When Grays Harbor College alumnus Dr. Ed Command passed away in 2022, he generously left multimillion dollar gifts to both GHC and Highline Community College in Des Moines, Washington, where he served as president from 1990 to 2000. The Foundation is honored to be able to celebrate Dr. Command’s legacy and passion for education through the stewardship of his gift, which will continue to support GHC students through scholarships and the College itself by funding the strategic needs of the institution.
Command was born and raised in Elma, where he began what would be his lifelong journey in education in a two-room schoolhouse, with three grades learning alongside one another in each room. He graduated from Elma High School in 1956 and went on to graduate with his associate’s degree in education from Grays Harbor College in 1958, becoming the first person in his family to attend college. Command funded his own college education with money that he saved during summer jobs through junior high and high school.
He took his first job in sixth grade, working on bulb and dairy farms, and went on to drive a tank truck for a district fire hall and work at a grocery store managed by his high school principal. The years of hard work and diligent saving paved the way for Command’s education at GHC, which he credited as the launching point for his trajectory toward receiving his doctorate magna cum laude from the University of Washington.
Command’s sister, June Collins, wrote, “Ed always saw the community college as crucial to public education. He had such a positive experience at Grays Harbor College that he wanted as many students as possible to have the same. It became a passion.” Collins added that Command went on to not only inspire their brother, Mel Command, to graduate cum laude from GHC in 1960, but also to fully fund the college educations of five of his relatives and his caretaker and inspire his siblings to fund the educations of their grandchildren.
Command was lifelong friends with GHC President Emeritus Dr. Joe Malik. Command and Malik were classmates and basketball teammates in Elma. Both went on to attend GHC and, later, to become community college presidents. About Command, Malik recalled his friend’s “quiet determination to succeed” in everything he did, from their basketball practices to their coursework. That determination propelled Command throughout his career, leading him to “set a really high standard of integrity, cooperation, and communication” during his presidency at Highline College, according to Collins. Collins added, “He also was proud of his work with the legislature to get additional funding.”
“Dr. Command’s generous gift to GHC is evidence of his deep understanding, from a presidential perspective, of the kind of support most needed by community colleges,” said GHC President Dr. Carli Schiffner. “By honoring GHC with these funds, Dr. Command allows us to strengthen the College in areas where growth is most needed and explore even greater innovation and excellence where we can, to provide GHC students with the best education we can offer. Dr. Command’s legacy will create a lasting, multi-generational impact for our college and community.”
