HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 99-4720, by Representatives Quall, Linville, Morris, Ericksen, Carlson, Kenney, Radcliff, Edmonds, Lantz, Ogden, Kessler, Wolfe, Esser, Dunn, Gombosky, H. Sommers, Barlean, Anderson, Regala, Reardon, Dunshee, Murray, Miloscia, Rockefeller, Kastama, Wood, O'Brien, Hatfield, McIntire, Haigh, Ruderman, Cooper, Santos, Veloria, Doumit, Romero, Dickerson, Schual‑Berke, Cody, Tokuda, Stensen, Edwards, Kagi, Conway, Keiser, Fisher, Scott, D. Schmidt and Wensman

      WHEREAS, In 1893, the Washington State Legislature and Governor John H. McGraw established New Whatcom State Normal School in Bellingham to train future teachers; and

      WHEREAS, Economic conditions in the late 1890s constrained state budgets and delayed provision of operating funds to the new school until after the 1898 Yukon Gold Rush; and

      WHEREAS, In September of 1899 the first class of eighty-eight future teachers scaled Sehome Hill to begin classes, housed in one building atop a muddy, ten-acre site; and

      WHEREAS, The new school, which initially helped students complete high school diplomas and one-year teaching certificates, evolved into a full-fledged college by 1933 when it began awarding bachelor's degrees in education, and four years later was renamed Western Washington College of Education; and

      WHEREAS, By Western's fiftieth anniversary in 1949, the college had prepared more than twenty thousand teachers to serve the state's elementary, secondary, and college students and launched what became a half century of growth and change in response to demands of Washington's expanding population and increasing role in the nation's economy; and

      WHEREAS, In the next three decades, Western more than tripled its enrollment, constructed fourteen new buildings, created five separate colleges, and developed a comprehensive liberal arts program leading to Western's designation as a university in 1977; and

      WHEREAS, The University has grown to serve annually nearly twelve thousand students, taught by five hundred fifty dedicated faculty in state-of-the-art facilities, including an award-winning science complex completed in 1996 on the southern edge of a 195-acre residential campus; and

      WHEREAS, In the past decade Western has established a national reputation as one of America's top public comprehensive universities for providing an enduring legacy of learning well-designed to prepare graduates in the Class of 2000 and their successors for the twenty-first century;

      NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, That the accomplishments of Western Washington University during this centennial academic year be recognized and that the University and its more than one hundred forty thousand alumni be honored for past and future contributions to the citizens of the State of Washington; and

      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Co-Chief Clerks of the House of Representatives to the president and each member of the board of trustees of Western Washington University.

          I hereby certify this to be a true and correct copy of

         Resolution 4720 adopted by the House of Representatives

                            January 21, 2000.

________________________________             _____________________________

Timothy A. Martin, Co-Chief Clerk           Cynthia Zehnder Co-Chief Clerk