Prairie View at WSU basketball men in Pullman, Wash. 11/10/2023

Photos by News for CougGroup

https://youtu.be/CpNYs8_eN-U

REX DAVIS: Oct. 21, 1931, Larkspur,-Colorado- Oct. 10, 2023, Pullman, Washington

Rex Davis

October 31, 1931 - October 10, 2023
U.S. VETERAN

Obituary

Rex Stuart Davis

October 31, 1931-October 10, 2023

Rex passed peacefully October 10, 2023 surrounded by family at home.

Rex Davis was born on October 31, 1931 in Larkspur, Colorado to George and Arlee Stuart Davis. He lived there until eighth grade and then moved with his parents and brother, Jimmy to Richland, Washington where his father worked on the Hanford Project.

Rex graduated from Richland High School in 1949. His interests were gymnastics and football. After graduation, he enrolled at Washington State University (WSC at the time). From 1949-1953, Rex was a student athlete who earned three letters in gymnastics and was a member of the Cheer Squad.

While in college, Rex attended Simpson United Methodist Church and met Alice Mae Riley in 1950. He noticed her as she sang in the choir and Rex said it was love at first sight. After that, they began dating. Church, music, and dancing became integral parts of their lives. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education, Rex and Alice married on July 11, 1953 in Walla Walla, Washington. They remained faithfully wed for 70 years until his death.

Prior to Rex being called to serve in US Army, Korean War, they moved to Bridgeport, Washington, then Walla Walla for a brief time. While serving, Private Rex Davis, Special Services, learned to play tennis from Grant Golden in Seoul, Korea. He was given the title of Physical Activities Specialist and transferred to Camp Zama, Japan. He introduced and instructed military personal and their families along with army civilians, the game of tennis. Because of this opportunity, Rex spent his life coaching, teaching, and playing tennis. 

After his two years of service overseas in the Army (1953-1955), Rex and Alice made a home in Richland, his hometown. He taught elementary PE classes, as well as coached boys’ and girls’ tennis and gymnastics at his high school alma mater.

In 1962, while teaching and coaching, Rex received a Master’s in Education from WSU. 

In August of 1966, Rex was offered a position at Washington State University (WSU) teaching Physical Education classes along with courses for PE majors and Elementary Education teachers. Rex and Alice returned to Pullman. In addition to teaching, he became the gymnastics coach from 1966-68 as well as tennis coach from 1967-1994. His career in both sports included coaching men and women. Rex was quoted as saying, “My philosophy of coaching was to try to bring out the best in an athlete.  Their athletic performance was important, but just as vital was their attitude as a human being and their concentration on academic excellence.”  While teaching and coaching, Rex received a Doctorate of Education at the University of Idaho in 1982.

Rex retired in 1994 from WSU. He and Alice began traveling along with visiting family and friends. You could also see him playing tennis with friends, helping coach PHS high school tennis teams, or hitting tennis balls with his family.

After his career at WSU, Rex received deserving honors and awards. He earned a Gray W letter in gymnastics and later was on the board. In 1995, the Center Court at WSU outdoor tennis facility was named in his honor. Soon after, he was given the Alumni Achievement Award for 50 years of service. In 2007, Rex became an honorary member of the Legacy of Women Athletes, WSU. After his career at WSU, Rex received Wall of Fame award, Class of 2004 at Richland High School for Boys’ and Girls’ Tennis and Gymnastics coach. Later, he was inducted into the WSU Hall of Fame, Class of 2015 for Tennis and gymnastics coaching. He had the highest graduation rate of any team in the school’s history. 

In the Pullman community, Rex shared his positive outlook on life and had a servant’s heart. He volunteered at Simpson United Methodist church in many roles alongside his wife, Alice, served Meals on Wheels, and was a committee member of Circles of Caring. He volunteered for “Adopt A County Road” along a section of Johnson Road. He was ready at a moment’s notice to lend a hand to others.

The memories of Rex and his legacy in the art of listening, work ethic, quiet strength, determination, and kindness will sorely be missed.

Rex is survived by his wife, Alice, daughter Vicky (Noel Elliott), daughter Cathy (Tim Healy), son Gary (Karen Garrett), daughter Penny (David Woodruff). He leaves behind 10 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren, as well as many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in passing by his parents, George and Arlee Davis; brother Jimmy Davis; and son, Larry.

The family will greet friends at a visitation on Tuesday, Oct. 17th from 3-6 pm at Corbeill Funeral Home in Pullman, WA.  The memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 11, 2023 at 1 PM at Simpson United Methodist Church in Pullman.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Simpson United Methodist Church Memorials, Pullman, Washington or a charity of your choice. Corbeill Funeral Home in Pullman is caring for the family.

Services

Visitation

•  Tuesday, October 17, 2023
•  3:00 PM - 6:00 PM

• Corbeill Funeral Home

905 S. Grand Ave.
Pullman, WA 99163

Memorial Service

•  Saturday, November 11, 2023
•  1:00 PM

• Simpson United Methodist Church

 325 NE Maple Street
Pullman, WA 99163

 

Condolences

·         Kelly Ryan from CLARKSTON, wrote on Oct. 16, 2023

Alice, Penny, and family, I am sorry for your loss, I understand the hole it leaves in your hearts. I can vividly remember looking up at him in your house, his smile, his white polo and his red shorts. Were we 8? 9? He left an impression on so many. May you find peace in your own memories.

·         Brad & Camille Loomis wrote on Oct. 15, 2023

In Loving Memory of Rex Davis, In loving memory of a wonderful person who will be loved and missed always.

A Sympathy Gift of Grove of 100 Trees has been Planted In Loving Memory of Rex Davis courtesy of Brad & Camille Loomis.

 

·         Mary Schweitzer wrote on Oct. 14, 2023

In Memory of Rex Davis, May you rest in peace, Rex. Condolences to Alice and family.

A Sympathy Gift of Single Tree has been Planted In Loving Memory of Rex Davis courtesy of Mary Schweitzer.

·         Lee & Sharon Simmelink from Kennewick, WA, wrote on Oct. 13, 2023

I am so sorry to hear of Rex's passing. Alice, it was so nice chatting with you several weeks ago and reminiscing about the Richland days and babysitting your kids. I enjoyed getting e-mails from Rex every once in a while, too. Praying for peace and comfort for you and your family during this very difficult time.

IN 2002, COLLEGE FIGHT SONGS WERE PRAISED AND BERATED

IN 2002, COLLEGE FIGHT SONGS WERE PRAISED AND BERATED

You like college football?

That means you might like college football fight songs.

Will you glow if someone likes the fight song(s) you like?

Will you fight if someone does not like your fight song?

Meet Norm Maves Jr.

In 2002, he was a reporter for the Oregonian, Portland’s daily morning newspaper. Now, in 2023, he's retired and lives in Hillsboro, Oregon.

On September 1 of 2002, his “Top 10 Fight Songs” (and 10 honorable mentions) and “Bottom 10 Fight Songs (and 10 dishonorable mentions) ran in the Sunday Oregonian, the best-read of the newspaper's daily editions.

Maves says, “I’ve always had an ear for music, but no formal training. … Whenever I went to football and basketball games, I was swept up in the whole scene — the game, the fans, the cheerleaders and the bands. I’ve always seen high school and college sports as a celebration of life for entire communities, not just a contest between two teams. I’m pretty romantic that way.”

Some are hard pressed to remember the words and recollect the music to their fave fight songs. Not Norm Maves.

He recalls going to basketball games at Beaverton High School as a fourth grader. BHS used the ‘Washington and Lee Swing’ as the primary fight song. "I started high school at Beaverson’s Sunset High School, which used Washington State’s (and had a better version of it). I transferred to Beaverton, which by then had changed to an original. A terrible original.”

He restarted college (after a hitch in the Air Force) at Portland State University. Its fight song “used the bridge from a common march — Men of Ohio.” Then, he “finished at Mighty Oregon,” meaning the University of Oregon in Eugene.

Repeating a fact: His “Top 10” and “Bottom 10” hit print in the Sunday Sept. 1, 2002, Sunday Oregonian.

“The reaction was immediate and opinionated. The opinions paralleled people’s team preferences, as opposed to their musical tastes, so you can imagine they were pretty passionate. And often rude. Almost all were reactions to the Bottom Ten, rather than the top ten. I was pretty sarcastic about those.

(There was no internet or social media in 2002. If his “Top 10” and “Bottom 10” had debuted now the response would likely have been a tidal wave or, at least, a flood.)

“I heard from all over the country. I even got it pretty harshly from the University of Michigan grad in the Oregonian newsroom. That person “confronted me quite offended by it.”

Maves says, “I worked in the newspaper business for 42 years and wrote many sensitive stories — police, political, social, sports — but I only got one death threat. From Ann Arbor, Michigan, about my opinion of “The Victors.”

“I have pretty good musical memory and had been able to identify and categorize many fight songs based on games I’d attended. I researched those pretty thoroughly in my own idle time. Yeah, it was kind of an obsession,” he said.

For example, Crescent Valley High School in Corvallis uses “Go Vandals,” the University of Idaho fight song tune. The Crescent Valley band “played it at a dramatic moment in the 1979 state high school girls basketball tournament. I was impressed, so after the game I hunted down the band director and found out the song’s Idaho origin. I did that a lot.”

The “Universities of the Palouse” are neighboring land-grant colleges. Washington State University is in Pullman, Washington. About seven miles away, across the state border, is the University of Idaho in Moscow (“Moss-coe”).

Maves says he “hit the jackpot” in a January 1987 men’s basketball road trip to Pullman to cover a University of Oregon at Washington State University game for the Oregonian. WSU’s sports information department had two LPs (phonograph records) of just about “every” college fight song. He paid a student assistant to make a tape of those two albums and mail them to Maves.

“I played those cassettes over and over and over in my car on long trips. That pretty much finished the research process. I still get on YouTube now and then to hear fight songs,” he said.

For Norm Maves, when a college fight song goes in one ear does not go out the other.

............


What follows are the two stories referenced above.

FIGHT SONG FEVER

By Norm Maves Jr., Oregonian, Sept. 1, 2002

College football's return has everything from "Mighty Oregon" to "Go Vandals" ringing on campuses.

Hot dog! It's college football fight song season again!

Fight songs? We all have our reasons for preferring college athletics to the pros. You like the cheerleaders, the marching bands, the mascots, the rowdy students in the stands -- all the things that add up to the unique college experience.

Me, I listen to the fight songs. It's my peculiar little corner of fascination. I've heard most of them; I've memorized at least half of them.

OK, so many more of the songs are lousy than good. Most of them were written (adapted, or stolen) in the era before radio and phonograph technology brought quality music to the American ear.

But there's no denying that much of a school's athletic identity is defined by what the band plays when the football team streams (or stumbles) out of the locker room. Much of the beauty of the college sports experience springs from the musical traditions. If you're a real fan who thinks beyond the point spread, you know what I mean.

