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University of Washington
Alumni Hall of Fame plaque

Communication Alumni Hall of Fame 2009

The Department of Communication at the University of Washington inducted six new members into its Alumni Hall of Fame on Oct. 29, 2009 at the University of Washington Club.

H. Stuart Elway (BA, 1970; MA, 1975; PhD, 1983)

Stuart ElwayAs president of Elway Research, Inc., Elway has directed research projects for large and small businesses, associations, not-for-profits, public agencies at all levels, candidates, ballot measures and media outlets, including The Seattle Times, Knight Ridder and NBC News. In addition to being regularly and widely quoted in Washington state media, Elway is looked to from outside the region as an expert on Northwest politics; he has been quoted in Time magazine, The Economist, and nearly every major daily newspaper in the country. He has also appeared or been quoted on all six television networks and has appeared as a guest on local and network news programs, including NPR's "Talk of the Nation," and "To the Point," CNN's "Inside Politics," and ABC.com's "Political Points." He pioneered the use of random-sample interactive polls on live television.  Elway has taught at both the UW and The Evergreen State College. He is a member of The National Council of State Polls and the American Association of Public Opinion Research. He is the publisher of The Elway Poll, the only on-going non-partisan, independent analysis of public opinion in the Northwest. He has directed The Seattle Times Washington Poll since 1984, and directed The Seattle Times/NorthWest Cable News Poll. He was also the research partner in the Front Porch Forum, a civic journalism effort of The Seattle Times, The Evans School, KCTS/9, KUOW and KPLU.

Joanne Harrell (BA, 1976; MBA, 1979)

Joanne HarrellHarrell has held various management positions at InfoSpace, US West Communications and Microsoft, where she currently serves as Chief of Staff, OEM Division. She has a commitment to continued learning that has led her to study management and marketing at Harvard, Stanford, Columbia and the Brookings Institution. While executive director of the United Way of King County from 1997 to 2000, Harrell led the chapter to successive national fundraising records and wide recognition for excellence in marketing communications and brand management. She grew the non-profit from the 14th to the largest United Way program in the country. She serves and has served on a host of boards, including REI, Seattle Urban League, YWCA, the Salvation Army, the Seattle Art Museum, UW's Evans School of Public Affairs, and the International Women's Forum. Harrell is the 1997 recipient of the African American Achievement Award, Omaha, NE. and the 1992 recipient of the "Women of Achievement Award," Seattle.

Bruce Johansen (BA, 1972; PhD, 1979)

Bruce JohansenJohansen has been at the University of Nebraska, Omaha since 1982. He is the senior ranking professor in the Department of Communication with a cross-listing in Native American Studies. He is the Frederick W. Kayser professor, which is a university research chair. He is the author of 26 books and has written mainly in Native American Studies, but also in various ecological sciences, notably "The Global Warming Desk Reference" (2001) and "Global Warming in the 21st Century," 3 vols. (2006). He also co-edited a 4-volume Encyclopedia of American Indian History with ABC-CLIO. (2007) He is also the Native American series editor for the Greenwood Publishing Group. In 2006, Dr. Johansen lectured at the University of Wales, Swansea, U.K. and on Native American legal history at the Catholic University of Lublin, Poland (this university was the teaching post of Pope John Paul II before he assumed the papacy.)

George Sundborg (BA, 1934) (posthumous)

George SundborgSundborg graduated from the University of Washington in 1934 and then chronicled the world as a reporter for a variety of newspapers, first from Grays Harbor and later as an editor of his own Alaska paper, the Juneau Independent. He was one of the primary authors of the Alaska constitution, which was drafted in 1955 and 1956. He left newspapers to become an administrative assistant to U.S. Sen. Ernest Gruening, D-Alaska. In 1971, he moved back to Washington State and later received an award from the U.S. Department of Interior for assistance in transferring land at Fort Lawton to the city of Seattle to create Discovery Park. From his Magnolia home, he wrote for magazines and other publications; volunteered at Seattle Children's hospital; supported many charities and food banks; and was president of the Magnolia Bluffers, a seniors group. With his wife, Mary, he also established a law-school endowment at Seattle University for residents from Alaska.

Maggie Walker (BA, 1974; BA, 1987)

Maggie WalkerWalker is very active in the non-profit community. She is 2nd Vice Chair on the Board of Directors of The Seattle Foundation, a leading philanthropic non profit organization in creating positive community change. She is past president of the ARCS Foundation Seattle Chapter and board vice president of the Museum of History and Industry. She currently serves as board chair of the Bullitt Foundation an MOHAI, is co-chair of the Prosperity Partnership’s Cultural Task Force, and is president elect of the Seattle Art Museum. A strong advocate of the environment, education and the arts, Walker has led the boards of the Henry Art Gallery, the Woodland Park Zoological Society and the Washington Women’s Foundation. She is a founding member of the Foundation, first Chair of the board and Planning Committee, two time grant committee member, and helped lead the development of the Foundation’s endowment  In addition, she is a past board vice president of Washington Audubon and Seattle Children’s Home. Walker chaired Art Fair Seattle for five years and headed up Campaign UW for the College of Arts and Sciences. She is co-founder of Social Venture Partners, a network of engaged donors and nonprofits teamed to leverage their knowledge and experiences for the good of the community.

Harold (Hal) Zimmerman (BA, 1947)

Hal ZimmermanZimmerman worked as news editor of the Sedro Woolley Courier-Times and as editor-publisher of the Cowlitz County Advocate in Castle Rock before buying the Camas Washougal Post-Record in 1957 and publishing the paper for the next 23 years. The Post-Record won first place in the nation in 1960 for community involvement and won many awards for news, editorials, advertising, and community service. He also served as President of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. Among the many leadership roles he had were serving as President of the Lions Club and a Chamber of Commerce officer in Castle Rock and President of the Kiwanis Club and Chamber of Commerce in Camas. For his many years of community service, he was named as the “Citizen of the Century” for Camas. He served 22 years in the Washington State Legislature, had leadership roles in both the House and the Senate such as serving as Chairman of Legislative Budget Committee in 1987 and sponsored key pieces of legislation, such as the state’s first Solid Waste Act in 1969 and its first tough oil spill bill in 1970. He resigned from the State Senate in 1988 when Governor Booth Gardner appointed him to the state’s Pollution Control Hearings Board. As one of the three full-time hearings board members in Environmental Hearings Office, he heard appeals on air and water pollution, shorelines appeals and helped coordinate officers of two other appeals boards.