Blue, red and yellow beams of light glide in diagonal bars from the staggered panels of a stained-glass window gracing the southeast wall of Whitworth's dining hall. The vibrancy of the window's hues changes from dull to blinding, depending on the time of day. Shifting rays of colors tint the faces of students dining below.
Walter "Spike" Grosvenor, '63, who taught at Whitworth from 1968 through 1999, created the window. "When you're in the room," he says, "imagine you were in a helicopter, hovering right above the cross on the window, looking straight down from the top. There are abstract suggestions in the window, like a crown of thorns."
Grosvenor originated Whitworth's stained-glass program during his 31 years as an art professor, and the HUB window was a parting gift to his alma mater.
During his decades at Whitworth, Grosvenor treated his students with the same compassion and constructive criticism that his Whitworth professors had shown him, always encouraging his students to be inquisitive and open-minded.
"I learn more from my failures," Grosvenor says. "I always taught my students that they would learn more from their mistakes than from the things that fell together perfectly." One of the artistic accomplishments of which he is most proud, Grosvenor says, is the recent installation of several 18' x 5' windows (pictured above) in his home church, Millwood Community Presbyterian, in Spokane. Grosvenor grew up in this neighborhood and watched bricklayers build the church in the 1950s.
Susan Kim, '89, owner of Reflections Stained Glass, in Spokane Valley, and the creator of numerous works for the Davenport Hotel and Tower, collaborated with Grosvenor on the church commission and constructed the windows using Grosvenor's designs. "Spike is one of the greatest men I've ever known," Kim says. "The way he treats people is fabulous, and he's an amazing artist. He's pretty much the reason that I'm doing what I do today."
Grosvenor believes that everyone has the potential for artistic creativity, and he delights in sharing his knowledge with anyone who wants to learn.
"One of the things I always tried to do was to convince my students that even though they didn't have a background in art, they could still do some very nice things," he says. "They just needed to have some confidence. I mean this from the bottom of my heart: I had the best job in the world teaching those fabulous kids." For the complete story, visit
For the complete story, visit Whitworth's student-produced online alumni magazine, Transitions (www.whitworth.edu/transitions).
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