I'd personally love to see Notre Dame's band snaking through campus to the Friday night bonfire, Kansas State's band rowdies ripping off "Wabash Cannonball" and the Texas A&M team and coaches gathering in front of the band and alumni before a game to sing "Spirit of Aggieland." Cal athletics bore me to tears, but I love the Straw Hat Band.

My personal favorite: Ohio State's fabulous "Script Ohio," in which the band spells out "Ohio" on the field, marching single file like a pencil point to the French National March, then breaking into the "Buckeye Battle Cry"-- at the end of which a sousaphonist high-steps up to dot the "i."

Everybody has his or her favorites. My pal Huey in Clark County (a Yalie) and I used to argue this stuff as if it really mattered. I was right, he was wrong.

Most colleges have several traditional songs they play during the games; many of the secondaries are better than the primaries, which makes it difficult.

So we're really left with personal opinions about which are good and which, well, stink. Here are mine.

::::::::::::::::::::::

TOP 10 FIGHT SONGS
 

By Norm Maves Jr., Oregonian, Sept. 1, 2002
 
1. Idaho -- "Go, Vandals" is the once and future king of college fight songs, with a fanfare lead-in that could motivate a successful infantry charge. Whether it will motivate the Idaho football team to do the impossible Sept. 14 against Oregon in Eugene is suspect (trombonists generally can't block). If you don't have tickets and don't want to drive to Moscow, Idaho, (can't blame you) go to Corvallis for a Crescent Valley High School game to hear it.


2. Texas A&M -- The "Aggie War Hymn" isn't a fight song at all. It's exactly what it says it is -- a war hymn, and there's nothing quite like it. It was invented, the legend goes, by Pinky Wilson, who was on guard duty in 1918 during the post-World War I occupation of Europe and was motivated -- presumably by boredom -- to write it. It's an odd medium-tempo march that is equal parts original music, "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" and "Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight" -- and it's wonderful.

3. Notre Dame -- The legendary "Victory March" makes the list because it's bulletproof. With the possible exception of "On, Wisconsin" and the "Washington & Lee Swing," it's the most copied fight song of all. It's been insulted by some of the worst bands in the world -- I heard it beaten senseless by a six-piece band in Fort Jones, Calif., in 1970 -- but still retains its clear, inspiring and rhythmic force. The Portland area? Only (this figures) Jesuit High School.

4. Army -- No, no, no -- not "The Caissons Go Rolling Along." That's the regular Army. The West Point cadets have been using the stirring "On, Brave Old Army Team" since their music director, Capt. Philip Egner (a lifer), wrote it sometime around World War I. When it's done as intended, it includes an interlude in which the cadets whistle five notes, then somebody touches off a cannon. It, like Army football these days, fires blanks.

5. Columbia -- The oldest fight songs in the country are from the Ivy League schools. "Roar, Lion, Roar" is the best of a mediocre Ivy pack (Dartmouth should have a ritual burning of the sheet music to all its songs), and it measures up with just about any other fight song in the country. If the football team could do the same, it would have something really good going. But don't hold your breath.

6. Washington State -- From the intro to the "W-a-s-h-i-n-g-t-o-n S-t-a-t-e" spellout at the end, this one is terrific. And no wonder: It was written in 1919 by two music majors -- Zella Melcher (words) and Phyllis Sales (music). Yes, both women, a fact that should put a few testosterone-borne myths to rest. Lots of local high schools use it. Around Western Oregon, you can hear it at Sunset, Benson and West Albany athletic events.

7. Houston -- There is no cute story to go along with the best fight song from the old Southwest Conference (the unique Aggie War Hymn doesn't count). It was written by two students, Marion Ford (that's a name, not an Ohio car dealership) and Forest Fountain (that's a name, not a landmark) and didn't become well-known outside Texas until the mid-1960s, when the independent Cougars got good at football and later when the school joined the SWC. Too remote for a local high school to use it? No! Get up to Battle Ground, Wash., some day and hear the Tigers play it.

8. Michigan State -- The best fight song in the Big Ten has a nice origin, something akin to the Abe Lincoln myth about how he wrote the Gettysburg Address on an envelope during the train ride. In 1917, yellmaster F.I. Lackey supposedly wrote it on the train on the way back from the Aggies' (they were the Michigan Agricultural College Aggies then) game at Wisconsin. It's so good the Spartan band usually plays both the refrain and chorus. It didn't wander too far west, but someone in the 1950s thought it would be good at David Douglas High School. And it is.

9. Arizona -- Jack K. Lee was named the school's director of bands in 1952, and on the way home saw the words "Bear Down" on a U. of A. rooftop from his plane. There's a story for another time and place there about the expression, but it inspired Lee to write "Bear Down, Arizona." A great one if not everyone agrees. In 2000, a columnist in the Arizona Daily Wildcat panned it in favor of the older "Fight, Wildcats, Fight." Hey, kid! All fight song words are dumb. Listen to the music! Sheesh!

10. Central Michigan -- The second-best fight song in Michigan, "Fighting Chippewa" was written by one Howard Loomis. The school's Web sites don't say who he was or when he wrote it, but he did an excellent job. The words actually fit the music, too. The school nickname and the name of the song have withstood the objections of those who (like me) don't like the insult to Native Americans; even if they succeed in changing it, it's still a great song. Barlow High School in Gresham uses it.

Honorable mention:

1. "Indiana, Our Indiana" (now that Bobby Knight's gone, it's safe to say).

2. "Fight for California" (at least they beat Stanford at something).

3. "Buckeye Battle Cry" (No. 2 at Ohio State, No. 1 in your hearts).

4. "Texas Fight" (they jazzed up "Taps" -- and it works).

5. "On, Wisconsin" (wildly overused, but good nonetheless).

6. "Go, U Northwestern" (used to be the only reason to attend Wildcat football games).

7. "Fight On, Pennsylvania" (the only other Ivy worth mentioning).

8. "Fight, Team, Fight" (Ball State -- really!).

9. "Roll Along" (Ay-ziggy-zoomba, Bowling Green!).

10. "War Eagle" (Auburn's real southern-fried rouser).

Locally: "Mighty Oregon" is one of the best in the country. The chorus, anyhow. The whole package would be definitely Top 10 stuff if they detached that meaningless copy of Yale's "Down The Field."

::::::::::::::

BOTTOM 10 FIGHT SONGS

By Norm Maves Jr., Oregonian, Sept. 1, 2002


1. Wyoming -- This one's both stupid and stolen. The original "Ragtime Cowboy Joe," written in 1912, is an old radio country western favorite. It isn't even ragtime. And that Cowboy Joe is from Arizona. Wyoming speeds it up and changes the words. Do your teeth hurt yet?

2. Utah -- "Utah Man" is a triple threat: It's stupid, stolen and sexist. Any Canadian schoolkid knows the real words to "Old Solomon Levi." Why they bother with "Utah Man" in Salt Lake City when they have the perfectly serviceable "U-Pep" is a complete mystery.

3. Texas-El Paso -- Country legend Marty Robbins died in 1982. His classic "El Paso" died when somebody thought it could be played as a march and used to inspire the Miners. Sure. If you were born after 1967, you haven't lived when they went to a bowl game.

4. Alabama -- It's hard to tell what they had in mind when they adopted "Yay, Alabama." It isn't a march, it isn't jazz, and it ain't got that swing. Supposedly, this college has a good school of music. Coulda fooled me.

5. USC -- "Fight On" . . . and on and on and on. This piece of junk never ends.

6. Nebraska -- "There's No Place Like Nebraska" is a waltz played as a march. It is why most non-Nebraskans cheer for somebody to shut the Cornhuskers out. Fewer touchdowns, fewer renditions.

7. New Mexico State -- Just about every college has a version of "We'll Win the Game or Know the Reason Why" gathering dust in its music department. The Aggies are the only ones to use this loser as the primary fight song.

8. Oklahoma -- It's hard to make Yale's "Boola Boola" any worse than it already is, but somehow an otherwise decent band manages with "Boomer Sooner." Congratulations?

9. North Carolina -- Bet you that if they went far enough back, they'd find that "Rah-rah for Carolina" was written by a Montessori kindergarten class in Gastonia -- then stolen by a UNC fraternity.

10. Tennessee -- "Rocky Top" has nothing to do with sports, doesn't even mention the University of Tennessee and actually tries to make Tennessee sound like a backward state, which it ain't . . . uh, isn't. What's really disturbing, though, is how cranked up they get in Knoxville when they hear it.

Dishonorable mention:

1. "Here's To Wake Forest" (a drinking song masquerading as music).

2. "Sons of Westwood" (UCLA -- stolen from Cal, and petty theft at that).

3. "Minnesota Rouser" (Gophers never win the Big Ten football title -- what does that tell you?).

4. "The Victors" (I can name that Michigan tune in two notes).

5. "Harvardiana" (if you think the name is weird, just try the music).

6. "Glory, Glory to Old Georgia" (repeat that three times and spell the name of the school -- if you can -- to the chorus from "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and you'll understand how the South lost the Civil War).

7. "Glory, Glory Colorado" (fair's fair; the Buffaloes do it, too).

8. "Dynamite" (you'd think Vanderbilt would settle for having the worst football program in the Southeastern Conference, but no . . .).

9. "For Boston" (if they really wanted to do something For Boston College, they'd tank this turkey).

10. "I'm A Jayhawk" (It isn't such a bad song and Kansas is a pretty good school, but Kansas won one Big 12 Conference game last season).

Locally: "Hail to Old OSU" is actually pretty good, easily better than the old "Mighty Beavers." And the bands play it well. That should make up for the fact that it's nearly identical to Eastern Michigan's fight song, but it doesn't.

::::::::::::::::

 (Note: This Oregonian page includes a URL for a website.  But, it's hard to read. Here is a readable version: https://www.1122productions.com/fightsongs/)

 

 

TOP 10 FIGHT SONGS: University of Idaho #1. Washington State University #6

TOP 10 FIGHT SONGS

By Norm Maves Jr., Sept 1, 2002, Oregonian

1. Idaho -- "Go, Vandals" is the once and future king of college fight songs, with a fanfare lead-in that could motivate a successful infantry charge. Whether it will motivate the Idaho football team to do the impossible Sept. 14 against Oregon in Eugene is suspect (trombonists generally can't block). If you don't have tickets and don't want to drive to Moscow, Idaho, (can't blame you) go to Corvallis for a Crescent Valley High School game to hear it.

2. Texas A&M -- The "Aggie War Hymn" isn't a fight song at all. It's exactly what it says it is -- a war hymn, and there's nothing quite like it. It was invented, the legend goes, by Pinky Wilson, who was on guard duty in 1918 during the post-World War I occupation of Europe and was motivated -- presumably by boredom -- to write it. It's an odd medium-tempo march that is equal parts original music, "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" and "Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight" -- and it's wonderful.

