With the school year over, hundreds of local students will be moving on to college this fall. Six of them are receiving scholarships from the Rotary Club of West Seattle. Irene Stewart shares the news from today’s Rotary meeting:

The Rotary Club of West Seattle awarded six scholarships at its meeting today — four Students of the Year, and two Vern Gambriell Scholars. Each Student of the Year was previously identified as a Student of the Month by their high school guidance counselor, based on involvement in school and in the community. In addition, two students were selected as recipients of endowed Vern Gambriell Scholarships for study at South Seattle Community College, based on academic success and need. The year’s scholarship winners are:

Students of the Year
West Seattle High School — Karen Chen Lowe
Chief Sealth High School — Carolyn Smith
Seattle Lutheran High School — Jessica Bartel
Career Link — Gracie Roberson

Vern Gambriell Scholars
Thomas Ovenshine
Francisco Gabela

For more information about Rotary scholarships, contact scholarship committee chair Cathy Rouyer.

And a reminder that ordering is under way for the West Seattle Rotary Berry Sale (WSB sponsor) – pickup dates are here, online ordering for “will-call” pickup is here.

If you’re between 25 and 40 and employed – you’re invited to apply for a monthlong exchange program in Maharashtra, India. The Rotary Club of West Seattle says all costs are covered – the program’s this December, and the application deadline just changed to July 19th. It’s both a leadership-development program and a cultural-awareness program, and though the Rotary sponsors it, it’s for non-Rotarians. More details on this regional Rotary site.

Strawberries are first up this year for the Rotary Club of West Seattle‘s annual berry sale, and orders are being taken right now – they should be delivered in time for pickup in just two weeks, June 25 and 26, on the south side of Admiral Safeway. You can order online at the Rotary website, or call 206-779-5301; raspberries and blueberries will follow in July. (Also note that the Rotary website also has forms for the Kiddies’ Parade it sponsors before the West Seattle Grand Parade every year – parade day this year is July 24th.)

(12/14/09 WSB photo after the stolen Rotary Viewpoint Park totem pole was brought back to Seattle)
We are at the regular weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of West Seattle, where an agreement has just been announced regarding the theft of the totem pole last November 30th (as first reported here a few days later) from Rotary Viewpoint Park (on 35th south of the stadium).

According to a statement provided by the club, the suspected thief “has agreed to pay approximately $3,200 in restitution to the Parks Department for the cost of recovering the stolen pole. He has also made payment of $17,745 to the Rotary Club of West Seattle Service Foundation. These funds will afford professional restoration to be completed on the pole, work that was needed at the time of its removal. Because Rotary has been put in a position where it can now fund restoration of the totem pole we do not wish to pursue a criminal charge against the man responsible for its disappearance. We have informed the Prosecutor’s Office of our inclination. We are currently working with Seattle Parks on a stewardship agreement so that the Pole can be restored by skilled artisans in a timely manner. We look forward to updating the community as this progresses so we can set a date for the Pole and Park’s re-dedication. Our thanks go to the Prosecutor’s Office and Parks Department for their continued commitment to resolving this issue.” As we reported last week, there is particular urgency for the Rotary – one of the men who sleuthed the case, Ken Wise, is terminally ill and hopes to see the pole reinstalled before he dies.

(Video added 4:11 pm, Josh Sutton making the announcement at today’s Rotary meeting)
12:45 PM UPDATE: Josh Sutton has just made the announcement at the Rotary meeting and showed the $17K check. He is making a special thanks to Ken, who just got a special announcement. Sutton said, “For us it’s not about who’s responsible, but about moving forward. This isn’t about people who take things – this is about people who give things. Our task is now to get this pole back … put this baby back where she belongs … when Ken can see it. So that’s our next step.” Sutton says there also is an opportunity for the community to give, for the re-dedication. More details ahead on that. We also will be checking with the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for their side of this, as well as to see if the suspect will be charged in the theft of the Renton pole found along with the West Seattle pole.

2:23 PM: Dan Donohoe, media liaison for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, has responded to our two questions:

We take into consideration input from the victim. In this case, the Rotary did not want to pursue criminal charges since the responsible party has now agreed to pay for a complete restoration of the totem pole. Regarding the Renton case, it is still under review. However, it is unlikely that we would be able to file any charges in the Renton case due to evidentiary issues.

The Renton pole was stolen from a Fred Meyer store that didn’t know it was stolen until it was found with the West Seattle pole in Oregon (here’s our story from last December).

Still no charges in the case of the totem pole stolen from West Seattle Rotary Viewpoint Park almost two months ago – the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is still awaiting referral of the case – but the totem pole itself is in good hands, awaiting further plans for restoration and reinstallation. Today, Rotary Club of West Seattle members got their first in-person look since the pole’s move to a Seattle Parks facility they’d like to keep secret; we were at their meeting with Parks reps two weeks ago (WSB coverage here), when they hatched a plan to see if Parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund grant could help pay for sprucing up the pole and the park before a reinstallation ceremony.

