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Mattis selected to receive Foley Distinguished Public Service award

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense and four–star Marine Corps General James Mattis will be the inaugural recipient of the Thomas S. Foley Award for Distinguished Public Service. The new award will be given annually by the Foley Institute to individuals who have demonstrated integrity, courage and a commitment to democratic values in public service, according to a news release.

Mattis enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1969 and participated in tours in Afghanistan and Iraq before retiring from active service in 2013. He served as U.S. Secretary of Defense from 2017 to 2019 under President Donald Trump before resigning his post in protest when Trump announced he would pull U.S. forces out of Syria.

“We wanted somebody with a national reputation, whose life was dedicated to public service, but we also wanted somebody like Tom Foley with local roots to be the inaugural recipient,” said Foley Institute Director Cornell Clayton. “Mattis not only has local roots, but dedicated his entire career to public service and personified the values of Foley and the Foley Institute, courage, bipartisanship, integrity and honor.”

Read the full story:
The Spokesman-Review
WSU Insider

Civilian Conservation Corps study earns national scholar award

John Menard
John Menard

A WSU student who delved into the local history of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s has earned a national award, one of 16 in the country.

John Menard of Yakima, Wash., a senior in history, will travel to New York City on June 3 to accept the Gilder Lehrman History Scholar Award. The honor recognizes outstanding college juniors and seniors who have demonstrated academic and extracurricular excellence in American history or American studies, as well as a commitment to public service and community involvement, according to the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website. » More …