Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Falcon Hall of Famer Wes Lingren passed away May 23, 2026, at the age of 95. A 1952 alumnus of Seattle Pacific, his contributions as athlete, coach, administrator, and faculty member spanned 50 years.
He accepted a basketball scholarship to Seattle Pacific, led the Falcons in scoring his senior year, and also competed as a varsity tennis player. After graduating, Lingren earned a master’s degree in physical chemistry and a doctorate in electrochemistry from the University of Washington. He came back to campus as a chemistry professor in 1962.
Lingren anchored the University’s chemistry curriculum for 40 years. He was the founding director of SPU’s General Honors/University Scholars program and helped found the SPU chapter of Mortar Board. He also directed the Washington state Junior Science Symposium for 15 years. In 1967, the National Science Foundation awarded him a faculty fellowship to study quantum mechanics at Yale University.
To mark his 40 years of service, a short tribute was published in the annual Celebration of Service program: “Known far and wide for a high level of professionalism, thoroughness, and competence, Professor of Chemistry Wes Lingren is an institution all his own. He has the knack for setting a tone of academic excellence in his classes. One colleague says that for him, Wes helped define the image of the Christian college professor….”
A lifelong tennis player, Lingren coached Seattle Pacific men’s tennis from 1963 to 1967 and again in 1969 and 1970. One doubles team won the NCAA West Coast Regional division title, something no other college from the Northwest had done. His final two men’s teams each placed among the top seven in the nation and produced charter Falcon Legend Bob Thompson. Lingren was also interim coach for the SPU women’s tennis team in 1982. He competed in local and regional United States Tennis Association tournaments until age 50 and kept playing at a recreational level into his 80s.
As the NCAA faculty athletic representative for 25 years, Lingren was a gracious and respected ambassador for athletics on campus. During a pivotal period in the development of intercollegiate sports, he helped set the course for the addition of women’s varsity teams and presented the case for upgrading and expanding facilities.
After retiring in 1997, Lingren continued volunteering for the Alumni Office and the Athletic Department. He was the catalyst behind the book, Go Birds!: A Concise History of Varsity Athletics at Seattle Pacific University 1933-2017, contributing the chapter on the founding years of Falcon intercollegiate athletics.
In 2006, Lingren was inducted into the Falcon Athletics Hall of Fame for his contribution as Falcons tennis coach and overall service to the Athletics Department. The Lingren University Scholars Fund was named in his honor to support student scholarships and awards recognizing top graduating students in each cohort.
Lingren talked about his long association with SPU in 2025 for a story in Significance, the newsletter of the Office Endowments and Gift Planning. A similar version of the story was republished at SPU Stories.
An obituary (written by Lingren) was published online. He and his wife, Merrilyn, were married for 59 years until her passing in 2020. Their son, Eric, and daughter, Leslie, are SPU alumni.
The family will hold a private graveside service at Tahoma National Cemetery. Memorials may be sent to The Lingren University Scholars Endowment at SPU.
