Hall of Achievement – 2008

Gary Larson

Gary Larson, a 1972 alumnus best known for his cartoon panel The Far Side®, was unable to attend the event but sent a message to the school stating how his interest in advertising and biology led to his successful career.

“I never foresaw how this might all come together, but it’s pretty clear to me now that my classes at WSU were vital in both nurturing a creative bent I thought I might have, but also in stirring my interest and providing me with a solid background in biology as well,” Larson said.

Larson has received numerous awards, including WSU”s highest award of distinction, the Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1990 and the Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year from The National Cartoonists Society in 1991 and 1994, who also named The Far Side Best Syndicated Panel in both 1985 and 1987. He also has published 23 Far Side books, each of which has appeared on The New York Times Best Seller List.

The Far Side® is a registered trademark of FarWorks, Inc.

Kenji Kitatani

Kenji Kitatani, a 1977 alumnus,is the Lester Smith Distinguished Professor of Media Management at the School of Communication, a trustee of the WSU Foundation and a senior advisor to the Sports and Entertainment Academy for the Graduate School of Business at Indiana University. He also lectures on media law and management at WSU and Indiana University.

He has served on the Board of Directors of Tokyo Dome Corporation, Japan’s leading leisure and entertainment conglomerate, and has worked for the Tokyo Broadcasting System as counsel on international affairs and president of the Media Research Institute.

Kitatani joined Sony Corporation in October 1999 as executive strategist, Media Content, Broadcasting and Communications and was later appointed executive vice president, Business Planning, Sony Corporation of America.

He currently serves as a board director of PIA Corp. He joined Oak Lawn Marketing in April 2006 as their executive advisor. Oak Lawn Marketing is the largest television shopping (DRTV) company in Japan.

Mike Shepard

Mike Shepard, president of the Seattle Times Washington Affiliate Newspapers and publisher of the Yakima Herald-Republic, is a 1985 Murrow School alumnus and a second-generation newspaper professional. While at WSU he was a reporter and then managing editor of the Daily Evergreen student newspaper.

He began his professional career in 1985 working as courthouse reporter for the Idahonian/Daily News, in Moscow and Pullman. After working for the Kitsap County-based Sound Publishing for nearly 12 years and the Port Orchard Independent, Shepard joined the Seattle Times Company in 2000 as publisher of the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin and became publisher of the Yakima Herald-Republic in October 2003.

He has also oversight for The Issaquah Press, the Sammamish Review, the Newcastle News and the SnoValley Star.

His involvement in the community includes serving as president of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, chairing the Professional Advisory Board of WSU’s Murrow School of Communication and serving on the board of directors for Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington.

Pat Scott

Pat Scott, a 1967 alumnus, served as president and CEO of Fisher Broadcasting, Inc. from 1992 until his retirement in 2001.

His broadcasting career spans 31 years with Fisher Broadcasting, where he has held positions as floor director, producer/director, production manager, vice president and station manager, executive vice president of broadcast operations and general manager, and eventually president and CEO.

At that time, Fisher Broadcasting owned and operated KOMO 4 Television, Seattle; KATU Television, Channel 2 in Portland; Fisher Television Region Group, comprised of 11 television stations in California, Georgia, Idaho, Oregon and Washington; Fisher Radio Seattle- KOMO AM 1000, KVI AM 570 and STAR 101.5; Fisher Radio Portland, Fisher Radio Regional Group, consisting of 18 stations operating in Montana and Washington; Fisher Communications and Fisher Entertainment.

Scott has been recognized as Broadcaster of the Year from Washington State Association of Broadcasters and has received the WSU President’s Outstanding Service Award for his advocacy and service to WSU and the WSU Foundation.

Ron Carter

Ron Carter, a 1966 broadcast communication alumnus, enjoyed a five-year career with the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company, San Francisco, before returning to his broadcast roots in 1974 when he became an entry-level sales person at KIRO Newsradio, Seattle. He was promoted to assistant sales manager at KIRO before becoming general sales manager at KPLZ-FM, Seattle, in 1978. In 1981 he returned to KIRO as VP-Sales.