Thanks to Josh Sutton for the photos; he says, “It’s in good shape, and we continue to work on plans to get it restored and replaced.” Our coverage of the totem-pole theft case, dating back to first word it was missing, through its discovery in Oregon and court documents hinting at the motive, is archived here, newest to oldest.

(WSB December photo of West Seattle totem pole in Parks Department possession after recovery in OR)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The Rotary Viewpoint Park totem pole, stolen Nov. 30 and found in Oregon Dec. 10, is back in West Seattle.

No, not back on its home pedestal (35th/Alaska) yet – but a plan is starting to take shape after a meeting Tuesday with the West Seattle Rotarians’ task force and reps from the Parks Department and art-restoration specialists Artech.

Read More

(Photo provided by carver Robin Young(third from left) ‘s daughter Tracy Zimmerman)
No major new developments in the saga of the West Seattle Rotary Viewpoint Park totem pole – stolen three weeks ago tonight, then recovered a week and a half later, after a suspect was arrested. But we do have a new story to tell today – what we’ve learned about the man who carved it: Robin Young, a Native American carver (born in South Dakota at the Cheyenne River Indian Agency, he told us in the course of our interview).

We tracked him down after reading a comment on one of our original reports, in which his daughter Tracy Zimmerman wrote:

I would like to say thank you for all the effort put into finding the totem pole. My father Robin Young is the one that carved it. There is such pride and heart that goes into the craftmanship and our family is very thankful.

We followed up with her to find out more. She replied that he’s still alive and well and living in Federal Way; he taught woodcarving at Highline Community College during the time he created the Rotary pole, which the club donated to the city, along with the park, in 1976 (she also shared the historic photo above). The Rotarians have been in contact with him too and are hopeful that he will be able to participate when the pole is reinstalled; there are still decisions to be made about how and when that will happen, and whether it needs restoration work first.

So how did the family find out about what happened to the totem pole? Tracy explained, “I heard about the pole being missing on the news … I saw the picture they showed and said to myself that looks like the pole my dad carved. I found an old picture and sure enough it was the pole he carved, so I called my mother and let her know. She was funny and said I remember that pole well. It was in our front yard for ever while he worked on it.”

Her dad is battling some health problems but agreed to answer some questions via e-mail – read on:Read More

Two items from the Rotary Club of West Seattle – first, honors for the smiling trio you see above. Irene Stewart explains, “Every month the Rotary Club of West Seattle honors outstanding seniors from West Seattle high schools. The October students of the month are (from left) Kelsey Shaw, Seattle Lutheran High School; Kaosio Saeteurn, West Seattle High School; and Dallas Rupnick, Chief Sealth High School.”

Also from the West Seattle Rotary, an invitation to NON-Rotarians:

Here’s an incredible opportunity for a young professional! Local Rotary clubs are looking for young business people from King County who would like to travel to Bolivia next spring. And the best part – Rotary picks up the tab!

Rotary group study exchanges develop professional and leadership skills and prepare participants to address global needs within their own communities. The month-long program provides an opportunity to travel to Bolivia, engage in professional discussions, and tour facilities that they would never see as a tourist.

All costs are covered by Rotary. Applicants must be age 25 to 40 and employed. Only non-Rotarians need apply — even Rotary family members are not eligible to participate. Applications are due on or before October 19, 2009. For more information, go to www.gse.rotary5030.org or contact the Rotary District 5030 GSE Committee Chair, Bob Kaercher, at 425-277-3114 or GSEChair@USRotary.org.

That deadline may be a bit flexible, according to WS Rotary’s Steve Fuller, but the sooner the better.

(Pilot Long Nguyen photographed California SW, south to north – click for larger version)
Highlights for today/tonight from the WSB West Seattle-wide Events calendar: The Swinery deli/meat shop is scheduled to open at noon, 3207 California SW … Rotary Club of West Seattle lunch @ Salty’s features guest speaker Harry Schneider on a famous terrorism/civil-rights case (more details here) … Providence Mount St. Vincent offers a free Q/A session on retirement planning, featuring local financial planner Brian Duffy, 3 pm (free but RSVP to 206-938-6194) … if you live in High Point, come to the Commons Park Amphitheater between 3 and 6 pm to have your photo taken for the “Faces of High Point” mural project (more here) … author Robert Spector reads from his book “The Mom and Pop Store“ (featuring West Seattle businesses!), 6 pm at CAPERS in The Junction … Cub Scouts recruiting extravaganza at 7 pm tonight, West Side Presbyterian Church, boys 1st-5th grades welcome … More here.

ADDED 11:34 AM: One more Scout recruiting event – tomorrow night, according to this note from Suzanne:

Pack 284 is having a Pack meeting Wednesday 7 pm at Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is our first meeting of the year and a recruitment night event. The boys will be making pop bottle rockets to launch on Saturday afternoon. Please bring 2 empty 2-liter pop bottles to make your own rockets. All boys 1st-5th grade are welcome and sisters too!