History is Happening in Redmond!

The Redmond Recorder

March 2004 Vol. 6, No. 3
Redmond Historical Society
Our mission:
To discover, recover, preserve, share and celebrate Redmond’s history

16600 NE 80th St, Room 106, Redmond, WA, 98052 425-885-2919

www.redmondhistory.org redmondhistory@msn.com
Office hours: Mondays-Thursdays, 1-4pm

President’s Corner
March 13th Perrigo’s Plat:
Don’t miss the display case Meeting
in the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Will its future retain some of its past?
Community Center to see the Tom Hitzroth
wonderful work of Rose Weiss, will delve into
Pat Weiss Jovag, Barbara the mystery of
Weiss Joyce and Amo Marr. who killed
This sure brings back some fond Leticia
old memories of Girl Scouting in Whitehall. Join
Redmond. The uniforms belong to us, 10:30-noon.
the Marr family. The photos
belong to Pat and Barbara. The doll was made by Willa
Stopera Faye and given to Rose Weiss.
Photo by Miguel Llanos
You might wonder what it has to do with the school. One of the well-kept bungalows on 165th.
Well, it all began with Dorothy Green approaching
Frances Willis, a teacher there. The first troop was
formed with Frances as the scout leader. Some of the The City has begun taking a look at Perrigo’s Plat, a
first Girl Scouts were Betty Buckley Anderson, JoAnn neighborhood that still looks much like it did in the 1920s and
Pope Watkins, Lorna “Barney” Johnson Reilly, ‘30s. Liz Coward and Naomi Hardy recently surveyed 165th
Virginia Ottini, and Carol Wycoff. This took place in
between 83rd and 85th streets, the plat’s core, and came up
1933 when these girls were in the 5th or 6th grades.
with these familiar names of past residents: Rex & Frances
The troop sharpened their camping skills at Frank and Swan, Mayor Harley & Blanche Shelton, Florence &
Margaret Buckley's cabin on Camano Island. Frances Loren Hansen, the Pastor Clarence & Thenora Aumiller,
also took some girls to San Francisco’s World’s Fair and Judd & Mamie Orr, Zora Butorac, Frank & Margaret
some continued on for a month of camping.
Buckley, and George & Florence Julian.
Later, many town folk helped with work parties at Camp
Robbinswold. Dorothy Green, wife of Lewis Green, Last month, City officials, local property owners, residents
was the camp director. When it came time for camping, and others (Society members among them) met to exchange
the school activity bus would stop at the capitol in views on what kind of development should be allowed there.
Olympia and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Clare
Property owners wanted more flexibility, while the Society
Chapin, the school cook, came along to treat the
campers with her delicious meals. lobbied for preserving the quaint character. The question
became:
Initiation might be something like sand crabs in your
sleeping bag, but this was all in fun. Other activities
Can we have it both ways?
included camp fires with songs, s’mores or banana boats
and -- for the gourmet camper -- roasted oysters. That’s the challenge now, and the public input process has
just begun. Please stay tuned and let Judy, Miguel or Naomi
Added info and any corrections to these memories are know if you want to get involved. And let City officials know

 an
welcome. Just give us a call, write or send e-mail.

   how you feel!

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History is Happening in Redmond!

2004 Meetings Thanks to our Newest Lifetime Member

All @ 10:30 am
Old Redmond Schoolhouse
Community Center
16600 NE 80th St.

Second Saturday of the month

March 13 June 12
April 10 Sept. 11
May 8 Oct. 9
Nov. 13
_________________________

2004 Executive Board

Judy Lang, President
Naomi Hardy, VP
Miguel Llanos, VP
Teresa Becker, Treasurer
Margaret Wiese,
Corresponding Secretary
Beryl Standley,
Recording Secretary
Board of Directors
Roy Buckley
Terri Gordon
Tom Hitzroth
Larry Hoger
Amo Marr
Doris Schaible
Veronica Smirnov
Volunteers Needed
Videos, oral histories
Transfer videotapes to CDs;
taping oral interviews. Call
Judy Lang at 425-823-3551.
Photo by Naomi Hardy
Barbara Beeson volunteered at the Society office before she and her husband moved back
East.
Former Redmond resident, horsewoman, planning commissioner and
environmental activist Barbara Beeson joined our lifetime member club with
a $1,000 donation. She and her husband, famed researcher Dr. Paul Beeson,
moved to Exeter, N.H., a few years ago to be closer to their children.
Redmondiscing…
Excerpts of e-mail from Gaye M. Crosby Smith, now of Colorado Springs,
to Society board member Terri Gordon about her childhood and the now
demolished Beba/Crosby barn on 116th.:
“I received the package with 5 (!) precious calendars in it today. … Looking
at these photos of the barns felt a bit like going home. I never really lived in
Redmond, but am a ‘native’ and Redmond was the only home I knew when
we'd come back to the States to visit. So many of these barns look
familiar! This makes me want to come back for a visit, and find the barns --
could it be I'm homesick? I eagerly await your next project!”

