By John McCallum
Managing Editor 

A loss of historic proportions

Four Lakes crash claims life of Cheney commission chairman, EWU library dean

 

Last updated 7/1/2021 at 9:18am

A three-vehicle collision Sunday night not only claimed the life of a Cheney man, but also a large part of local history and perhaps the collective soul of a community.

Eastern Washington University interim Dean of Libraries and university archivist Dr. Charles Mutschler, 63, was killed Sunday evening when the car he was driving veered into the path of oncoming traffic on State Route 904.

According to a March 11 Washington State Patrol press memo, Mutschler’s 1991 Chevrolet pickup was westbound on SR 904 near 5th Street in Four Lakes about 7:30 p.m. when it crossed through the center turn lane into the eastbound lane where it struck the left rear of a 2017 Jeep Renegade driven by Cheney-resident William B. Foster. Mutschler’s vehicle careened off the Jeep and then struck an eastbound 2007 Mazda 6 driven by 21-year-old Kathryn M. Sinn of Newman Lake head on.

Mutschler was pronounced deceased at the scene while Sinn was transported to a local hospital with what State Patrol Trooper Jeff Sevigney said on Tuesday, March 12, were “not serious” injuries. Neither Foster or his passenger, Erin M. Larkin-Foster, were injured.


The death of the Cheney High School graduate and long-time EWU employee hit both communities like a lightning bolt out of the blue.

“It was a real shock,” librarian and chair of the Library Faculty Justin Otto said on Monday. “A lot of people hadn’t heard about it until they got to work.”

“Charlie was a beloved member of our Eastern family and contributed greatly to ensuring that our libraries flourish at the heart of our academic community,” university President Dr. Mary Cullinan said in a statement. “Charlie knew and lived EWU’s history, and he was delighted to share his knowledge and love for this university.”


It was a sentiment echoed by many, and evident in his background. Mutschler received a bachelor of arts degree from Eastern Washington State College in 1977 and a master’s from EWU in 1981.

He went on to earn a master’s in archival administration from Western Washington University in 1992 and a Ph.D. in history from Washington State University in 1999.

Mutschler began with EWU’s library in 1978, working one year as an archival assistant and from 1979-1980 as a teaching assistant in the department of history. He returned to the archival assistant position in 1981, then as assistant archivist from 1983 – 1998.

He was acting university archivist from 1998 – 2001, when he became university archivist. Mutschler was also serving as interim library dean for 2018-2019.

According to his Ph.D. vita (resume), Mutschler also worked at the university’s heating plant in plant maintenance from 1980-1981.

“You could say he knew the university from the ground up,” teacher, historian and WSU classmate Cary Collins said.

Collins met Mutschler when both were history doctoral candidates in Pullman, helping each other with their dissertations and beginning a friendship that lasted over 25 years.

“We were about as close to him as anybody,” the Maple Valley, Wash. resident said. “We’re just in shock. It’s like being in an alternate universe without Charlie in it. It is a monumental loss.”

Mutschler wrote the book “Wired for Success: The Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Railway, 1892 – 1985” along with numerous other publications, including 23 book reviews and 49 presented papers and numerous unpublished works. Several of the eight scholarly articles and an introduction to a book about Robert H. Ruby, “A Doctor Among the Oglala Sioux Tribe: The Letters of Robert H. Ruby, 1953-1954” were written with Collins.

“He (Mutschler) was one of those guys who was devoted to the history field, especially railroads,” Collins said. “When he got into a subject, he didn’t let it go.”

Many of Mutschler’s research and writing work were on the subject of railroads, something Collins said he already knew a lot about before moving to Cheney from Colorado. Mutschler’s father, Felix, was a professor in the geology department, and also knew Otto’s father, who worked in EWU’s library faculty.

Otto said he got to know Mutschler through his father, and later when he came on staff as a librarian at EWU 12 years ago.

“He was a friend,” Otto said. “I always considered him a friend and not my co-worker.”

Otto said what he admired about Mutschler was “he was a true gentleman,” also saying he had a “strong moral compass, was fair, reliable and generous with his time.”

Both Otto and Collins said Mutschler was passionate about the history of Eastern, documenting many aspects of the university through written works and photographs. He regularly led walking tours of the university’s historic district, reciting facts and relaying humorous and interesting stories from memory.

“He loved the university,” Collins said. “His life was dedicated to that. With Charlie, he wanted to preserve everything about it.”

Mutschler also had a love of photography, and Collins said he had a collection of over 10,000 pictures he had taken. But his first passion was railroads, reflected in his involvement with the Inland Empire Railway Historical Society as well as the Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation and the Lexington Group for Transportation History.

Mutschler was chairman of the Cheney Depot Society since its inception in 2016. The group is dedicated to getting the former Northern Pacific Railway depot, built in 1929 with a unique Spanish-style architecture, moved to a new home on 1st Street.

Mutschler also served on Cheney’s Historical Preservation Commission for over 20 years, taking time off to finish his doctoral dissertation. He was reappointed in 2006, eventually serving as commission chair.

“All of those things we go to reference books for, Charlie was the one we used,” commission administrative assistant and city GIS technician Sue Beeman said. “He was a community member through and through. He was very much a part of the community. It’s going to leave a hole.”

Mutschler was also active in Emmanuel Lutheran Church, something Collins said dated back to their days at WSU and likely before. He added that “In four years of school in Pullman, he never missed church.”

State Patrol trooper Sevigney said the cause of the crash is under investigation. The Spokane Medical Examiner’s office will look into any physical events that might have happened, but wouldn’t have any results for several weeks — if ever.

“Sometimes, in these matters, we just never find a reason,” Sevigney added.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.

Author Bio

John McCallum, Retired editor

John McCallum is an award-winning journalist who retired from Cheney Free Press after more than 20 years. He received 10 Washington Newspaper Publisher Association awards for journalism and photography, including first place awards for Best Investigative, Best News and back-to-back awards in Best Breaking News categories.

 

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