Norm Dicks came of age at the University of Washington. And when he departed with a law degree in 1968 he landed a job as an aide to Warren G. Magnuson, the powerful U.S. Senator. "Maggie," a UW alum, surrounded himself with young Huskies.

Dicks as a student leader. Dicks collection

Dicks was always a fast learner. He was a standout on the UW football team and an all-conference scholar. Football taught him teamwork; campaigning taught him that all politics is local.

Elected to the ASUW Board of Control, he witnessed a sea change in student expectations and rights. "The UW in 1968 was a microcosm of everything that was happening around the world in a year almost without parallel in modern history," he remembers.

Dicks went on to serve 36 years in Congress, only once winning re-election with less than 58 percent of the vote. Pundits called him "Washington's third senator."