1. William Francis Unsoeld was an American mountaineer who was a member of the first American expedition to summit Mount Everest.
13 Facts About Willi Unsoeld
1. 2.
Willi Unsoeld received his bachelor's degree in physics from Oregon State College in 1951, and studied at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Washington.
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Willi Unsoeld helped to create the OSC Mountain Club during his time at Oregon State University.
4.
Willi Unsoeld taught religious studies at Oregon State in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
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Willi Unsoeld was highlighted prominently in the first recruiting video in 1971, advising that "not every student should come to Evergreen".
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Willi Unsoeld married Jolene Bishoprick Willi Unsoeld in 1951; they had two daughters and two sons.
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Jolene Willi Unsoeld passed away in November, 2021, and their two sons, Krag and Regon, reside in Olympia, Washington.
8.
Jolene Willi Unsoeld served three terms in the US Congress from 1989 to 1995.
9.
Willi Unsoeld died in an avalanche during an Outdoor Education Winter Expedition climb of Mount Rainier on March 4,1979, at the age of 52.
10.
Willi Unsoeld was leading over a dozen students from The Evergreen State College on an ascent of Mount Rainier at the time.
11.
Willi Unsoeld died during the descent from their high camp in Cadaver Gap along with one student, Janie Diepenbrock from Sacramento, California.
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Willi Unsoeld's philosophy focused on experiencing the sacred in nature, the importance of risk in education, and getting personal experience rather than relying on the experiences of others.
13.
Evergreen's annual Willi Unsoeld Seminar is held as a living memorial to Unsoeld as a mountaineer, a philosopher and a theologian.