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Philip M. Phibbs

1931–2022

Blessings of a long and focused life—even across periods of challenge and loss—include opportunities to envision, build, and see beneficial results of one’s endeavors. President Emeritus Philip M. Phibbs enjoyed such a life. Hired in 1973 to follow the 31-year presidency of R. Franklin Thompson, who had implemented strategies to grow the College of Puget Sound into a regional comprehensive institution, Phibbs saw the needs of the time and pro- posed an alternate path: to create, as described in a 1991 Arches article, “a selective, liberal arts University dedicated to academic excellence and personal attention for all undergraduates.” Today, we would call his vision “disruptive,” as the bumpy path involved closing satellite programs in Seattle, Olympia, Bremerton, and beyond while strengthening the financial foundation of the university.

A graduate of nearby Sumner High School and Washington State University, Phibbs carried local familiarity enriched by MA and PhD degrees from University of Chicago; experience as a successful high school and college debater, as a fellow at Cambridge University and the U.S. Congress, and in directing Air Force community relations in England; as well as 11 years as professor of political science at Wellesley College, followed by five years there as executive vice president. Consequently, Phibbs’ advocacy for his constructive vision was clear, precise, and well-researched: to invest in educational quality.

All will remember Phil’s ever-present bow ties, a sign of his formal, respectful, and respected demeanor. During debates on deferred Greek rush, students marched to the President’s House carrying signs “Go for the Status Quo”; he asked students to please step off the lawn, they complied, and then made their case. And, Phil did not lack a sense of fun, whether playing a cameo role in the Foolish Pleasures film festival, appearing as the Great Pumpkin on Halloween, or playing monopoly in Wallace Pool as part of a student fundraiser. He is the only president I know to have declared Peter Puget Day, which meant impromptu cancellation of classes, when the hardy joined him for a run to Old Town (some to jump into the bay!). He and wife Gwen Hon.’92 warmly initiated Friday Society and Fireside Dinner gatherings at their home, and they participated in a range of campus events, including many seasons of Logger basketball. A clear theme in alumni recollections of Phil and Gwen has been their caring outreach to individual students to support their success.

President Phibbs’ first priority was to invest in the faculty, the source of teaching and curricular strength for a college. He made an excellent hire in Thomas Davis as dean of the university, then Phil and Tom recruited faculty members nationally and put in place the university’s first hiring, evaluation, and promotion procedures. While the first Faculty Code was approved in 1972, the document continued to develop in those early years, articulating the role and responsibilities of the faculty. The distinctive Budget Task Force was put in place in 1977, bringing faculty, staff, and student voices into the formulation of the annual operating budget. Faculty Bylaws were approved in 1978.

Investment in the faculty also meant finding resources to support salaries and scholarship: Over time, Phibbs garnered significant endowments for faculty research and sabbaticals (the John Lantz and Martin Nelson awards); the first three endowed chairs, including the Robert G. Albertson Distinguished Teaching Professorship recognizing faculty commitment to undergraduate teaching excellence; and support for work in China and other Asian studies. In honor of his first 10 years of service, trustees endowed the Philip M. Phibbs professorship.

President Phibbs also launched a series of central (and recurring) strategic questions for the campus, beginning with: What does it mean to be a liberal arts college? The faculty approved a first core curriculum in 1976, placing liberal arts at the center of Puget Sound’s program. In 1981, the core was revised to include International Studies and Science in Context, areas of particular interest for Phibbs, whose research focused largely on India, and who saw the distinctive importance of understanding scientific questions through interdisciplinary perspectives.

Success through quality, rather than growth, also meant asking: What does it mean to draw a selective, national student body? Puget Sound chose to limit enrollment at 2,800 students so that personalized (what we might today call student-centered) education could be a priority. Scholarship endowments grew, financial aid policies were revised, and academic advising gained greater emphasis. In the mid-1980s, a new dean of students led faculty in off-site retreats to consider what it meant to offer a cocurriculum for a more significantly residential student body, and the new Prelude and Passages orientation program was born.

There are many external markers of achievement for a successful vision, and space here to recall only a few: in 1978, a first Rhodes Scholar; in 1985, a Phi Beta Kappa chapter and a first Washington Professor of the Year; in 1986, a second Rhodes; and, by 1992, the financial stability of $50 million in endowment growth.

Above all, President Philip Phibbs led generations of students to understand and to live out the “education for a lifetime” provided by the liberal arts. In his retirement announcement, he observed the moment had arrived for books to be read, music to be heard, mountains to trek, travel to be done, cultures to explore, ballets and operas to watch, and volunteer service to perform together with Gwen. And so, for three more decades, he did just that—bringing liberal arts leadership to his family, friends, and community.

Philip Phibbs died March 21, 2022, in Tacoma, at the age of 90. Gwen, his wife of 67 years—the only presidential spouse to be awarded an honorary degree—passed away just one month later. Among their survivors are two other Loggers: grandchildren Kelby Hunt ’21 and Lawson Hunt ’25.

Provost Emerita Kris Bartanen served Puget Sound as a faculty member and senior administrator from 1978 to 2019.

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Lois Fassett Miller ’48, P’79 died June 8, 2021, at the age of 96. While attending Puget Sound, Miller was a Logger student-athlete, as well as a member of the Delta Alpha Gamma sorority, Kappa Phi, Loggerettes, and SPURS. As a student, she met George Miller ’48, MEd’58, P’79, and the two were married shortly after Commencement by then-President R. Franklin Thompson. Miller taught P.E. for a year before devoting the next several years to raising her children. In 1968, the family moved to Fox Island, Wash., where Miller became the postmaster, retiring in 1987. She was preceded in death by George, and is survived by her children, including George Miller ’79, MEd’88.

When June Hyatt Paganelli ’49, ’50 earned her teaching degree from Puget Sound, she became the first in her family to graduate from college. She taught school for 45 years, serving in classrooms in Japan, Africa, and the Yakama Indian Reservation, known as a gifted storyteller with an ability to turn an ordinary tale into a fanciful one. In retirement, she cruised the world with her husband (now deceased), dancing every night in the ships’ ballrooms and reading the palms of fellow passengers. She died Jan. 7.

James Luzzi ’50, P’86 died April 18, at the age of 94. Luzzi was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity at Puget Sound before attending University of Washington School of Dentistry and serving in the Navy as a dental officer in Korea and Japan. A people person and dedicated mentor and friend, he was known to sing and hum while working, having a calming effect on many of his patients. He practiced dentistry on Tacoma’s 6th Avenue for
45 years. An avid fisherman and lover of the outdoors, in 1982, he sailed with six others from Maui, Hawai`i, to Tacoma in 17 days—with no GPS. He was preceded in death by former wife Coral Venske Luzzi ’50, P’86, and is survived by his wife, Anne; seven daughters, including Cindy Luzzi Gier ’86; and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Joanna Brock Crawford ’52 died Dec. 22. She was 91. While studying education at Puget Sound, she met and married Donal Sherfy ’48, who preceded her in death.

Lois Wasmund Jaenicke ’52, P’85 died May 3, 2021, at the age of 90. A graduate of Lincoln High School in Tacoma, she earned her bachelor’s degree in English at Puget Sound, where she was a member of the Delta Alpha Gamma sorority and served as editor of the 1951 Tamanawas yearbook. As a student, she met Donald Jaenicke ’52, P’85 (editor of The Trail), and the couple were married for 25 years. Donald preceded her in death. Jaenicke is survived by five children, including Roger Jaenicke ’85, and four grandchildren.

James Hicker ’55 died Dec. 1, after a short illness. He was 88. After graduating from Puget Sound, Hicker lived in Germany while serving in the military, prior to returning to Tacoma and beginning a 35-year career at Boeing. In 1964, he and his wife, Jean, moved to Federal Way, Wash., and raised four children. A family man and lover of the outdoors, Hicker enjoyed fishing, clamming, camping, and family vacations at the beach.

While attending Puget Sound, Scott McArthur ’55 was a member of the Theta Chi fraternity and Phi Mu Alpha music honorary, served as editor of The Trail, and performed with the Puget Sound-Tacoma Symphony Orchestra and concert band. After graduation, he worked as a radio reporter and announcer and a dance band musician before earning a master’s degree at University of Oregon and a JD at the Northwest School of Law, Lewis & Clark College. He worked for several years as a journalist and writer for the Associated Press, United Press International, and regional news outlets. An Army veteran, he was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Sons of Union Veterans, and numerous historical and hobby societies. In 1967, he started his law
practice in Monmouth, Ore., and served as a legislative lobbyist for the League of Oregon Cities. He was a part-time municipal judge and spent six years as a visiting lecturer at the National Judicial College at University of Nevada-Reno. McArthur was an active community leader and entertainer, serving as founding president of the Monmouth-Independence Community Foundation and appearing in 28 productions at the Pentacle Theatre at Salem, Ore., between 1968 and 2002. He died Aug. 2, at the age of 88.

Randy Smith ’60, P’96 died Oct. 21, days shy of his 83rd birthday. After graduating from Puget Sound, Smith obtained a medical degree from University of Washington, where he later completed training in neurological surgery. From 1965 to 1971, he served as an Air Force reservist and captain, stationed at Osan airbase in South Korea after his medical unit was activated. He joined the neurosurgery faculty at University of California, San Diego, in 1971, helping to establish the School of Medicine’s neurosurgery program. After a decade on faculty, he left for private practice, covering emergency call until his “retirement” in 1993. He continued performing surgery until 2004, and remained active as a local, regional, and national leader in the field. Outside of surgery, Smith was a renaissance man, growing avocados on his farm in California, wordworking, and sharing his love of sports and photography. He is survived by wife Florence and their family, including Christine Smith Prey ’96.

Carol Weeks Smith ’60, ’61 died April 23, at the age of 83. While attending Puget Sound, Smith met and married David Smith ’62, and the couple entered the Peace Corps after graduation. They served in Liberia and West Africa, and spent two years teaching school and working with Albert Schweitzer. Returning stateside, they raised three daughters in Kirkland, Wash., where Smith taught at the Kirkland Co-op Pre-school for more than 30 years. She then traveled the country educating teachers on early childhood development with the Bureau of Education and Research, and, after earning her master’s degree from Seattle Pacific University, running a private counseling practice for many years.

Rollin Morford ’63 died in September 2020. He was 91. Morford earned his bachelor’s degree in education and taught school in Federal Way, Wash., for more than 30 years. Prior to attending Puget Sound, he was a merchant marine and bricklayer. When not teaching, Morford enjoyed traveling with his wife and six children, camping all over the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Later, he and his wife traveled the world, visiting all seven continents and more than 60 countries.

William Turner ’65 died Dec. 24. He was 81. A celebrated Northwest artist (featured in the autumn 2021 Arches), Turner was known for his loving and generous nature, mischievous sense of humor, and love of travel, Irish whiskey, great food, poetry, and, above all, painting. His work is displayed in collections throughout the U.S., and in Tacoma Art Museum and Museum of Northwest Art, locally. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam conflict, and was awarded two Bronze Medals for his service.

Born in Seattle, John Geddes ’68, P’00 attended Ingraham High School before earning his bachelor’s degree at Puget Sound. On campus, he served as vice president of his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, participated in men’s crew, and served as the Phi Delt representative to the interfraternity council. His love of flying prompted him to join the university’s Air Force ROTC program, a career path cut short by a medical issue prior to his commissioning. After graduation, Geddes was hired into the Peoples Bank management program. In the mid-1970s, he changed course, earning a second bachelor’s degree in education from Central Washington University and becoming an elementary school teacher. Geddes ultimately retired after a third career: 20 years with the United Postal Service. He died in March 2019, from complications due to a serious head injury suffered in 2015. Geddes is survived by his two brothers and five children, including Brian Geddes ’00.

Prior to attending Puget Sound, Thomas Mason ’68 served in the U.S. Air Force. Upon graduation, he became a customer engineer at IBM, followed by a second 25-year career as a substitute teacher. A passionate  environmentalist, Mason established the Betty T. Mason Canoe Landing County Park in Minnesota, and supported the Landmark Conservancy in Wisconsin.

Edith Zimmermann Moore ’68, P’71, P’71, P’73 died on Oct. 30. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration at Puget Sound. Moore is predeceased by stepsons Lee Moore ’71 and William Moore Jr. ’71, and is survived by stepson Timothy Moore ’73.

Peter Nelson ’70 died Jan. 27, after a brief battle with cancer. He was 77. In 1966, Nelson joined the U.S. Navy. He was wounded during his first tour, receiving the Purple Heart, but volunteered for a second tour after fully healing. Nelson and his wife, Kathy, welcomed a son in 1968 and a daughter in 1970, shortly before he graduated from Puget Sound with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He shared a love of sailing, skiing, and traveling with family and friends, and celebrated his 50th anniversary with Kathy at a castle in Ireland with their children and grandchildren in attendance.

John McCallum MBA’78 died April 21, due to complications from heart surgery. Born in Bremerton, Wash., he attended University of Washington and Washington State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1967, before obtaining master’s degrees from University of Southern California and Puget Sound. McCallum served in the U.S. Army, achieving the rank of major, and enjoyed a 36-year career as a pharmaceutical manager with GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals. He loved boating in the San Juan Islands, watching football, and spending time with friends and family. He was 79.

Eric Rombach-Kendall ’79 died Jan. 24 from a heart attack. He was 64. After graduating from Puget Sound, Rombach-Kendall earned a Master of Music degree from University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and entered into a career as a high school and college band director. Most recently, he was director of bands at University of New Mexico, a position he held since 1993. A husband and father, Rombach-Kendall loved being in nature, camping with his family, and celebrating his children’s successes.

Bradley Wagenaar ’82 died Dec. 22, at the age of 52. At Puget Sound, Wagenaar earned a degree in business administration and played basketball for the Loggers. In 1987, he moved to Hawai`i and pursued a career in insurance, building a strong reputation as a trusted advisor. He founded Risk Solution Partners, which he later merged with Woodruff Sawyer & Co., a private company on the mainland, establishing the Hawai`i office. Active in the community, serving as president and director on the boards of numerous private and not-for-profit organizations, Wagenaar was known by friends and colleagues for his quick wit, deep faith, and integrity.

After a two-and-a-half-year battle with cancer, Pamela Patton ’83 died April 23. She was 64. Patton attended Texas Tech University and Texas A&M before moving to Washington, where she completed her degree in elementary education at Puget Sound. While on campus, she served as the Logger cheerleader advisor and coach. Patton taught English to soldiers at what is now Joint Base Lewis-McChord, outside Tacoma, and, as a military wife, was active in base events and committees while living in Alabama, Texas, Washington, and Germany. She taught elementary school for several years, devoting much of her energy to special education and advocacy. Patton was an active Sunday school teacher, youth group leader, and PTA member, and volunteered extensively for organizations including American Red Cross, Relay for Life, and Special Olympics.

Todd Turner ’91 died last October, at the age of 54. Turner earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Puget Sound before continuing his education as a graduate student at University of Utah. He was an avid golfer, tennis player, skier, and piano player.

After graduating from Western Michigan University with a dual degree in English and philosophy, Laurie Reed MOT’93 moved to South Korea to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer. An adventurer at heart, she fell in love with the mountains and ocean of the Pacific Northwest, eventually making the area her home and pursuing a master’s degree in occupational therapy at Puget Sound. She opened a private practice to focus on promoting autonomy for people with rheumatoid diseases and various types of arthritis. The day after retiring at age 65, Reed flew to Africa, visiting five countries over the course of a month. Shortly after returning home, she was diagnosed with end-stage ovarian cancer and, despite a dire prognosis, lived another four years traveling, skiing, and swimming in the ocean. Reed died Feb. 5. She was 69.

 

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