Kurt Dunbar

WELCOME TO KURT DUNBAR'S FACULTY PAGE

A third generation Californian I was raised in the small Sierra Nevada town of South Lake Tahoe.  In the 1970s, I moved to Alaska with my wife and two daughters during the heyday of Alaska’s oil boom and pipeline construction. After ten wonderful years in that great state I decided to go back to school. I attended the University of Hawaii-Hilo but after two years I had taken every history and political science course that UHH offered. In 1987, we moved to Bellingham where I could attend Western Washington University.  We have lived there ever since.

 After earning a B.A. and M.A. in history, I was an adjunct professor at Western Washington University before I came to SVC as an instructor in 1997.  During my years at Skagit, I have taught American history, Western Civilization, World Civilization, Pacific Northwest history, Contemporary Global Issues, American Government, International Studies and Modern Middle East history.

I have traveled to Mexico, Hong Kong, China, Mongolia, Russia (the old Soviet Union), Great Britain, and lived in Canada for a short time.

Since 1996, I have worked many summers on big cruise ships as a naturalist and onboard lecturer in Alaska. There are probably better ways to spend the summer than sailing up and down the Northwest Coast but I don't know of any.

A typical history professor, my main passion is reading and continuing to learn about history.  Not surprisingly my primary hobby is book collecting. I like drinking craft beer with friends and colleagues.

I am actively involved in the peace and justice community in the city of subdued excitement (Bellingham) and devote any time I can spare to local environmental issues and social justice organizations.  Since 2002, I have regularly participated in the longest continuous peace vigil in the United States, which celebrated its 50^th year in December of 2016. 

I have been married to my lovely wife Patricia for 49 years. Our daughters, Rebekah and Sarah, are both successful businesswomen and we have two of the lovest and smartest granddaughters around.

I am quite passionate about making sure that everybody's story is told in my history classes. I am deeply committed to Skagit Valley College's focus on student success and our ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. SVC's "open door" policy strives to provide the greatest possible opportunity and access to quality education for all of those who seek it.