Pierce College News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contacts: Nancy Butterfield, (253) 964-7331 or nbutterfield@pierce.ctc.edu;
Dale Stowell, (253) 964-6780 or dstowell@pierce.ctc.edu

Jeffrey Eugenides, who was awarded the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his second novel “Middlesex,” will be the featured speaker as part of the Pierce Presents series, at Pierce College Puyallup’s College Center at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 7. Admission is $15 general/$10 students.

“Middlesex” is the story of a hermaphroditic teen on the hunt for clues to the real nature of her/his identity, and the family history that created it. The New York Times’ Michiko Kakutani calls the book “an uproarious epic, at once funny and sad, about misplaced identities and family secrets,” and observes that “Mr. Eugenides has a keen sociological eye for 20th-century American life. . . But it’s his emotional wisdom, his nuanced insight into his characters’ inner lives, that lends this book its cumulative power.”

For tickets visit the ticket office in Room A120 at Pierce College Puyallup; call (253) 840-8416; or contact any Ticketmaster location. Tickets purchased through the college will not include a service fee. Pierce College Puyallup is at 1601 39th Ave. S.E. Pierce Presents is an artists and speakers series sponsored by Pierce College Puyallup Student Programs, KPLU 88.5 FM, and The News Tribune.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contacts: Nancy Butterfield, (253) 964-7331 or nbutterfield@pierce.ctc.edu;
Dale Stowell, (253) 964-6780 or dstowell@pierce.ctc.edu

The Pierce College Foundation will present the 2005 Distinguished Alumni Awards at a special dinner at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, in the College Center, room 102, at Pierce College Puyallup. Tickets are $20, and can be purchased by calling 964-6296, or by e-mail at gcrippen@pierce.ctc.edu . Pierce College Puyallup is at 1601 39th Ave. S.E.

Recipients of the 2005 Distinguished Alumni Awards are Katherine Boyd, principal of Hunt Middle School in Tacoma; Johan Dupuis-Lund, regional manager for Intel Corp.; and John Haugh, a social worker with the state Department of Social and Health Services Children & Family Services Division in Tacoma.

Jerry Korum, owner of Korum Motors, and James Washam, president of KeyBank, co-chairs of the Pierce College Foundation’s Campaign for Childcare, will be recognized as recipients of the Jack Asby award for outstanding community service. The award was established in 2000 to honor volunteerism, advocacy for higher education, and bringing visibility to the central role Pierce College plays in improving quality of life in the community. Asby is a former interim president of Pierce College, a long-time Lakewood activist, and a Pierce College Foundation Board member.

The Distinguished Alumni Awards were created to honor outstanding Pierce College Alumni who have shown strength in adversity, overcoming disadvantages to become successful in their professions.

Katherine Boyd, A.A.S., 1990, is principal at Hunt Middle School in Tacoma. Boyd is the first among her 10 siblings to earn a college degree. As a school principal she has come a long way from her elementary-school years when she could only do her schoolwork on rainy days when she wasn’t required to work in the fields.

Johan Dupuis-Lund, A.A., 1993, is a regional manager for Intel Corp. in DuPont. As an immigrant to the United States from Denmark, Dupuis-Lund was not fluent in English. He says his greatest personal triumphs were graduating from Pierce College and passing the U.S. Citizenship test in 2001.

John Haugh, A.A.S., 1999, is employed as a social worker for Children & Family Services. Haugh has overcome much adversity, including a football accident that left him partially paralyzed. He is active in community and volunteer organizations, including child advocacy groups.

To request disability accommodation, contact the Disability Support Services Office at least 10 days in advance at (253) 964-6468/V; (253) 964-6228/TTY; or dssaccess@pierce.ctc.edu.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contacts: Nancy Butterfield, (253) 964-7331 or nbutterfield@pierce.ctc.edu;
Dale Stowell, (253) 964-6780 or dstowell@pierce.ctc.edu

The Pierce College Foundation welcomes four new members to its board of directors, including Jan Lucas, an instructional facilitator at Lakeview Elementary School in Lakewood; Steve Moceri, president and owner of Moceri Leasing; James Roth, vice president and commercial loan officer at Columbia Bank; and Linda Stowe, owner/partner of both Stowe Construction, Inc and the High Cedars Golf Club.

The Pierce College Foundation mission is to acquire private funding for the district, provide enhancements to college programs, improve access for students, and promote the colleges to the community, said Foundation Director Cherry Tinker.

Jan Lucas said she became aware of the Pierce College Foundation during the 2004 garden tour in Steilacoom. As a member of the planning committee, she worked with several members of the Pierce College faculty and staff. She was inspired to become more involved in the foundation as a result. “Their good work and worthy projects, all done to benefit the college, stirred my interest and desire to get involved,” Lucas said.

