The Mercer Island School District will present its sixth annual Pathfinder Awards to Kathy Taylor, class of 1984, the state’s only forensic anthropologist; Mickey Rowe, class of 2007, who has become a national leader among performing actors with disabilities; and the late Hunter Goodman, class of 1988, who left a legacy of public service to the state.
The Pathfinder Award is the district’s highest alumni honor, presented to distinguished graduates of Mercer Island High School (MIHS) whose achievements, strength of character, and citizenship inspire and challenge today’s youth to make significant contributions to humankind. Twenty MIHS alumni have been recognized since the awards were established in 2016. The recipients were selected from dozens of nominations submitted by the community at large and chosen by a selection committee.
The awards will be presented during the Mercer Island Schools Foundation Spring for Schools Showcase and Auction virtual event on April 25. Learn more at www.mercerislandschoolsfoundation.com. This year’s honorees will be added to the Pathfinder Award wall at Mercer Island High School.
* Taylor, the state’s only forensic anthropologist, has worked for the King County Medical Examiner’s office for 25 years. Her duties include scene response to all found skeletal remains and buried body cases, skeletal analysis including biological profiles, identification, and expert witness testimony. She provides services to counties throughout the state, and also in Alaska, Idaho and Nevada.
Taylor is an inspiration to young girls to pursue STEM careers, particularly in the area of criminal justice, said Lauren Bouju Davies, who nominated her for the Pathfinder Award. Davies is a 2017 MIHS graduate who is now studying forensic science at Seattle University.
Taylor recently identified the remains of the youngest victim of the Green River Killer. Her name was Wendy Stephens, and she ran away from her home in Colorado in 1983 when she was 14.
* Legally blind and autistic, Rowe struggled with school and friendships as a child, but found sanctuary in the performing arts beginning at MIHS.
He gained national acclaim when he became the first autistic actor to play any autistic character in a professional performance setting as Christopher Boone, the lead role in the Tony Award-winning play, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.” He has also appeared as the title role in the Tony Award-winning play “Amadeus” and many other theatrical productions.
Rowe was the founding artistic director of the National Disability Theatre (NDT), which works in partnership with Tony Award-winning companies such as La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego and the Goodman Theatre in Chicago.
* Goodman served the public in appointed government positions for nearly two decades until his death from cancer in 2019. He had a substantial local and national impact on legislation to protect and support the public.
While with the Metropolitan King County Council, Goodman was instrumental in bringing together a diverse group of constituencies to develop a solution to King County’s aquatic transfer to non-profits, helping to save the Mary Wayte Pool on Mercer Island from being closed.
During his time with the Washington State Attorney General’s office, Goodman was involved in the passage of 44 bills over eight years, including legislation regarding consumer protection, sexual predators, spyware and human trafficking laws.
