Christopher E. Miller Completes Army Course In Vehicle Mechanics

Mon., Nov. 27, 2000

Compiled By Cheri Robel

Army National Guard Pvt. Christopher E. Miller has graduated from the heavy-wheeled vehicle mechanic advanced individual training course at Fort Jackson, S.C.

Miller is the son of Carla Miller, Spokane, and a 1999 graduate of East Valley High School.

Paul C. Babcock, Spokane, and Hani S. Saad, Pullman, have graduated from Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wis.

Babcock received a master of physical therapy degree.

Saad received a master of science degree in mechanical engineering.

William Middleton, Spokane, has been named a Melvin Jones Fellow by the Lions Club International Foundation, in recognition of his commitment to serving the world community.

Middleton is a member of the Spokane North Lions Club. He has been involved with the blind and partially sighted for 10 years and has worked weekly for the past five years with the Blind Bowling League.

Andrew Ryan Van Gerpen has graduated from Grove City (Pa.) College.

Van Gerpen is the son of Dr. Royce Van Gerpen and Cheryl Van Gerpen, Spokane. He earned a bachelor of science degree in business management.

Gonzaga University has received a $100,000 grant from the Mary Stuart Rogers Foundation in Modesto, Calif., to establish the Mary Stuart Rogers Scholarship Program, which will provide 25 $4,000 scholarships this fall.

Gonzaga is the first institution from Washington to be invited to participate in the scholarship program.

Blain Hefty, Veradale, and Kellan Thompson, Greenacres, have been awarded faculty scholarships at Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore. Faculty scholarships are worth 20 to 50 percent of tuition and are awarded to a select number of students with a minimum of a 3.4 grade-point average.

Washington State University students Michele Frier and Chris Jones have won first place and a $2,000 prize at an international student competition for stone and gravel mine operation reclamation plans. The National Stone Association and the American Society of Landscape Architects sponsor the annual contest.

Both students are fourth-year landscape architecture students at the WSU Spokane Interdisciplinary Design Institute.

Frier and Jones proposed that the mining site be reclaimed as a vineyard operation and meeting center. To support the proposal, the team incorporated into its presentation the site’s climatic conditions, sun and wind orientations and soil conditions.

Other examples of reclamation proposals included fish hatcheries, an outdoor concert amphitheater, a light-rail community center, an extreme sports training center, outdoor sports product testing and a retail outlet center.

Air Force Airmen Gregory Wiik and Alonzo Linderman have graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio.

Wiik is the son of Jeffrey and Elizabeth Wiik, Spokane, and a 1999 graduate of Central Valley High School.

Linderman is the son of Debbie Linderman, Newman Lake.

The Spokane chapter of the American Association of Women in Community Colleges has elected new officers for the current academic year. They are: Jane McCarville of Spokane Community College, president; Dena Dillon of District Administration, vice president-elect ; JoAnn Burchell, SCC, secretary; Dianne Oberst, SCC, treasurer; and Marcell Kopplin, SCC, secretary alternate.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.