Rhs Newsletter 05 2001

“History is happening in Redmond!” May 2001

The

Redmond Recorder

Vol. III. No. 5

The Redmond Historical Society Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center 16600 NE 80th St., Room 106, Redmond, WA 98052 425-885-2919 [email protected]

In This Issue… History Hero................... 1 Quotable Quotes............. 2

Newsworthy Notes

Members Appreciation... 2 Earthquake Memories .... 2 Derby Days .................... 2

- History Hero: Dale Potter -

Kiosk/Brochure .............. 3 Pot Belly Stove .............. 3 Next Speaker .................. 3 Like to Know More ........ 3 Matchbook Covers ......... 4 …and much, much more!

Next Meeting: May 12th

There‘s a saying that art imitates life. This month we‘ll have the real thing. Dorisjean Colvin, local artist and teacher, will be our speaker. Please join us for an interesting and informative time.

If you have an article, news item or memory that you would like to share with our members, please send it to: Walt Buchman 10323 162nd Place NE Redmond, WA 98052 Or [email protected]

When T&D Feeds started to topple last month, Dale Potter made the first of many trips on a rescue mission to save any artifacts he could from the landmark site. His first retrieval was T&D‘s 4‘ x 18‘ retail sign (in 3 parts). When offered an old feed cart that we have no room to store, Dale instigated contact with Eric Erickson of the Issaquah Historical Society, and Eric arrived on the scene just as a large portion of the mill collapsed—with the cart inside. Another trip for Dale: collecting the cart‘s remains, so that Issaquah might salvage the wheels for its train depot museum. In addition to the T&D sign, Dale also managed to salvage the following items from history‘s dustbin, some of which will soon be displayed in our office:         

Two Burdic Feed signs, metal, measuring 24‖x18‖ and 48‖x24‖ One Display Box containing 3 chicken eggs One Oil Can One Howe ―54‖ Platform Scale with Fairbanks-Morse precision indicator One Fairbanks-Morse 4,000 lb. Scale indicator, shop No. 3919E One Metropolitan Corporation sewing machine for feed sacks Eight miscellaneous empty feed sacks Thirteen different feed sack ingredients cards (approx. 25 of each card) Three Boxes containing records from the later 1980‘s and all 1990‘s years: Equipment repair inspection sheets; Mill work orders; Daily mill planning worksheets; Weight scale record sheets; Egg charts; and, Daily incoming feed & ingredients logs

Dale has transported, cleaned, inventoried and is storing artifacts which would be lost to our community‘s history forever, if not for his determination and very hard work. Thank you to a real history hero: Dale Potter.

- Correction In the April issue of the Redmond Recorder it was reported that the cassette tape recording of the Rex Swan interview came from Barbara Lucas. We have since learned that the tape was donated by Ted and Barbara Swan. We apologize for any misunderstanding or inconvenience our error may have caused. Thanks for your understanding.

The Redmond Recorder - Quotable Quotes -

Page 2 - Member Appreciation Read All About It!

Thanks to Miguel Llanos, the Redmond Library received a King County Library Foundation grant to index the Sammamish Valley News from 1963-1994. Managing Librarian Louise Blain announces that Jo Lewis has now completed the indexing project, which consists of headlines and subject matter. The complete issues for these years are at the library where the index can be viewed. It can also be accessed at http://pubcf.kcls.org/samnews/. ―History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.‖ - David C. McCullough

―Older folks have stories to tell. Many I've approached don't think they've done anything special by living a long time; they're simply keepin' on keepin' on. But they all come with a builtin sense of history, and it's our history, too.‖ - John Hahn, Seattle P-I

―Study history, study history. In history lies all the secrets of statecraft.‖ - Winston Churchill

―Just as a tree without roots is dead, a people without history or culture also becomes a dead people.‖ - Malcomm X Submitted by Ray Haines

While money from the grant was sufficient to include only first pages of each issue, we hope a future grant will make indexing of vital statistics possible from these years. Eventually—with Miguel‘s magic pen--perhaps all the remaining pages will be indexed!

- Earthquake Memories We still need your earthquake stories, so keep ‗em coming! The Memory Book team mailed out over 50 questionnaires and only about 20% of us responded. We know we can do better than that! Please return your questionnaires soon. We‘ll be happy to mail one to anyone who‘d like to contribute. Phone Jerry Torell at 425-869-0226, or e-mail Margaret Evers Wiese at [email protected]. You can also pick one up at the Society office. Help make this memory book a ―memorable one.‖ Send us your quake stories, folks! - Derby Days Redmond‘s Derby Days are approaching and the Redmond Historical Society will have a presence in it. But in order to do it right, it takes some planning and a lot of preparation. So, in light of this, please consider the following points:  The Society is looking for women‘s bonnets and men‘s caps (such as the one pictured in our logo) for members to wear while walking or riding in the parade. If you have any such clothing, would you be willing to let the society borrow them for the day?  We are also trying to get an idea of just how many of our members and their families might participate in the parade, either walking or riding.  Do any of our members have, or know of people who have period costumes for our members to wear? Women‘s‘ costumes should consist of a long skirt, blouse, apron and bonnet. Men‘s costumes could be traditional or possibly a trade outfit, e.g. a lumberjack, farmer, or even an engineer‘s outfit? This may seem early, but the parade will be here before we know it. If you are able to help in any way, please contact one of the Derby Days committee members: Amo Marr, Rose Weiss, Barb Joyce, or Jo Ann Potter.

The Redmond Recorder

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Kiosk and Walking Tour Brochure Dedication

We’d like to know more about…

Please join our Society at the O‘Leary Park Kiosk Dedication and Debut of the Historic Downtown Walking Brochure. The clock kiosk in O‘Leary Park is now redesigned with maps, pictures, and information about Redmond‘s history. The kiosk will be dedicated with entertainment, refreshments, hoopla and fun.

» Loose Cannons - Soon after the close of the Civil War, the federal government gave Washington State 16 cannons from the war, to be used for display purposes. One of these cannons is on public display in Wenatchee. The whereabouts of the other 15 are not known. Correspondence with the State Historical Society, two state representatives, and research by Jennifer Dunn‘s office have turned up no information. If you have any clues regarding these cannons, please contact Naomi Hardy 425-8833866 [email protected].

The Walking Tour brochure will be available for the first time! These little ―history books‖ are packed with information about Redmond people and places important to our history, and they‘re certain to disappear quickly, so put on an old-fashioned hat and come on down to the corner of Leary and Redmond Way on

Saturday, June 2nd, 11:00am – 12:30pm. Please Note: The preliminary date of this event (May 17th) has been changed to June 2nd.

- Pot-Bellied Stove Addendum In the April issue of the Redmond Recorder, our cover story featured the pot-bellied stove donated by Bob Anderson, owner of Edwardian Antiques in Redmond. This stove is a priceless gift and we are still amazed at Bob‘s generosity. Pictured below is a photo of the stove with Rondinne Hills standing next to it. We are trying to get some more information about it and we need your help. We know it was first used in the Old Redmond Trading Company, then in several other businesses in our town over the years. Among the markings on it are the words ―Alaska National Cannon Heater No 20‖. We believe that the stove may have been manufactured in 1908 or before. Has anyone ever heard of this company? Does anyone know where we can find information about the company, the stove or its origins? Any responses will be greatly appreciated. Please contact Margaret Wiese at [email protected] or Naomi Hardy at [email protected]. Thanks!

»The following is from researcher Gary Bedingfield of England: ―I am researching professional baseball players who served in the military during WW II. More than 500 major league players joined the armed forces between 1940 & 1945 – many fought on far-off battlefields and some, sadly, never returned. More than 50 years have now passed, and it is my fear that information on the military activities of these men will be lost if it is not gathered soon. I plan to present the completed research to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, NY. I am particularly interested in Earl D. “Lefty” Johnson, an American League pitcher from 1940 to 1951, who passed away in Redmond on Dec. 3, 1994. I have very little information on his military service and would be very pleased to hear from anyone who may have information about him.‖ If you know anything about Lefty Johnson, please contact: Gary Bedingfield 55 Capel Road Enfield, Middlesex, EN104SR Great Britain [email protected] www.baseballinwartime.co.uk. Or contact Naomi Hardy 425-883-3866 [email protected]

Dorisjean Colvin to Speak at Next RHS Meeting ―History is happening in the Redmond area.‖ Our next meeting will be held on Saturday, May 12, 2001, at 10:30 a.m. at The Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center, 16600 NE 80 Street, Room 104, Redmond, WA. Dorisjean Colvin, a local artist and art teacher, will be speaking. Come and enjoy meeting and listening to this talented lady who lived in the Redmond area in the 1970‘s and 1980‘s.

The Redmond Recorder

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- Matchbook Covers: Little Billboards of Businesses Past The most common items can become rare. With all the restaurants, cafés and lunch counters in Redmond over the years, almost no menus survive. Ephemera like grocery receipts and traffic tickets is so ubiquitous, few of us save them, and if we did, it‘s unlikely our children would continue to preserve them.

Ole’s Bakery Across From Artic Circle Lucky Boy Tavern Art and Sylvia At the Stoplight

Some others in our new collection: From his childhood in the 1920s, Roy Buckley recalls a Redmond minister who was criticized for picking up matchbooks he spotted in the streets. Fortunately for us, Roy wasn‘t deterred by example, and began collecting the little advertising gems, himself. He recently gave us 36 memory-jogging matchbooks from Redmond‘s past. Close Cover Before Striking. Even the oldest bear this warning in fine print, but otherwise, the covers are as different from one another as storefronts. Here are a few with a line of text from the covers:

Lewis Green Motors Cottage Lake Lumber Co. Redmond Motor Sales The Lion’s Paw Wayne’s Chevron Service The Cutlery East Redmond Tavern Raab’s Redmond Furniture

O’Brien’s Turkey House Every Day is Thanksgiving Day

Naturally, Roy held onto his favorites, including some that, today, would be socially incorrect. An old Hotel Café matchbook advises, ―If your wife can‘t cook, don‘t divorce her. Keep her as a pet and eat at our place.‖ A few of his favorites: La Brie Bros. We Grease to Please

Bryden Trucking Co. Fire Chief -- Tops in all 48 states

Redman Cafe Jim Ostrem and Mother, Props.

M & M Service Joe Mellquest, Independent Dealer

Blau’s Tavern Thirsty? – Beverages To Take Home

Blazes Broiler 15210 Redmond Way

Mond Snack Bar All Star Show -- After the Movie: SNACKS

The First National Bank of Redmond Serving Our Community since 1911

Buckley’s Garage and Service Station First Quality Gas & Oil Crankcase Service

Douglass REXALL Drugs Your Friendly Store

And if matchbooks were baseball cards, this one would be an original Babe Ruth:

Farmer Jones Inc. Jim Sadlier – Harold Everson

American United Life Insurance Co. G.R. ―Hap‖ Logan Elsa & Billie’s Lunch Where Friends Meet

Note the locations on these three: Corner Tavern Located in Downtown Redmond at the Stoplight

Brown’s Garage Incorporated A Little Light On A Good Motor Car – Chrysler

Now that Roy has begun this valuable collection for us, we hope our members will add to it, in two ways. First, while you‘re spring cleaning, take a peek in old handbags and fishing tackle boxes, the pockets of old jackets, (Continued on next page…)

The Redmond Recorder (Continued from previous page) the bottoms of junk drawers, and the topmost garage shelves—wherever you might have forgotten a book of matches years ago. Second, bring or send us matchbooks from today‘s Redmond businesses, especially from lesstrafficked places—they‘re tomorrow‘s history. - Redmond Reads PHYSICIAN: THE LIFE OF PAUL BEESON A biography by Richard Rapport, M.D. Barricade Books, Inc. © 2001 Fresh off the press is a hardback biography of the distinguished Redmond resident, Dr. Paul Beeson. Born in Montana in 1908, himself the son of a doctor, Paul‘s career as a medical teacher, researcher and practitioner has brought him world-fame in his profession. A founder of the discipline of Infectious Disease, Paul discovered the first vital class of cellular proteins. He was Chairman of Medicine at Emory, Yale and Oxford, and the Yale-New Haven Hospital Medical Service bears his name. He wrote 2 medical textbooks, and 5 universities have awarded him honorary degrees. He won the Kober Medal, the rarest prize for an internist. In 1973, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth for his services while at Oxford, the first American in 25 years to be so honored. Paul‘s full list of awards and achievements is staggering, and a book was certainly required to put his medical contributions in the humanitarian context that‘s uniquely his. At our April general membership meeting, his wife, local long-time environmental activist Barbara Beeson, presented us with a copy of his newly printed biography. As members volunteered credits they knew Paul had achieved, Barbara added, ―But he never forgot the patient!‖ Indeed, as medicine has evolved in the last century from art to science to industry, Paul has been increasingly concerned for the quality of doctor-patient relationships. Not in the least impressed with his own fame, through more than 60 years in medicine, Paul‘s focus has been simple: to care for sick people. Undoubtedly because he finds it true for himself, he believes that there is a basic ―human urge to observe, to know and to comfort.‖ At the age of 92, two of his primary concerns: health care for the aged, and the health of our fragile planet. As great men are recorded, above all his achievements, Paul Bee-

Page 5 son will be remembered for his humanity. This biography is sufficiently rich enough in personal details, that the layman‘s gap is bridged between the man and his work. We‘re proud of this new addition to our library, and will permit ourselves a boast: Dr. Paul Beeson has been a Redmond resident for the last 26 years. Thank-You to…  Betty Lambert for the 1973 1st National Bank of Redmond Calendar.  Ken Reite for two, large framed photos, one of Redmond Trading Company (to keep our stove company) and one of Cadman Gravel.  Brad Sullivan for photocopies of Slough Races, 1953-1955.  Tom Trueblood for arranging for the Old Redmond Schoolhouse to have a wheelchair, which will help some of us travel the building‘s long ramp and corridors.  Jackie Morris for using her computer skills to record personal histories.  Judy Lang for researching the Perrigo springs and tunnels, and bringing new folks into our group.  Clarence Stone for sharing copies of 1946 East Side Magazine.  Larry Hoger for researching and purchasing our new photocopier.  Audrey Gorlick for her financial support of our office supplies.  Eileen McCoskrie for the 1952 PTA Circus program and a steady stream of other historical goodies.  Amo Marr for arranging for Butch Leon to provide us with an old fire truck for the Derby Days parade, and for loaning us her old Glee Club sweater for a display which Margaret Doman is assembling for the Old Schoolhouse.  Jo Ann Potter for her understanding when husband Dale came home with truckloads of T&D artifacts.  Roy Buckley for the Redmond Gun Club emblem on felt.  Tom Fix for Dudley Carter‘s framed portrait; a 1924 photo of Redmond children boarding a wooden school bus, which we‘ll keep under wraps until it debuts in the Old Redmond Schoolhouse‘s hallway; a very special map we‘ll announce in the next newsletter. Thanks to all of you.

