Huskies envision big things from Gilby Scholarship winner Carolyn Gravelle

Carolyn Gravelle, one of the first recipients of the Keith Gilbertson Sr. Memorial Scholarship at Snohomish High School,  has made a quick impression as a freshman walk-on hammer and weight thrower for the University of Washington track team. The 2012 SHS co-valedictorian received an academic scholarship from Washington and was also one of the first two recipients of the Gilby …

Snohomish High School pays homage to ‘Greatest Panther Ever’

SNOHOMISH – Tom Cable gazed long and hard at the bronze bust of Keith Gilbertson Sr. before finally saying, “That’s my Coach.” The Seattle Seahawks coach and former Snohomish High football great joined the Gilbertson family and several hundred Panther fans,  including a host of other former SHS athletes back at their alma mater on Friday night Jan. 18, 2013, …

Even in drivers education, Coach Gilbertson found new ways to motivate students

Mr. Gilbertson was well-known to innovate from the conventional in order to provide an opportuity for his students to improve their performance. Here is a story about Mr. Gilbertson innovating in the classroom as a young teacher. Keith Gilbertson was my driving instructor when I was a junior in Snohomish High School.  We drove new Ford straight stick sedans from …

Dedication set for Coach Gilbertson memorial

The following press release went out today to local media outlets: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 3, 2012 CONTACT:  Michael Edwards at the Snohomish Education Foundation: 206-940-5552 or michael@snoed.org. The date is set for formal dedication of the newly installed bronze bust of Snohomish coaching icon Keith Gilbertson Sr. at Snohomish High School. It will take place Friday, Jan. 18, 2013, …

Snohomish girls embrace Gilbertson legacy; former Panther greats salute coach in video

  About a year ago, head coach Ken Roberts’ 2011-12 Snohomish High girls basketball players adopted the season slogan “Leaving a Legacy” in memory of Keith Gilbertson Sr., who had died nine months earlier at age 83 in his 61st consecutive year as an SHS coach. To mark the dedication at their home opener, the Panthers wore and distributed t-shirts …

Coach Cable asks you to support Keith Gilbertson Sr.’s scholarship

Currently the offensive line coach and assistant head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, SHS football great Tom Cable recently taped this appeal for your support of the Keith Gilbertson Sr. Memorial Scholarship at the Seahawks training facility in Renton. He is a former NFL head coach with the Oakland Raiders and a former college head coach at Idaho, where he …

Word play on Gilby and Grantland Rice

A recent blog posting by Snohomish writer Keith Olson likens the coaching legacy of Keith Gilbertson Sr. to the themes portrayed in the classic 1914 sports poem “Alumnus Football” by Grantland Rice.  Gilby was the Panthers backfield coach when Olson played football at Snohomish High in the late 1960s. Check out A Life Well Played on Olson’s blog at  RansomMan.com.

Gilbertson bust on display; formal dedication set for Jan. 18

The bronze bust  of Keith Gilbertson Sr. has been installed at Snohomish High School to help jump-start a second phase of fundraising to permanently endow a memorial scholarship honoring the Panther coaching icon. Coach Gilbertson, a 1945 SHS graduate, was a teacher for 31 years and coached for 61 years at his alma mater, including the last 30 as an …

Coach Dan Dittmer will “never forget” one of Mr. Gilbertson’s letters

Coach Gilbertson was well known for his prolific letter-writing. It was how he kept in touch. From thanking people to congratulating them to encouraging them, he wrote a lot of letters. Here is a story from a reader whose life was forever changed by one of those letters: Mr. Gilbertson had graduated a year after my mother and a year …

Armstrong Golf Tournament draws biggest field ever

The seventh-annual Armstrong Memorial Golf Tournament drew its biggest field ever, with 123 golfers taking part in the Aug. 17 event at Snohomish Public Golf Course to help secure the continued presence of the Coach Armstrong Memorial Scholarship at Snohomish and Glacier Peak high schools. Armstrong, who died in 1999, compiled a legendary career at Snohomish High, where he was …

