Ledger

Issue date: 6/2/06 Section: Arts & Entertainment

At this moment in history, the University of Washington, Tacoma is ushering out the last students who'll be able to say, "I went there when it was an upper-level school." I had an opportunity to talk with the first of an era, a guy who remembers our beginnings from the standpoint of "student."

We meet at his bar one morning -- Magoo's Annex in North Tacoma, (2710 N 21st St., (253) 759-0467) and we have a nice chat, no booze. The atmosphere seems odd to me. By the light of day, it's darker inside than it is outside, except for shafts of light sneaking in to strike the pool table. The cigarette machine asks for seven dollars, and I ask Carl if he remembers the days when they were two dollars.

He laughs. "I remember when they were seventy cents!" And he continues to tell me stories of the not-so-distant past.

Carl Chalker showed up to register at the UWT campus the first day they opened for registration.

"There might have been one guy in front of me, I think it was 1989," he recollects.

At that time the whole campus was housed in the Perkins Building, 11th and A Streets.
"It was vastly substandard, but it had its charm," Chalker said. And he knew substandard, from working as a residential home inspector by day. "Classrooms were very small," he continued, "but that was good because it meant classes were small. It wasn't uncommon to have only eight or ten people in your classes."

At the time, the only degrees UWT offered were American Studies and International Interactions, "so everybody knew everybody," he explained. "The faculty was almost larger [in number] than the student body."

Michael Kalton, Dave Morris, and Sam Parker are among the professors Chalker remembers fondly for lessons that are still clear.

"I enjoyed all the professors I had. The education I received from UWT was the best. The critical thinking skills and cross-cultural understanding are applicable in any field."

Prior to his UWT education, Chalker was doing the "west coast buffet tour of higher education." He'd attended several prestigious schools. The one immediately prior to UWT was Reed College, in Portland, known for its high standards in academics.

"UWT was not second to that school in any academics," he attested emphatically.

After graduating, Carl experimented with careers that "fit." At one point, he was working at a tool shop pushing a broom. He went on to become half-owner of that company. He was also living about two blocks from Magoo's.

"When I was going to UWT, this wasn't the ideal place to be. It was kind of a tough crowd." His friend purchased, remodeled and reopened the place in 1998. Carl chuckles here.

"Talking about firsts, I was the first customer when it reopened." He grins widely as he draws my attention to the dollar bill framed behind the till.

When Carl's buddy put Magoo's up for sale in 2001, Carl bought it from him.

"And that's what I'm doing now. I have the greatest staff in the world-everybody's pretty happy. I'll probably retire from doing this."

Based on Magoo's, what he's doing, he does well.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools