Mike Seal

We are saddened to share the devastating news that our father, Michael Seal, passed away on October 29. He died unexpectedly in his home at the age of 84, in the loving company of his longtime partner, Joan Barnet. Though our hearts are shattered, we are grateful for the overwhelming outpouring of love and support—a true testament to the immeasurable impact he’s had on so many lives.

Long before he was known as “Dr. Seal, founder and director of the Vehicle Research Institute at Western Washington University,” Michael was a spirited boy with an innate fascination for cars, whose first words were, fittingly, “Go, go!”

He was born on March 22, 1937, in Kaslo, B.C., Canada, to Ronald and Olivia Seal. Michael’s love of vehicles was perhaps first sparked by a three-wheeled wooden scooter his father made, which he dubbed “Ghee Gar.” As the story is told, Michael would race Ghee Gar around their modest home with as much speed as his tiny toddler legs could propel him. After the family moved to North Vancouver in 1950, he got his first taste for competition by building a go-kart and racing it in the Soapbox Derby. His first car, a 1949 Morris Minor convertible, was purchased with money saved from his paper route before he was even old enough to have a driver’s license. He rebuilt the engine and modified the chassis, of course, to improve speed and performance. Before long, he and his gang of car buddies—several of who have remained lifelong friends—built their first race car, which they named Genesis.

With such single-minded focus on design, mechanics, and competition, it’s fortunate for us that Michael’s sister Helen was looking out for his social life. It was through Helen that Michael met our mother, Eileen. Despite being his sister’s best friend, it wasn’t until Eileen bought a little green Austin-Healey Bugeye Sprite that she was able to catch Michael’s eye. And catch it, she did! Michael and Eileen became engaged while she was teaching sixth grade at Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island and Michael was working on his Bachelor of Education from the University of British Columbia while teaching in Vancouver. They were married in 1961.

After earning his undergraduate degree, Michael commuted from Port Moody, B.C., to Western Washington University to earn his master’s. When their first daughter Suzie was born, Eileen encouraged (insisted) Michael leave behind the dangerous hobby of racing cars. Lisa was born next, and then, while Michael earned his doctorate from Texas A&M, Cathie was born.

By the time the family moved to Bellingham, WA in 1969, Michael had exchanged his car racing helmet for a skipper’s hat and together, he and Eileen began racing sailboats. Although it was Eileen who had been a lifelong sailor, Michael enthusiastically embraced the sport, building his first sailboat, a 16-foot racing dingy called a fireball. Ultra-light, and ultra-fast, they were able to hold their own against much bigger boats on Wednesday night races on Bellingham Bay. Sailing was something the whole family enjoyed and through the years, we were fortunate to be able to race and cruise a variety of sailboats in and around Puget Sound and the Gulf Islands.

In 1969, Michael was hired to teach drafting at what was then Western Washington State College. Although Western had no engineering technology program, students heard about an urban vehicle design competition and were captivated by it. Their interest in and enthusiasm for the project would set in motion events that would give a new direction to technology research at Western and would eventually lead to the creation of the college’s Vehicle Research Institute (VRI). That was the beginning of a job that Michael often said he would do even if he wasn’t paid. It’s difficult to summarize and adequately portray the enormous contribution and achievement which characterized Michael’s time at Western that spanned three decades of exciting and innovative research in car design and spawned the Viking series of experimental vehicles. For a more complete history of Michael’s time inspiring and energizing the students of the VRI, we invite you to read “A Retrospective of Michael Seal and WWU’s Vehicle Research Institute.” <https://bit.ly/3CDWUZF>

Early on, and throughout his career at Western, Michael became known as a teaching professor of the highest order. He could take almost any problem in the pursuit of automotive excellence and subtly entice his students to assume the problems as their own, working ceaselessly toward solutions. Under Michael’s leadership, the VRI continued to gain momentum and recognition as the Viking cars were entered in fuel economy and innovative design competitions, each vehicle sleeker and more sophisticated then the last.

With so much time spent at the VRI, Michael made it a family affair. Eileen worked developing grants to secure funding, and she coordinated all the logistical aspects for the competitions and rallies. As kids, we also felt like we were a part of the VRI family. Many summers were spent trekking across the country and around the globe; Suzie, Lisa, and Cathie have fond memories of time spent with their father at the “Sea to Sea” car rally and another rally travelling down the west coast into Mexico, to name just two. In 1986, the Seal family grew when Michael and Eileen adopted their fourth daughter Georgia, and she too joined in the rally competitions as part of the “GM Sunrayce” when they travelled with the Viking XX solar vehicle from Florida to Michigan. We will forever treasure all this time spent sharing Dad’s passion as an educator and for advancing technologies to reduce the world’s dependence on fossil fuels.

While Michael formally retired from Western in 2004, he was never far from the work carried on by the VRI. Still, Eileen seized the opportunity to spend more time with Michael, whisking him away for trips in the RV and even a cruise down the west coast to Baja in their trimaran sailboat. Michael and Eileen were married 46 years before Eileen passed away in 2007.

In his retirement, Michael kept himself busy with speaking engagements, his social “car guy” groups, and he even taught a shop class in his basement for an alternative high school his grandson attended. During this time, Michael embarked on what he considered to be his capstone project of designing and building a completely custom 12-cylinder engine and a car chassis and body to house it. He was thrilled to get back to his roots as an educator, taking on a young apprentice to work by his side in his basement workshop. While he was unable to finish this project, it’s our great desire to see others pick up the project and see it to completion.

Michael was fortunate to have found love for a second time, spending the remainder of his life with partner Joan Barnet, who resides in Vancouver, B.C. Together, they enjoyed an active social life spending time with friends, fine dining, theatre, and travel adventures. A 2013 cruise took them to the Polynesian Islands and included a stop in the Pitcairn Islands—a bucket list destination for Michael who was a descendent of one of the mutineers made famous by Charles Nordhoff’s novel, Mutiny on the Bounty.

Michael was a consummate storyteller with a kind heart and gentle spirit. While his legacy will live on for years to come, he will be greatly missed by all who had the good fortune to know him.  At Michael’s request, we will not hold a memorial service. Instead, our family plans to host a celebration of Michael’s life when we can do so safely in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Details will be announced at a later date. In the meantime, a memorial website has been set up Remembering Mike Seal (andeven.com) where we encourage people to share their favorite memory of our father. In lieu of flowers, consider donating to the Bellingham Public Schools Foundation.