The Evergreen State College Athletics

Founding faculty member at The Evergreen State College. Part of first American expedition to summit Mount Everest, reaching the peak on May 22, 1963. 

When Willi joined the Evergreen planning faculty in the fall of 1970, a lifetime of rich experiences had shaped his philosophy of teaching and learning.  Highlights included a two-year hitchhiking sojourn around the world; teacher of philosophy and religion at Oregon State; five years with Peace Corps and USAID in Nepal; three years with Outward Bound; several Himalayan expeditions, including the first traverse of Everest in 1963; four kids on whom he experimented enthusiastically; and a life partner who supported him in (most of) these endeavors!

Wild and high places energized Willi, but his heart embraced humanity, believing that education, whether in the classroom or the outdoors, should . . .  
·         push us out of our comfort zones,
·         expand our confidence that we can do more than we thought possible, and
·         encourage us to treat each other better.

Willi sought to do this by creating learning communities whose members learned to care for each other through shared risk-taking and group challenges, such as transporting massive concrete blocks into the Mt. Rainier backcountry for the Park Service without being permitted to use wheeled devices, or helicopters!  His spirit continues to influence and guide the many people whose lives intersected his, and who have embraced his philosophy as their own.