Taylor
Johnson
Story
1
September
11, 2013
Communication Building dedicated in Honor of WSU
Alumna.
PULLMAN,
Wash. College of Communication will honor News Anchor Kathi Goertzen Saturday
by renaming a building at WSU. The event is open to the public, and will be
live via satellite and video streamed.
Goertzen’s
husband, children, parents and former colleagues will be in attendance at the
event.
“The
Celebration of Excellence” for Goertzen is on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at the
Murrow College of Communication Addition Building. The name on the door had
been changed to Goertzen Communication Addition, but Saturday will be the
official change and a celebration of her life.
Elson
S. Floyd, President at Washington State University organized a committee of
people to propose an idea of dedicating the College of Communication for Goertzen.
Floyd wanted to do something in honor of her, and decided that it would be best
if the newest communication building was named in her honor. The Washington
State University Board of Regents passed in March 2013. In addition to the name
change, they are now trying to make it so every student has a class in that
building to be inspired by her excellence. They are putting pictures of
Goertzen and Edward R. Murrow, an American broadcast journalist, on the walls
in honor of them.
Kathi
Goertzen died August 13, 2012 after a 14-year struggle with reoccurring brain
tumors she was 54. She announced in 1998 that she had been suffering from type
of meningioma and that noncancerous tumors were growing on her brain stem. This
affected her ability to swallow and speak. After surgery, and a quick recovery,
she returned to the newsroom. The tumors returned in 2005, after being in
remission for years. This time things were worse, and she was unable to be on
television. After months of surgery to
remove the cancer, Kathi was finally able to come back on air in 2009 even
though the tumors had affected her appearance; however, that did not affect
Goertzen from being on the air. The tumors persisted, and finally had reached a
point where she was unable to breathe on her own.
Goertzen
anchored at KOMO-TV after graduating from Washington State University. She got
an internship in 1979, and joined the anchoring team in 1987. Within two years,
she got promoted to be a news anchor.
“You had to be in a position for six
months before you could apply for the next job” Kay Wright who worked for
CBS-TV explained. “I was in the business for 23 years before I was on air.”
Goertzen won multiple awards. Goertzen
received the WSUAA award in 1999, the WSU Alumni Associations highest honor,
Murrow Professional Board, and got the Murrow College’s own lifetime
Achievement Award. After receiving all
these awards she was voted “Women of the Year” in the 2011.
It
was very hard to get a job being a female in the 1980’s because 90 percent of
the employees were males.
“For me, it has never been about
gender. I was at the right place at the right time,” Tracy Barry said.
Goertzen
was active in helping her fellow Cougars. She showed her support by being very
involved in the Alumni Association and the Professional Advisory Board. She
also showed her dedication by being involved in her work and showing students going
into a profession that anything is possible. She is someone people here look up
to.
Works Cited
6.
Kay
Wright: 212 752-8454
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