3. Notre Dame -- The legendary "Victory March" makes the list because it's bulletproof. With the possible exception of "On, Wisconsin" and the "Washington & Lee Swing," it's the most copied fight song of all. It's been insulted by some of the worst bands in the world -- I heard it beaten senseless by a six-piece band in Fort Jones, Calif., in 1970 -- but still retains its clear, inspiring and rhythmic force. The Portland area? Only (this figures) Jesuit High School.

4. Army -- No, no, no -- not "The Caissons Go Rolling Along." That's the regular Army. The West Point cadets have been using the stirring "On, Brave Old Army Team" since their music director, Capt. Philip Egner (a lifer), wrote it sometime around World War I. When it's done as intended, it includes an interlude in which the cadets whistle five notes, then somebody touches off a cannon. It, like Army football these days, fires blanks.

5. Columbia -- The oldest fight songs in the country are from the Ivy League schools. "Roar, Lion, Roar" is the best of a mediocre Ivy pack (Dartmouth should have a ritual burning of the sheet music to all its songs), and it measures up with just about any other fight song in the country. If the football team could do the same, it would have something really good going. But don't hold your breath.

6. Washington State -- From the intro to the "W-a-s-h-i-n-g-t-o-n S-t-a-t-e" spellout at the end, this one is terrific. And no wonder: It was written in 1919 by two music majors -- Zella Melcher (words) and Phyllis Sales (music). Yes, both women, a fact that should put a few testosterone-borne myths to rest. Lots of local high schools use it. Around Western Oregon, you can hear it at Sunset, Benson and West Albany athletic events.

7. Houston -- There is no cute story to go along with the best fight song from the old Southwest Conference (the unique Aggie War Hymn doesn't count). It was written by two students, Marion Ford (that's a name, not an Ohio car dealership) and Forest Fountain (that's a name, not a landmark) and didn't become well-known outside Texas until the mid-1960s, when the independent Cougars got good at football and later when the school joined the SWC. Too remote for a local high school to use it? No! Get up to Battle Ground, Wash., some day and hear the Tigers play it.

8. Michigan State -- The best fight song in the Big Ten has a nice origin, something akin to the Abe Lincoln myth about how he wrote the Gettysburg Address on an envelope during the train ride. In 1917, yellmaster F.I. Lackey supposedly wrote it on the train on the way back from the Aggies' (they were the Michigan Agricultural College Aggies then) game at Wisconsin. It's so good the Spartan band usually plays both the refrain and chorus. It didn't wander too far west, but someone in the 1950s thought it would be good at David Douglas High School. And it is.

9. Arizona -- Jack K. Lee was named the school's director of bands in 1952, and on the way home saw the words "Bear Down" on a U. of A. rooftop from his plane. There's a story for another time and place there about the expression, but it inspired Lee to write "Bear Down, Arizona." A great one if not everyone agrees. In 2000, a columnist in the Arizona Daily Wildcat panned it in favor of the older "Fight, Wildcats, Fight." Hey, kid! All fight song words are dumb. Listen to the music! Sheesh!

10. Central Michigan -- The second-best fight song in Michigan, "Fighting Chippewa" was written by one Howard Loomis. The school's Web sites don't say who he was or when he wrote it, but he did an excellent job. The words actually fit the music, too. The school nickname and the name of the song have withstood the objections of those who (like me) don't like the insult to Native Americans; even if they succeed in changing it, it's still a great song. Barlow High School in Gresham uses it.

Honorable mention:

1. "Indiana, Our Indiana" (now that Bobby Knight's gone, it's safe to say).

2. "Fight for California" (at least they beat Stanford at something).

3. "Buckeye Battle Cry" (No. 2 at Ohio State, No. 1 in your hearts).

4. "Texas Fight" (they jazzed up "Taps" -- and it works).

5. "On, Wisconsin" (wildly overused, but good nonetheless).

6. "Go, U Northwestern" (used to be the only reason to attend Wildcat football games).

7. "Fight On, Pennsylvania" (the only other Ivy worth mentioning).

8. "Fight, Team, Fight" (Ball State -- really!).

9. "Roll Along" (Ay-ziggy-zoomba, Bowling Green!).

10. "War Eagle" (Auburn's real southern-fried rouser).

Locally: "Mighty Oregon" is one of the best in the country. The chorus, anyhow. The whole package would be definite Top 10 stuff if they detached that meaningless copy of Yale's "Down The Field."

::::::::::::::::::

THIS POSTING

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go,_Vandals,_Go

INCLUDES

“For many years, it has been cited as one of the top fight songs in the United States. For example, 2002, Norm Maves, Jr. of The Oregonian in Portland described it as "the once and future king of college fight songs, with a fanfare lead-in that could motivate a successful infantry charge.”

Interesting that the References do not include Maves' 2002 article.

 :::::::::::::::::::::

A new take on the WSU Fight Song

By WSU News & Media Relations Nov 15, 2019

https://news.wsu.edu/news/2019/11/15/new-take-wsu-fight-song

 

Clarifying previous comments, WSU football Coach Jake Dickert ‘meant no disrespect’ to Lee Corso, ESPN Gameday

Clarifying previous comments, WSU football Coach Jake Dickert ‘meant no disrespect’ to Lee Corso, ESPN Gameday

By Greg Woods, Spokane S-R, Tue 26 Sept 2023

PULLMAN — On Saturday, moments after his Washington State team knocked off Oregon State, Jake Dickert took reporters back to his morning. He was watching College Gameday, he said, when host Lee Corso called the Cougars/Beavers game “The No One Watches Bowl.”

“I would love to have a conversation with Coach Corso about the value that he sees in breaking up the premier west coast conference,” Dickert said. “And I’d also love to have a conversation with Coach Corso about how he thinks student-athletes and mental health and flying them all over the country is a positive thing. I’m open to those conversations, because I’m fact-based on everything that we do.”

Over the weekend, Dickert got a chance to do just that. During his availability on Tuesday, he said he called Corso on Sunday and chatted about his comments, saying he “meant no disrespect” to Corso or the TV show.

“They’re tremendous for our brand and what they do for us nationally every week,” Dickert said, referring to the WSU flag Ol’ Crimson, which has now flown at College Gameday for 291 straight shows. “It was never a comment about disrespect towards any of those people. My frustrations really still stem from, there’s a conglomerate of people that have made a lot of decisions that have been outside mostly our control. And the lack of clarity, based on the metrics and the real facts is where my frustration really comes from.

Dickert went on to discuss the impact he sees conference realignment making on the Cougars, one of two Pac-12 teams still standing, and teams across the country.

“I think it is my job to stand up for the people of Washington State, because I think these decisions greatly impact all of us,” Dickert said. “It impacts our academic institution, our faculty, student body, alumni, the community, Pullman at large. I mean, the grocery store owner down the street. Fighting for my staff and their families, all the men and women in our athletics programs. It’s really important.

“But most importantly, I’m standing up for our student-athletes. They’re the ones that are impacted the most. I think a lot of decisions that are made impact players. ‘We’re gonna move this team to this conference, and these games are gonna be awesome.’ But as coaches, we deal with people — 18-to-23-year-old people that it matters greatly to. I think there’s more pressure on young people today than ever before. My number-one job is to equip them with a toolbox to handle these things. And in our four years together here, there’s been plenty of those situations.

“I just want to make no mistake about it: These guys matter to me. And it isn’t about Cam (Ward) throwing touchdowns. It’s about 15 years from now, Cam sends me a Christmas card and I see him with his kids and his wife and his family. And I know I’ve done everything to just make sure he’s a good husband and father. It’s not about RJ (Ron Stone Jr.) or BJ (Brennan Jackson) getting sacks. It’s about me instilling character values and discipline, hard work, and those guys go impact this world the way they wanna do it.

“So I have a lot of vested interest in our people here. The players will always be number one, and I’ve been really appreciative of their focus, their discipline. Obviously we’re off to an amazing start and want to keep building on that. But these decisions do impact us all, and going forward, our whole focus is on helping Kirk (Schulz, president) and Pat (Chun, athletic director) find the next wave for Washington State. We want to compete at the highest level, and we believe and know we can do that. That’s going to be our focus going forward, and I’m excited to be a big part of that.”

Washington State and Oregon State, the only two teams set to remain in the Pac-12 after this season, are still looking for conference homes. On Sept. 11, a Washington judge ruled in favor of the two schools, which were granted a temporary restraining order against conference commissioner George Kliavkoff, canceling a board meeting that would have gathered the other 10 departing schools.

That prevented the exiting schools from trying to dissolve the conference, which could force an equal split of the conference’s remaining assets. The Cougars and Beavers’ next step is to wait for a preliminary injunction hearing, which will give them a better understanding of those assets, and that will inform their next moves.

Last week, during a joint news conference with OSU’s president and athletic director, Schulz said he expects some level of clarity within 30 days.

Bill Oram: Coach Prime and Colorado are in Eugene, but I’m going to Pullman

Bill Oram: Coach Prime and Colorado are in Eugene, but I’m going to Pullman

 By Bill Oram, Oregonian, Portland 9/22/2023

Sounds like any sportswriter with a pulse is gonna be in Eugene this weekend.

Coach Prime. Nike. Ratingzzz.

If that’s the case, somebody better call a doctor. Check my vitals. Press two fingers into my wrist and give it a 60-count.

You all can have Colorado-Oregon. I’m going to Pullman.

I’m choosing substance over spectacle. Emotion over commotion.

College football has never given us a game like the one that Oregon State and Washington State will wage on Saturday afternoon. Or, more accurately, we have never had so much taken away that a game like this was all that remained.

The Left Behind Bowl? The Pac-2 Championship?

It’s the Truce on the Palouse and we’ve never seen anything like it.

Not where the game-week buildup included a joint Zoom news conference with administrators appearing in front of a co-branded backdrop in a stand of institutional solidarity.

Not with a pledge that the home marching band would play the visitors’ fight song before kickoff.

Not with the famed flyers of Ol’ Crimson, ever-present on “College GameDay,” reserving a place in the sky to wave a Benny banner, too.

No question that Oregon hosting the most talked-about team in the country is a special occasion. Any other weekend I’d be right there alongside my fellow scribes, our hearts all pounding at a robust and physician-approved 60 to 100 beats per minute.

But with Oregon favored by 21 points, what is there to really see at Autzen?

Deion’s sunglasses? Celebrities?

Relative to the fight for survival on tap in Pullman, that all feels cheap. Hollow. Empty calories. And it’s my responsibility to go where the best story is.

If you contend that Deion vs. the Ducks is the biggest thing going down this Saturday in the college football universe, I won’t argue.

But did you ever see a movie called “The Paper”? Ron Howard directed. Michael Keaton starred. You’d like it.

In it, the ink-stained Keaton blares at a condescending rival, “I don’t live in the (expletive) world, I live in New York (expletive) City.”

Cue that energy here.

