April 2, 2002
Contact: Catherine Scarlett (509-963-3083/fax 509-963-2301/e-mail: scarletc@cwu.edu)
ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Even though he’s never been in construction, Duncan A. Bonjorni is a “bridge builder.” Bonjorni will be honored with the Central Washington University Foundation “Bridge Builder” award during a reception Saturday, April 13 in Tunstall Commons on the Ellensburg campus beginning at 2 p.m.
“The event is an opportunity for Central to recognize and congratulate scholarship recipients, thank donors and give recipients and their families the opportunity to meet those individuals who made the scholarships possible,” Catherine M. Scarlett, CWU associates and stewardship assistant director, says.
The CWU Foundation annually recognizes a donor with the Bridge Builder award, honoring a person or people who have made an impact on the university’s scholarship program through their generosity and leadership.
Bonjorni modestly states he was a less than stellar student at Ellensburg High School, where he graduated in 1945, and a mediocre athlete. With students like himself in mind, he created two CWU scholarships: “The Silver Sliver” and “The Second Chance – A New Beginning.”
“Both are designed to help students who may not have excelled in school or on the football field but show promise for a positive future,” Scarlett adds.
Bonjorni served in the U.S. Navy from 1945-46 and then matriculated to Central Washington College of Education. He received a bachelor’s degree in 1951 in education with a major in physical education and minors in history and geography. That year he was also selected for “Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities.”
From CWU, Bonjorni went on to earn his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center, in Washington D.C., in 1956, placing in the top 5 percent of his class. While taking classes there, he also worked full-time in a variety of posts at the U.S. Capitol.
He returned to Washington state in 1957 and started his general law practice the following year. In addition, Bonjorni served as a municipal court judge for the City of Auburn and judge pro tem in King County Superior Court.
Bonjorni, who now lives in Auburn, also was president of the CWU Alumni Association board of directors, from 1970-72; vice-president, 1968-70; and past president, 1972-74. He served continuously on the board from 1962 to 1974 and was reappointed in 1995.
Bonjorni also is a member of the CWU Athletic Hall of Fame committee.
The master of ceremonies for this year’s Bridge Builder reception will be Dr. David Soltz, CWU provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. Speakers will include university President Jerilyn S. McIntyre and 1994 CWU computer science graduate David Zimmerman.
Zimmerman is president of Coolearth Technologies in Seattle, recently named as one of the 100 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in Washington State by the Puget Sound Business Journal. A former President Scholarship Recipient, he graduated from the William O. Douglas Honors College and was an editor and cartoonist for the Observer, the university’s student newspaper.
For information on the Building Bridges reception or about how to create scholarship opportunities for CWU students, call the CWU Foundation at 1-800-752-4373 or 509-963-3083, or (for the hearing impaired) TDD (509) 963-3323.
