Whitman Alumni and the Community
Whitman Gay and Lesbian Alumni Association: 1991 - 1996
The involvement of Whitman alumni in the LGBTQ+ community developing at Whitman was important to the strength of the community in the early nineties. With financial backing and words of support from alumni, Whitman’s Gay and Lesbian Association was able to stay independent of student government and keep membership confidential. Thanks to the Whitman Gay and Lesbian Alumni Association (WGALA) Newsletter, founded in 1991, alumni were able to keep tabs on the changes happening on campus and offer their own aid when necessary, like letting allies and Whitman administration know how they felt about issues. In the meantime, WGALA, later known as Whitman Pride, became a space for LGBTQ+ Whitman alumni to connect and meet until the group dissolved by the end of the decade.
"We would have these sporadic—I might have mentioned this before—that the alumni organization [Whitman Gay and Lesbian Alumni] would come and go depending on—usually someone would get involved and get a newsletter going or something and then they'd get burnt out because no one else would do any work. " - Robert Tobin, August 16, 2019, page 10.
"GLBTQ was always kind of outside of that, we had a small endowment that was money raised by alumni that would kick off a little bit of money that we would use for programming and club activities every year. We weren't dependent on ASWC for our funding, and so we also didn't have to jump through the hoops." - Jed Schwendiman, June 21st, 2019, page 14.
Johnson Letter
A Pre-WGALA letter from 1990, alumnus Larry Johnson writes to Whitman's Dean of Students. In it, Johnson mentions that he thanked the early members of Whitman Gay and Lesbian Association (GLA) for their efforts and that he wanted to donate money to the GLA to support them.
WGALA at 1991 Seattle Pride Parade
WGALA bonded over their memories of Whitman and held social events, particularly throughout the Seattle area. In 1991, a group of Whitman alumni joined the Seattle Pride parade.
WGALA Newsletter 1991
Headline Text: "Welcome to the Voice of The Gay and Lesbian Whitman Community"
WGALA Letter to Sharon Kaufman-Osborn
Text: "To the Coalition Against Homophobia: The Whitman Gay and Lesbian Association thanks you for all your labors in making Les/Bi/Gay week a rousing success. We look forward to working with you on other activities in support of sexual diversity at Whitman. Sincerely yours, Stuart Watson, President, Whitman GALA."
WGALA Panel
During the early nineties, WGALA members would visit Whitman to talk to then students about their lives. Students found it comforting to be able to meet older LGBTQ+ people and know they had full lives ahead of them.
WGALA Letter to Coalition
Text reads: "Dear Sharon, On behalf of GALA, I wish to thank you personally for all your efforts in of a sexually diverse Whitman. Through your support for events such as Les/Bi/Gay week, Whitman has become much more of a 'home' for our own family. We all look forward to working with you. Sincerely yours, Stuart Watson, President, Whitman GALA."
WGALA Members 1994
From left to right: Gabby Vila-Blanco, Tom Judson '69, Kelley Wilt '91 and John Farrow '87
WGALA Pride Picnic 1994
Although the newsletter was produced less often after 1994, WGALA continued to hold social events, both in the Seattle area and often at Reunion weekends for alumni visiting Whitman in Walla Walla.
David Nord Award
The David Nord Award was established by Whitman alumnus David Nord in 1996 a few years before his death from AIDS. The award was created to support student scholarship and projects that address LGBTQ issues. Since 1996, the award has been given out yearly to one or two students who present their final project in the spring.
David Nord Award Information and Recipients
