Don was born in Wenatchee, Washington, lived at Crescent Bar and attended high school in Quincy. He served nearly three years in the U.S. Navy (Pacific Theater) during World War II. He earned a B.A. in Education from Central Washington University in 1949 and an M.A. from the University of Oregon in 1953. Don retired after thirty years as a teacher and principal in Vancouver's elementary schools. A member of the SW Washington Unit 30 since 1987, he has served on several committees and as unit vice president before accepting the presidency (three years). He served as SW-4 Coordinating Council Chair for one year before being elected to serve as SW-4 District Representative on the WSSRA Board. Don and his wife Rosalie (also a Unit 30 veteran), will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary later this year (2007).
President-Elect
Richard Anderson
I grew up on a wheat farm on the high plains of North Dakota. I have an M.Ed from Rutgers University. I taught 9 years in North Dakota and met my wife Beth while teaching at Bismarck High School. We moved to Bellingham in 1967 where I taught at Sehome High School for 30 years. I retired in 1997 after 39 years of teaching high school English. Beth and I have been married for 45 years and have two grown children and three grandchildren. Since my retirement I have been actively involved with WSSRA and my local unit Whatcom 32. I served as secretary for unit 32 for several years and presently work with the membership committee. I also serve as editor of our newsletter The Whatcom Connection. I served two terms as chair of the NW-1 Coordinating Council. Having completed a three-year term as NW-1 Representative, I am committed to three more years on the WSSRA Executive Board. I have been a unit delegate at the state annual convention for the past 13 years. I am proud to serve an association that gives scholarships to aspiring teachers, provides mini-grants to hard working classroom teachers, promotes volunteerism in local communities, provides retirement planning seminars to school employees, and lobbies legislators to promote and protect our pensions. I feel that I have a good working knowledge of how WSSRA functions and will do my best to represent the interests of the members of Washington State School Retirees Association.
Immediate Past President
Louie Osmonovich
After graduating from Central Washington University in 1962, Louie taught fifth and sixth grades his first two years in the Moxee School District. His third year of teaching was in a small elementary school in Ronald, Washington. In 1966 the smaller districts of Ronald, Roslyn, South Cle Elum consolidated and became the Cle Elum-Roslyn School District where he taught for the next 26 years. He taught every grade from third through eighth along with some basketball coaching. He was an active member of WEA during his teaching career, holding offices in the local unit and was a member of the district's negotiating team for several years. Since his retirement he has held offices of Vice President, President and Membership chair of Kittitas County SRA, Unit 09. Recently he has served as a WSSRA Board member representing the E-5 district. While on the Board he was the liaison for the newly formed WSSRA Outreach Committee and chaired the E-5 Scholarship Committee. Last year he served on the state Legislative Committee. In their spare time, Louie and his wife Sherry travel and also spend time camping and fishing taking horses and pack mules into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. They have two grown children, raised one foster son and had several short-term foster children. As a result, they are grandparents of six and great grandparents of one.
Secretary
Barbara Pugh
Barbara Pugh has been a WSSRA member for 21 years
and is just starting her 17th year as its secretary. She is well prepared
for her job as scribe because she "trained" for the position
as a Spokane Public Schools administrative secretary for 25 years.
Today, when she is not recording the association's meetings, she is
enjoying retired life with Lyle Pugh, her husband of 33 years in Spokane. They have six children, 12 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
Treasurer
Jim Hall
Jim became a member 10 years ago because his wife, Shirlee, was a member and her East-King unit suddenly needed a treasurer. Jim is a Certified Internal Auditor and retired in 2000 as an Assistant Vice President and Senior Auditor after working 34 years for Bank of America (Seafirst). The jobs included branch, corporate, international, trust and investment auditing. In addition to the East-King unit treasurer position, he does the unit’s newsletter and volunteered to serve a 5-year term on the WSSR Foundation. Jim served 4 years on the Peter Kirk Community Center Advisory Board, is now serving on the City of Kirkland Senior Council, works with Shirlee on the Eastside Audubon Education Committee, and is the Audit Committee Chairman for the Puget Sound Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors. He is a full-time stamp dealer and sells worldwide postage stamps at shows around the Northwest. Jim and Shirlee have been married 43 years, live in Kirkland (a mile from where Shirlee taught) and enjoy traveling to Hawaii and the Oregon Coast.
