In our view: Shared Dreams

Saturday will be a big day for the Krygers of Pleasant Valley. Three of their four sons will receive university degrees (two master’s and one bachelor’s). There’s a strong argument that no family at the Sleep Country Amphitheater, where Washington State University Vancouver will hold its commencement Saturday, will deserve to make more noise than the Krygers.

In a way, though, none of what they’ll celebrate is all that surprising. It’s all part of a plan that’s been in place for more than two decades. That plan has been built on family support, bold ambition, unflagging perseverance and constant logistical support of six individuals’ housing, work, transportation and education needs.

It’s enough to make us believe the spirit of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson and Ward and June Cleaver lives even in this 21st century. And to see that spirit, look at the Saturday smiles flashed by Dwight and Cheryl Kryger, no TV stars they, just a local carpenter-contractor and full-time homemaker.

While the six Krygers celebrate intra-family success, this story offers inter-community lessons for the rest of us. The strongest one is this: These three WSUV degrees are received with no outstanding loans or other lingering debts. How did that happen? A powerful combination of Washington state need grants, part-time jobs, graduate teaching gigs, other financial aid and old-fashioned thriftiness produced the debt-free diplomas. That’s a compelling contradiction of today’s prevalent complaint that college degrees are too expensive and, thus, out of reach for many young people.

As Howard Buck reported in Wednesday’s print edition of The Columbian, Graham Kryger, 26, will receive his master’s degree in mechanical engineering; Landon, 24, has earned a master’s degree in computer science; and Austin, 22, will receive a bachelor’s degree in social science. The fourth son, Nolan, 20, is working on an associate degree in nursing at Clark College and has his eyes set on the nursing master’s program at WSUV. So the first lesson is clear: Graduating from college without the albatross of huge debt — a goal commonly reached years ago — remains achievable for modern families, as well.

The second lesson is a reminder of the value of the place-bound lifestyle, bolstered by a community that values education. The Kryger boys attended Pleasant Valley primary and middle schools, then Prairie High School. When WSUV launched its mechanical engineering degree program, “it was like an answer to our prayers,” Cheryl said in Buck’s story. The boys scouted colleges elsewhere, but found everything they wanted and needed here at home, at Clark College- and WSUV.

For many families, this is the way higher education should evolve, within a few minutes’ drive of the front porch. That was the battle cry of local legislators and community leaders who successfully lobbied for the opening of WSU’s upper-level institution at the Salmon Creek campus in 1996. That same call rang out and was answered in 2006 when freshman and sophomore classes were added. At last, Southwest Washington had its own full-service university, just in time for the Krygers and countless other families.

This editorial salute is to more than just the Krygers. It’s to all of the 767 students who will gleefully clutch their WSUV diplomas on Saturday. It’s also to families throughout the community who struggle to overcome financial and other challenges in pursuit of knowledge, careers and shared dreams. It’s doubtful that every day in the past two decades was delightful for the Krygers. That never happens in any family. But because of the strength they found in each other, Saturday will be one of the better days, the stuff of dreams.

Congratulations to all of the local high school, community -college and university graduates.