Roger Daniels, a passionate supporter of Washougal Schools and the Washougal community has passed away. Roger was a 1968 graduate of Washougal High, and worked in support of education and the Washougal community for decades.
Roger worked for Clark College for 27 years in sports and academics, and supported the Running Start program that provides high school students the opportunity to attend college classes and earn credit. Roger helped found the Washougal Schools Foundation (WSF) and served as the first president. His input and leadership provided the foresight for the WSF to provide major and minor grants to classrooms, and scholarships for WHS seniors, for almost 20 years. Roger was proud that 99.9% of all funds raised through the WSF stride went directly to classroom grants.
Roger served as “the Voice of the Stride” for the Washougal Schools Foundation for years, and also volunteered as an announcer at WHS soccer and basketball games for years. Roger served on the vocational advisory committee and the CTE advisory, using his expertise to promote quality professional and technical programs at WHS. He donated to the district Family Community Resource Centers to provide families with meals and gifts around the holidays.
Roger believed teachers in Washougal were truly and highly motivated, talented and conscientious professionals. He was always happy to help support and advocate for them. He enjoyed supporting athletic coaches and the arts. He was an active volunteer at many events, like speaking at Veterans’ Day assemblies, educating senior classes about vocational tech or college bound programs and also loved giving history lessons about Lewis and Clark and the history of our area.
Roger recognized that voter support of bonds and levies was critical in revitalizing our schools. Roger was the co-chair of the 1999 bond campaign, the first successful bond campaign in almost 20 years. The bond raised $51 million to extensively remodel Washougal High School as well as Gause, Hathaway and Cape Horn-Skye elementary schools, and to build the new Canyon Creek Middle School. Roger also co-chaired the citizen committee in support of school levies in 2000.
Roger served as a fire district commissioner, and helped create East County Fire & Rescue. He chaired the Washington State Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Advisory Committee in 2006, which was influential in the creation of Captain William Clark Park along the Washougal waterfront. He contributed to many activities at the Port of Camas-Washougal, as well. His extensive volunteer work and leadership lead to him being recognized as the Camas-Washougal Chamber “Citizen of the Year” in 2001, and he was inducted into the Clark College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013 for his contributions as the Clark College athletic director from 1982 to 1996. Roger was named Clark College’s Outstanding Alumni Award recipient in 2005.
He is survived by his two daughters Katie and Kerri, his former wife Kimberly, and his two grandchildren. Roger was so proud that his daughters continue his legacy in education, working at Jemtegaard Middle School and Columbia River Gorge Elementary.
A celebration of life will be held at WHS auditorium on Sun June 25, 2023, at 2:00pm. WHS, 1201 39th St, Washougal, WA 98671. Wearing Clark College, Washougal, Marine Corps, or UW Huskies gear/colors is encouraged. Roger’s family has expressed thanks for all of the support the community has offered over the past few days.
