Named Endowment Projects
William and Mary Lynn Graber Endowment Fund Scholarship
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William R. Graber
William R. Graber served as Senior Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer of McKesson Corporation, a
healthcare services and information technology company,
from February 2000 until his retirement in April,
2004.
Graber was at Mead Corporation from 1991 to 1999,
where, prior to becoming Chief Financial Officer, he
served as Controller and Treasurer. From 1965 to 1991,
Graber was at General Electric, where he held a wide
range of financial management positions at corporate
headquarters and at several of the company’s
largest business units.
Graber holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics
(1965) from Washington State University. He is a member
of the Financial Executives Institute and is a trustee
of the Washington State University Foundation.
Bill and his wife, Mary Lynn have noted numerous times
that Washington State University and its Department of
Mathematics played a major role in providing the
foundation for their future successes. They have
enjoyed giving back to the university by creating an
endowment in the Department of
Mathematics and an Entrepreneurial
and Leadership fund in the College of Sciences so
that others can be given the same opportunities as Bill
had as a student.
Paul A. Anderson Distinguished Professorship of Physics
This Distinguished Professorship in honor of Paul A. Anderson was initiated in 2001 by Philip Abelson, a WSU physics and chemistry alumnus, former editor of Science magazine and member of the National Academy of Sciences. Phil received his M.S. in physics from Paul in 1935.
Paul Anderson chaired the WSU physics department from 1931 to 1962. Paul’s enthusiasms inspired many science students. After earning his doctorate at Harvard, Paul had taught in Berlin and Peking. He was excited about the WSU Department of Physics and wanted to build it into the “best physics department west of the Mississippi.” Soon after coming to WSC, Paul built the first electron microscope in the country. However, Paul’s most famous work involved the precision measurements of electronic work functions in ultra high vacuum. His measurements are still cited today as standard values.
Paul retired from WSU in 1963. He passed away in 1990 at the age of 92. He has two surviving sons, John H. Anderson of Bellingham, Washington, and James “Jim” G. Anderson of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Along with Phil Abelson, many other alumni, friends and family also have made gifts to make this professorship possible.
Ralph Yount Distinguished Professorship in Chemistry
Ralph Yount
This endowed professorship honors current professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry, Ralph Yount, who has been teaching and conducting significant research at WSU since 1960. Most of his research has been devoted to studying the molecular mechanism of muscle contraction. Ralph’s concern for WSU and his quest to maintain excellence have been hallmarks of his career.
Herbert Eastlick Distinguished Professorship & Graduate Fellowship in the biological sciences
These two funds were established to honor Herb Eastlick. During his 33 years as professor and chair of zoology, Herbert L. Eastlick mentored more than 1,500 students. With his encouragement many became doctors, dentists, and veterinarians. Thousands more students from throughout the biosciences were touched by Herb as their teacher or advisor. The holder of this professorship will exemplify the academic excellence and scholarship that Dr. Eastlick advocated and inspired throughout his professional life. Graduate fellowships will be awarded to graduate students working under the Eastlick professor to further the research of the team.
To make a gift or if you would like more information, please contact Valoree Gregory, 509-335-4556, vgregory@wsu.edu.