{"id":15234,"date":"2019-06-05T16:40:24","date_gmt":"2019-06-05T16:40:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=15234"},"modified":"2023-06-08T20:59:32","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T20:59:32","slug":"awards-distinguished-alum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/06\/05\/awards-distinguished-alum","title":{"rendered":"Neil Low, distinguished alumnus of the year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Neil Low knows that going back to college when you\u2019re working and raising a family can be difficult. It took him eight years to graduate from the University of Washington Bothell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Stick with the struggle, advises Low, recipient of UW Bothell\u2019s 2019 Distinguished Alumnus Award. \u201cI am so glad I went back to get that education,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His 2003 degree in Liberal Studies<\/a> helped Low, then an officer with the Seattle Police Department, advance to the rank of captain. UW Bothell also gave him skills he has used in writing a series of detective novels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An ethos of service<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Low retired from the department in 2018 \u2014 50 years after he became a police cadet. Even now, when Low hears news of a shooting or a major incident in Seattle, such as the recent crane collapse, he\u2019s tempted to call dispatch and offer to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the nature of our business. We are helpers,\u201d he said. \u201cI still have the urge, but I don\u2019t get to go there anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his long tenure with the police, he took a two-year leave during the Vietnam War to serve in the Navy. Other service includes a 2012-13 stint as a trustee with the UW Alumni Association, representing UW Bothell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UW Bothell Alumni Council selected Low for its award in acknowledgement of lifetime achievements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe honor your many years of service with the Seattle Police Department and your success as a published author,\u201d said Curtis Takahashi, the council\u2019s awards and recognition chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The value of learning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Low said he can\u2019t emphasize the impact of his education enough. Not only did it boost his career and teach him how to write, it taught him how to keep learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI learned critical thinking and how to teach myself new things,\u201d Low said. \u201cI know how to read books. I know how to write books. I know how to watch movies better. I know how to watch the news and critically think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To date, Low<\/a> has had seven novels published \u2014 and the first three were written in his favorite nook in the campus library. Due out this summer, his eighth book, \u201cCrazy Love,\u201d is a fictionalized version of the death of Kurt Cobain. As someone who held the shotgun and analyzed the suicide note, Low said, he has insights into the investigation that have not yet come to light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"book<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Commencement feelings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For his own graduation, Low initially didn\u2019t plan to take part in the commencement ceremony. He changed his mind, however, and walked in cap and gown to inspire his daughters. All three went to college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now being recognized at commencement prompted Low to think what advice he would give new graduates, and it\u2019s this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStay tuned into life and always be a student, no matter what else you’re doing, even long after you’ve graduated. Read voraciously and fill your head with new information and new ideas. Examine those you think at first blush you might disagree with. Take adult classes, volunteer where you can, get as much education as you can find.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And lastly, \u201cSupport UW Bothell and the students coming up behind you. We all can benefit from a helping hand and a mentor.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Retired Seattle police captain, active mystery writer Neil Low (Liberal Studies ’03) receives the 2019 UW Bothell Distinguished Alumnus Award.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[209,202,211],"tags":[208],"school":[],"class_list":["post-15234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni","category-campus-news","category-honors-and-awards","tag-commencement"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":null,"link_2":null,"link_3":null,"link_4":null,"link_5":null},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":null,"button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"\nNeil Low, distinguished alumnus of the year - 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