WIGGINS FAMILY WITH WHITMAN COUNTY CONNECTIONS PLAYED MAJOR ROLE IN NORTHEASTERN OREGON'S CENTURY OLD WALLOWA LAKE LODGE FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS

WIGGINS FAMILY WITH WHITMAN COUNTY CONNECTIONS PLAYED MAJOR ROLE IN NORTHEASTERN OREGON'S CENTURY OLD WALLOWA LAKE LODGE FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS

  

Wallowa Lake Lodge merges rustic, modern charm after 100 years in Joseph

By Jamie Hale, Oregonian, 6/25/2023 online. 8/6/2023 in print

There’s new life in the old Wallowa Lake Lodge.

Located in the far northeastern corner of Oregon, nestled into the trees at the southern end of Wallowa Lake, pressed up against the towering Wallowa Mountains, the historic lodge is celebrating its 100th birthday emerging from something of an identity crisis.

General manager Madeline Lau, who took over in 2019, said the lodge had been transitioning out of an era spent as a quiet mountain retreat for travelers, reemerging as a hub of activity for locals and tourists alike. In the last few decades, locals rarely visited, she said, and the lodge ceased to be a part of the community.

“In our community, if a business isn’t supported and used by locals, it won’t last very long,” Lau said.

First built in 1923, when it was accessible only by boat, the lodge was part of an ambitious development at the south end of Wallowa Lake that offered restaurants, a dance hall, a skating rink and access to unparalleled natural beauty. In 1935, The Oregon Journal called it the “center of recreational and social activity” in the Wallowas, a region the newspaper called “the Switzerland of America.”

Today, the lodge is one part of a bustling tourism hub that includes Wallowa Lake State Park, the Wallowa Lake Tramway and a number of cabins, hotels and campsites.

The lodge’s 22 rooms are available during the open season, from Memorial Day to the end of September. A group of eight cabins, open year round, are also available on the property. Guests can dine at the lodge’s restaurant, The Camas Room, from Thursday to Sunday for dinner or daily for breakfast. A lobby bar, The Redd, serves drinks and small plates from 1 to 9 p.m. every day.

It’s also a place where guests might find live music, yoga classes or presentations on local history. Occasionally people throw weddings or reunions there. Even on normal weekend, it’s meant to be a gathering place, rather than just someplace for tourists to sleep.

“We know that visitors from out of town love coming here and love using the lodge,” Lau said. “But to know that the locals are using it too is huge.”

With its many social amenities, the Wallowa Lake Lodge sounds like a lot of newer boutique hotels popping up across the Pacific Northwest. But here there’s a twist: the 100-year old building itself.

Structures this old often run into a Ship of Theseus dilemma: If you replace all the floorboards, the walls, the beams, is it still the same building as before? But the Wallowa Lake Lodge has yet to reach that point. In some ways, it very much shows its age: The ceiling occasionally leaks, the roof needs replacing and the old stone chimney is slowly coming undone.

“It’s like never ending maintenance in this space,” Lau said. “Honestly I’m not going to say, ‘what’s the next 100 years look like,’ because I really, truly don’t believe this building has another 100 years in it. But at least, what does the next 10 years look like and where do we want to go from here?”

Lau, who came aboard in 2019, has already accomplished a lot. In just the last few years, she oversaw the rebuilding and expansion of the deck, overhauled the restaurant and bar menus, and evicted a colony of bats that had been living in the attic for generations. Lau also overhauled the lodge’s décor. She painted beige walls white, replaced old floral comforters, swapped out art, and removed what she called “brothel-y” curtains and lamps.

The trick, she said, was bringing the Wallowa Lake Lodge into the 21st century without losing its rustic charm. And while she wanted to make the rooms cozy, she’s also made a concerted effort to nudge people to the communal spaces. On any given summer day, you may see people reading in the lounge, drinking at the bar, hanging out on the deck or playing games on the lawn.

Slowly but surely, those spaces have been populated not just by travelers but by locals as well, the result of what Lau said was the best form of advertisement in a small town: word of mouth.

