2018 Alumni Awards

Dressed to the nines in their finest black and red, armed with champagne glasses and surrounded by the sound of a two-step jazz band, more than 200 EWU alumni filled a ballroom on May 18 at the Spokane Convention Center in celebration of the 2018 alumni awards.

In March, a committee composed of previous winners, Alumni Association board members and campus community partners selected the honorees.

Lifetime Achievement Award: Barbra Shields ’92

Barbra Shields is a first-generation college graduate. In 1992, at age 62, she obtained her degree from EWU in general studies. Shields then retired from the telecommunications company, Pacific Northwest Bell, where she had been working for more than 34 years. The company had provided funding for her education at Eastern, offering a tuition reimbursement program.

Following retirement, Shields went on to volunteer for many organizations including Telephone Pioneers, Coats for Kids, Infant Hearing Assessment Program, Statue of Liberty restoration fundraising, Los Angeles Summer Olympics, Interlake School in Medical Lake, Spokane Guild School and many more.