Gordon Scribner Award

The Gordon Scribner Award for Distinguished Service, created to honor Gordon Scribner ’42, former dean of students and director of alumni, is given to an individual who has made a major contribution of volunteer time and effort to Whitman College over an extended period of time and possesses the ability to inspire.

The 2025 Gordon Scribner Award Winner, Richard ’55 & E. Yvonne Priaulx Werttemberger ’55

Lifelong champions of the Whitman spirit, Richard and Yvonne Werttemberger have served as Class Representatives since 1987, devoting decades to keeping their classmates connected. In addition to writing regular class rep letters, they compiled updates and stories that made their mailings a meaningful thread of continuity for the Class of 1955. Together, they co-chaired their 35th Reunion fundraising efforts and served on the Annual Fund Advisory Committee beginning in 2009.

Richard passed away in August 2023, but Yvonne has continued their shared commitment, sustaining the strong community they nurtured for over 35 years. Their dedication reflects the deep impact Whitman had on their lives—an education marked by intellectual challenge, enduring friendships, and an abiding sense of connection.

From their early years together on Whitman’s idyllic campus to raising four children and eventually settling between Whidbey Island and the Southern California desert, the Werttembergers built a life grounded in service, family, and adventure. Their story is a testament to the power of community—and a reminder not to take life too seriously.