In 1989 he was transferred to Kansas City, where he served as Vice President-General Manager of KMBZ-AM, KLTH-FM, and KCMO AM & FM for more than eight years. When the company acquired the competing KCMO properties in 1993 he led a team of 125 broadcasters through the cultural and organizational development issues associated with consolidation. Together, these radio stations accounted for more than 15 percent of market ratings and nearly 22 percent of market revenues.

In 1997, he was hired to manage Fisher Broadcasting’s radio properties in Portland, Ore. One of his proudest moments was receiving the NAB Crystal Award in 2002, honoring KWJJ as one of America’s top-ten stations for community service. Carter retired after a 30-year career in radio sales, sales management, and general management. Since 2004, he has worked with a colleague consulting major law firms.

Carter and his wife, Louise, have been involved with the WSU Foundation, serving both as trustees and trustee ambassadors. He has also been a member and president of the WSU’s Edward R. Murrow School of Communication Advisory Board. He has been involved in work to support the Murrow Symposium, served on a task force to study independence for the school, served on the board and was president of Missouri Broadcasters Association, served on the board of Oregon Association of Broadcasters, and served as president of Puget Sound Radio Broadcasters Association.

Tim Pavish

Tim Pavish is a 1980 cum-laude graduate of what is now Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. He spent 23 years in the communication industry before joining WSU in 2003 as the executive director of alumni relations. For over 20 years, Tim worked for DDB Worldwide Inc. During his tenure, DDB/Seattle (originally called Elgin Syferd, Inc.) grew from a small agency with 20 employees and $12 million in billings to the largest agency in Washington with over 165 employees, a quarter of a billion dollars in billings, and clients across the country. Tim was the managing partner of the advertising division which was the agency’s largest and most profitable unit. He was named to DDB’s “Team 2000,” the next generation of worldwide leaders. While at DDB, Tim led the agency to become a WSU benefactor. He established the DDB Minority Student Scholarship to benefit WSU students of color pursuing a degree in advertising or public relations. He also led the development of several acclaimed ad campaigns in support of the WSU Foundation and WSU Athletics.

Since his graduation, Tim has remained involved with the university. In the fall of 1980, he started his alumni volunteer activities by speaking to advertising and public relations classes in the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. He soon became a member of the Murrow College Advisory board and eventually chaired the board. The revitalized Murrow Symposium, the annual Murrow Award, and a reorganized board structure are three of the innovative initiatives he established while serving on the board. He remains on the Murrow Board as an ex-officio member. Tim also served as a member of the WSU Foundation Board of Trustees for nearly a decade. Tim received the WSUF’s “Outstanding Service Award” after his first year as a trustee. He was the founding chair of the WSUF’s Athletics Advisory Committee. In addition, Tim has served on the Advancement Communications Committee and is a current member of the WSU Athletics Council and the Regents Distinguished Alumnus Award committee. He is a WSUF President’s Associate, a life member of the WSU Alumni Association, and an inductee in the Murrow College’s Alumni Hall of Achievement.

As the executive director of the WSU Alumni Association, Tim, the WSUAA staff and volunteers have increased membership by over 40 percent; dramatically increased alumni engagement in support of WSU; and significantly enhanced the financial strength of the WSUAA to better serve the needs of the university. The WSUAA became the fastest growing alumni association in the Pac-10 and then in the country. It continues to grow to this day. In addition to working in alumni relations, Tim provides the university with marketing and communication counsel. His leadership in this area elevated the university’s marketing initiatives to become the most decorated in WSU’s history. He also helped launch a new media-relations program which has greatly enhanced the worldwide profile of WSU’s teaching, research and outreach. Tim led the production of the popular “Go Cougs” TV campaign which was recognized as one of the top three TV campaigns produced by a university in the world. He continues to provide the university with strategic counsel as a senior member of the University Advancement leadership team.

A Walla Walla native, Tim returned to WSU and eastern Washington in order to make a more meaningful contribution to the university he loves and to enjoy the rolling hills of the Palouse. Tim is married to Carin (Hull) Pavish, a fellow 1980 WSU graduate. The couple has two children: McKenzie (20) and Ben (17). McKenzie is a WSU student, and Ben attends Pullman High School. The Pavishes live in a house they built on their 23-acre farm outside Pullman.