Alumni Gala honors shining stars

AIRWAY HEIGHTS–The Eastern Washington University Alumni Association held a gala awards ceremony last Friday, April 15, at Northern Quest Casino. This annual event honors EWU alums who have achieved success in various walks of life after having graduated from the university.

This year the top award, the Lifetime Achievement Award, went to a married couple, both of whom are EWU alumni currently residing in Spokane. Jon Heimbigner is well known to most Odessa area readers as a 1966 graduate of Odessa High School, who has been instrumental over the past few years in bringing an Odessa Athletics Hall of Fame to fruition in Odessa. He completed his studies at EWU in 1970 before pursuing a career initially in banking and later on in a business startup, NW Telecommunications. He is now retired. His wife Karen Heimbigner graduated from EWU in 1969 and became a career educator at the Spokane Public Schools. She is only semi-retired, as she still does substitute teaching that keeps her quite busy.

The Heimbigners were joined at the event by many family members, including their three adult children, and many friends and supporters.

The other awards presented throughout the evening were the Alum of Service – Organizational award that went to Jeanette Day, who graduated in 1976 and is an attorney working for the San Diego County Juvenile Division; the Alum of Service – Education award for Tamra Jackson, who received EWU degrees in 1986 and 1990 and is now the principal at Bridgeport High School; the Alum of Service – Military award for Brigadier General (Ret.) Nikki Griffin Olive, who received her degree in 1990; the Inspirational Young Alum award that went to Dr. Evan Hilberg, a 2013 graduate, who is now a medical policy research analyst for Cambia Health Services and the Eagle4Life Spirit award for Raynee Miller, a 1992 grad serving as a juvenile probation counselor for the Benton-Franklin Juvenile Justice Center.

The evening included a banquet, video clips of interviews of the awardees and closing remarks by another Odessa High and EWU alum, Lance Kissler, an associate vice president of university relations.