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- Potpourri » Phyllis Blower of the Redmond Department has informed us that a wheelchair is now available to assist people who need help getting from the parking lot into the Old Redmond Schoolhouse, and traversing its halls. Simply ask a staff person at the registration desk when you need it. » This year‘s Derby Days parade committee has chosen to honor all retired Redmond teachers in the annual Grand Parade. The committee needs your help in locating these special people who have given so much to our children and community. If you are a retired Redmond teacher, or can provide the parade committee with the name of someone who is, please contact Mary Clare Johnson, 425-917-3173 or [email protected] » The Sammamish Heritage Society is holding a home and garden tour on Saturday, May 19th, from 10:30 am to 3:00 p.m. Staging point and lunch will be the Pine Lake Community Center located at the corner of 212th and SE 20th in Sammamish. Pre-sale tickets are $15.00 per person. Questions? Contact Virginia Kuhn 425-391-0400 or 425-868-7588. » The Issaquah Historical Society has published an index by Eric Erickson of King County‘s mills & lumber businesses 1853-2001. It‘s 46 pages with over 1500 listings and will be valuable to anyone researching the local logging industry. Available from the Issaquah Society: (425)392-3500 or [email protected]. Also, Issaquah Historical Society‘s downtown walking tour is now online, featuring 20 sites, maps and historic photos. www.issaquahhistory.org. » Write your history in stone: Engraved paving tiles set in the walkways outside the Redmond Library are still available. These make wonderful gifts. For order forms and information, visit the Redmond Library, or go online to: www.kcls.org/red/redhomepage.

The Editor’s Corner We have received many compliments on the new format for the newsletter and I want to thank all of you for your kind words. Having been an editor of various newsletters for the last 20 years, I thought I would share with you some of my rules of grammar so that you too may someday be an editor. I call these rules: How to Write Gooder 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

Avoid alliteration. Always. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with. Avoid clichés like the plague. (They‘re old hat.) Employ the vernacular. Stay away from ampersands & abbreviations, etc. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive. Contractions aren‘t necessary. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos. One should never generalize. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: ―I hate quotations. Tell me what you know!‖ Comparisons are as bad as clichés. Don‘t be redundant; don‘t use more words than necessary; it‘s highly superfluous. Be more or less specific. Understatement is always best. Exaggeration is always a hundred billion billion times worse than understatement. One word sentences? Eliminate. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake. Who needs rhetorical questions? Always, always use a spell cheker.

So that‘s it. Follow these rules and you‘ll be amazed at peoples‘ comments. See you next meeting on May 12th and the old Redmond Schoolhouse, Room 104. - Walt Buchman

Redmond Historical Society - General Membership Meeting March 10, 2001 Attendance Betty Buckley Anderson, Barbara Beeson, Dusty Watts Blair, Angi Buchman, Rachel Buchman, Walt Buchman, Richard Cole, John Couch, Margaret Doman, Violet Cook Elduen, Diane Patty Foreman, Evelyn King Gilbert, Audrey Gorlick, Clara McSparran Hammersberg, Jerry Hammersberg, Jerry Hardy, Naomi Hardy, Rondinne Hills, Rosemarie Ives, Mary Clare Johnson, Glenn Lampaert, Roy Lampaert, Judy Aries Lang, Norma Leicester, Cheryl Magnuson, Gene Magnuson, Frank Mann, Marge Mann, Amo (Clare) Marr, Daryl Martin, Ward Martin, Jan Armstrong Mayer, Nancy McCormick, Don McCoskrie, Eileen McCoskrie, Doris Hebner McFarland, Holly Plackett, Dale Potter, Jo Ann Potter, Margy Rockenbeck, Phil Roe, Patsy Cook Rosenbach, Doris Schaible, Ilya Smirnov, Veronica Smirnov, Bob Sollitto, Aisha Strange, Charlene Johnston Sugden, Tom Thomas, Jerry Torell, Judy Gilbert Turner, Kris Underhill, Helen Usibelli, Rose Weiss, Margaret Evers Wiese, and Marie Wood.