Washington State University (WSU) is a remarkable place, over the years educating hundreds of thousands, conducting innovative research in a wide variety of disciplines, and earning numerous intercollegiate athletics titles. Originally named The Agricultural College, Experiment Station and School of Science of the State of Washington, the school first opened on a wintry 1892 morning with six professors. Today, the institution has more than 2,600 faculty positions and annually awards over 7,000 degrees on multiple campuses--now exceeding 260,000 total since its first graduating class of seven.
In Leading the Crimson and Gray, multiple authors chronicle the lives and legacies of those who served in one of WSU’s most visible roles--president. These executives were responsible for raising funds, shaping strategic visions, addressing faculty and student concerns, attending to fiscal issues, and interacting with lawmakers and business leaders. There were early bitter battles over the Pullman location and curriculum. Other eras brought student unrest and social upheaval, wars, protests, and severe economic depression and recession.
Their accomplishments were substantial. Early presidents launched the college, expanded the academic program beyond agriculture and science, established general education requirements, and took key steps toward eventual university status. Later presidents supported athletic achievement, strengthened enrollment, obtained legislative support for a capital construction bond referendum, increased research grants and contracts, completed major construction projects, effectively faced massive state allocation cuts, and won bipartisan state legislative backing for a new medical school. Combined, George W. Lilley, John W. Heston, Enoch A. Bryan, Ernest O. Holland, Wilson M. Compton, C. Clement French, W. Glenn Terrell, Samuel H. Smith, V. Lane Rawlins, and Elson S. Floyd left a legacy that makes the Cougar Nation proud.
William Stimson is a professor of journalism at Eastern Washington University. He holds a PhD in American history from WSU.
A lifetime Pacific Northwesterner, Mark O’English is the University Archivist at WSU. He also writes regular local history columns for regional newspapers and conducts campus history presentations for a variety of groups.
Tim Steury, like Enoch Bryan, is a Hoosier farm boy. He joined WSU in 1990 as research news coordinator and editor of the research magazine Universe. He created Ask Dr. Universe and is a founding editor of Washington State Magazine.
