Best of 1990-95 - The following 11 feature articles are my favorites over the first six years of Columns' publication, 1990-1995. They are also our readers' favorites, since many callers have asked for reprints. Some pieces have even won awards from the Society for Professional Journalists, the Washington Press Association and the Council for Support and Advancement of Education (CASE). Since these are from back issues, some are text-only files. They are listed in alphabetical order.

Calling the Shots: Alumnus of the Year Dr. William Foege, from the June 1994 issue. We can thank this UW grad--among others--for banishing smallpox from the Earth. Dr. Foege also ran the Center for Disease Control during the first outbreaks of AIDS and later headed the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta. By Columns Editor Tom Griffin

Centennial, from the September 1995 issue. How fate, visionaries and boosters transformed logged-over land into the most beautiful campus in the nation By Columns Editor Tom Griffin with many superb photos of campus over its 100-year history.

The Day They Sold the "U"--The UW's Impact on Our Economy, from the December 1994 issue. A fable describes what would happen if the University of Washington was suddenly sold to British Columbia. At least two of our readers thought the story was real. By Columns Editor Tom Griffin

The Fall (and Rise?) of the Ave., from the December 1995 issue. Columns Associate Editor Jon Marmor looks at the decline of the Ave. and what the UW and the community are doing about it. This story prompted a record number of letters to the editor.

A Fault Runs Through It: New Earthquake Dangers for the Northwest; from the March 1993 issue. An award-winning article by former UW News and Information Writer Bill Cannon on the discovery of the Seattle Fault.

Honor House or Animal House? from the June 1993 issue. After a student lost her eye during a Greek Row brawl, the UW imposed strict rules on fraternities and sororities. By retired Columns Associate Editor Jean Reichenbach.

A Life Sentence: One Cancer Survivor's Story, from the December 1993 issue. A first-person account of a battle with ovarian cancer by former Columns Associate Editor Jean Reichenbach. (Update: Seven years after her initial operation, Reichenbach is still in remission, one of the lucky survivors of this often fatal cancer)

In Living Color: African-American Alumni Remember, from the June 1994 issue. Six black alumni from six decades recall the good times--and the bad times--they lived through as UW students. Many stories are not sugar-coated, yet all alumni say they would send their own children back to their alma mater. By Columns Associate Editor Jon Marmor.

In the Line of Fire: Public Health and the Violence Epidemic, from the June 1994 issue. A variety of UW experts at Harborview Medical Center say public health practices may be the key to stopping the surge in violence. We got many angry letters in reaction to this piece. By Larry Zalin of Harborview News and Community Relations.

Trouble in Timber Town, from the December 1990 issue. A way of life is being torn up by its roots as the rest of the nation vilifies logging practices, says one UW forestry expert. Lots of readers commented on both side of this issue. By UW News and Information Writer Sandra Hines.

Zoller's Gift, from the September 1991 issue. It reads like a Hollywood screenplay, but this is the true story of a UW chemistry professor whose brain injury forced him to start his life over. By former UW News and Information Writer Bill Cannon.

Send a letter to the editor at columns@u.washington.edu.