2022 Alumni Award Recipients

Dr. Peggy Anderson Parade Grand Marshal Peggy Anderson grew up in Portland, Oregon. She attended Woodrow Wilson High School where she lettered in golf and tennis. Peggy earned her Bachelor’s Degree at the College of Idaho where she participated in field hockey. After earning her Master’s Degree at the University of Oregon, Peggy was an […]

2021 Alumni Award Recipients

Kale Cockett, ’95Distinguished Alumnus Kale Cockett graduated from EOU in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in General Studies. He attained his goal of working in law enforcement as a special agent for the United States. Kale has worked as a Secret Service agent for nearly 20 years. He has had the honor of serving every […]

2019 Alumni Award Recipients

JOHN NIGHTINGALE, Ph.D., ’70 Distinguished Alumnus & Homecoming Parade Grand Marshal John Nightingale received his Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Eastern Oregon College in 1970. He completed his graduate studies at the University of Washington with his master’s degree in fisheries biology and his Ph.D. in physiology. Throughout his career as a professional biologist […]

2018 Alumni Award Recipients

FOUAD AJAMI, ’68 Distinguished Alumnus (posthumous) Fouad Ajami passed away in June 2014. After graduating from Eastern Oregon College, he earned master’s and doctorate degrees in foreign policy. From 1980 to 2011 he was director of Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins University. He was also the Herbert and Jane Dwight Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. […]

2017 Alumni Award Recipients

JESSE JONES, ’05 Distinguished Alumnus Composer, conductor, and mandolinist, Jesse Jones is an artist of wide-ranging tastes and influences with pieces published and performed worldwide. He graduated from EOU in 2005 with a bachelor’s in music, later earned his master’s in composition from the University of Oregon, and received his Doctorate of Musical Arts in […]

2016 Alumni Award Recipients

Skye Fitzgerald, ’93 Distinguished Alumnus Skye Fitzgerald graduated from EOU in 1993 and went on to earn his master of fine arts in directing from the University of Oregon. He has been producing projects focused on human rights and social justice issues since 1998 and is the founder of Spin Films in Portland. Along the […]

2015 Alumni Award Recipients

Vern Bean Distinguished Alumnus & Homecoming Parade Grand Marshal Vern Bean, Ph.D., will be honored as EOU’s 2015 Distinguished Alumnus as well as act as the Homecoming 2015 Parade Grand Marshal. Bean grew up in La Grande, attended Ackerman Elementary School and later Eastern Oregon College. He transferred to Brigham Young University where he completed […]

2014 Alumni Award Recipients

Richard Chaves Distinguished Alumnus Richard Chaves, of Baker City, graduated from Eastern Oregon University in 1973 with a bachelor’s in business economics and management. He went on to found a company called Chaves Consulting, Inc. (CCI) and now serves as its president. Richard has led CCI in the design and implementation of on-time, cost effective, […]

2013 Alumni Award Recipients

2013 Alumni Award Recipients Dr. Laurie Marker Distinguished Alumna Award Dr. Laurie Marker, founder and executive director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, is one of the world’s leading experts on the fastest land animal. After graduating from EOU’s distance education program in 1990, Laurie sold everything she owned to start CCF in Namibia, Africa. She went on to […]

2012 Alumni Award Recipients

2012 Alumni Award Recipients Josie Ward Heath Distinguished Alumna Award This year’s recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award is Josie Ward Heath, of Boulder, Colo., a 1959 Eastern Oregon State College graduate in education. As an educator and activist, Heath began organizing for civil rights in the 1960s. Her outreach work continued in the Colorado political […]