Gilbertson bust near completion

Coach is at the foundry for final casting, and fans are fired up to see the bronze bust commissioned by family and friends to honor the memory of longtime Snohomish High School coach Keith Gilbertson Sr. Gilbertson, who died in 2011 at the age of 83, spent 61 years as an inspirational teacher, coach, and role model at his alma …

Gravelle, Caldwell earn first Gilby scholarships

It’s hard to think the old coach would be anything but pleased with the selection of Carolyn Gravelle and Darian Caldwell as the first recipients of the Keith Gilbertson Sr. Memorial Scholarship at Snohomish High School. The two 2012 SHS graduates, both stellar scholars and athletes coached by Gilbertson before his death in 2011, share lofty aspirations as they independently …

Snohomish Education Foundation Donors Contribute $47,000+ at this year’s Annual Breakfast for Snohomish Students

On Thursday, March 15th nearly 400 community members gathered at Glacier Peak High School to raise money for Snohomish School District students.  The generosity of donors at the event provided the Snohomish Education Foundation (SEF) with funding to continue its mission of fostering learning by expanding opportunities for Snohomish School District students.  SEF provides classroom grants, scholarships and other targeted …

Classic views of Keith Gilbertson Sr. in the regional sports press

Several splendid newspaper articles have focused on Keith Gilbertson Sr. over the final decade of his 61-year coaching career at Snohomish. Coach Gilbertson died in February of 2011 at age 83, ending a legendary career at his high school alma mater. Among the best reads readily assessible on the Internet are a pair of Daily Herald articles written by sports …

Gilbertson left lasting impression on SHS hoops legend

The following is a Gilby rememberance from Snohomish basketball legend Melina Flores, who was an SHS senior during the 1995-96 season, when Keith Gilbertson Sr. made the transition to coaching Panther girls basketball after more than 30 years of coaching the boys team. Flores is currently an assistant coach at Princeton after a stellar collegiate career as a point guard …

Live Auction Sneak Preview!

Less than a week to go!  Our talented live auction committeee put together some really amazing items this year ! Of the 34 items up for bid , 19 are brand new experiences, many of which you won’t see anywhere else. Check out a listing of our live auction items here and plan your bidding strategy with your family and …

Championship XC coach recalls Gilbertson’s impact in early years

The following is a Gilby rememberance from former Snohomish High cross country coach Dan Parker, currently the XC coach at Glacier Peak High. A 1970 SHS grad and three-year track/cross country letterman under coach Larry Eason, Parker coached the Panther girls XC teams to four state team titles in 1995, 1996, 2002 and 2003 before moving to Glacier Peak when …

SHS fitness center renamed in honor of Keith Gilbertson Sr.

Thousands of Snohomish High School students and athletes will long remember their association with Keith Gilbertson Sr., and thanks to an action by the Snohomish School Board, thousands more will be linked to the legendary high school coach and educator. The school’s one-year-old sports and fitness center has been renamed in honor of Gilbertson, who died in February at age …

Live Auction Preview! Lakeside Afternoon of Relaxation for 8

Up for bid at our Annual Auction October 15th, the “Lakeside Afternoon for 8″ provides a break from it all with feasting and relaxation. Sit shore-side at Flowing Lake, sipping beverages on the sprawling decks of this 10,000-square-foot chateau. Watch water sports—or enjoy them yourself. Chef Jorge Gonzalez and his team from Pallino Woodinville will prepare award-winning paella, exquisite hors d’oeuvres, and one-of-a-kind libations for you …

Gilby teacher (SHS photo)

Coach Gilbertson as inspirational in classroom as on the athletic field

You’d have to be in your mid-40s at least if you can remember having Keith Gilbertson Sr. as a teacher at Snohomish High School. And you’ll find others in their mid-70s who sat in his class as early as the sixth grade before the longtime SHS coach and educator settled into his familiar niche as a popular and talented ninth-grade …

Gilby still teaching us, Marsh says of Snohomish coaching icon

Coach Keith Gilbertson Sr. “is still teaching us,” reflects Snohomish football great Curt Marsh while sharing a story about the drive home following his eulogy of the Snohomish High School coaching legend in 2011 during a community memorial service in the SHS gym. Marsh shared this and other thoughts about Coach Gilbertson during a video session for the Snohomish Education Foundation’s ongoing …

1999-2000 SHS girls (WIAA photo)

Coaching girls basketball a bliss for Gilbertson in his later years

Girls basketball was a whole new ballgame for Keith Gilbertson, but it soon became a bliss. If he were considering retirement as an SHS volunteer coach, that option was never more open to him than in the 1995-96 school year as Snohomish introduced new head coaches in both football and boys basketball. In football, Gilby’s transition from Dick Armstrong’s staff …

‘All for You’ is Panthers’ slogan for 2011 football season

It’s two days before the Snohomish Panthers will open their first football season in 47 years without assistant coach Keith Gilbertson Sr. somewhere on the sideline, and the slogan adopted by this year’s senior players is, “All for You.” It’s not entirely about Gilby, who died in February at age 83 after coaching at Snohomish High School for 61 continuous …

Gilbertson stood out on biggest stage of SHS basketball lore

Although he was never a head coach in basketball at Snohomish, Keith Gilbertson Sr. still had a profound effect on Panthers hoops over the past five decades. For 30 years, Gilby coached boys basketball as the junior varsity coach and varsity assistant under head coaches Jack de Kubber, Jim Adams and, for one year, George Fowler (1992). He joined de …

Gilb with Fenney brothers and Emmil

Gilbertson’s SHS football legacy: 389 wins and a lifetime of support

  A desire to coach his own three sons – none of whom fit the runner’s mold — brought Keith Gilbertson Sr. back to Snohomish High football in 1964 as a member of Dick Armstrong’s staff in Armstrong’s second season as head coach of the Panthers. Gilbertson remained with Armstrong for 31 seasons, helping the Panthers win 17 league or …

Blast from the past: Gilbertson fired as football coach

It’s hard to believe these days, but Snohomish coaching icon Keith Gilbertson Sr. was once fired from an SHS coaching job. It happened more than 50 years ago, but the firing and Gilby’s comeback underscore the mettle of a young coach who would go on to earn near-unanimous community and national respect as a mentor, motivator and role model. Fresh …

Gilbertson left a remarkable record as track and cross county coach

    Almost anyone who knew Keith Gilbertson could speak of his prowess as a football and basketball coach. But few might know that he was probably even better as a track and cross country coach. Gilby started coaching track when he was still in college, mentoring a Pullman High team that in the spring of 1950 qualified six athletes …

Eileen and Keith Gilbertson Memorial Endowment Fund

Snohomish Education Foundation is partnering with the Gilbertson family to endow two new Snohomish High School scholarships. If you knew Keith, then you’ll probably enjoy taking a minute to remember him. You can share your thoughts and stories about this inspiring coach by adding comments. Or honor his memory by making a donation to help us permanently endow the scholarships. Learn more.

Bud Rothget photo

Trackmen salute Coach Gilbertson

The following are excerpts from 1993 letters written by track and field persons in support of Keith Gilbertson Sr.’s induction into the Snohomish High School Hall of Fame:   Stan Huntsman, 1988 U.S. Olympic track and field coach and a longtime friend and AAU coaching associate of Coach Gilbertson since the late 1950s, considered Gilby “one of the best athletic coaches in the history …

Another hall pass for Coach Gilbertson

The honors continue for Coach Keith Gilbertson Sr. Despite his many years working in the background as an assistant coach at Snohomish High School, Gilby hardly went unrecognized for his professional excellence. His name appears in no fewer than five halls of fame, the latest being his posthumous inclusion in June among the second group set for induction into the newly …

