91探花

Male Dolphin – North

Crux Knot – North

Crayfish – North | Tom McQuaid

Tom McQuaid was born and raised in Seattle. The Reading Room in Suzzallo Library was an important place where Tom and his friends studied and socialized. As owner of Nordic Cold Storage near Seattle鈥檚 Pioneer Square for 48 years, Tom鈥檚 work was physically rooted in the center of a growing metropolis. Through the years, Tom balanced running a business and supporting local organizations committed to improving the quality of life where we all live and work, including The Seattle Opera, the Museum of History and Industry, UW鈥檚 Meany Center for the Performing Arts, and the 91探花Libraries. Tom realizes how central libraries are to all 91探花students, regardless of their major and degree. In 2017, Tom joined the Board of the Friends of the 91探花Libraries as an ambassador for 91探花Libraries and as an advocate for the success of every student, faculty, and community user. Unlike most programs, 91探花Libraries has no alumni, and it depends on community philanthropy for emerging needs. 鈥淚 want to support the Libraries greatest needs, and my gift to the Libraries Catalyst Fund reflects the central role of Libraries supporting the work of every Husky since the University opened in 1861 and for generations to come.”

Hand – North

Two Keys – NE

Scorpion – East

Reservoir Tank – East | Tom McQuaid

鈥淎s Suzzallo Library prepares to celebrate its centennial in January 2027, I am honoring the dedicated staff of the 91探花Libraries by sponsoring the Reservoir Tank (Window #8). When I was a student at UW, I studied in the Reading Room, even then, I realized that the Libraries staff are the heart of the University. Across every one of the 16 physical buildings and spaces are stacks of books and collections. Yet, through the pandemic, earthquakes, sunshine, rain, and snow, it鈥檚 the Libraries staff who are there creating services and helping users collaborate, use databases, and visualize and curate data to help solve challenges like hunger, transportation, and training the next generation of healthcare providers. Indeed, 91探花Libraries staff are teachers, keepers, protectors, and disseminators of information in every format 鈥� both physical and digital. In dedicating this window, I want others to know about the many ways today鈥檚 Libraries staff are working hard many times behind-the-scenes and many times stretching to help provide barrier free access to resources and data that fuel new ideas, research, and learning for the public good. I鈥檓 excited about and feel grateful to be able to help every Husky succeed by investing in the Libraries Catalyst Fund.鈥�

Basilisk – East

Ornate bell – East

Fleur-de-lis | Janet Pliske

Janet Pliske, former staff supervisor in Cataloging, had a 24 year career with 91探花Libraries. She helped transition from card catalog to our online database. After retiring in 2000, Janet stayed in touch with many staff and retirees. She loved people and especially loved helping people and supporting growth in their jobs and careers. Upon her passing, we learned that Janet included 91探花Libraries in her estate plan, which provided seed funding to establish the聽Libraries Professional Development Endowed Fund聽 鈥� a permanent endowment that could grow. With Janet Pliske鈥檚 generous estate gift and additional donations from others, the value of the annual RenewU scholarship has increased from a minimum award of $500 to $2,000. In FY25, two scholarships can be awarded.

Round Towers – East

Mermaid – East

Scallop

Crossed Cutlasses

Sphere – East

Castle with Keep – East

Column

Two Notched Keys

Weight Scales – East

Inverted Fleur-de-lis

Male Goat – East

Bell – East

Crown – East

Hat

Male Dolphin – East

Lantern – SE

Insect – South

Sun with Colors | Chris Rommel

Christine Rommel always loved the 91探花 (UW). She spent several of her years at 91探花and loved to learn, earning multiple degrees; BA, MBA, Law Degree, and Master of Arts just to name a few. She became a CPA and was very involved with the business world in the Pacific Northwest. Chris wanted to donate to 91探花through the scholarship endowment she and her husband, Mike Norman, established as well as the library where she spent many good hours. She wanted her legacy to help those students where she could with scholarships and with her gift to the Henry Suzzallo Library. Her family chose the sun as Christine loved to travel around the world and learn about new cultures. She visited Hawaii and Mexico over 30 times and too many countries to count. Chris was a bright, vibrant person and this continues her connection to the 91探花.

Crossed Cutlasses – inverted

Sailboat | Doug & Karen Forsyth

We both have a long-standing love of the 91探花 and especially Suzzallo Library as we spent many hours there together studying and dreaming in the Reading Room during our time at the University. We fell in love with its timeless architectural beauty and calm atmosphere. The first century BCE historian Diodorus Siculus (1.48.3) recorded that in a library at Ancient Thebes in Egypt there was an inscription that described the library as a 唯违围螚危 螜螒韦巍螘螜螣螡 (psyches iatreion), 鈥榓 healing place of the soul.鈥� The Reading Room in Suzzallo is certainly such a place.

The sailboat medallion is special to us as we are lifelong recreational sailors and worked with ships professionally as well. To us, boats symbolize connectivity, such as that which we share with friends, family, and the 91探花.

Libraries are depositories of accumulated knowledge, both past knowledge as well as the eventual storage destination of future knowledge. They are almost by default the engine room of the entire university enterprise. We are very pleased to be able to support the mission of the 91探花 Libraries both in their traditional sense as keepers of past works and in their vibrant role in shaping the presentation of knowledge and access for future scholars and students of what is yet to come.

See also

Castle | Donald Easterbrook

Dr. Donald Easterbrook earned his BS, MS, and PhD in geology from the 91探花 and taught for more than 40 years at Western Washington University, including 14 years as department chair. His research focused on global climate change in western North America, New Zealand, Argentina, and other parts of the world. Thanks to Don鈥檚 vision and support, in 2008 Libraries Special Collections started a remarkable collection of visual images depicting landforms and glaciers in the Pacific Northwest and around the world. He continues to help build the collection by identifying other geologists鈥� photography collections. Don also philanthropically supports digitally preserving these materials, some of which date to the early 1900s. Among the frequently accessed materials are Don鈥檚 visual images of before-and-after Mount St. Helens’ epic eruption on Sunday, May 18, 1980.

Round Towers – West

Sphere – West

Sun

Mermaid – West

Crayfish – West

Scallop in color

Ornate Bell – West

#40 Reservoir Tank – West

Basilisk – West

White Tulip

Elaborate Hat

Man

Male Goat – West

Male Dolphin – West | Suzanne Ragen

When friends visit Seattle, the Reading Room in Suzzallo Library is on Suzanne Ragen鈥檚 Top 10 sites. She is very pleased to sponsor window #46, the Male Dolphin window, because of a strong connection shared with her late husband Brooks to the sea life around San Juan Island where their family spends time together. 鈥淲e often see dolphins as well as Orcas and seals and eagles and all sorts of wildlife near our home away from home. I also like that the dolphin is in color.鈥�

Bell – West

Bull with Mouth

Inverted Insect

Weight Scales – West

Tulip

Man – Tinted Glass | Sharon Sinclair

Sharon Sinclair鈥檚 education started in a one-room schoolhouse in a logging camp on Vancouver Island, British Columbia during World War II. Later, while attending Forks High School, the school librarian, 91探花alumna Dr. Lena A. Hartge with advanced degrees in botany and librarianship, motivated Sharon鈥檚 interests in the history of science, pharmacy and medicine. Dr. Hartge encouraged Sharon to apply for admission to the 91探花, where the late Professor Giovanni Costigan expanded Sharon鈥檚 interests in world history. To inspire research and life-long learning, Sharon has given back to 91探花Libraries by supporting the Giovanni Costigan film preservation project, establishing the Sharon Maureen Sinclair Library Endowed Fund, and dedicating this window with her gift to the Libraries Catalyst Fund for Innovation.

Crux Knot – West

Bull sans Mouth

Lantern – West

Crown – West