University of Idaho graduates often look back at their college experience, only to realize how long it’s been since they’ve been to Moscow, let alone visited campus. But this isn’t the case for Moscow residents and alumni Jim and Judy Pilcher — who have a special way of expressing their Vandal pride.
Philip Vukelich | Argonaut
Judy and Jim Pilcher rest near the Administration lawn after taking a stroll on the “Hello Walk” Jan. 24. The Pilchers are UI graduates whose children attended UI. The two were high school sweethearts and married before they graduated.
“I have a Vandal tattoo,” Judy said. “I got it last year for my birthday from Jim. It’s just a little one-incher on my ankle, but it shows how much I love the university, so I really like it.”
From freshmen pledging Alpha Phi and Sigma Alpha Epsilon to becoming longtime leaders within the UI community — the Pilchers have an extensive history with Idaho’s land-grant university.
The high school sweethearts traveled to Moscow from Nampa, Idaho, in 1965 in hopes of receiving a reputable college education. Judy, an education major and graduate of the class of 1969, waited for her newlywed husband to attain his accounting degree in 1970, before joining him aboard a naval ship.
“I was in ROTC as a student,” Jim said. “That was in the Vietnam era, so it was either be drafted or join up, so I joined up through ROTC and later served in the Navy. The ship I was on, we would unload 1,000 Marines and drop them off in Panama for jungle training and then the ship would cruise the Caribbean, so I got to see quite a bit.”
Both Jim and Judy were born and raised in Idaho. The Pilchers said that while they enjoyed traveling with the Navy, they quickly realized their innate desire to settle down.
“When it came time that the Navy career was over, we decided to raise a family and Moscow seemed like the perfect spot,” Jim said.
The Pilchers said being UI alumni instantly helped them create a life in their former college town. As an undergraduate student, Jim interned with Hayden Ross PLLC and was offered a full-time job upon his return to Moscow. He has since become a partner and is still there 41 years later.
Though the Pilchers have had busy personal and professional lives, that didn’t stop them from getting involved with UI as alumni.
Throughout the years, they have been heavily involved with their respective Greek organizations as advisers, they’ve been supportive of Vandal athletics by working with the Vandal Scholarship Fund. Jim also currently serves on the advisory council of the Operation Education program while Judy supervises student teachers through the UI College of Education.
“I think we’re involved in university activities because that allows us to associate with younger people, which tends to keep us feeling younger in return,” Jim said.
Jim, the 1970 intramural horseshoe champion, said there are many places on campus that are special to the pair.
He said they used to go on dates to the Borah Theater to see movies, hang out in the Student Union Building basement where there was a bowling alley and meet in the library to cram for exams.
“The Perch is still there too,” Judy said. “It was like a little cafe when we were here and the lady who ran it was named Mage and she was like, legendary. But we would spend a lot of time there after classes with our friends.”
Judy also said a lot of things have changed in the 44 years she’s been an alumna. There used to be a place called Dipper located in the SUB basement where people used to dance and hang out — nowadays she said she thinks people might be too busy texting to have as good of a time there as she did.
The Pilchers said the biggest difference in their college experience compared to cotemporary students’ is the accessibility to technology and services that were hard to come by in the ‘60s.
“Back in the day, one of my fraternity brothers owned a car and the rest of us didn’t own cars,” Jim said. “So everything was walking. If you couldn’t walk there, you didn’t go. So in the dead of winter, going to the movie theater downtown was a big deal.”
There are a few others besides Jim and Judy who know these old stories too well — their three children — who all also attended UI.
Jim said their children attended UI, because they grew up Vandals.
“When they were younger, we would drag them to all of the athletic events and in the old days the Memorial Gym,” he said. “We would have the whole row and our toddlers would run up and down the rows to entertain themselves, while we watched the basketball game.”
Not only did the Pilchers raise their children to be Vandals, but they are currently extending their Vandal pride to their six grandchildren.
“Our grandchildren all know the fight song,” Jim said. “One of them is a cougar fan and we are working on her, one is a Gonzaga fan but still knows the fight song. We’re currently teaching the 3-year-old the Fight Song too.”
Jim said he can’t imagine his life without the university and he’s thankful for all of the benefits of being a Vandal alumnus.
“Professionally I would not be where I am it weren’t for the education that I received here at the University of Idaho and to me it was very comparable with anybody I have met from other accounting schools so, I owe the university a lot,” he said.
Judy said she’s looking forward to her husband joining her in retirement, so they can attend more UI athletic events and have an even deeper appreciation for the university.
“I just feel like the heartbeat of the town is the university,” Judy said. “I know everybody doesn’t feel that way, but Jim and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Amber Emery can be reached at [email protected]