Farm-to-Table Auction Prize: Redux

Luca loves to cook! Light rain fell amid sparkling sunshine on a typical Northwest evening at Dan and Darlene Huntington’s home,  July 13. Ten guests gathered for a stroll through the Huntingtons’ storybook gardens before enjoying their hard-won Farm-to-Table Dinner prize–a delicious token of their support for student success. Chef Luca Nasti, owner of Luca’s Pizzeria Ristorante in Lake Stevens, cooked a fabulous …

Gilbertson a difference-maker for Panthers, even in his 80s

Never think that Keith Gilbertson Sr. was merely an iconic figure trotted out to provide inspiration to would-be Panthers. Even in his 80s, Gilbertson made significant contributions to the Snohomish High athletic programs he helped coach. Yes, age took a physical toll on him, and he shouldered less of the workload on game nights in recent years. In 2010, he …

Gilbertson all about relationships

  The Postal Service would do well to honor Keith Gilbertson Sr. on a commemorative stamp, simply in recognition of all the postage fees he generated. Throughout his 61-year coaching career at Snohomish, he corresponded regularly with hundreds of coaching colleagues, friends and former students and athletes, many of who became teachers and coaches themselves and viewed him as a …

Keith Gilbertson Sr. Timeline

1927: Born Aug. 20 in Snohomish, second son of Steven and Helen Gilbertson. 1942: Earned first high school letter in spring as ninth-grade tennis player. 1945: Graduated Snohomish High School as four-sport letterman, football captain and two-time Most Inspirational player and entered the U.S. Naval Reserve, serving one year on active duty in the Pacific. 1946: Returned home from the Navy …

"Inspirational" Gilby Won 10 Letters in Four Sports at SHS

While never a pro talent, Keith Gilbertson still has to rank among the best athletes ever produced at Snohomish High School. Among the few four-year letter winners in SHS history, Gilby earned his first “S” as a ninth-grade tennis player in the spring of 1942, advancing to the district singles final, which would remain the high point of his tennis …

Computer Brain

  Gilby remembrance from Dick Rodland, former SHS teammate and longtime teaching and coaching colleague, excerpted from a 1993 letter in support of Keith Gilbertson’s nomination to the Snohomish High School Hall of Fame: In 1944, no one talked about using computers to determine the tendencies of an opposing football team. They didn’t have one? Wrong! The Snohomish Panthers did. …

Congratulations, 2011 SEF Grant Recipients!

You are invited to A CELEBRATION: The annual awarding of Learning Grants from The Snohomish Education Foundation to  66 teachers & staff of the Snohomish School District. 38 grants will be awarded at the Resource & Service Center, FEBRUARY 17, 2011 at 6:00 PM. See what’s being awarded.

Grant Applications Due December 31

Fund innovation in the classroom with a SEF grant! District staff and parent volunteers (with your principal’s authorization),  submit your applications by December 31 to take advantage of this opportunity to enhance your classroom and teaching experience. Last year we underwrote: Library books Day of the Arts event Video recorders/flip camcorders Senteo student response systems Projector microscopes Geography and art supplies Programs for students …

Auction Results!

This year’s Auction raised over $110,000! Thank you to all of our sponsors, friends and community for your wonderful support! Your generous donations will lend directly to our mission of supporting student success—enhancing school programs and classroom environments, and funding continuing education opportunities for Snohomish students. Get more Auction details. New to the Snohomish Education Foundation? Learn about us!

2010 Auction—More Sneak Peeks!

This year’s Auction is going to be fabulous! Live-bid items are streaming in, and they’re incredible. Bid on regional getaways, custom-baked goods, and more. See what it’s all about.  Where do the proceeds go, you ask? Find out here.

School District Shouts Out for SEF

For 25 years, the Snohomish Education Foundation has helped teachers and students reach for their dreams. The Snohomish School District highlights our efforts in its Fall 2010 School Views newsletter. Read the article.

Welcome to the New Snohomish Education Foundation Website!

And welcome to your new SEF community hub! Our goal is to tell the story of who we serve—the students and educators of the Snohomish School District—and our donors. We’ll do this by posting news about our programs and events and their results, and by providing an opportunity for you to participate. Right now we’re working hard preparing for our …