Jim Whittaker West Seattle High School 1952 Basketball

SPS High School Athletic Hall of Fame • Seattle WA

High School • Played basketball for the Wildcats, formerly known as the Indians College • Attended Seattle University • Awarded Seattle University's first athletic letter for mountaineering • Belonged to National Ski Patrol, charter member of Northwest Mountain Rescue and Safety Council • Served as professional guide on Mount Rainier Other • Mountaineer who became first American to climb to the top of Mount Everest, May 1, 1963 • Presented with Hubbard Medal, the National Geographic Society's highest award • Led first ascent of Mt. Kennedy (with Senator Robert Kennedy) in the Canadian Yukon in 1965 • Leader of first US expedition to successfully climb K2, world's second-highest peak in 1978 • Also an accomplished blue-water sailor who has twice skippered his own boats on the 2,400-mile Victoria-to-Maui International Yacht Race • First full-time employee and eventual CEO of Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) • Inducted into 2010 State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame