Alumni of the Year 2002
Lives of Service and Distinction
Walt Meske ’62 
If there is one characteristic that would describe Walt Meske, it would be
that he is a caring person. For 40 years, Walt has exemplified this characteristic
in his career as an academy principal, men’s residence hall dean, and
now as a hospital chaplain.
Wherever Walt has served, his special brand of friendliness, Godly character, determination, and enthusiasm have been a blessing to those around him and to the institution.
Many Walla Walla College alumni better know Walt as “Dean Meske,” a tribute to the years he served as dean of men at Sittner Hall.
Calling those years the most memorable of his career, Walt believed that as a dean, he had a special opportunity to affect the lives of the young men in his dorm. One former student says, “Whether he was listening to my problem or just waving and smiling at me from down the hall, I always knew that Dean Meske cared about me and was ready to help.” Walt always had a special ability to connect with students, and to this day, he still receives calls from former students asking for his advice.
Walt first began working as a dean early in his career. After graduating from WWC in 1962 with an education major, Walt served as an academy principal and boys’ dean. In 1973 he began nine years of service as dean of men at WWC.
His ability to relate to students may have come from his college experience. In spite of financial hardship, Walt persevered in earning his college degree after 10 years, an accomplishment he says would never have been possible without the sacrifices made by his wife, Bonnie.
Walt returned to academy administration in 1982, working as principal at Walla Walla Valley Academy, and then moved to Portland where he served as a chaplain at Portland Adventist Medical Center.
He returned to WWC in 1985, serving as vice president for student administration for four years.
Although Walt formally retired more than 10 years ago, he went where he was needed, once becoming an elementary school principal until a permanent principal was found. He now works as a chaplain at Walla Walla General Hospital, ministering to patients, and doing what he loves to do best—helping people.
A lifelong, active volunteer, Walt has served on civic committees
and organized blood drives. He also conducts grief recovery seminars.
Many lives have been blessed because of Walt Meske. The true number may never
be known.
Willa Sandmeyer ’77 
In the predawn hours of the morning, while most people are enjoying their
last hours of sleep, Willa Sandmeyer begins her workday. As a television news
reporter, she does not know what the day may bring but is ready to go where
needed to bring breaking news events and other stories to viewers in metropolitan
Los Angeles.
Willa, a 1977 communications graduate, is a staff reporter for KTLA-TV in Los Angeles. From the scene of fires, earthquake disasters, and other news events in Southern California, Willa’s expertise in live reporting and breaking news stories has become her trademark. She describes her work as “writing to video and letting the pictures tell the story.”
Willa’s exceptional skills were noted by her professional peers in 2000, when she received an Associated Press Award for live coverage of a Hollywood apartment fire. She has also received two Emmy Awards for live coverage of the Northridge earthquake and the Thousand Oaks-Malibu fire.
Willa began her broadcasting career in Walla Walla, where she worked for two years as a news director and an anchor for a local radio station. Moving to California in 1979, she continued her radio broadcasting career, working as reporter and morning news anchor.
In 1990 she moved to television broadcasting, working first as a reporter at ktla-tv and then as a freelance general assignment reporter for ktla-tv and two other Los Angeles television stations.
During her years of freelance work, she was also a correspondent for a monthly television magazine and a segment producer-researcher for Lifestyle Magazine, a production of Faith for Today.
Willa’s curiosity about the world kindles her passion for international travel, an avocation she enjoys with her husband, Randy Shornstein, a 1978 WWC graduate. The couple has traveled to the Middle East, Asia, Europe, China, and Russia.
Willa shared her life experiences and expertise in the broadcast journalism field with WWC communications students last year, when she was invited to visit the campus. She encouraged students to become professionals who work well with others and who go the extra mile to produce exceptional work.
Dale Lampson ’82 
Twenty years ago when Dale Lampson graduated from WWC, he could not have imagined
the work he would be doing today. In 1982 Dale graduated with a business degree,
completing concentrations in accounting and a program called “Management
of Information Systems.” Computers were not yet commonplace, and terms
such as “Internet” were practically unknown.
Today this technology is not only commonplace, it is just the
beginning of what Dale describes as a revolution that will impact the way
people work and interact more than any previous technological development.
The WWC Young Alum of the Year has spent his career guiding the development
of technology at companies ranging from Hewlett Packard to young start-up
firms.
He is currently vice president for business development at Arsin Corporation, a high technology company that develops electronic business systems for Fortune 1000 and emerging Internet companies worldwide.
Dale oversees marketing and sales for the company, which has
among its clients the three largest San Francisco-based financial services
firms, including Charles Schwab and Bank of America. These firms and other
clients look to Dale’s company to build or test their electronic business
programs, ranging from online banking services to online stock trading.
His work at Arsin Corporation is the latest in a career that demonstrates
Dale’s abilities not only as an industry and marketing leader, but also
as a software developer and technical expert.
Among all the accomplishments he has had in his career, Dale’s greatest rewards come from helping others gain the skills, work habits, and techniques to be successful in their own careers and lives. He says he was very fortunate to have excellent parents, teachers, and mentors early on in his professional life. The knowledge he gained from them, coupled with the knowledge gained from his own successes and failures, provides him with a perspective that he is now able to pass on to others.
Dale is an active volunteer in his church, where he leads an adult study group and serves on the school board. He is also a member of the Advisory Board for WWC’s School of Business.
Dale and his wife, Kathy, live in the San Francisco peninsula city of Sunnyvale, Calif. They have two daughters, Stephanie and Elizabeth. W