Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >> Kevin Nortz / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Edie Evans chats with a customer at Safeway on Broadway in Everett in April. Evans was forced to retire after being stricken with Lou Gehrig's disease. (click to enlarge) Mike Cockrum sent in a photo of a tractor that appeared in the 1957 Elvis Presley movie "Loving You."   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 EdCC gives posthumous degree By Julie Muhlstein, Herald Columnist Before we get too far into summer, it's update time for a few spring subjects, beginning with a local acknowledgement of an extraordinary scholar. It is hardly the norm to earn a doctorate before getting a community college degree, but that's what happened in the case of Matt Grindy, featured in this column June 1. A 27-year-old Kamiak High School graduate, Grindy died earlier this year in Tallahassee, Fla., where he was Florida State University's debate director. Before he died of cancer Feb. 12, the university held a commencement ceremony in his hospital room. The university president and a dean granted Grindy his Doctor of Philosophy in speech communication. Last week, it was Edmonds Community College's turn. At graduation exercises Friday, an honorary degree was granted in Grindy's honor. Gov. Chris Gregoire was there as a graduation speaker, and met with Matt's family. Josh Grindy, Matt's brother, went up with his parents, Scott Grindy and Cynthia Ronning, to accept the associate degree. Scott Grindy presented the college with a copy of "Emmett Till and the Mississippi Press," a book his son co-authored. "We were very honored," said Josh Grindy, 25. Gregoire, he added, noted that Matt had inspired students in his life, and his story will continue to do so. As a cancer survivor herself, Gregoire had high praise for all that Grindy accomplished while fighting the disease, Josh Grindy said. With Grindy's family was state Rep. Marko Liias. The Mukilteo Democrat had been Matt Grindy's debate partner at Kamiak. Grindy had earned 80 credits as a Running Start student at EdCC, but he went on to Western Washington University to earn a bachelor's degree before finishing his associate degree. John Michaelson, EdCC's vice president of college relations and advancement, said the last recipient of an honorary Associate of Arts degree, in 1999, was Karen Miller, formerly a Snohomish County Council member and college trustee. Scott Grindy will save Matt's EdCC degree, along with other treasures of his son, to pass along to the next generation. "It's something for our grandson, Ian," he said. Honored by the AquaSox On April 30, I wrote about Edie Evans, a grocery checker at the Safeway on Broadway in Everett. At 62, after more than 30 years on the job, Evans was forced to retire because of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease. The incurable disease has hampered her speech. In later stages, it impairs movement and breathing. Evans did just fine Sunday when she was honored by the Everett AquaSox. Before the team's home opener against the Boise Hawks, Evans walked out in front of the crowd and threw a ceremonial pitch. "It was fun. I had my three sons and one daughter and their families," said Evans, who recently returned home to Lake Stevens from a family reunion in Arkansas. Teresa Sarsted, director of accounting and player housing for the AquaSox, said the VIP pitch was part of a Strike Out ALS night at the ballpark. A booth offered information about Lou Gehrig's disease, and Sarsted said it was fitting that someone from the community be represented at the game. Evans' pitch? "She did well," Sarsted said. Underhand or overhand? "Overhand," Evans said. A veteran of adult sports leagues in Snohomish and Lake Stevens, she added "I used to play left field." Elvis still lives on If I've learned nothing else, I've learned this: Raise the subject of Elvis Presley, there will be no end to it. On April 11 and 25, I wrote about a Presley photo showing the King with my late father-in-law, who had worked at a Dallas radio station in the 1950s. When I asked if readers might have their own Elvis pictures, I should have expected the flood that came. I should have said, "Don't Be Cruel." As much as I appreciated the enthusiasm, I couldn't keep up with all the Elvis e-mail coming from here to Italy and back again. At risk of stirring it up again, I'll share one more scrap of Presley correspondence. Mike Cockrum, 52, of Marysville has a novel Elvis collectible. His grandparents, the late Homer and Georgia Cockrum, owned a ranch in California's San Fernando Valley where the 1957 Presley movie "Loving You" was filmed. He doesn't have a guitar or a piece of Presley clothing, no. Cockrum owns an old tractor seen in the movie. It's still in California. His e-mail said: "Here are a couple of pictures of Elvis with the tractor in the background, and a couple of the tractor as it is today." Sure enough, same tractor. What a thing to have. "Elvis was there about four days," Cockrum said. His grandparents told him the King was polite, "but after the film crew left, the place was such a mess they vowed never to do it again." He hopes to move the tractor and store it in Idaho. Too bad. Couldn't Marysville use a rusty old Elvis tourist attraction? Don't answer that. Columnist Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460 or muhlstein@heraldnet.com.

1. Arlington brothers’ fight led to death, police say 2. Detectives consider slaps to father lethal 3. Woman found dead at Bothell house fire 4. Two teens hurt in collision near Granite Falls 5. Lottery win helps Lake Stevens convenience store owner pay bonuses 6. Everett man shot in groin; two men, one woman are arrested 7. I-5 car chase was result of driver's medical condition 8. CBS cancels ‘As the World Turns’ 9. Jail inmates’ meal complaint omits a crucial fact 10. Locker dips toe in NFL pool 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Zambian woman thanks students for their help • Food banks see rise in use • ‘Making Spirits Bright’ in Edmonds • Wolfpack takes aim at state • Seahawks help students smile • 95 and still volunteering • Sno-King joined by local TV king • Veterans back for Wildcats • Lynnwood seeks to plug $2 million budget gap • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million