magazine writer Paul Delaney at the time. But, he added, “I think that it’s been a blessing to me to live long enough to see some of the results of our hard work.”