Donald Michael Zongker

Born in Seattle, he was a Rough Rider from Roosevelt High School in Seattle. After high school, he moved over to attend the University of Washington, where he found Social Psychology to be fascinating—is that why somebody acted that way? It gave him permission to look at people and analyze their actions. Tom Schubert, in 1969, twisted his arm and got him involved with the UW Yacht Club, down at the old seaplane hanger on Portage Bay. He enjoyed sailing, and making the boat go in the direction he wanted. As well as teaching people to sail.

His various activities took him into a full-time job at the UW, at first running equipment and then supervising the audio-media equipment for classroom support. He referred to himself as “old audio”. He retired in 2012. Along the way, he received the Debbie McGhee Award for Excellence (for Support Services). He became the Assistant Director of Strategic and Facilities Planning at the UW.

He loved attending music venues. Folk music wired him: Some of his favorites were Joni Mitchell, Ian and Silvia, Three Dog Night, John Prine, and Joni Baez. He also liked the songs that the Muppets performed, and the Brothers Four. That’s just a hint of the wide range of music he enjoyed. His reading seemed stuck on the Vampires. He had the hots for Buffy the Vampire Killer, and bought a number of copies of those videos.

Later in life, he fell in love with making plants grow—gardening outside. What muscles he grew came from hefting those sacks of 2 cubic feet of dirt. All the garden shops recognized him and could call him by name. He constructed a memorial garden to Lorene Jackson, his adopted mother. And he was a watering fiend.

He was always on the lookout for things and projects he could help with such as teaching a couple of Chinese kids to speak English was his idea of heaven. He became a shutter-bug with camera—first with film and then with digital. He loved getting some piece of equipment, and figuring out if it had a manual in English, and could print it out and put it into a profession binder. Don’t get me started on his hobby of drones. He liked airplane museums and air shows.

He provided the same sort of professional audio work at the monthly meetings of the Radio Enthusiasts of Puget Sound, and then on a larger scale at their Showcase conventions. Or offering his services, both audio and video at someone’s performance. He dabbled with sound editing and camera work for productions of American Radio Theater.

He gathered around him a close circle of friends, who will miss him with all their heart.