The department mourns the loss of Seattle author and UW history alumnus, Ivan Doig, who passed away April 9th.
Doig was best known for his award-winning novels set in the American West. One of the things that set his work apart was its deep grounding in historical research. This was no accident, for Doig augmented his natural skills with graduate training at the University of Washington, earning a Ph.D. in American history here in 1969. The author would go on to put this education to good use, displaying a rare capacity to interweave fictional characters and plotlines with a meticulous respect for the realities of the past.
Ivan Doig will be missed by many friends in the department and at the university, as well as by his countless avid readers around the world.