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Whitworth to honor former trustee Carol Wendle with Distinguished Community Service Award

March 17, 2015

Whitworth University will formally recognize former trustee Carol Wendle for decades of exemplary service to the Spokane community in a special ceremony April 27.

Wendle has been instrumental in a wide range of community and volunteer initiatives for over 40 years in Spokane, generally related to education and in support of children and youth. She served on the Spokane Public Schools board for 11 years; was a founding member of Spokane’s Chase Youth Commission; was a member of Whitworth’s board of trustees and served as its vice chair; and served with the Joint Center for Higher Education, a position appointed by the governor of Washington state. Wendle currently serves as a trustee for the Hutton Settlement, a role she has held since 1974.

She is a recipient of the YWCA Woman of Achievement for Education Award, the PTA Outstanding Service Award, and the Golden Acorn PTA Award.

“Carol is a grace-filled model for community activism and has always demonstrated an optimistic and empowering approach in her work with others,” says Dolores Humiston, associate vice president of human resources at Whitworth, who nominated Wendle to be formally honored by the university. “Carol consistently demonstrates and models the values of Christian love, hope, joy and grace, often in a time when these attributes are not always present in the public life of a community.”

Wendle holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Idaho and a teaching certificate from Eastern Washington University. She and her spouse, Dick, are the owners of Wendle Motors of Spokane. Prior to her role at the family-owned auto dealership, she worked as an elementary school teacher.

Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The university, which has an enrollment of nearly 3,000 students, offers 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Contacts:

Gretchen Cleveland, executive assistant to the provost, Whitworth University, (509) 777-3702 or gcleveland@whitworth.edu.

Lucas Beechinor, media relations manager, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or lbeechinor@whitworth.edu.