I don’t live in “the college football universe.” I live in (expletive) Oregon, and in Oregon people are hurting over the death of the Pac-12. They’re angry. They’re sad.

I hear from them every day.

I know people in Washington who feel the same.

In those places — right here — something is being taken away. By realignment. But TV execs. What’s being sacrificed at the altar of media rights is a piece of those fans’ identities.

And Saturday’s game in Pullman will double as a rally, with prideful partisans declaring, “Uh-uh, you can’t have it.”

God, I love the fight.

The heart of college football is the fans. The students. The alumni. The below-zero tailgaters.

Oregon fans, I know, are no less passionate about their Ducks than Beavers fans or Cougs. And many of them are unsettled about the leap to Big Ten, too. But they have trips to the Big House and the Horseshoe to plan for. They have a future rich with heavyweight matchups, national exposure and an endless bounty of cash.

What do Beavers and Cougars fans have to look forward to after this season? At the moment, it is an abyss of uncertainty.

That’s why what their football teams have delivered so far this season is so significant.

The Beavers are 3-0, ranked 14th in the country and have dreams of upending the whole broken enterprise by winning the last Pac-12 crown.

Washington State is also undefeated. Knocked off No. 19 Wisconsin a couple of weeks back. The Cougs, now ranked 21st in the country, have plenty to prove, too.

Maybe it’s the Tillamook County in me that I’m more drawn to the plights of Oregon State and Wazzu than the shimmer and shine of Prime and the Swoosh.

When I heard Oregon State president Jayathi Murthy speak up on behalf of rural Oregonians on Thursday and say, “To write off small communities is completely unacceptable,” I couldn’t help but pump a fist in support.

Of the institutions that killed the Pac-12 and left Washington State and Oregon State literally flapping in the Saturday morning wind, I hear the words of my guy Prime: “They made it personal.”

I love that the Cougars’ firebrand coach, Jake Dickert, has lost his voice screaming for respect. And I admire just as much that OSU coach Jonathan Smith has taken the opposite approach, choosing his words carefully and taking the fight to the football field.

Whatever happens on Saturday in Pullman isn’t going to determine how realignment ultimately shakes out for Oregon State and Washington State. It won’t dictate whether these schools scramble in tandem to the Mountain West or reassemble a zombie Pac-12.

That is all for the boardrooms, courtrooms and joint Zooms.

What we will have instead when those schools connect on Saturday will be about the humanity of football, fandom and identity.

You can have the game of the week in Eugene, if you want it.

I’ll be at the game of a lifetime.

-- Bill Oram boram@oregonian.com Twitter: @billoram

COUG VOLLEYBALL OPPONENT MUSICAL LABELS ♫

COUG VOLLEYBALL OPPONENT MUSIC LABELS ♫

UW HUSKIES ... 'Moneytalks'
OSU BEAVERS ... 'We are Family'

By Teren Kowatsch Lewiston Trib 9/22/2023

 

PULLMAN — There may not be a better way of saying “don’t let the door hit you on the way out” than what No. 7 Washington State showed Thursday night.

The Cougars volleyball squad beat the Washington Huskies 3-0 with set scores of 25-17, 25-19, 25-15 in front of a packed Bohler Gym.

“It was packed tonight, once again — we love it,” Washington State coach Jen Greeny said. “I don’t think people realize how important it is to have this homecourt advantage.”

Here are some of the highlights from the latest edition, and perhaps one of the last, of the Apple Cup Series.

Money talks

Thursday’s match was also the beginning of Pac-12 play for the Cougars. It was also the first game to have what will become a tradition for other conference rivals who come through Bohler Gym.

“Moneytalks” by AC/DC played before the game — a not-so-subtle jab at Washington and other Pac-12 schools’ decisions to leave the conference after this year.

Greeny said it was her idea to play the song, but will have another one queued up when Oregon State, the only other school other than Washington State to not yet leave the conference, comes into Bohler Gym.

“We’ll play ‘We are Family’ when Oregon State comes,” Greeny said. “But we’re not happy about (Washington leaving). We like the rivalry, we liked going on the road together, trying to beat (Pac-12) teams together. (Washington’s) volleyball team didn’t choose to leave, but their school did. ... We’ll try to send a lot of those teams out with a bang.”

Starting off strong

Starting off strong and building an early lead is one thing a lot of coaches, regardless of sport, preach heavily. Steeper hills — harder climbs.

The hills the Cougars created for the Huskies weren’t Everest, but it was enough.

Washington State (11-1, 1-0) opened the first set with a 9-2 lead, the second set with a 9-3 lead and the third with an 8-3 lead.

Aside from the opening points of each set, Washington (9-3, 0-1) only got within three points of the Cougars on a few occasions: in the second when it cut Washington State’s lead down to 20-17 and then 22-19; and a string of points in the third set where the Huskies had tied the Cougars at nine, 10 and then 11 points both ways before WSU rattled off seven straight to take an 18-11 lead.

Killing it

Another clear advantage for the Cougars were on kills. The home team had 40 total kills off 78 attacks and was hitting at a .385% clip. Washington converted 30 kills off 88 attacks and hit on only a .170% mark.

Graduate outside hitter Iman Isanovic and fifth-year outside hitter Pia Timmer accounted for more than half of WSU’s kills. Isanovic had a game-high 13 and Timmer added 10.

Timmer along with fifth-year libero Karly Basham also helped neutralize the attacks of the Huskies. Timmer had eight digs while Basham had a game-high 13.

