West Seattle, Washington
08 Thursday
5:14 AM: Thanks for the tips and photo from the overnight fire callout in Riverview. Firefighters are reported to have extinguished a fire in the women’s restroom at Riverview Playfield in the 7300 block of 12th SW, first reported after 2 am. We’ll be following up with SFD and Parks later this morning.
8:48 AM: No one from Parks was around when we went to the scene to follow up a short time ago, but our photo, above, shows some of the damage, and that this building includes storage; the entire building is taped off.
Just out of the WSB inbox:
I wanted to report something that happened to me Friday night as I was walking on Myrtle by the playfield at 31st. It was around 11 pm and I was walking alone west on Myrtle. A red SUV (Mazda, I think) drove up 31st to Myrtle and idled at the intersection. Two young men, late teens or early 20s, slight build) got out and walked across the street and came quickly up behind me. I turned to face them and the one closest to me punched me in the face and told me to hand over my money. I fell back on the lawn of the house I was in front of and kicked out at him, screaming, “I don’t have any money, get the f— out of here! I’m calling the cops.” The two guys ran back to the car and then peeled out and turned the corner to drive south on 32nd. Although the lights were on in most of the houses and a dog started up barking, nobody came out of their house to help me. I called the police and they took down my account and escorted me home.
We asked the victim, who didn’t want to be identified, if she is physically OK; she replied, “Face hurts but he got me in the back of my jaw near my ear, so no teeth loose or anything.”
The incident number for the attack, categorized as strong-arm robbery, is in this tweet, if you have any information for police.
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
About an hour before sunset at Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza tonight, West Seattleite Samuella Samaniego reverently removed the Orlando sympathy sash and banner she had placed on the statue five days earlier.
With Kevin J. Auld piping (hear him in this video clip), it became a simple, solemn ceremony.
Hundreds signed what became a two-piece banner after its earlier removal and return; Sam says she will be sending the messages off to Orlando, where six days now have passed since 49 people were killed.
Thanks to the anonymous reader who texted that photo, taken from Cormorant Cove at sunset. We got a closer look in the next photo e-mailed by Chris Frankovich:
Bonus pre-sunset view – Paul Panzl shared this scene from Genesee Hill a few hours earlier:
Thanks as always to everyone sharing photos – from beauty to breaking news and beyond – editor@westseattleblog.com or, text 206-293-6302.
(WSB photos)
A lap around the track by cancer survivors is a traditional part of the start of the annual West Seattle Relay for Life, under way right now at West Seattle Stadium, until 9 am tomorrow. This year, the lap was followed by the survivors walking under a human arch:
At the stadium (4432 35th SW), visitors are welcome until the gates close for the night at 11:30 pm, and then again at 5; participants, however, will be on the track all night, or taking breaks for activities including movies at 12:30 and 2:30 am. When morning arrives – remember, it gets light early this time of year! – the schedule calls for special laps including “Bubbles of Hope” at 5:30 am and a “pajama lap” at 7 am, followed by 7:30 am yoga and a closing ceremony at 8:30 am. If you stop by, here’s one way you can help:
A textile drive is under way throughout the event, collecting clothing and other textile items as part of the cancer-fighting fundraiser. This year, more than 20 teams are taking part in R4LWS, including Key Club members from Chief Sealth International and West Seattle High Schools.
One more reminder – 10 am-5 pm Saturday, whatever the weather (might be a little showery), the Morgan Junction Community Festival is on!
Live music all day, the legendary Bubbleman @ 11:30 am, local authors’ reading/meeting/greeting all day, Bark of Morgan dog parade and contests at 1:30 pm, food and ice-cream carts, dozens of community groups/businesses/vendors to see and meet, even a chance to “paint” the building at the future park-expansion site, 3-4 pm … You’ll find it all in and around Morgan Junction Park (6413 California SW) and around/behind the Beveridge Place Pub and Zeeks Pizza (WSB sponsor)/Whisky West buildings next door.
