WEST SEATTLE HIGH SCHOOL

Past Luncheons		    
         
   

Below is a selection of some of our recent Monogram Club luncheons held at the West Seattle Golf Course clubhouse. 

   
   

The Monogram Club's Hall of Fame was the Main Topic at our June 2026 Luncheon

At our June luncheon we  enjoyed a retrospective look back at two of the greatest athletes in West Seattle history.  Their names may not have graced the Metro League record books, but their exploits as two of the world's premier mountaineers for decades made them world famous.

We enjoyed the food, fellowship, and a look back at the lives and accomplishments of twins Lou (1929-2024) and Jim

Whittaker (2029-2026), alumni from the West Seattle High School class of 1947.  Other current and possible future Hall of Fame inductees were also featured.

  

Also at our June meeting, we remembered and recognize Richard ("Dick") J. Barnecut (1926-2020) from the class of '44.  Member of the 1943 Metro League championship baseball team, WWII veteran, businessman and West Seattle school and community leader, Dick Barnecut was one of the strongest supporters of our West Side High.

And this June 6th at the All School Reunion, he was inducted into the West Seattle Alumni Association Hall of Fame.  His Hall of Fame induction made him automatically the next member of our own Monogram Club Hall of Fame.

    
   

Tim Morgan '71 was Our Featured Speaker on December 4, 2025

On a rainy Thursday, the Clubhouse chef treated us to a great build-your-own taco bowl meal.

Where are the athletes from the classes of 1974 to 1983?  New members Joann Fukuma and Mark Zoffel from the class of '84 joined us.

Football and Tennis letterman and successful aerospace executive Tim Morgan '71, described an eventful life and overcoming surgeries and setbacks.

    
   

October 2, 2025, New Club Officers
Take Charge

New Club President Randy Sleight is pictured here with President Emeritus Ted Foss.

Vice President Nancy Rutherford Sleight continued her assistance conducting the raffle.  Secretary Dick Sleight introduced the new club web site to the gathered members.

Club Treasurer Don Conner gave his report on the financial fitness of the club.

The West Seattle Golf Course "Fox Den Grill" provided a surprise four course meal that featured breaded prawns as the main course.

Members reminisced about the high points of their athletic careers at West Seattle.

 		    
   
 

June 6, 2024, Our Annual Scholarship Awards Luncheon

Our June luncheon often includes the latest scholarship class to receive their award certificates and to learn about the Monogram Club.  The thirteen 2024 scholar-athletes are pictured here.

Corey Sorenson, West Seattle's Athletic Director, once again presented his update on the athletic program's growing success.

 

The Club Remembers December 7, 1941  

Our luncheon in December 2023 fell on the 7th, so we took that opportunity to recognize and honor the club members who were also military service members and members who had served and were no longer with us.  Club President Ted Foss, himself a retired U.S. Marine, surprised us all by paying for all our meals, the drinks, and our elegant dessert.

Ted told us younger fellows what Seattle was like during WW II and what it was like the day victory was declared over Japan marking the end of the war.  Others recounted their own military service or that of their fathers.

Attendance was low due to the heavy rain that day, but the class of '73 managed to have four members present.  Russ Schriock, '73 (Wrestling), even made the trip up from Vancouver, WA to attend.

UW and NFL Veteran Damon Huard Shares the Inside Scoop at Our August 3, 2023 Luncheon

Twelve-year NFL veteran and ambassador for the University of Washington athletic program Damon Huard was our invited guest at our first Monogram Club lunch of the 2023-24 school year.

Yes, we got to admire the two Super Bowl rings quarterback Huard earned with the New England Patriots in the 2002 and 2004 championship games, "holding the clip board for Tom Brady."  But we also enjoyed a wide-ranging discussion on all things sporting at the high school, college, and pro levels.

The Club members enjoyed the discussion and Q&A time.  Many stories and insider insights were shared.  Like the time in 2000, when Damon and brother Brock (710 AM ESPN Seattle sports talk host) became the first set of brothers in NFL history to start on the same Sunday, Damon leading the Miami Dolphins with a win against the Indianapolis Colts and Brock quarterbacking the Seattle Seahawks against the Denver Broncos.  Our lively discussion ranged from UW coach Don James to PAC-12 realignment issues, to praising the coaching of Bill Belichick, NIL money for athletes, and much, much more. 

Kudos to club president Ted Foss for inviting such a fascinating and well-connected guest.
 

                


Snowed out in December, We Took a Club Photo in February 2023

 

 

 




 

Club members at our February, 2, 2023 luncheon.                                                            Photo courtesy of SL8.com Front Row (left to right) Randy Sleight, Ted Foss, Bob Hurst, Nancy Sleight, Mike Aiken, John Norden, Dick Sleight Back Row (left to right) Graham Haight, Wayne Smith, Steve Palmer, Mark Van Antwerp, John Herron, Gary Drobnack, Harald Sund, Kerry Tupper.

 		 

The Sleight family featured at the  December 2, 2021 Luncheon

The COVID pandemic delayed this meeting that was first scheduled for March 2020.   Club President Ted Foss read the names of many of the club members who had passed on over the twenty-one months since our last meeting.

In recent years, the membership rules were changed to allow folks to join who had earned their varsity letters 40 years ago instead of 50 years .  Our featured speaker, Dr. Dick Sleight, earned his first varsity letter in Track and Field as a sophomore in 1971, 50 years ago.

Dick spoke about the athletic opportunities the Sleight kids had growing up near Lincoln Park.   He shared about older brother Don (1942-2024) who captained the West Seattle High School Ski Team for three years, during which time the team won the Seattle City Ski Championship each year.  Don was also a varsity letter winner in Tennis. 

Brother Randy, an all-around athlete in whose shadow Dick labored, lettered in Cross Country, Soccer, and Tennis. 

Dick read the citation about twin sister Laurie's letterman's sweater that is now property of Seattle's Museum of History and Industry.  Title IX, the federal civil rights law, was passed the summer before her senior year. Laurie lettered in Swimming and Tennis and was voted "Best Female Athlete" by their 1973 senior class. 

And Dick outlined his own athletic success, lettering in Track & Field ('71, '72, '73), Cross Country ('71, '72), and Swimming ('73).   He was voted Captain and Most Inspirational of the '72 Cross Country team, where he finished 2nd in the Metro League Southern Division, and Captain of the Track team where he finished 4th in the 2-mile run in the Metro League championships.