Hal Harber '57 Named Outstanding Volunteer for Annual Giving

Whitman College is pleased to name Hal Harber, Class Representative for 1957, as this year’s Outstanding Volunteer for Annual Giving. Serving as a class representative since 1999, Hal has consistently led his class to stellar fundraising results. This year the Class of 1957 celebrated more than 80 percent participation and raised more than $150,000 for a variety of purposes. Hal has personally given to the college each year for more than 35 consecutive years and inspires classmates to give generously and regularly. In fact, 77 percent of his classmates who gave this year are also honored with the Penrose Loyalty Award (W), recognizing 10 or more years of consecutive giving.

The Annual Giving Office’s award for Outstanding Volunteer is based upon several factors including years of service, total dollars raised, and increase in alumni participation and dollars. Hal emphasized that he couldn’t have earned the award without each of his classmates and especially the help of his associate class representatives “who do the heavy lifting.” This past year, associate class representatives for the Class of 1957 included Carolyn Gallagher Lyons, Sue Davis Marineau, Dave Page, Allan Peterson, Sheila Bird Ralston, Junius Rochester and Verbeck Smith.

As a student at Whitman, Harber majored in economics and psychology, played on the golf team and was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Retired from a lengthy career in banking, Hal and his wife, Leslie, now divide their time between Whidbey Island and Tucson, Arizona.

Hal’s loyalty and love for Whitman is evident. He has attended all of his reunions and several summer college events, and he has supported class projects generously, especially the Class of 1957 Drawing Studio in the Fouts Center for Visual Arts. He also makes regular gifts to scholarships and the unrestricted fund.

The Office of Annual Giving also recognizes the other outstanding volunteers listed below, including Mary Belle Preston Wells ’41 and Penny Penrose Bignold ’56 for achieving participation rates of 100 percent. Also recognized are Jeanne Reed Eiffert’38, Jack and Kay Thompson Enbom ’62, and Terry Carter ’62 for improvements in alumni participation, as well as Dick Fike ’54, Shirley Anderson Peringer ’46 and Marianne Harrison Yamashita ’66 for increases in total dollars raised.

The Office of Annual Giving staff offers a sincere thank you and congratulations to each of the 325 volunteers for their dedicated work on behalf of Whitman College. Nationally, and particularly along the West Coast, Whitman’s class representative program has been recognized for many years for its success and for the passion and dedication of its alumni volunteers.