Jim Whittaker
West Seattle High School 1952
Basketball
SPS High School Athletic Hall of Fame • Seattle WA
High School
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Played basketball for the Wildcats, formerly known as the Indians
College
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Attended Seattle University
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Awarded Seattle University's first athletic letter for mountaineering
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Belonged to National Ski Patrol, charter member of Northwest Mountain Rescue and Safety Council
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Served as professional guide on Mount Rainier
Other
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Mountaineer who became first American to climb to the top of Mount Everest,
May 1, 1963
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Presented with Hubbard Medal, the National Geographic Society's highest
award
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Led first ascent of Mt. Kennedy (with Senator Robert Kennedy) in the
Canadian Yukon in 1965
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Leader of first US expedition to successfully climb K2, world's second-highest
peak in 1978
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Also an accomplished blue-water sailor who has twice skippered his own
boats on the 2,400-mile Victoria-to-Maui International Yacht Race
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First full-time employee and eventual CEO of Recreational Equipment, Inc.
(REI)
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Inducted into 2010 State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame