Story Pitch Assignment- Perham Bombing, Draft 1

2009 marks the 30th anniversary of a bomb explosion in Streit-Perham dormitory, a reminder to students about relationships and campus safety.
A man distraught over the loss of his girlfriend detonated the bomb on the fifth floor of Perham Hall, killing himself and injuring five others. The bomb exploded at 3:05 pm on Tuesday, December 18, 1979.
The story leading up to the explosion starts with the breakup of John Stickney and Lisa Clark. The man killed in the explosion, John Stickney, 18, of Mercer Island, was hopeless because of an ended relationship with WSU student Lisa Clark. After the breakup, Stickney often called Clark so frequently her roommate complained of never being able to use the phone. Once, Stickney tried to physically force Clark into his car when he saw her walking on campus.
In a last attempt to win Clark back, Stickney drove to Pullman after work on December 17. Clark had been relocated to the sixth floor of Perham upon being tipped Stickney was headed her way. In 1979, the campus policy was to have the outside doors to the dorm locked at 10 pm. No one knows how, but somehow Stickney managed to get into the locked dorm at 11:30. Stickney found Clark’s room, empty, then went to the Residential Advisor’s room in an attempt to find her. Campus police were called and escorted Stickney out of the dorm.
The next day, Stickney came back to Perham Hall demanding to see Clark again or he would not return home to Mercer Island. In a supervised meeting, Clark told Stickney the relationship was over, and Stickney left. Less than 15 minutes later Stickney came back to Perham Hall. This time Stickney, an employee of a company that specialized in rock blasting, showed up with rock quarry dynamite. Campus police were called again, and Lt. Mike Kenny and Cpl. Dave Trimble attempted to persuade Stickney to hand the bomb over. After tense negotiations, the bomb exploded. The explosion killed Stickney, injured the officers, and blew out every window on the fifth floor of Perham Hall.
Few people on campus remember the event, but professor Eloy R. González was teaching at WSU in 1979 and remembers the event well. González said he used the event to illustrate a theme in class. González said the example worked very well because the event hit very close to home, and became very real for the students. “Things like this happen often because parents are not tolerant enough to let kids have their relationships, ala “Romeo and Juliet,” González cautioned about young love.
WSU Risk Manager Richard “Rich” A. Heath was not at WSU during the explosion, but he has heard about it. Heath suggested students should always take precautions for their own safety on campus. As John Stickney was able to get into Perham Hall after hours, Heath cautioned students to not prop open doors or let strangers into the residence halls, for their own safety. Heath also emphasized the importance of reporting threats and other incidents to let university authorities know about them, regardless of the magnitude of the threat. “Our priority is to keep the students safe,” Heath said, “and we need their help.”
If students feel threatened or unsafe on campus they are also encouraged to use the Blue Light emergency phones, Heath said.
If friends and family of Stickney had been more aware of his problems, his story may have had a happier ending. If students or their friends are dealing with a crisis, they can call the WSU Crisis Line at (509)-334-1133, or WSU Counseling Services at (509)-335-4511.
WSU Campus Police can be reached at 509-335-8548.
For more tips about campus safety students can visit police.wsu.edu.