It all started with a slide rule.
In the fall of 1965, during Cheryl Wright’s first week at the University of Washington, she went to Suzzallo Library to complete a chemistry assignment. She needed help with a math problem and saw a boy across the reading room who had a slide rule — an analog calculator. The young pharmacy student who helped her that day was Raymond Wilson. Together the couple, who go by Cherie and Ray, did far more than solve a mathematical equation — they married and formed a bond that’s lasted more than six decades.
Cherie and Ray, both members of the Class of 1969, went on to have successful academic and professional careers. Over the years, their connections to the UW have deepened. They have supported scholarships, created alumni communities, built friendships and professional relationships, and cheered for Husky athletics, including the volleyball, basketball and football teams.
Now, the Wilsons have made a bequest of more than $8 million to be shared among the College of Education, the School of Pharmacy and UW Medicine’s BRaIN Laboratory. Bequests allow donors to direct their assets to causes after their death. The bequest brings the Wilsons’ total giving to more than $10 million and they now will be recognized by the UW as Presidential Laureates.
“This remarkable bequest reflects not only Cherie and Ray Wilson’s generosity, but a lifetime of connection to the University of Washington. It represents an enduring relationship grounded in gratitude, trust and a shared belief in the power of education and discovery,” said UW President Robert J. Jones. “From their earliest days as students to this extraordinary commitment, they have invested in people, ideas and communities across our university. Cherie and Ray’s impact will be felt for generations, expanding opportunity for students and advancing research that improves lives.”
After graduating from the UW, both Cherie and Ray attended the University of Kansas, where Cherie earned a master’s degree in early childhood development and Ray earned his doctorate in medicinal chemistry. They both earned medical degrees from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University, respectively.
Cherie and Ray wanted to return to Washington state and eventually settled near Seattle, where Cherie worked as a pediatrician at Seattle Children’s and in private practice in Bellevue. Ray set up a gastroenterology practice at the Everett Clinic. Their career success enabled them to give back to the community in several ways, including philanthropically, with several gifts supporting the UW. For Ray, who was able to attend the UW thanks to scholarships, supporting students today is a way to pay it forward.
“Our giving is out of gratitude for what the University did for us,” Ray said. “It certainly helped me when I didn’t have a lot of money. It’s a privilege to try and help other students who might be struggling to get through school.”
College of Education
Ray was inspired to create an endowed scholarship fund at the College of Education more than a decade ago to support master’s level teacher training for Native Americans. It was a way to honor his high school baseball and basketball coach, Dan Iyall. Iyall, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, reached legendary status as a pioneer in Washington high school athletics.
Iyall worked for nearly 50 years in education and is a member of the Washington Baseball Hall of Fame. He created the Washington high school baseball championships and is credited with developing a new style of bunting. He coached championship-level teams from four different high schools across Eastern Washington: Coulee City, Deer Park, Oroville and University. He also took a team from Oroville to the Washington State A boys basketball championship.
Wilson said Iyall’s presence reinforced the importance of inclusivity.
“Eventually, I decided we need more people like Dan Iyall,” Wilson said. “We need more teachers like that.”
The bequest will grow the Dan Iyall Native American Support Fund by more than 300%. Thanks to the fund, more than a dozen Native American fellows have earned their master’s in teaching. Now, the College will be able to award more fellowships each year.
The Wilsons are also creating the Dean Mia Tuan Endowed Professorship, to recognize Tuan’s leadership and long-standing emphasis on authentic, reciprocal community partnerships and culturally informed problem solving. The new endowment will allow the College to recruit and retain faculty specializing in community- and equity-based education.
“Ray and Cherie are extraordinary people whose generosity reflects a deep commitment to strengthening our communities,” Tuan said. “Their gift will support Native students in becoming teachers while helping diversify Washington’s educator workforce. I am also deeply moved that their gift will establish an endowed professorship dedicated to authentic community partnerships and culturally grounded problem solving.”
School of Pharmacy
Several decades after Ray received financial assistance to attend the UW School of Pharmacy, he teamed up with classmates and launched the Class of 1969 Scholarship Fund. Set up in the 2000s, it was the first School of Pharmacy alumni class to create a fund to help students.
“I came from a small town in Eastern Washington with almost no money, and yet, the University provided me with scholarships and completely covered my tuition,” Ray said.
Wendel L. Nelson, a professor and pioneer in medicinal chemistry, recognized Ray’s talents early on and hired him to work in a lab. The research helped Ray advance his career, and the extra money helped pay for food and housing. More than that, the combination of scholarships and laboratory work enabled Ray to graduate debt-free.
With this bequest, the Wilsons’ generosity supports two additional funds in the School of Pharmacy: The Wendel L. Nelson Endowment in Medicinal Chemistry, named for Ray’s mentor, will support graduate students involved in basic laboratory research in medicinal chemistry. The gift also adds to the Nelson-Mendenhall Summer Scholars Program Fund, which brings undergraduates to the UW School of Pharmacy for a 10-week intensive in pharmaceutical sciences.
“From their longstanding financial support to their ongoing participation in School events, to Ray’s past volunteer leadership, Ray and Cherie have already contributed so much to our School of Pharmacy community, and they have done so with a genuine desire to help students and the School thrive,” said School of Pharmacy Dean Jay Panyam. “The Wilsons’ estate commitment is yet another example of their incredible generosity, and I know it will have a significant and lasting impact for our students.”
UW Biorepository and Integrated Neuropathology (BRaIN) Laboratory in the UW School of Medicine
The Wilsons’ bequest contributes additional funds to the BRaIN Laboratory, part of UW Medicine’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology.
Researchers at the BRaIN Lab are studying normal brain anatomy and function and how these change in injury and disease, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy .
Cherie and Ray were introduced to the BRaIN Lab’s groundbreaking research by their former neighbors, Linda and Bob Dahl, whose son, Matthew Dahl, was one of their favorite neighborhood kids. When he died at 24, they were moved to learn about the BRaIN Lab, where Bob and Linda had donated his brain for research and to understand the impact of a childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI). The examination determined that Matt’s childhood TBI had evolved, rather than resolved. The outcome — Matt’s brain showed significant damage — highlighted the importance of such donations and moved the Wilsons to make meaningful philanthropic contributions to the lab.
Cherie said she’s hopeful the BRaIN Lab’s work may lead to treatments that could result in better long-term outcomes for patients.
“Some of these problems are going to be solved,” Cherie said. “Just becoming aware of chronic head injury and the effect on kids is really, really important.”
The BRaIN lab is a global leader in neurological research on many topics, including TBI. With this bequest, the Wilsons support the intersection of pharmaceutical research and brain injury and disease.
“Ray and Cherie’s engagement and generosity will continue to help the BRaIN Lab become a national model for neuropathology research. This generous gift will accelerate our work to better understand the mechanisms of brain injury and disease and to support the development of new strategies for diagnosis, treatment and prevention,” said Dr. Caitlin S. Latimer, director of both the Division of Neuropathology and the BRaIN Lab.