“We have a lot of trust in each other,” Isanovic said. “We clearly worked hard on our defense. So, at no point in time are we anxious. ... Obviously, it’s a rivalry game. They came here, they want to be the best that they can.”

Other highlights

One of the highlights of the match came in the second set. After a long rally, Basham rushed to the sideline to save a ball that looked like it was going into the second row after a misaimed receive by the Cougars. WSU got the point and went up 19-13.

Timmer and fifth-year middle blocker Magda Jehlarova were brick-wall solid at the net late in the third set and had crucial blocks that helped accelerate the Cougars’ 7-0 run. Timmer finished with two total blocks and Jehlarova had five total for the match.

Up next

Washington State will continue Pac-12 competition against Arizona on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Tucson, Ariz., at the McKale Center.

Stanley Charles 'Stan' Hoyt (Oct 4, 1929 - Nov 30, 2019)

                         

Stanley Charles 'Stan' Hoyt

Wenatchee, WA

Jan 5 2020 – Wenatchee World

Stanley Charles “Stan” Hoyt, age 90, a 62-year resident of the Wenatchee area, passed away on November 30, 2019.

 

Stan was born on October 4, 1929, in Alameda, CA, to Fred and Elphie Hoyt. He received his early education in Oakland, CA, graduating from Castlemont High School in 1947, Valedictorian of his class.

 

He received a B.S. in Entomology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1951, and attended graduate school there in 1952. He was a member of Theta Chi Fraternity.

 

After serving two years in the Army, stationed in Korea with the 48th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital and studying hemorrhagic fever, he returned to coursework at Berkeley, completing a Ph.D. in 1957.

 

He married Beverley Jeanne Carpenter at Berkeley, CA, on August 6, 1955, living in Lafayette and Walnut Creek, CA, before moving to Wenatchee.

 

In 1957, Stan joined the staff at the Washington State University Tree Fruit Research Center (TFRC) in Wenatchee as a Research Entomologist. He worked in that capacity until 1982, becoming Superintendent of the Center and serving in that post until retirement, in 1993. In 1970, Stan received a Fulbright Award, spending nine months, along with his family, in Nelson, South Island, New Zealand, where he worked for the New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. He was a member of the Entomological Society of America, receiving the Chemical Industries Basel- GEIGY Recognition Award (1973), and the C.W. Woodworth Award—Pacific branch (1989), also serving as President of the Pacific Branch in 1983.

 

The focus of Stan’s scholarship, sustainable integrated pest management, led to ground-breaking research investigating the disruption of biological control of spider mites by a predatory mite species in apples. At a time of crisis in the apple industry, when control of spider mite pests with pesticides was nearly useless, Stan’s research identified a predator of spider mites that was surviving in a few orchards. His subsequent research lead to a program that combined selective pesticides to control other apple pests while the predator mite provided complete control of spider mites. The program Stan developed was adopted by the Washington apple industry and laid the foundation for conservation biological control as the most successful and durable integrated biological control program in its history. Based on Stan’s research, he was recognized internationally as the “Father of Integrated Mite Management.”

 

In October of 2019, Stan was recognized for his contributions to the apple industry with the naming of the WSU TFRC Entomology building in his honor.

 

Stan was a Paul Harris Fellow and 36-year member of the Wenatchee Rotary Club, member and President of the Board of Directors of the Community Resource Center, served on the boards of the Wenatchee Valley Symphony, United Way, and the Wenatchee Valley College Foundation. He was Chair of the KFAE Public Radio advisory board which was instrumental in bringing Northwest Public Radio to Wenatchee. In honor of Stan’s volunteer service and various contributions to the apple industry, he was named Apple Citizen of the Year for 1993 by the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival.

 

In addition to his public service, Stan enjoyed music, performing with the Columbia Flute Society for almost 20 years. He and his family were also active in the Sew & So 4-H Club of Wenatchee for many years.

 

When not working or playing music, Stan could be found in the out-of-doors, spending many free hours fly fishing, hiking, and skiing in the Cascades and British Columbia. He had a keen love of insects, animals, birds, and plants of all forms and could identify most all by their animal and biological taxonomies. His other hobbies included photography, gardening, and watching sports, WSU Cougar and Seattle Seahawks football in particular. Stan and Beverley travelled extensively in their retirement years and participated in more than forty elderhostel programs around the globe.

 

Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Beverley of Wenatchee, WA; daughter, Kathleen (Mike Kentley) Hoyt; grandson, Kieran of Bend, OR; son, David (Chris) Hoyt of Pullman, WA; granddaughter, Ariana (Jon) McDonnell of Seattle, WA; brother, Jim Hoyt of Seattle, WA; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by daughter, Kristine Hoyt.

 

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, February 1, 2020, at the Wenatchee Golf and Country Club, 1600 Country Club Drive, East Wenatchee, WA.

 

Those wishing to honor Stan may make a charitable donation to the Stanley and Beverley Hoyt Tree Fruit Excellence Fund, Attn: Britta Nitcy, WSU CAHNRS, P.O. Box 646228, Pullman, WA 99164-6228. This fund will support teaching, graduate student research in Integrated Pest Management, and Tree Fruit Entomology at the Wenatchee Tree Fruit and Extension Center.

 

You are invited to visit his tribute online at www.HeritageMemorial Chapel.com and leave a memory. Arrangements are in the care of Heritage Memorial Chapel, East Wenatchee, WA.

 

https://www.wenatcheeworld.com/tributes/in_memoriam/stanley-charles-stan-hoyt/article_c3284b20-c90b-507b-a3e8-4b62346bbe89.html