“To know that the locals are using it too is huge,” she said. “Our goal is to be as accessible as possible to the widest number of people. So, for me the lodge belongs to everyone. I want everyone to come here.”

It’s something of a return to form for the Wallowa Lake Lodge, which has gone through several changes in its century of use.

Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the lodge survived brutal winter storms, flooding, economic fluctuations and war. The Wiggins family, which owned the lodge for nearly 45 years, oversaw additions to the building, construction of new cabins and the ceding of some property for what would become Wallowa Lake State Park. They sold the lodge in 1988 to a trio of owners who refocused on creating a quiet retreat for travelers, which lasted for another 28 years.

In 2015, following the sudden death of one of the owners, the lodge was put up for sale, spurring fears locally of an outside hotel chain swooping in and demolishing the old building. Instead, a group of more than 100 local investors, including the Nez Perce Tribe, raised $3.1 million to purchase the place, running the Wallowa Lake Lodge with a board of managers.

In 2020, the tribe secured a conservation easement on the property that protects the land there from further development, essentially locking in the existing footprint of the lodge. That land is known to the Nimiipuu people as Waakak’amkt, or “where the braided stream disappears into the water,” according to the tribe.

“The main reason we have wanted this easement is for protection of the inlet for sockeye salmon and protecting the waters and the habitat around that area expressly for sockeye reintroduction and for the fisheries,” Shannon Wheeler, Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee chairman, told the Wallowa County Chieftan in 2020. “The other reason — it’s a place that’s very meaningful to the tribe.”

The easement also serves to maintain the Wallowa Lake Lodge’s focus on working with what it has, instead of expanding further onto its 9-acre property. And while that means more headaches maintaining the aging building, Lau said the efforts are rewarded by seeing the lodge continue to be a community gathering space, where she hopes people of different cultures and backgrounds can commingle.

“I’m proud of our community, I love the people that live here. I think we’re a unique place with a unique set of values and a unique idealogy,” Lau said.

She said her 10-year-old son liked to call the lodge “the heirloom of Wallowa County,” and while he might be right, she’s bothered by the implication that the building is some treasured possession that’s rarely used, like an antique China hutch or an old wardrobe.

“We want Wallowa County’s heirloom to be an heirloom that Wallowa County uses,” Lays said. “And people are.”

PHOTO The Wallowa Lake Lodge, originally constructed in 1923, still serves tourists and locals on the south end of Wallowa Lake in Joseph .Jamie Hale Oregonian

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IN SUMMER 2023, WALLOWA LAKE LODGE IN JOSEPH, OREGON, CELEBRATES 100^th BIRTHDAY.

WIGGINS FAMILY WITH WHITMAN COUNTY CONNECTIONS PLAYED MAJOR ROLE IN LODGE FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS

Story (beneath the photo) from the summer of 2023 in the Portland Oregonian newspaper celebrates the 100^th birthday of Wallowa Lake Lodge in Joseph, Wallowa County, Oregon.

Included in the story is the fact the Wiggins family owned the lodge for nearly 45 years, “oversaw additions to the building, construction of new cabins and the ceding of some property for what would become Wallowa Lake State Park. They sold the lodge in 1988 ...”

The Wiggins’ connections include to …

• Colton, Whitman County, Washington
• Johnson, Whitman County, Washington – Johnson High School
• Pullman, Whitman County, Washington – Pullman High School, Washington State College, Washington State University
  
• Thornton, Whitman County, Washington

• Clarkston, Asotin County, Washington

• Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon
• Joseph, Wallowa County, Oregon

What follows is info -- most of it obituaries -- which tells you of those connections …

 
LELAND ROY WIGGINS, 71, OF PULLMAN, RETIRED FROM WSU

• April 5, 1993 Updated Jul 29, 2013 Lewiston Tribune

PULLMAN -- Leland Roy Wiggins, retired assistant director of Washington State University Housing and Food Services, died of a heart attack Friday at Pullman Memorial Hospital. He was 71.

Wiggins retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1963 after 20 years with the U.S. Air Force. He then moved to Pullman and was employed at WSU until retiring in 1986.

