These classmates have been missing from virtually all class functions since graduation, our 5 Year Reunion, or we have no current address or contact information for. YOU may be the key to help them, and all of us, to reconnect for our 40 Year Reunion.

We urge you to review this list ASAP and help us locate those missing in action.

If you communicate with any classmates listed here please contact them and ask them to allow you to provide us their contact information or have them contact us. We maintain this data with total confidentiality.

Contact us via Email at:
ChiefSealth72@hotmail.com

Confidential Database Contact:
Tom Myers
tomattc@hotmail.com
(425) 413-8096 (messages left are confidential)

Lucille Alberle
Sid Anderson
Liz Aycox
Valerie Bachmeier
Robert Bailey
John Balko
Diane Barringer
Brenda Barton
Jessica Beard
Janet Bekkala
Beatrice Bell
Patty Bellin
Marcia Bell
David Bennett
Ronald Berger
Cheryle Betts
Greg Beyerlein
Anita Blake
Carol Blakslee
Greg Bland
David Blaney
Judy Blaney
Gail Bowman
Marilyn Broches
Nancy Brown
Carolyn Burns
Mike Buxel
Pam Campbell
Chuck Carpenter
Loran Caston
Marianne Chapman
Ray Chapman
Linda Chidgey
Mary Coleman
Carol Collier
Tim Cooper
Bud Corwin
Glenda Couch
Dave Coulter
Donna Couty
Roger Craft
Robin Crosmer
Margaret Cross
Laurel Cunningham
Terry Currey
Randy Daft
Bernadette Davis
Blake Dieterich
Clare Dion
John Dodd
Patty Doland
Linda Dowd
Sandy Drake
Caroline Duxbury
Steven Earnest
Noel Eder
Tim Elder
Don Eley
Bev Eng
Vicki Ernst
Rodolfo Esteban
Jeanne Feller
Cathy Fels
Karen Flanigan
Mary Florenda
Bruce Fortney
Jeannette French
Ronald French
Leslie Gallagher
Jamie Gardner
Karen Gehr
Fred Goelden
Beatrice Gonzales
Steve Gonzales
Veronica Goss
Budd Green
Debra Green
Veronica Gross
Veronica Gross
Kelly Grove
Mark Hagenaars
Charles Haight
Gail Halsten
Terry Hanseling
Scott Hansen
Eileen Hasselberg
Michael Hawkins
Janet Heckinlively
Don Heinle
Wilma Henry
Janet Herrin
Gary Higgins
Rose Hobbs
Don Hoffman
Lynn Holder
Richard Holliday
Linda Hughes
Bruce Hulkrantz
Vicki Hurd
Ralph Jackson
Thersa Jamerson
Alan Jefferies
Scott Jensen
Steve Jewett
Carol Johnson
Lorna Johnson
Doug Jones
Karen Jorgenson
Suzanne Kathrein
Gary Keller
Jenny Keller
Jerry Kelso
Cindy Kinney
Bonnie Kitzinger
Elinor Koeppe
Rick Kolze
Stefania Korschinowski
Dan Krum
Thersa Labensky
Arlene Lamb
Karla Lander
Teresa Lang
James Layes
Karen Leaming
Pam Lomax
Sherrie Long
Ed Machen
Donna Malone
Cathy Maxfield
Cinda McSherry
Bob McWade
Carol Mihelich
Terry Mikulich
Christina Miller
Maureen Miller
Jolanda Nanassy
Mark Nelson
Lester Ness
Carrie Neumiller
Rene Nicholas
Janine Ojalla
Julie Olson
Kieth Olson
Deborah Overstreet
Stephanie Owen
Jim Ozier
Nancy Pelletier
Christina Peterson
Christopher Peterson
Marcia Peterson
Guy Pryor
Linda Rapacz
Debra Reid
Mary Renwick
Alexander Reyno
Darol Reynolds
Alejandra Rivera
Garry Robbins
Randy Roberts
Linda Rome
Dorretta Rouleau
David Rowden
Keith Sabado
Rodney Sayler
Doug Selfridge
Sandra Selle
Colette Sherwood
Lou Shiley
Tom Shumate
Susan Sijer
Dan Simonson
Joe Simpson
Terry Skelton
Sharon Skougstad
Tom Smilanich
Becky Smith
Debbie Smith
William Smith
Rendy Sollers
Beldon Spores
Cathy Spotanske
Kent Stevens
Paula Stewart
Robert Strachen
Erik Strom
Richard Summers
Yvonne Sutton
Marsha Takahashi
Marylin Tew
Dave Thompson
Rex Thompson
Ruth Thompson
Joe Thurman
Richard Torgeson
William Troupe Jr
Donna Turner
Jill Tuttle
Jay Underwood
Marlene Vanhalteren
Tim Ventur
Donald Vogel
Wendy Wahlen
Janet Walior
Steve Wangsness
Alan White
Debi Wichers
Kenneth Williams
Toni Williams
Robin Willis
Larry Wilson
Kieth Witter
Noreen Wolfe
Larry Wolff
Bradley Woodlyn
Priscilla Woods
Fred Wright
Susan Wyciskala
Bill Yates
Mary Yost
Steve Ziegler

Thank you for any
assistance and
involvement you can
provide in making this
reunion complete.

Reunion Committee
Lisa Fischer
Tom Huling III
David Katt
Tom Myers
Sue Odne
Elizabeth Smith
Warren Wahlborg
Candace Webb

(Photo by DC)
A sunset to remember, after that crazy out-of-the-blue (and gray) evening downpour … more people have e-mailed to share sunset photos than we’ve seen in a while – thank you! This one had it all – dramatic clouds, splashes of color … and Alki was the place to see it:

(Photo by Cheryl Nellis of Cnellis Photography)
Here’s another view with the Bremerton ferry passing Alki …

(Photo by Valerie)
And even without the color, the Olympic Mountains made for a beautiful show …

(Photo by Debra Salazar Herbst)
But then – some of them were suddenly gone in the clouds:

(Photo by Russ Walker)
Thank you to everyone who shared sunset views. Photos welcome, from weather to wildlife to breaking news to events to … any time: editor@westseattleblog.com (or via the WSB Facebook page).

From Janet in Genesee:

A neighbor and I witnessed a teen male in our alley and my driveway at 11 am today who got away in a dark (black or navy blue) sedan with license AAM ####. (It looked like a modest older sedan, and we did not see if it had chrome wheels.) The driver had short black hair, a bit taller than his accomplice, age 18-22, and white. The accomplice was seen trying our locked Prius driver door handle and was wearing an untucked Seahawks jersey and dark jeans, hgt was about 5’5” to 5’8”, lean build, age 17-20, black (neighbor says lighter complexioned). A honk signalled that it was time to go (and to possibly duck from neighbor’s view). The car was initially parked at the top of the alley out of street view. They were fast on the getaway. A big thank you to my neighbor who just as quickly called 911.

From Amanda in Seaview:

Writing to report a daytime burglary on the 5900 block of 44th [Thursday]. Entry through a backyard access window to the garage. Evidence that thief attempted to pry open back door with a BBQ tool. Burglar locked family dog in garage while they scoured the house, ransacking the master bedroom, ultimately taking a Nikon D7000 camera, an iPad, Kindle, jewelry, 2 designer purses and 2 pairs of preserved original Air Jordans. Thief appears to have left out of the front door. Police looked for prints; however, appears he/she was wearing gloves.

From Mary in High Point:

I live on the 6700 block of 34th Ave SW – When I took my dog out (Thursday) morning I noticed both of my rear passenger doors were ajar. I had about 4 bags of clothes taken that I had planned on selling/donating in the backseat. Also, the thief tried to steal my daughter’s pack and play but couldn’t get it out of the car. The glove compartment and all the other usual places were searched too. Luckily they left my daughter’s car seat. Anyways, just wanted to report this so you can let your readers know to look out. This isn’t the first time prowlers have looked in our cars – usually we keep them unlocked because we’d rather deal with stuff missing than broken windows, and we usually don’t keep anything of high value in our cars ever, but I feel like the frequency is getting worse.

From Michael, a few blocks away:

Auto break-ins at 6300 Block of 37th. Two trucks that I know of including mine had drivers side windows broken out and loose items stolen. Both loose items.They were both duffel bags. Mine was hidden behind seat containing static line and ratchet straps. keep your eyes out for prowlers, people!

Again, these are just the incidents that people have e-mailed to share news of – we hope you’re never a victim, but if something happens, once you’ve reported it to the police, you’re also welcome to share it here – editor@westseattleblog.com.

7:18 PM: At Highland Park Way and Othello, a few trees came down – apparently concurrent with the downpour about an hour ago – and right now, one downhill lane is closed.

7:33 PM UPDATE: Cleanup crew is on scene. Photos added.

ORIGINAL 6:31 PM REPORT: A large Fire Department response has headed for Alki Point in response to a reported boat fire. So far, though, they’re not finding anything.

6:41 PM UPDATE: Per scanner, the Coast Guard has found a boat that had a small fire “put out by occupants.”

7:22 PM UPDATE: Beach Drive Blog has published a photo of what looks like the boat in question getting a tow or escort.

7:30 PM UPDATE: Our crew is back at HQ and we’ve added their photo atop the story. No injuries reported in all this, by the way.

Denny International Middle School principal Jeff Clark is famous far and wide for his suits – especially the bright blue one. He wore something darker to get dunked during a school carnival in honor of the recent state-mandated testing (same round for which they made another “inspirational music video”). Patricia Rangel from Denny shares the photo, and this report:

To celebrate the best performance of the students during the MSP, the Washington State Exams, the Denny International Middle School Staff hosted a school-wide carnival including dance, face-painting, and dunk booth. Principal Jeff Clark took his turn in full suit and tie while students aimed fire at the bullseye. Last year Denny International 8th graders saw more growth in their MSP scores in math than any other middle school in the city. They are expecting similar results this August when the 2012 scores are announced.

If you live near the Highland Park home where longtime community advocate Martha Mallett and son Brian escaped from a fire in early May, you’ve probably already seen this – but in case you were among those who came to the post-fire neighborhood benefit from other parts of West Seattle, a neighbor sent us this photo to share, to be sure everyone who helped knows they’re appreciated. (We haven’t heard how the fire survivors are doing now, but we’re checking.)

(Photo by Hal Tangen)
As Seattle Public Utilities‘ massive new South Transfer Station has gone up just east of West Seattle, on the west side of South Park, it’s brought double takes and questions – especially when a paint problem caused its partial dismantling last year – and photos. Today, the city announced it’s finally about to open. Mayor McGinn and City Councilmembers Jean Godden and Richard Conlin are scheduled to dedicate it next Wednesday morning. From the media advisory, some factoids you might not know about it:

Features of the New South Transfer Station:

Reduced dust due to a misting system that can also be used to reduce odors.
A rainwater collection system that stores rain in a cistern to be used for washing.
Automated weigh-and-pay station for better efficiency, shorter lines and wait times.
Increased safety inside the station for customers and employees; a separate entrance for commercial collection trucks for added safety and efficiency.
Hydraulic compactors to optimize loads for efficiency.
High-quality architecture that meets the gold standard in environmental design.
Public art that features salvaged street signs and parts from the old South Park Bridge. Other artwork made from recycled plastic forks and spoons.
Niches for station staff to display “interesting items” that are found in the trash.
A viewing room for tour groups, individuals to safely see the activity on the sorting floor.

If you haven’t seen it yet, the station is on South Kenyon right alongside Highway 509.

A letter to families, or a news release, only says so much – so after news came in Thursday afternoon about the new principal hired for West Seattle’s most populous elementary school, Lafayette in the Admiral District, we asked for a chance to speak with her.

The announcement of Shauna Heath‘s hiring pointed out that she is a West Seattleite.

Not only does she live here, she told WSB in a Thursday-evening phone conversation, she lives less than a mile from the school she will be leading as of July 1st.

“My child said, ‘We could ride our bikes to school together’” if she worked close to home, instead of in Kent, where Heath has been principal of Sunrise Elementary for two years. (Her son is an Alki Elementary first-grader right now.)

Making a school community also feel like a “home”/”family” community is one of the goals Heath says she has strived for, wherever she has worked.

When we asked her what accomplishments she’s proudest of at Sunrise, that’s one of the things she listed. “If you spend as much time (at school) as you do with your parents at home … this (also) is your ‘home’ and your ‘family’ and your community.” And that doesn’t only apply to the students and staff; she says she started a “volunteer program” to help get kids access to afterschool activities such as “Lego Club, video club, tutoring, and it’s all run with volunteers.”

She also mentions Sunrise achieving “AYP” – adequate yearly progress (explained here), under the federal parameters for whether a school is succeeding – last year (after what state records show were several years, before her arrival, of the school not making AYP).

Sunrise also has implemented a schedule that she says allows all students to get a half-hour a day of either “extension or remediation” – help or challenge, “depending on what they need.”

Heath doesn’t take sole credit for those achievements – “I’ve been able to work with an incredible staff (at Sunrise) and it was really a difficult decision to leave them. (But) knowing I’m going to (another great staff) at Lafayette is definitely also incredible.”

While Lafayette is West Seattle’s largest-enrollment elementary school, with its rolls having grown to about 550, requiring the addition of portables, Heath says it’ll be the “smallest” school she’s led. Her current school in Kent has 560 enrolled, kindergarten through 6th; in Bellevue and Tennessee, she led schools with about 700 students, and she also has led a middle school with about 1,000 enrolled.

One distinctive aspect of Lafayette is its long-strong Spectrum program, self-contained classes for advanced learners (the district’s explanation is here). What’s her background in that? we asked.

She points mostly to her special education background, including time in Alaska, where, she says, “special education” also includes “gifted and talented.” She also mentioned “university studies” in that specialization. During her time in Georgia and Tennessee, she says, “they integrate most of the gifted services, so that is a little bit different. In Decatur (Georgia), the district has a lot of gifted/talented students – 20 percent of their students are qualified – so I had to work on addressing that.”

Currently, she says, her Kent school has “three classrooms of ‘highly capable’ kids … everybody needs to have the core instruction, everybody gets a differentiation time or some ‘extending’ activities … every child is different and we need to figure out how to address their differences.”

Asked for her overall thoughts about taking on Lafayette, she talked about its status as an “academically successful school” and how to continue that momentum: “Teaching all students at their levels, meeting their needs, with an academically rigorous environment for each of the kids … the building has an amazing culture and climate already, (so I’ll be) taking what’s there and really building on it.” As mentioned earlier in her philosophy of school = community/family, she mentioned a desire for more involvement with all of West Seattle, and “our incredible neighborhood.”

Speaking of neighborhoods, Heath is originally from Wichita, Kansas; she left Wichita at age 16 to study in Germany as an exchange student, and when she came back, she went to The Evergreen State College in Olympia (from which, as the district mentioned in its announcement, she has bachelor’s and master’s degrees). Her ties to the Northwest also include family in Eugene, Oregon.

But right now, front and center, it’s the challenge ahead, and she says, “I’m ready to go. … Every time I (start work at a school) I want to provide every child the same thing I would want for my own child. We have resources in West Seattle to connect globally and locally; sometimes we forget the context and connection.”

The district has promised to organize events to help Heath start connecting with her new school community/family; no dates set yet, but we’ll report them when they are.

Crowds in the thousands are expected to turn out this weekend for Mariners baseball and the 40th Annual Northwest Folklife Festival. The festival, which began in 1972, offers a plethora of opportunities to experience the diverse cultures of the Pacific Northwest. There’ll be activities for all ages with dancing, singing, and music. The festival also features storytelling ranging from family stories to ghost stories. On Monday, Memorial Day, a large turnout is expected for the Bread of Life Mission’s BBQ being held of homeless veterans.

The Seattle Department of Transportation urges motorists heading out for the events to help reduce traffic congestion and pollution by taking one of the many alternate modes of transportation available – Metro Transit, the Seattle Streetcar, the Sounder commuter train, Link light rail, car pool, bicycle or walk, if feasible.

Friday, May 25 – Monday , May 28

Northwest Folklife Festival: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Sunday; 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Monday
Seattle Center

10,000 expected on Friday

25,000 expected each day on Saturday, Sunday and Monday

Production staging will require use of streets surrounding the Seattle Center for production staging through Tuesday, May 29. Plan on congestion in the general area.

Metro Transit will be offering special shuttle bus service Saturday through Monday to the Folklife Festival at the Seattle Center from both the Northgate Transit Center and South Renton Park-and-Ride.

There is no shuttle service on Friday, the first day of the festival, but there are also several other routes that provide bus service to the Seattle Center or close by. Please visit Metro Online for information on Metro Transit’s routes, schedules, and trip planning.

Friday, May 25 – Sunday, May 27

Seattle Mariners vs the Los Angeles Angels
Safeco Field
Friday, May 25, 7:10 p.m., 27,000 attending
Saturday, May 26, 4:15 p.m., 23,000 attending
Sunday, May 27, 1:10 p.m.; 26,000 attending
Expect traffic congestion surrounding the stadium before and after the games.

Saturday, May 26

World Peace Prayer: 6 p.m.
The Vietnamese Catholic Church 1230 E Fir Street
1,500 participants
Religious parade on the streets surrounding the Vietnamese Catholic Church starts at front of church and moves west on Fir to 12th Avenue S; north on 12th to E Spruce Street; east on Spruce to 14th Avenue S; south on 14th to E Fir Street. Seattle Police will escort.

Monday, May 28

Homeless Veteran’s Day Free BBQ: 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Bread of Life Mission
2,500 expected
Event will close S Main Street between Alaskan Way S and First Avenue S from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Note: Metro Transit will operate a Sunday schedule on Monday, May 28, for the Memorial Day holiday. (WSB editor’s note – Same goes for the West Seattle run of the King County Water Taxi.)

(Click for full-size image)
Congratulations to the musicians at Madison Middle School, back from an out-of-state festival with some major honors. Music teacher Clark Bathum shares photos and a report, plus word of their upcoming concerts here at home:

Last weekend 100 Madison Middle School band and orchestra students and 16 brave parents, grandparents, and staff had a fantastic time on their annual 3-day trip to the Music in the Parks Festival in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

All of our groups represented West Seattle well against some extremely tough competition. Madison’s string orchestra and concert band both finished second in their divisions, receiving ratings of “excellent.” The Jazz Band won their division and also earned an “excellent” rating. Madison 7th grade saxophonist Logan Schiller played fantastically and continued a dominant Madison win streak becoming the 9th straight Madison student to win the Outstanding Middle School/Jr High Jazz Soloist Award:

After the competition on Saturday morning students had a great time riding rollercoasters and attending the awards ceremony at Silverwood Theme Park.

Congratulations to all of our young musicians for representing Madison and your community so well on and off stage!

With our trip behind us all of the Madison music groups have thrown themselves into preparation for our upcoming spring concerts so come and check them out. Our spring band concert will be on Tuesday, June 5 and our orchestra and jazz concert will be on Thursday, June 7. Both concerts will start at 7:00 pm in the Madison Commons. We would love to see you there.

(We’re adding those dates to the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar, which always welcomes listings for school events and already has lots for the weeks before school lets out – just please e-mail us with as much lead time as possible! Thanks!)

(Great blue heron south of Alki Point, photographed by Zane F. Ware)
Welcome to the holiday weekend! Here’s some of what’s up if you’re NOT taking flight and leaving town:

WEST SEATTLE GARDEN CLUB’S MAY MEETING: The Garden Club meets 10 am-2 pm and you’re invited to all or part of the meeting, which includes a presentation about lavender. Full details here; you’ll find the club at Daystar (2615 SW Barton).

LIVE MUSIC AT C & P COFFEE: Never seen Bob “Bobcat Bob” Rice perform? Not to be missed. See him tonight at C & P (WSB sponsor), 6-8 pm (5612 California).

DINNER JAZZ AT LA ROMANZA: Music with your meal? Friday nights you’ll find it at La Romanza Bistro Italiano (WSB sponsor) in The Junction, starting at 6.

WEST SEATTLE HIGH SCHOOL TALENT SHOW: The WSHS junior class is presenting the talent show as a fundraiser, 7 pm, $5 with an ASB card and $7 without (3000 California SW).

LIVE MUSIC AT SKYLARK: Nightrain, Punk Funk Mob, Pony Time, Orca Team, starting at 8 at Skylark Café and Club (3803 Delridge Way SW).

LIVE MUSIC AT FEEDBACK LOUNGE: “Funkiness” is promised in tonight’s performance by The Flat 5 at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), 9 pm (6451 California).

LIVE MUSIC AT THE BENBOW ROOM: Blackline and Prelude 2A Pistol, 9 pm, Heartland Café’s Benbow Room (4210 SW Admiral Way).

That’s Venus setting last night, behind “some rain that didn’t reach the ground,” as John Hinkey described it. The forecast looks good for at least today and tomorrow – so you might see something just as, if not more, beautiful tonight.

At first, it looked like possible progress for Marination‘s Seacrest Boathouse restaurant project when today’s city Land Use Information Bulletin arrived, with word that the land-use permit had been approved. But when we checked in with Marination owners Roz Edison and Kamala Saxton this morning, we found out that instead, they’re dealing with a new delay, and facing a fall opening, at best, compared to the mid-to-late summer estimate when they visited the Alki Community Council last month (WSB coverage here).

“Although Land Use has issued its decision, we just recently heard that we are still nearly 2 months away from getting a building permit,” Edison replied. She explained that the decision announced today will require the city to “inform the Department of Ecology in Olympia,” which then has up to a month to review and make its own decision. Even if it gives thumbs up, she continued, “then there is another mandatory period for public comment, 21 days. Only after this public comment period – again assuming no objections – will the Seattle DPD issue a building permit.”

She says Marination was “not informed of this secondary level of review when all this began.” And it’s not a promising timetable: “Our estimates, with this newly revealed process and our most hopeful build-out timelines, would have us opening in mid- to late September – just in time to watch the leaves turn color.”

So are they considering abandoning the project? We’re waiting for a reply to that followup question, and will also be checking up on where the city Parks Department believes everything stands. If you are just coming in on this ongoing story – the city chose Marination’s bid to operate Seacrest, over a bid by the previous concessionaire, Alki Crab and Fish. Then it was revealed that the site had never been formally approved for restaurant operations, and the city Department of Planning and Development was initiating a separate review on that.

ADDED 3:55 PM FRIDAY: We took our followup questions to Karen O’Connor in the Seattle Parks communications department, and she tracked down the people who could answer them. First, she confirmed that they have not yet finalized a lease with Marination, but said they are “close to a final lease agreement.” O’Connor said Parks has a more optimistic view of the timetable, while affirming what Marination’s Edison told us, that the state now has to issue its approval, with “a 21-day public involvement period that follows that. Then it goes back to DPD who issues the final permit. We hear that DOE often rules pretty quickly. It is still possible for a mid- to late-August opening, if things move along as we hope.”

Finally, we asked about the status of an official community meeting with an update on where things said, which Parks had previously promised for “late spring.” O’Connor says, “We will have some signage on the building by the end of next week and still plan to have a community meeting when we have definite dates that we can share with the community.”