We are excited to announce Dawn Freeman, Instruction and Classroom Support Tech in the College of Arts and Sciences at WSU Vancouver, as a Crimson Spirit Award recipient.

According to Dawn’s Nominator, Dawn has done an outstanding job caring for the exotic corpse flower which is famous on the WSU Vancouver Campus. Dawn took over the plant from Prof. Steve Sylvester, who originally propagated it, when he retired. In its most recent bloom in June 2023, Dawn “performed outstanding service to WSU, the campus, and the community by acting as the primary docent for the public viewing, which brought almost five thousand people to campus.” At the event, Dawn told the story of the plant to visitors with a friendly manner.

Her nominator also says, in addition to her interactions with the public, Dawn undertook the delicate actions needed to pollinate the plant. She is in contact with the national corpse flower propagation community and is keeping records of pollination to help contribute to the genetic diversity of the endangered species. Dawn’s nominator finishes by saying, “In both caring for the plant itself, and in helping educate the public, Dawn has gone above and beyond. She is well deserving of this recognition.”

Dawn is being recognized for her expressed genuine interest in her work, providing superior quality service, presenting noteworthy extra effort, and providing outstanding contributions to the WSU Community.