He was born July 2, 1921, at Thornton, Wash., to Lee Roy and Irene Babcock Wiggins. He attended Johnson Grade School and graduated from Pullman High School in 1938.

He attended Washington State University until entering the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1943. He served until 1945, and then received a military extension to complete his college studies. He graduated from WSU in 1947 and returned to service.

He served in the China, Burma and India theaters, and in Japan during the Korean War.

One of his military accomplishments included flying over ''The Hump,'' or the Himalaya Mountains, which was considered quite a feat during those war years.

For a time, Wiggins served in the Military Airlift Transportation Service and was assigned for periods at the Institute of Technology and at Boeing Co. as a military consultant.

He and Barbara Tippett were married at Lewiston in 1948 and later were divorced.

He was a member of the WSU Cougar Club, WSU Alumni Association, Moscow Elks Lodge, Retired Officers Association and the Fairchild Officers Club. He served on the Cougar Hall of Fame selection committee and was a strong supporter of WSU athletics.

He is survived by two sons, Tony L. Wiggins of Tempe, Ariz., and Brett J. Wiggins of Honolulu, Hawaii; his mother, Irene Wiggins of Clarkston; two brothers, Robert W. Wiggins and Duane L. Wiggins, both of Wallowa Lake, Ore.; and one granddaughter.

The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Kimball Funeral Home at Pullman. Burial will be with military honors at the Colton City Cemetery.

The family suggests memorials be contributions to the WSU Foundation for the varsity baseball program or to the Pullman Public Library.

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IRENE WIGGINS OF CLARKSTON,
RETIRED HOTELIER

 ·Dec 23, 1993 Updated March 26, 2013 Lewiston Trib

Irene Babcock Wiggins, a Clarkston resident and the retired owner of Wallowa Lake Lodge near Joseph, Ore., died of causes related to age Wednesday at Tri-State Convalescent Center at Clarkston. She was 94.

She was born Oct. 29, 1899, at Flora, Ill., to Lyman T. and Allie Jane Babcock.

When she was 10, the family moved to Whitman County and she graduated from Johnson High School in 1916. She enrolled in Washington State College (now Washington State University) at Pullman when she was 16 and obtained her teaching certificate two years later.

She taught for a year at Thornton, Wash., and returned to WSC for a year. While in the college, she excelled in intramural sports, including badminton, basketball, sprinting and hurdling.

In October 1920, she married Roy Wiggins at Thornton. She returned to college at WSC and graduated in 1926.

She taught English, Spanish and women's athletics in the Pullman area, while she and her husband farmed at Colton. They were later separated.

In 1945, she purchased the Wallowa Lake Lodge near Joseph, Ore., and, with the help of her sons, and later her grandsons, built it into a thriving summer resort.

She remained active at the lodge until 1980, when she retired.

She lived at Evergreen Estates at Clarkston for the past two years.

Her hobbies included horses, reading, traveling and spending time at her home.

She was a member of the Methodist church at Joseph and the Order of the Eastern Star.

Survivors include two sons, Robert Wiggins of Clarkston and Duane Wiggins of Joseph, Ore, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren

Her funeral will be held at Joseph at a later date.

The family suggests memorials be sent to the Methodist church at Joseph.

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ROBERT WIGGINS, 88, KEPT WALLOWA LAKE LODGE RUNNING

 ·   Sept 11, 2012 Updated Dec 13, 2018 Wallowa County Chieftain

Oct. 29, 1923 -  Aug. 18, 2012

Robert (Bob) W. Wiggins, 88, a longtime resident of Wallowa Lake, died Aug. 18, in Star, Idaho, with his three children at his side.

He was born to Irene Babcock Wiggins and Lee Roy Wiggins in the Palouse on the family wheat ranch near Johnson, Wash.

He graduated from Pullman High School, attended Washington State University and was a member of the Theta Chi fraternity.

During his high school and college years, he vacationed with his family at Wallowa Lake. In 1945 his mother, Irene, decided to buy Wallowa Lake Lodge.

In 1951 he married Jean E. Wiegand of Corvallis and they had three children during their marriage.

The Wiggins family operated Wallowa Lake Lodge for 43 years. Bob kept everything running as a part owner-operator and mentored many high school and college kids who worked there during those summers. Many had first jobs and some returned year after year. He loved to tell visitors about the area and had many stories he shared with them.

Bob loved to boat, write, read, travel and was fascinated by science and science fiction.

In 1988 the Wiggins family sold the lodge and Bob retired. He traveled, enjoying his retirement with his partner of many years, Vera Talbott. In 1990 he bought a place in Clarkston, Wash., and lived half his year there and the other half at Wallowa Lake.

He was preceded in death by his parents, older brother Lee Wiggins and partner Vera Talbott.

He is survived by his brother and sister-in-law Duane and Jane Wiggins of Joseph; ex-wife, Jean Wiggins of Joseph; children and their spouses, Chris and Barbara Wiggins of Whitefish, Mont., Cathy and Brad Graybeal of Eagle, Idaho, and Eric and Erin Wiggins of Lebanon; and two grandchildren.

Graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept 15, 2012, at Prairie Creek Cemetery, Joseph. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Legacy Hospice Foundation, 680 S. Progress Avenue, Suite 2A, Meridian, ID 83642.

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DUANE WIGGINS, 88, MANAGED WALLOWA LAKE LODGE

·May 1, 2018 Updated Dec 13, 2018 Wallowa County Chieftain

Sept. 22, 1929 – April 20, 2018

An icon of the Wallowa Lake community, Duane Wiggins passed away with his family around him. Duane and his young wife, Jane, came to Wallowa County in June 1953. He was the spark plug behind many developments in the lake area.

Some of his credits include the Wallowa Lake Lodge, Alpenfest and the Wallowa Lake Tourist Committee. He was one of a group of local men who formed a committee to get a loan to build the successful Wallowa Lake Tramway.

Duane was born in Colton, Wash., to Leroy and Irene Wiggins. He attended grade school and high school in Pullman where the family lived during the winters. During summers, the family stayed on their wheat ranch in southeastern Washington State.

He graduated from Washington State College in 1951 with a degree in hotel management. He was in Army ROTC in college, was commissioned as a lieutenant in the infantry and sent to Korea. He eventually left the U.S. Army Reserve as a captain.

On return from Korea, Duane married his college sweetheart, Jane Laney. They moved to Wallowa Lake in 1953 and joined his mother, Irene, and his brother, Bob, and Bob’s wife, Jean, as partners in managing the Wallowa Lake Lodge. The lodge properties were sold during the period between 1988 and 1990.

Duane and Jane continued to live at the lake and have claimed it as home for the past 65 years. The couple’s three sons, Dirk, Greg and Jeff, were all born in Enterprise and graduated from schools in Wallowa County. For many years, Duane and Jane traveled during the winters, but Wallowa Lake was always their home.

Duane was preceded in death by his brothers, Bob and Lee Wiggins; his mother, Irene; and his father, Roy. He is survived by his wife Jane, son Dirk and his daughter Emily and son Jason; son Greg Wiggins and his wife, Kathy, and their twin sons, Dakota and Montana; son, Jeff Wiggins and his wife Karen and their son Riley and daughter Natalie.

Other survivors are sister-in-law, Jean Wiggins; sister-in-law, Sally Duvall; brother-in-law, Bill Laney and numerous nieces and nephews.

Burial will occur at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the Wallowa Memorial Hospital Foundation or to the Joseph United Methodist Church.

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In the book GREAT LODGES OF THE NATIONAL PARK .. read (URL link below) about Wallowa Lake Lodge ...

 ...there's a nice section in the book about the Wiggins ownership and operation of the lodge.

The section includes this photo which has this cutline:

 

"Irene Wiggins (pictured with her sons Bob, Duane and Lee) bought the lodge in 1945 and operated it until 1987."

https://www.rmnw-auctions.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/GREAT-LODGES-OF-THE-NATIONAL-PARKS-web.pdf

 

 

 

Pickleball is lit!

 

Pickleball is lit!

“Sydney Spraul submitted this image of a lightning strike during a recent session of pickleball at Pullman’s Krugel Park.”

Reader Photo of the Day … 8/5/2023 Pullman, Wash.-Moscow, Idaho Daily News

........................

Pickleball Lightning 

Playing a few games of pickleball at Krugel Park in Pullman on Saturday evening when a lightning storm hit. Lewiston Tribune Inland 360 July 29, 2023, Photo by Sydney Spraul

 

 

 

 

 

Munir Daud came from Syria for an education, and found a U.S. life in Pullman

He came for an education and found a U.S. life

Munir Daud, an architect who died recently at 80, was raised in Syria but spent much of his life in Pullman

By Emily Pearce, Moscow Pullman Daily News June 1, 2023

Coming from one of the oldest cities in the world to rural Washington, Munir Daud produced a story that seemed like something only found in fiction.

When Munir moved to the U.S., he thought he’d be staying until he received his degree, and anticipated moving to his home country. But when he met his college sweetheart while studying at Washington State University, he watched his plans change drastically.

In his time on the Palouse, Munir built his company from a garage start-up to a successful business, and raised a family of four with his wife. After moving to the country on a whim and falling in love with a small-town Washington girl, Munir made Pullman his American hometown.

At 80 years old, Munir died of medical complications while driving a vehicle south of Uniontown on April 30. His daughter Nadia Daud said he spent his last day doing what he loved, like visiting the office on a Sunday and going on a ride to listen to his favorite music.

Munir was recognized in the community for his business, Munir Daud & Associates, of Pullman. Ranna Daud, another daughter, said as hardworking as he was, he was even more generous.

“There’s a lot of community work he’s done pro bono, but you can’t even call it that because he never even documented the extra work he did,” Ranna said. “He never wanted recognition, he was very humble. He did everything out of pure generosity and really just purely because he thought it was the right thing to do.”

Though Munir was known for his work in architecture later in his life, he was a musician in his early years.

Munir was born in Aleppo, Syria, on Jan. 1, 1943, and was raised surrounded by three siblings and several relatives. Nadia said his passion was music, and he’d often sing in multiple languages while playing the guitar and drums.

He wanted to pursue music, but his mother encouraged him to further his education after he graduated from Aleppo College in 1962, Nadia said.

Munir moved to the U.S. and studied at Whitworth College in Spokane, but later transferred to WSU to earn his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1967.

While studying at WSU, Munir met his wife, Janet, of Pomeroy, whom he married in 1968. They celebrated their 50th anniversary before Janet Daud died in October 2018.

“Our mom probably didn’t have a clue where Syria was, but she saw this dashing young man and they hit it off,” Nadia said. “It’s an unlikely story. Who would have thought that someone like my dad would meet someone like my mom? The duality of how different their upbringings were and they just happened to be at WSU at the same time. It’s crazy.”

Nadia said Munir considered returning to Syria when he graduated, but relations between his homeland and the U.S. were tense. She said Syria passed a law that any Syrian married to an American would be jailed when they entered the country, so he chose to remain in America. The law has since been rescinded, and Munir and his family were able begin visiting Syria in 1998.

Munir stayed in Pullman after graduating, taking a job as a project engineer for the city until 1973 when he accepted a job with a consulting engineering firm in Olympia, Wash. He and his wife later moved back to Pullman in 1975 to start his own architectural/engineering firm.

Ranna said out of all the things her father taught her, she is most appreciative of his love of culture.

“Our dad had an amazing work ethic, he was kind and generous and knew when to stand up for himself and others,” Ranna said. “But what we’re really thankful for is he taught us how to appreciate culture and uniqueness in all forms. Whether it’s music, food or art, he loved it all. We grew up with it and it’s a pretty special and kind of a unique part of us.”

Nadia added he loved Indigenous art, so much so it engulfed his office. He often listened to old Spanish, Italian and French music, she added.

Munir is survived by his son John Daud, and his three daughters Laila, Nadia and Ranna Daud, as well as two grandchildren, Iris and Jonah Daud.

“Our dad was an Arab American who came to the U.S. on a whim and stayed because of love,” Nadia said. “He had a full, well-rounded life and made Pullman his American hometown.”

PHOTOS

--Munir Daud
.--Munir and Janet Daud, front, pose with members of their family.
--Illustration of iconic Pullman water tower on Military Hill which Munir Daud designed.

…………….

Munir Abdel-Massih Daud

5/4/2023 Corbeill Funeral Home, Pullman

Munir Abdel-Massih Daud, 80, joined his ancestors and wife on April 30, 2023, due to medical complications while driving, south of Uniontown, WA. 

Munir spent his last day doing some of his favorite things, including going to the office on a Sunday, as he did often, and going for a drive.

Munir was born in Aleppo, Syria on January 1, 1943, to Abdel-Massih Daud (father) and Shumoon Abdelnour (mother). He had a wonderful childhood being raised in Syria and surrounded by his siblings, Said (brother), Munira (sister), Madlaine (sister) and several relatives.

Munir was a talented musician during his young adult years in Aleppo, Syria—he sang in multiple languages and played several instruments, including the guitar and drums. His love of music stayed with him throughout his entire life. He would take drives in the countryside, listening to all his favorite songs, or working at his office with the volume up. His mother did not want music to be his career path and encouraged him to go to the United States to further his education after he graduated from Aleppo College in 1962.

Munir arrived in the United States and first studied at Whitworth College in Spokane, Washington, then transferred to Washington State University, in Pullman, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering (1967) and a Bachelor of Science in architecture (1972). He also played and helped to organize the WSU Men’s Club Soccer program.

While at Washington State University he met his wife, Janet (Bye) Daud, of Pomeroy, Washington. Munir and Janet got married in Pomeroy in 1968. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary just before Janet passed away in October of 2018.

Munir started his career working with the City of Pullman as a project engineer from 1968-1973. In 1973, Munir and his family moved to western Washington (Seattle and Olympia) and he worked for a consulting engineering firm for two years.

In 1975, Munir moved his family back to Pullman and he founded Munir Daud & Associates (MD+A), an engineering, architecture, and surveying firm. 

He started MD+A in his garage in 1975 and he continued to work until his last day here. Munir kept his business small, so that it would remain a hometown business and their projects were all in Pullman or the neighboring smaller towns.

Most of all, Munir was a loving husband, father and “jido” (grandfather) to his four children and two grandchildren. He also leaves behind his nieces and nephews, both locally and all around the world.

Munir was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, and his three siblings. Munir is survived by his son John (Stephanie), his daughters Laila, Nadia, Ranna, and his two grandchildren Iris and Jonah.

Munir will be missed by all who knew him or worked with him.

A memorial service for Munir to celebrate his life is planned for Saturday, May 13th, 2023, from 2-4pm at the SEL Event Center, 1825 Schweitzer Drive, Pullman, WA 99163. Corbeill Funeral Home, Pullman, WA has been entrusted with arrangements.  

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Pullman man lives an American success story

By Michelle Dupler, Moscow Pullman Daily News Jan. 29, 2005

The story of Munir Daud's immigration from Syria and his building of a successful business is like something from a movie.

Daud is the founder of Munir Daud & Associates of Pullman. It's a firm of engineers, architects and surveyors that will celebrate its 30th anniversary in July.

Daud came to Pullman in the early 1960s from his hometown of Aleppo, Syria to study civil engineering and architecture at Washington State University.

Daud said his family settled in Syria after escaping from the massacre of Armenian Christians by the Ottoman Empire in Turkey around 1910. He said he recalls his grandmother showing him a scar on her neck from when the Turks attempted to kill her.

"They used to go after escaping Christians with a sword," Daud said. "But the sword was so used it wouldn't cut through her neck. She lucked out because the sword was dull."