(March WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)
If you’ve been wondering what’s going on with the investigation of the illegal Duwamish Head Greenbelt tree-cutting in East Admiral – City Councilmember Lisa Herbold confirms it’s continuing, and that criminal and civil action are both possible. From an update she published today:
… The Seattle Police Department is continuing its investigation to determine if there is probable cause for criminal prosecution and will prepare a case to submit to the King County Prosecutor. The King County Prosecutor has jurisdiction over criminal felony prosecutions. The Police Department has conducted interviews and distributed flyers in the adjacent neighborhood for any information or leads. Last month, the Parks Department removed blackberry bushes for evidence of any previous cutting beyond the recent example, but didn’t find any additional tree cutting.
Separately from this effort to prepare a potential criminal violation, the City Attorney’s Office is also working to pursue potential civil action. It is likely that the office will issue one or more demand letters in the next few months, asking potentially responsible parties to pay the City damages and fines. If the King County Prosecutor declines to prosecute, the City Attorney’s Office may – at that time – decide to pursue a criminal action. Responsible parties may (1) be required to pay the City damages, civil fines and penalties, including restoration work, and also (2) face criminal penalties. It appears that the City has between 18 and 30 months during which to timely file a court case.
The City Attorney’s Office and Seattle Police Department are reluctant to publicly disclose additional information or additional specifics on their timeline as they believe that doing so could limit the effectiveness of the investigation and any prosecution or civil actions. …
Herbold’s update continues with details of the laws that could apply, and potential penalties – read it in its entirety here.
(Photos courtesy Foss. Above, Aiviq departing this morning)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
More than a year after the first Shell support vessels arrived at the Port of Seattle’s Terminal 5 in West Seattle, the last of them have departed – headed for the Arctic, but not to drill.
We just confirmed this with Foss Maritime, which leased space at T-5 in February 2015, a half-year before Shell’s decision to abandon its Arctic-offshore-drilling plans.
While the protester-targeted drilling platform Polar Pioneer (which left T-5 almost exactly a year ago) did not return to T-5 after its Arctic efforts were stopped, assorted support vessels did, including the three that left today.
Our inquiry followed a tip from Jon in Luna Park, who reported seeing the three vessels – Aiviq, Dino Chouest, and Ross Chouest, heading out this morning.
(Dino Chouest departing this morning, with Ross Chouest at left)
Paul Gallagher of Foss Maritime, terminal manager for T-5, just confirmed the departures:
The three remaining Edison Chouest Offshore support vessels departed Terminal 5 this morning bound for the Arctic.
Over the past few months, the T5 team has been working closely with Edison Chouest and Fairweather LLC to prepare the vessels for the summer season and their mission to retrieve all of the mooring gear left on the seafloor by the Shell exploration rigs.
It is worth noting that the T5 team and associated partners (Jones Stevedoring, ILWU, Global Diving, Ness Cranes, Waste Management, USSA Security, etc.) had no recordable or lost time injuries during the project since we began in February 2015. I truly appreciate all the hard work and attention to safety which was evident in our day to day operations and engagement with our subcontractors and customers.
We are still looking for other business opportunities for the Terminal 5 facilities, but we do not have anything firmed up or contracted.
Under lease terms made public by the Port in February 2015, Foss’s lease is for $550,000 a month.
Separate from the interim Foss lease, Terminal 5 is proposed for a quarter-billion-dollar project to expand its capacity, and the comment period for that project continues until July 8th.
Years in the making, the city’s “Seattle 2035” comprehensive-plan update is moving toward finalization. With transportation being one of West Seattle’s hottest issues, you might be interested in that specific section of Seattle 2035, which gets a briefing at the City Council’s Sustainability and Transportation Committee next Tuesday (June 21st) at 2 pm. The map above, setting a goal of 35% single-occupancy-vehicle trips for our area, is in both of the following documents linked to the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting:
*Presentation (slide deck)
*Memo
The documents go into added detail about the focus on “mode share” – moving the same number of people with fewer vehicles – and other parts of the transportation philosophy in the proposed plan. Following up on this briefing, and in advance of others before committees handling topics that correlate to other parts of the plan (the dates are all in the slide deck linked above), a public hearing on the overall Seattle 2035 plan is set for June 27th, 6 pm, at City Hall – full details here, including how to comment on the plan via e-mail before then.
(Photo courtesy South Seattle College)
921 graduates from the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) Class of 2016 are on their way to the next phase of their lives, after last night’s 46th annual SSC Commencement Ceremony at Benaroya Hall downtown. Here’s the class breakdown from SSC’s Ty Swenson:
South Seattle College conferred a total of 921 awards this year, including 463 associate transfer degrees that enable students to transfer to four-year colleges and universities in Washington and beyond to complete their bachelor’s degrees.
Another 277 graduates earned associate degrees and certificates that prepare them to enter the workforce immediately.
Forty-nine earned their bachelor’s degrees, including the first class to obtain a Bachelor’s of Applied Science in Sustainable Building Science Technology.
And 132 graduates earned their high school diploma or equivalent, taking a significant step toward increased earning potential and future educational opportunities.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist rower Mary Whipple was the featured speaker.
P.S. If you’re thinking about going to SSC – registration continues for summer quarter, which starts June 27th.
(WSB photos)
After five (interrupted) days, Samuella Samaniego says she plans to take down the Orlando-solidarity/sympathy sash and banners at Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza tonight at 8 pm. She adds, “A bagpipe musician has made himself available for the removal. I realized (that) if I did not do something different (for the removal), it might end up feeling like I was simply taking down a petition that had all the signatures it needed. The people who lost their lives, and/or their loved ones, who now have to find a way to live with the loss, should be honored with something more than cutting the ties that have kept the memorial secured to the Statue.”
We visited this morning to take the photos you see above; the panels are covered in names and messages so there’s not much room to add new ones, but if you want to see them before they’re gone, or to be there this evening as a tribute, now you know.
Thanks to the texters who shared the news and photo:
Just wanted to pass along that our 12U team “Blue Thunder” won the West Seattle Girls Softball championship (Wednesday) night. We beat the “Flamethrowers” in a nailbiter of a game. It was 5-5 going into the last inning. We scored 5 in the top of the inning and shut them out in the bottom of the inning. Final score was 10-5.
You can find out more about WSGS on the web and (with more championship news) on Facebook.
Just in from the King County Wastewater Treatment District, as the Murray Combined Sewer Overflow Control Project across from Lowman Beach continues advancing toward completion by year’s end:
King County’s contractor for the Murray CSO Control Project will begin working on Sundays inside the facility building starting as early as this Sunday, June 19th.
Work will occur during daytime hours and will be limited to quiet, indoor activities. A small crew will be conducting electrical and mechanical work inside the building using handheld equipment. This work will not exceed noise levels outlined by City noise ordinance. You may notice crews going to or coming from the site.
Thank you for your continued patience during construction. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns by email, by calling the project hotline at 206-205-9186, or by stopping by our booth at the Morgan Junction Community Festival this Saturday from 10 am-5 pm.
Hopes and dreams for Food Lifeline‘s new Hunger Solution Center in South Park (815 S. 96th) were written on a blackboard during last night’s celebration. The party of course included a ribboncutting, with FL CEO Linda Nageotte deploying the oversized scissors:
More after the jump: Read More
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
7:24 AM: Good morning. Quiet Friday so far. So here are the weekend reminders:
SATURDAY VIADUCT CLOSURE: The northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct will close for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. The closure is set to start around 4 am Saturday and could run as late as 3 pm but authorities promise to reopen roads as soon as all the runners clear each section. (The race website’s full list of closures projects a 10:30 am reopening.)
MORGAN JUNCTION COMMUNITY FESTIVAL: The small dead-end side streets Beveridge and Eddy are part of the festival zone off the west side of California north of Fauntleroy, 10 am-5 pm Saturday.
NEXT BRIDGE CLOSURE SUNDAY NIGHT: No closures on Friday or Saturday nights as usual for the Fauntleroy Expressway seismic-safety work on the west end of the West Seattle Bridge; Sunday night’s closure will be the regular 9 pm-5 am hours.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports tonight:
STOLEN CAR: Rebecca‘s neighborhood in Gatewood has been hit again by car thieves. Her car was taken two months ago; we published her report, and an observant neighbor spotted the car nearby. Tonight, she says, two sisters visiting the neighborhood reported someone stole their car just feet from where Rebecca’s was taken in the 3900 block of SW Elmgrove [map]. It’s a 2009 Nissan Versa, baby blue, WA plate ending in 632, “trim near driver-side door hands loose near keyhole.” Call 911 if you see it.
DOORSTEP THEFT: In the 9000 block of 4th SW [map], Sheila reports a doorstep theft last night:
Our neighbor returned a car battery recharger he borrowed, left it on the front step at 10 pm. We have video of a man quickly walking up the front walk at about 11:20, grabbing the small pouch with the charger in it, and walking quickly away. I’ve reported to police. … The guy was wearing a hat so can’t see his face. Short, apparently dark hair is best we’ve been able to make out. Coat with bright tape (like safety jacket) and high-top sneakers.
P.S. Reminder – this month’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting is next Tuesday (June 21st), 7 pm, at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster; map).
P.P.S., ADDED FRIDAY MORNING: WSCPC president Richard Miller tells WSB that the guest on Tuesday will be SPD’s Chief Operating Officer Brian Maxey, who will be able to speak about the operations of the 911 Center, among other topics.
Rain or shine, the Morgan Junction Community Festival is on for Saturday, 10 am-5 pm in and around Morgan Junction Park (6413 California SW).
Last night, we brought you a thorough preview of most of what you’ll find at the festival, which is presented by the Morgan Community Association, with sponsors including WSB. But we promised that tonight we’d share the word about the food.
In addition to the area’s year-round restaurants, including Zeek’s Pizza (WSB sponsor) right next to the festival zone, four mobile vendors are scheduled for Saturday, according to festival organizers, and this year they’ll be next to Beveridge Place Pub, adjacent to the park, rather than across the street as in the past few years. They are:
Kabob ‘n Kabob
Dirty Dog hot-dog cart
Gourmet Tamales
Sweet Bumpas Ice Cream
And kitty-corner from the park, at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor), look for the barbecue tent outside the store entrance – you can support the festival by getting a fresh-grilled burger, chips, and drink for lunch, $7 suggested donation goes to keeping the festival free! 11 am until about 3 pm.
One more preview tomorrow, and then we’ll see you in Morgan Junction on Saturday!
(UPDATED FRIDAY AFTERNOON with reader photo of electronic sign trailer now in place by Duwamish Head)
(Added: Post-meeting photo along Alki Ave. Quiet tonight, but when it’s warm …)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Full house in the Alki UCC parlor tonight, with beach-area residents bringing a variety of complaints to Seattle Police guests invited by the Alki Community Council.
Operations Lt. Ron Smith said there wasn’t much that could be done about most of the complaints. But he said the area had some good news nonetheless, as he opened with the overview: “Crimes against persons (in the Alki area) are down 21 percent.” That’s largely attributable to a reduction in domestic-violence cases, he said. Property crimes are down 11 percent – “this is one of the few neighborhoods that have a 31 percent reduction in car prowls.”
As he had told the Delridge District Council last night, he and precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis are leading the planning for security for the upcoming Seattle Pride events, and also are meeting with owners of LGBTQA bars. Today, the Southwest Precinct had 11 officers working; on Saturday, they will have that same level of staffing, with two of the officers assigned to bicycle patrol.
“We are again doing a summer emphasis – not to the numbers that you and I would like, but we have to be somewhat responsible in the deployment of overtime,” he added. In terms of hiring, the real impact from the process might be as far as two years away, he said, which drew a loud sigh from one attendee. “The mayor’s keeping his commitment in trying to hire more officers,” but they are having more of a challenge getting good applicants, he said.
“I think our concerns in Alki are quality-of-life issues,” most of all, he said. Then ACC vice president Randie Stone opened the floor. One resident said they had been sending e-mail to Southwest/South Precincts’ Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon (who was in attendance) and City Councilmember Lisa Herbold.
She listed two issues: Read More
While spot outages are reported fairly frequently, we’ve received several reports of this one, so it could be relatively widespread – we’ve heard from Comcast customers from North Delridge east to Pigeon Point. One customer says they’ve been told it’s supposed to be back on by 10 pm. Any other areas?
(WSB file photo)
Need some inspiration? We know one place you can find it … West Seattle Stadium (4432 35th SW), tomorrow night through Saturday morning, during the annual Relay for Life. It’s a cancer-fighting fundraiser but it’s also a gathering of hundreds of your West Seattle neighbors, starting with the survivors’ lap at 6:30 pm, following the opening lap at 6. Also a highlight: The luminaria ceremony at 10 pm, during which you’re invited to light one for someone you’ve lost to cancer and/or someone who’s fighting the battle. The full agenda for Friday night and Saturday morning, concluding with closing ceremonies at 8:30 am Saturday, is here. Even if you just show up to applaud the survivors at 6:30 pm tomorrow, it’s a stirring sight to see.
P.S. You can donate through a button on that same page. This year, they’re also having a textile drive – clothing, shoes, and more – see the list of donatable items here.
After an unannounced three-week break, Seattle Public Utilities crews will resume flushing work this weekend, continuing to clear local water mains of sediment (mostly rust buildup). SPU’s Ingrid Goodwin sent this progress report with word of what’s next, including the map you see above:
SPU will resume water main flushing in West Seattle Sunday night, June 19, starting on SW Donald Street between California Avenue SW and 44th Avenue SW.
We took a three-week break from flushing to allow our staff to assess our progress, make adjustments and plan for the next sequence of flushes.
To date, the SPU flushing crew has flushed about 10 miles of pipe in West Seattle to minimize discolored water.
Flushing results have been very positive: water is flushed until clear and the crew is measuring chlorine and turbidity (cloudiness) throughout the process to make sure water quality standards are met at the end of each flush.
The attached map [above] shows the area that has been completed. We anticipate finishing the remaining sections of Area 1 (shaded in purple) this summer.
In the fall, SPU anticipates starting to flush Area 2, which will be in the 498 pressure zone, from approximately Myrtle Reservoir north to SW Spokane Street.
SPU reiterates that if you have any water-quality issues – even if it’s brown water that the flushing might have stirred up on its way to clearing things out – please call them, 24/7, at 206-386-1800.
P.S. For more backstory on The Big Flush, here’s our previous report.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports to share this afternoon. First, posted by SPD Blotter‘s Jonah Spangenthal-Lee:
A complaint about a sleeping passenger on a shuttle bus Wednesday led police to arrest an armed felon with a stolen handgun.
Officers Michael Sudduth and Todd Wiebke boarded the bus in the 1600 block of Harbor Avenue Southwest around 3:15 PM, approached the slumbering suspect and asked him to leave. The man waved them off and went back to sleep.
Officer Wiebke once again tried to rouse the man, shaking his shoulder, but the man stirred only stirred enough to roll over onto his side, revealing a handgun in his waistband.
Officers quickly arrested the man and took his gun. Although someone had tried to destroy the gun’s serial number, officers were still able to decipher it, leading them to discover the weapon was reported stolen last year in Kent. Police also learned the suspect is a convicted felon, unable to legally possess firearms.
Police booked the man into the King County Jail for unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of stolen property.
The suspect, 28, is still in jail as of this hour; we’re checking to see if he has a bail hearing this afternoon, and will update with any additional information. (4:59 PM UPDATE: His bail is set at $75,000. His last known address, as listed on documents submitted for the hearing, was in White Center; the jail register shows this is his fourth booking in just under a year, following bookings for drug cases, an assault case, and at least one failure-to-appear warrant.)
Second, a followup to the case of the missing art, reported here last week – art that was supposed to be shipped back to local artist Rebecca Woodhouse after a California exhibit instead was labeled with someone else’s name; that person picked it up and did not respond to repeated inquiries, so police considered it theft (yes, state law says that can include misdelivered items).
Rebecca tells us finally heard from a relative of the man who picked up her art – and learned he’s been in jail since a week after the art was picked up on May 16th. This week, the detective on her case retrieved it and got it back to her; one box had been opened, she said, but the artwork was intact and undamaged.
(WSB photo, 2015, Clay Eals @ announcement of new owner for Alki Homestead)
Congratulations to Clay Eals – author, historian, heritage advocate, and journalist – who has just been announced as this year’s recipient of the Orville Rummel Trophy for Outstanding Service to the Community. It’s awarded each year in connection with the West Seattle Grand Parade, presented by the Rotary Club of West Seattle, this year on Saturday, July 23. The official announcement continues:
Eals is perhaps best known locally as editor of the “West Side Story” history book and for his leadership of the successful drive to secure city landmark status for the Admiral Theater and, more recently, as executive director of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society.
He is a lifetime member of and volunteered in many roles for the historical society since its founding in 1984. In 2013, the organization’s board hired him as its first executive director. Besides staff oversight of the historical society, he is directly responsible for its volunteer recruitment, fundraising and outreach.
(2014 photo by David Hutchinson)
During his tenure as executive director, the organization has restored, raised, and unveiled the Admiral totem pole at its 1904 “Birthplace of Seattle” Log House Museum on Alki, culminating in a 2014 ceremony drawing 1,300 people, including 950 schoolchildren. The historical society also facilitated the transition of ownership and in-progress restoration of the beloved 1904 Fir Lodge/Alki Homestead and staged “Group Hug” photo events for the Homestead (1,000 schoolchildren in 2015) and the Admiral Theater (750 schoolchildren earlier this month):
(Photo by Jean Sherrard, courtesy Southwest Seattle Historical Society; click here to see full-size version on SWSHS website)In that span, the organization broadened its ranks of donors, sponsors, members and volunteers, strengthened the collection and exhibit operations of its museum, built its annual Champagne Gala Brunch to capacity crowds at Salty’s on Alki, revived and revamped its annual “If These Walls Could Talk” home tours, and created two ongoing monthly series: “Words, Writers, & West Seattle” featuring local authors at Barnes & Noble Westwood Village and “SouthWest Stories” featuring local history speakers rotating among the Seattle Public Library’s five branches on the peninsula.
Along the way, the organization won honors from the Association of King County Historical Organizations for Best Single Impact Event (for the 2014 totem unveiling) and from the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce as Nonprofit of the Year for 2015.
(WSB photo, 2015, Westside Award for SWSHS as Nonprofit of the Year)
Eals’ earlier achievements came during and immediately after his 15 years as an editor, reporter and photographer for four Northwest newspapers.
During his five years as editor of the West Seattle Herald and White Center News (part of Robinson Newspapers), the papers produced “Bridging the Gap,” a 104-page special section in 1984 that chronicled local transportation history and the opening of the high-level West Seattle Bridge, and followed that by publishing in 1987 the first local history book, “West Side Story,” which took its inspiration from “Mr. West Seattle” Normie Beers. A yearlong project that involved the papers’ entire staff and scores of volunteers, the 288-page “West Side Story” remains the definitive account of local community heritage.
Soon after his departure from Robinson Newspapers in 1988, Eals was elected president of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society board to succeed founder and first president Elliott Couden. In his first month of three years in that position, faced with the imminent closure of the Admiral Theater, Eals involved others, including local elected officials, in staging a closing-night picket event that led to an intensive community campaign that six months later secured city landmark status for the moviehouse, whose lobby operated as the Portola Theater starting in 1919 and which was expanded and opened as the 1,000-seat showcase Admiral Theater in 1942.
Because of its landmark status, the Admiral was saved from potential demolition. It reopened in 1992 under the new ownership of the Gartin family, which owns it to this day. It will undergo a massive renovation this summer, including conversion to four screens and the exposure of long-covered underwater auditorium murals, while preserving the building’s historic features.
Over the years, on behalf of the historical society, Eals also served on Earl Cruzen’s “Murals of Seattle” team in 1989-1993, led several yearly “Homes with History” tours in the 1990s, participated in the 1994 campaign to secure Alki voter approval of the historical society’s purchase of the building that became its museum, emceed dozens of society events and worked to deepen the organization’s partnership with South Seattle College. After a fire damaged the inside of the city-landmark Fir Lodge/Alki Homestead, he represented the society in a coalition of four heritage organizations behind a “This Place Matters” effort to ensure preservation and restoration of the log building one-half block from the museum.
The society’s most recent campaign, to seek city landmark status for the Campbell and Hamm buildings in the West Seattle Junction, stems from the yearlong West Seattle Junction Historical Survey, for which Eals participated on the steering committee.
In his professional life in addition to his journalistic positions, Eals worked 13 years as an editor and writer for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, five years as communication officer for the Encompass children’s services nonprofit in North Bend, and two years as a journalism teacher and adviser at South Seattle College.
As an author, he wrote and secured publication of two books, both biographies, on child film actress Karolyn Grimes (Zuzu in “It’s a Wonderful Life”) in 1996 and singer/songwriter Steve Goodman (“City of New Orleans”) in 2007. He also wrote for and designed a third book, “Rain Check: Baseball in the Pacific Northwest,” in 2005.
Eals, who turns 65 in July, was born in Seattle, grew up on Mercer Island, and secured a journalism degree from the University of Oregon in Eugene. “My mother was born and raised in West Seattle, across the street from the wading pool at Hiawatha Park, and when I was a child we often visited my grandparents,” Eals says, “so I developed my love for West Seattle at an early age.” He and his wife, Meg, moved to West Seattle in 1982. They live in the North Admiral neighborhood. They have a daughter and granddaughter who live in Philadelphia.
“Looking back, I think that in my professional and personal roles I have evolved into a pied piper,” he says. “This reflects my belief that no matter what we think about how or why we are all here on this earth, we are not meant to be hermits. We are meant to connect with other people, to engage and inspire them – and to appreciate the gifts of those who came before us. We stand on the shoulders of giants. And no matter what we pursue and how we spend our time, it’s not about the physical things, but rather it’s about bringing people together, in real time, for common purpose.
“One of my favorite words is the verb ‘champion,’ and my favorite phrases include ‘a sum greater than its parts’ and ‘making something out of nothing.’ What all of that means is that we accomplish anything in this life only when we build relationships with others. And over the years, I have been fortunate to collaborate with a great number of extraordinary people. When you come down to it, it’s all about gratitude.”
ABOUT THE ORVILLE RUMMEL TROPHY: It’s named after the man who founded the parade in 1934, Orville Rummel – lots of background in the story we published the year we were honored with it, in 2010. The award was first presented in 1984. Here’s the full list of recipients from 1984 through 2015:
1984: Charles and Ann Gage
1985: RB Chris Crisler Jr.
1986: Morgan and Carol McBride
1987: Margaret Miaullis
1988: Charles Jung
1989: Aurlo Bonney
1990: Katie Thorburn
1991: Dorothy Poplawski
1992: Dan Wiseman
1993: Virgil Sheppard
1994: Dorene Smith
1995: Doris Richards
1996: John Kelly
1997: Dick Kennedy
1998: Jim Edwards and Barbara Edwards
1999: Lt. David E. Cass
2000: Husky Deli/Miller Family
2001: Stephanie Haskins
2002: Forest Lawn
2003: Sue Lindblom
2004: Edgar and Ann Phipps
2005: Karen Sisson
2006: Walt DeLong
2007: David and Doreen Vague
2008: Tim St. Clair
2009: Morey Skaret
2010: West Seattle Blog
2011: Cindi Barker
2012: Shirley Vradenburgh
2013: Judy Pickens
2014: Earl Cruzen
2015: Donn Weaver
2016: Clay Eals
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