Steve Moceri’s interest in the foundation stems from serving on the Campaign for Childcare Cabinet. “Working with (Foundation Director) Cherry (Tinker) and other cabinet members has been a wonderful experience,” Moceri said. “I hope to lend my same enthusiasm to the foundation.” Moceri’s wife, Joane, is the director of the nursing program at Pierce College.

James Roth said he is excited about the opportunity to become involved with the foundation. “I feel that continuing support for higher education is vital and promotes an educated, qualified workforce,” Roth says. He is looking forward to interacting with the members of the foundation board who share the same vision of improving access to higher education.

Linda Stowe hopes to help direct the results of college-level education to have a more effective and practical impact for both students and employers. “I think the foundation can be very instrumental in helping shape the college curriculum to make more practical and realistic applications to everyday needs of employers,” Stowe says. “This will make the students’ education more valuable in finding careers.”

For information about the Pierce College Foundation, call (253) 964-6269 or visit www.pierce.ctc.edu/foundation/.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contacts: Nancy Butterfield, (253) 964-7331 or nbutterfield@pierce.ctc.edu;
Dale Stowell, (253) 964-6780 or dstowell@pierce.ctc.edu

The public is invited to attend a free seminar on identity theft, from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 24 at the College Center at Pierce College Puyallup, 1601 39th Ave. S.E.

Representatives from the Washington State Patrol and the Department of Licensing Identity Theft Unit will present detailed information and offer resources on identity theft, which now constitutes the fastest-growing type of crime in the United States.

Speakers representing local law enforcement agencies, banks and the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office also will be on hand to address various aspects of identity theft and to answer questions. Anyone who has been a victim of identity theft or would like to know how to keep from becoming one is encouraged to attend. The seminar also will address protecting personal information while using the Internet.

Sponsors for the program in addition to the college include the Identity Theft Unit, Washington State Patrol/Dept. of Licensing; and Rainier Pacific Bank.

To request disability accommodation, contact the Disability Support Services Office at (253) 964-6468/V; (253) 964-6228/TTY; or dssaccess@pierce.ctc.edu.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contacts: Nancy Butterfield, (253) 964-7331 or nbutterfield@pierce.ctc.edu;
Dale Stowell, (253) 964-6780 or dstowell@pierce.ctc.edu

Farwest Jazz, Pierce College’s award-winning choir, took the first-place award for the second year in a row at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival at University of Idaho in Moscow. One of the group’s soloists, Brecklynn Bradford, also took first place in the alto solo competition and was selected to sing with some of the jazz greats for the evening “legends” concert.

Vocalist Peter Jones finished second, one point behind the winner, in the tenor solo competition. “The solo awards are firsts in the history of Pierce College,” said Kelly Kunz, Farwest Jazz director. “The student jazz band was also very successful, finishing first place in their division.”

The Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival is in its 38th year. Each year, thousands of college, high school, junior high and elementary school students travel from all over the United States and Canada to the University of Idaho campus to perform and to meet some of the world’s greatest jazz performers.

The adjudicated performances span four days and typically involve approximately 14,000 students from more than 300 schools, ranging from colleges to elementary schools. Outstanding vocal and instrumental soloists take the stage with the professionals at the evening concerts.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contacts: Nancy Butterfield, (253) 964-7331 or nbutterfield@pierce.ctc.edu;
Dale Stowell, (253) 964-6780 or dstowell@pierce.ctc.edu

Pierce College has received the largest gift in its history, in the form of a bequest of more than $717,000 from the estate of Catherine Garnero of Buckley. Most of the money will be used to establish an endowed scholarship in honor of Garnero’s late son Joe, who worked in the education center at Fort Lewis for 16 years. Part of the gift will be used in the college’s Campaign for Childcare.

Catherine Garnero was a retired schoolteacher with a lifelong love of learning who continued to teach people to read, and even led a weekly knitting class at Buckley Senior Center well into her 90s. She passed away in April 2004 at age 96.

Mel Monk, Garnero’s nephew, remembers her as a woman who was never extravagant, but nurtured excellence in her environment. “She just wanted the best quality of life she could create:” he says, “the best flowers, the best vegetables in her garden, the best relationships with people.”

The Campaign for Childcare will break ground at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom in April for construction of a 10,000-square-foot building at the site of the current portable buildings, which now are being demolished. The child care centers to be constructed at both the Puyallup and Fort Steilacoom campuses will be designed to accommodate 65 children and 100 children respectively. The 6500-square-foot Pierce Puyallup child care center will be situated on the west side of campus.

“Catherine Garnero touched the lives of the people she knew and was a good friend of Pierce College,” said District Chancellor Steve Wall. “Now her generosity will help hard-working students achieve their personal and professional goals from today forward.”