PULLMAN, Wash. – Glenn Johnson, Pullman mayor and “voice of the Cougars” for Washington State University sports, was presented with an Honorary Alumnus Award Saturday during the WSU vs. University of Washington basketball game.
It is the highest honor from the WSU Alumni Association for non-alumni friends who have given special service to the university.
Johnson is professor emeritus in WSU’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. He retired as the Lester Smith Distinguished Professor of Media Management in 2014 after 35 years of teaching courses in TV and radio news, public speaking and communication management.
WSU communication alumni taught by Johnson established the Glenn A. Johnson Endowed Professorship in 2009.
As the “voice of the Cougs,” he continues to be the public address announcer for WSU football and men’s basketball games.
Johnson was elected to his fourth term as Pullman mayor in 2015. His re-election to a third term in 2011 made history – the first time since Pullman was founded in 1888 that a mayor won three terms.
He is chair of the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport Board of Directors, past president of the Association of Washington Cities and board member of the Pullman Chamber of Commerce, among many other areas of service in Pullman and the region.
The WSU Foundation presented him with its Outstanding Service Award in 2013. He was the Pullman Chamber of Commerce Member of the Year in 1997 and received the Marshall A. Neill Community Service Award in 2001.
He holds a Ph.D. in mass communications from the University of Iowa and was a news reporter, broadcaster and manager of two radio stations in California before coming to Pullman.
The WSU Honorary Alumnus Award was established in 1966 by the Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Contact:
Christina Parrish, WSU alumni engagement, 509-335-6907, parrishc@wsu.edu
