Idaho Examiner: Enriching a Family Legacy"Common Sense News"

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Enriching a Family Legacy

Posted on: May 01, 2008

MOSCOW, Idaho – Families pass down recipes, delicate china patterns, handmade quilts and articles of cherished clothing. Through the generations, both sides of Melissa Newhouse’s family have passed down the traditions and lore of the University of Idaho as if the school’s colors, silver and gold, are interwoven into their DNA.

Newhouse, who hails from Pendleton, Ore., is the 48th member of her family to attend the University of Idaho. She will graduate this month with a bachelor of science degree in accounting from the College of Business and Economics. “I enjoy knowing that I will leave here with the same degree my grandfather did more than 50 years ago,” she said.

And, don’t stop there; the connections go back even farther. “My first relative at the University of Idaho was my great-great grandpa, John Ross Good, around 1908,” explained Newhouse. There’s also great grandpa Robert Earl Newhouse, who was active in various student activities, including student government and athletics. “He was student body president and held a pole-vaulting record on the Vandal track team for several years,” she added.

The Newhouse family – no doubt – enjoys the unequaled student experience at Idaho. “The University has given my family a diverse and successful education,” she said. “In my family, we have lawyers, doctors, accountants, realtors, engineers, business owners and teachers. Being here has allowed my relatives – grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins – to pursue their passions in life and shape the people they are today,” Newhouse added.

Inheriting a love for the University of Idaho is a special gift. “Since I was a little girl, I can remember my parents bringing my sister and me to the University of Idaho, and taking our picture on the ‘I’ Bench,” she said.

The “I” Bench on the Moscow campus is a university landmark in front of the Administration Building that has served as a central setting for socializing among students.

As a graduating senior, Newhouse can perch on the “I” bench herself and reminisce about the memories she’s made at Idaho. “I love that on a daily basis I can meet other people who have family members that have graduated from the University of Idaho, and know that they also are living the college experience they’ve heard about,” she said.

During her time at Idaho, Newhouse has followed in her family members’ footsteps by getting involved in campus traditions and activities, including the Student Alumni Relations Board – a definite highlight. “I get to spend time with alumni and hear their stories, and think about how this campus has changed but, at the same time, has stayed the same,” she said.

Upon her official arrival as a University of Idaho student, Newhouse recalls a visit to the alumni office to peruse the library of yearbooks from days gone by. Of course, she spotted a few familiar faces. “I went looking through the yearbooks, getting an idea of what certain family members were involved in and what it was like during their college years,” Newhouse explained.

With commencement days away, Newhouse has no regrets regarding her Idaho experience. “I feel that my time here has been very well spent. I definitely will miss the University of Idaho next year,” she said.

Of course, this story is far from over. There’s the next generation of family members to consider. When it’s time to have children, Newhouse hopes they will step on that well-traveled path toward the University of Idaho that has provided many scenic overlooks and historical markers of family lore. “I would love for my children to come to the University of Idaho so that way they can write a story about being a sixth generation Vandal. They can look around campus and be able to put a picture to the stories I know they will grow up hearing,” she noted.

Melissa Newhouse will graduate Saturday, May 10 at the ASUI-Kibbie Activity Center in Moscow. Mom, Dad, Aunt Toni along with Robert and Gretchen, her paternal grandparents, will cheer and clap as she crosses the threshold from student to alumna, knowing this will be yet another story that will be told again and again in the years to come.

May graduate is 48th member of her family to attend the University of Idaho. She can be reached at, mnewhouse@vandals.uidaho.edu.