Daud said his father was a truck driver, but wanted his children to go to school. Daud chose to come to the United States to study first at Whitworth College in Spokane, then at WSU where he earned a bachelor of science in civil engineering and architecture.

"It was tough but I finished it and it paid off in the end," Daud said.

Daud passed his value of education on to his four children, all of whom went on to graduate from colleges in Washington state.

Daud said he originally considered returning to Syria when he graduated, but while at WSU he met his wife, Janet, an American student. Around the time of the Six Day War with Israel in 1967, relations between Daud's homeland and the United States were tense. Daud said Syria passed a law that any Syrian married to an American would be jailed when they entered the country, so he chose to remain in Pullman.

That law has since been rescinded and Daud said he sometimes returns to Syria to visit his family.

Daud took a job as a project engineer for the city and worked there from 1968 until 1973, when he accepted a job with a consulting engineering firm in western Washington. He worked in Seattle and Olympia, but said that became a strain.

"I was paying rent in Olympia and house payments here and it became too much," Daud said.

Daud said his wife is from Pomeroy, Wash., and that she didn't like living in the western part of the state.

"She couldn't stand Olympia," Daud said. "There's trees all over and you can't see the sky. Here you can see forever."

In 1975, Daud and his wife decided to return to Pullman. Daud wanted to start his own architectural/engineering firm, but there was a housing slump in Pullman and starting his own company was a gamble.

"I told my wife we had enough money for three months," Daud said. "I was at home working out of my garage."

Daud said he believes his company was the first in Pullman to provide civil engineering, architectural design and surveying services.

"Before that, people had to go to Moscow or Lewiston or Spokane," Daud said.

Daud said he didn't have to wait long for his first job. Daud's architectural design specialty is apartment buildings and Dr. Wenzel Leff, a local physician and developer, hired him to do design work for the Earthtone Court subdivision on Bishop Boulevard.

"He's got great integrity," Leff said of Daud. "He's thorough. He's a good friend and he's just an all-around nice guy. I've never felt the need to go elsewhere."

In time, Daud's business grew to include a small team of engineers and surveyors, but he made a conscious choice to keep his firm small.

"The maximum size was seven people," Daud said. "Now we maintain four only."

Daud said keeping the company small allows them to remain a hometown business.

"We find if we grow, we have to go further for our projects. With four of us, we stay within reach," Daud said. "It's better to stay small and stay local."

Daud's firm is no longer the only architectural/engineering firm in town, but the company stays competitive by using GPS surveying.

"We became more efficient," Daud said. "(GPS) gives you very accurate elevations and locations. It gives us an edge over our competition."

Another advantage that has kept Daud in business for 30 years is providing a full range of services to his clients.

"We do everything here," Daud said. "We do land surveying, civil engineering, architecture, land testing. We don't like doing them all, but you have to in a small community."

Daud said upcoming projects for the company include engineering, site planning and design work for a Wawawai subdivision, an apartment building and a gas station on Bishop Boulevard and a restaurant next to the Village Centre Cinemas movie theater.

Daud and his associates each specialize in their own fields. Bob Murtha has worked with the firm since 1978 as a land surveyor specializing in property surveys.

"That's my specialty and my love," Murtha said.

Daud said each member of the firm having their own niche has helped maintain a good working relationship over the years.

"It's really unusual for the three of us to stay together for 30 years," Daud said.

 

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Janet LaVerne Daud, 73, of Pullman

 

10/23/2018 Kimball Funeral Home, Pullman

Surrounded by her family, Janet LaVerne Daud (formerly Bye), 73, of Pullman, passed away at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. As with everything in her life, she was upbeat and positive throughout her more than two-year battle with cholangiocarcinoma cancer.

Janet was born Aug. 6, 1945, to Harold Vernon Bye and Olive Marian Gaines. She came into this world while it entered a more peaceful time as the United States ended the war against Japan. Janet lived with love and compassion for all throughout her life. Her childhood years were happy times spent on the family farm in Pomeroy, Wash., where she developed a strong attachment to the land and an appreciation for farm life.

Janet graduated from Pomeroy High School in 1963 and Washington State University with a teaching degree in 1967. It was during her collegiate years that she met and fell in love with a handsome young foreign student from Aleppo, Syria - Munir Abdel-Massih Daud.

Following a year of teaching grade school in Othello, Janet and Munir were married and started their family in Pullman.

Early career choices took them to Tukwila, Wash., where Janet continued teaching and Munir worked for an engineering firm. Later, after spending a short time in Olympia, a strong attraction drew them back to Pullman to lay down their roots. Munir soon established his own engineering firm and the couple began to grow their family. A firstborn, John, was followed by sisters Laila, Nadia and Ranna. Even after their young family began to grow, Janet often lent a helping hand with her husband's business.

As the mother of four, the impact Janet had on her children were endless through her love, compassion, strength and kindness, which helped mold them into who they are today and ultimately led them to the careers they chose. Additionally, she took on the important role of chauffeur, counselor, friend, confidante and second mom to a number of young people in Pullman. The lives she touched had a ripple effect on the Pullman community.

Janet was also a loving grandmother to grandchildren, Iris and Jonah, children of John and his wife, Stephanie. She cherished her time with her grandchildren.

As a wife, Janet fully embraced the culture and traditions of her husband's home country - the food, celebrations and music all became her own, which she joyfully passed on to her children. She also loved having a diverse group of friends with unique backgrounds.

Janet took full advantage of the connections to family members in the Middle East, which offered many opportunities for travel. She was thrilled by her visits to Lebanon, Syria and United Arab Emirates. She also had a strong connection to and affinity for Durango, Colo., where her mother was originally from. She loved her visits to Ouray and Durango and was fortunate to have spent her final trip there.

In August, Janet and Munir celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and were honored by their many friends and family from around the world. The couple was moved by the outpouring of affection by those who had been part of their lives.

Janet is survived by her husband, Munir, and her four children, John (Stephanie), Laila, Nadia and Ranna, and two grandchildren. She also leaves behind her sister, Diane, and her brother, Gary (Kayleen), and numerous nieces and nephews, both locally and around the world.

A memorial service for Janet celebrating her life is planned for 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Simpson United Methodist Church (325 NE Maple St., Pullman, WA 99163). Kimball Funeral Home of Pullman is caring for the family. In lieu of flowers, please consider making donations to The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation: https://cholangiocarcinoma.org/. Online condolences may be sent to www.kimballfh.com.

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Munir Daud, founder of Munir Daud & Associates in Pullman killed in crash

May 1, 2023 Evan Ellis News Pullman Radio News, Pullman, Wash.

80-year-old Munir Daud of Pullman died in a one vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 195 South of Uniontown Sunday night.

The Washington State Patrol reports that the crash occurred near the state line around 7:15. Daud was driving an SUV Northbound when he veered off the highway and down a steep embankment. Daud died at the scene. The crash is still under investigation.

Daud founded Munir Daud & Associates in Pullman in the early 1970’s. The firm includes engineers, architects and surveyors.

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Little girl inside Community Band of the Palouse music at Pullman 4th of July 2022. Sunnyside Park. (Sue Hinz video)

Little girl inside Community Band of the Palouse music at Pullman 4th of July 2022. Sunnyside Park. (Sue Hinz video) 

 

https://youtu.be/tAJ9H3UBBBw

Congratulations to Sue Hinz, Pullman Regional Hospital Auxiliary 2021 'Member of the Year'

 From Pullman Regional Hospital 11/10/2022

Congratulations to Sue Hinz, Pullman Regional Hospital Auxiliary 2021 'Member of the Year' .....

Sue's been a member of the Auxiliary since 1973 and has served on the Auxiliary board as the Newsletter Editor and Event Photographer since 2014. Sue is active in Auxiliary events like the annual Holiday Tea, Christmas Tree Raffle and Fall Luncheon, as well as with recruitment and membership. Her enthusiasm and love for Pullman Regional Hospital and the Pullman community make her a valued member of the Auxiliary and more than deserving of this award!

Here's to Sue- thank you for your dedication to our hospital and community.