Sandra Cain always roots for her Cougs, but this Saturday it will mean a little more, as the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine alumna ventures back to Pullman to attend the Apple Cup — her first Cougar football game in 59 years.
“It’s going to be exciting just to see the campus again, even if I don’t recognize much of it,” she said. “But mostly, I’m just looking forward to being in that stadium again and watching the Cougs in person.”
The upcoming trip was a complete surprise to Cain, whose ticket was purchased by her children and gifted to her for Christmas.
“It was just totally out of the blue. I opened this gift bag that had a red solo cup and an apple in it, and I was supposed to try to figure out what it meant,” she said. “I had no idea what it meant at first, but when they told me, it made me feel really special that they would plan something like this for me.”
The trip marks Cain’s second visit to Pullman since she graduated in 1966 with her bacteriology degree — a degree she received back when WSU hosted graduation outside on the football field. Not far from Rogers Field where Cain received that degree, the Cougs will face the Washington Huskies Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Gesa Field.
In many ways, Cain’s visit is reminiscent of her very first time to Pullman — when she knew no one nor what to expect. She noted even the stadium won’t look anything like it did, as it was rebuilt in 1970 after being burned down in what remains an unsolved arson and has undergone upgrades and renovations since.
Cain transferred to WSU from the University of Colorado in 1963 to the encouragement of Grace Sweatt, her aunt who was an associate professor of foods and nutrition in the College of Home Economics and served as the housing dietician at WSU.
She remembers small classes, professors who knew students by name, and a unique friendship with her microbiology professor, Elizabeth Hall, who happened to live in the apartment beneath her.
“It was just a more personal experience,” Cain said. “I knew pretty much nobody when I arrived, but WSU quickly felt like home.”
After graduating from WSU, Cain embarked on a career as a medical technologist, working in hospital labs and health departments across the country. From Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center to Rhode Island, Kansas, Texas, and even Purdue’s veterinary school, her work always came back to her love of microbiology, solving the daily puzzles of identifying microbes and helping doctors treat patients.
During her visit to campus, Cain will tour research labs in the School of Molecular Biosciences, where many undergraduate students work to pursue similar careers as she once did.
The WSU Grizzly Bear Research and Conservation Center, a two-lane highway or gravel road through the rolling hills of the Palouse, and, of course, Ferdinand’s for Cougar Gold cheese and ice cream are also toward the top of her to-visit list.
Ferdinand’s is a must though, as it’s become a tradition for Cain and her husband, Jim, to buy their children, Chris and Karen, and their friends, a can of Cougar Gold cheese for Christmas.
“We’ve been helping support Ferdinand’s for quite a while,” she said.
Cain admits this Apple Cup means more than those she’s enjoyed from the comfort of her couch, but no matter the outcome, it will be a win for her and her family to make fond memories.
“I’m excited for the game and to see all the college students jumping up and down cheering their team on — that’s the fun part,” Cain said. “And the fact that it is against your in-state rival, that always makes the games so much more special.”