Office staff
Greet visitors, help with small
tasks as regular or substitute.
Call Judy Lang at 425-823-
3551.
Memberships
If you haven’t joined or
renewed yet, please use the
form on the last page to do so.
Memberships and donations
are tax deductible!!
“My grandparents' farm was the only home I knew in the States -- we moved
to Germany when I was 5 years old, but every other summer we would come
back to see our family and would stay on the farm in Redmond. My aunt,
Vivian Crosby Robinson, still lives across the street -- she's the one who sent
me the article about the barn being torn down. That was a bit upsetting to me;
time moves on I know, but that was sad to hear.”
E-mail from Elinor Cerqui Loftin:
“Hello Redmond Historians,
What a fine website and newsletter you have. I grew up with Judy and
Angela Aries, as my grandpa and then dad were partners with the Aries. Judy
is still youthful and sparkling according to the newsletter picture.”

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History is Happening in Redmond!

History Mystery Photo

Courtesy of Cory de Jong

Members of the Silhouette Dance Club, circa 1968. Cory de Jong identified his parents, Ruby and Cory, as the woman in the
striped top and the man to the right. He also identified the Sorweides as the couple at left, he’s in a suit and she’s in plaid. If
you can identify others, and/or know where this was taken, please contact Naomi Hardy at nhardy12@comcast.net or 425-883-
3866. Below is a fitting tribute to the friendships made in the dance club.

Corker
Excerpted from a letter by Tony Emmanuel
1/18/04

The 1950s, 60s and 70s were years of the Silhouette Dance Club of Redmond. Anyone who was anyone in our little town
of 1,450 people in 1960 was in our dance club. The mayor, city attorney, police chief, fire marshal, teachers, doctors,
lawyers, business owners, builders and, of course, several of the eventual Boeing engineers and machinists, and local
farmers, who were the mainstay of the area in “the old days.”

On one of our Saturday night dances, a group of us were standing in a circle talking. I don’t remember the subject, but I
said something and Charlotte Bailie hauled off and corked me one on the arm. I saw it coming and flexed my arm, so it
didn’t hurt. I said “Is that as hard as you can punch?” She corked me again and I wasn’t ready – ouch!

From that day on, when Charlotte could sneak one in, she’d cork me on the arm with the terrific punch she had. If she
caught me by surprise, I’d have a sore arm the next day.

We went to Charlotte’s memorial last Sunday to celebrate dear Charlotte’s life. She passed away suddenly – stunning us all
with shock. I wish she was here right now sneaking upon me with a big corker on the arm. I would love to have that sore
arm tomorrow.

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History is Happening in Redmond!

Thank yous! Were You at our

A heap of historical thanks to these great people for donating treasures, expertise, Feb. 14 Meeting?
time and energy to support our mission! These folks were:
Jean Rice of Redmond Parks for the Perrigo Park groundbreaking photos. Anderson, Betty Buckley
Ballisty, Sharon
Tracy, Tony and Diane Emmanuel for the dramatic photos of the barn collapsing on the Red Becker, Teresa
Brick Road, Weber’s Mill, the 1992 train wreck on Willows Road, and a brief biography of Bennett, Bill*
Everet L. Stevens, who recently passed away at 104. Bennett, Jeff*
Brulé, Kay Nichols
Bill Bennett for five great photos of Syse’s service station and buildings on the triangle between Elduen, Violet Cook
Avondale Road and Avondale Way. Freeman, Suzi
Frey, Stan
Tom Hitzroth for helping us care for our map collection. Garland, Lillian
Gilbert, Evelyn King
Betty Buckley Anderson for the photo of the first Girl Scout troop in Redmond. Goetschius, Millie
Goetschius, Russell
Duane Isackson for the square nails from his still existing Happy Valley cabin, built in 1887. Gorlick, Audrey
Hahnlen, Charlotte Everson
Roy Buckley for the musical program, c.1932, Robert Cotterill conducting. Hardy, Naomi
Himes, Chris
Vern McCorkle for the six grade school photographs 1940-1945. Isackson, Duane
Ingersoll, Jo Ann
Ed Wiess for his panoramic views of local landscapes from our past. Johnston, Amanda
Justice, Barbara*
Kindrick, Adi*
Whoever donated the two folders of old Nokomis Club notes. Please let Naomi know who you
Lang, Judy Aries
are!







 
Leicester, Norma
Llanos, Miguel
Magnuson, Cheryl
Mann, Marge
Marrs, Carl
Marrs, Pat
Martin, Daryl
Mayer, Jan Armstrong
McCormick, Elma
McCoskrie, Don
McCoskrie, Eileen
Mercer, Betty*
Morris, Allison Reed
Munoz, Alexa
Murphy, Ed
Plackett, Holly
Ilya and Veronica Smirnov: Moved here with their two children in 1999 from Resha, John*
Sarov, Russia, a city with 400 years of history! Rosenbach, Patsy Cook
Rosenbach, Ruth Ann
Activities: Ilya, a Microsoft software engineer, built and maintains the Society’s Sorweide, Roland
Standley, Beryl
Web site. Veronica, who works at the Redmond Library, has been on the Thorpe, J. Craig*
Society’s board since 2001 and updates the content on the Web site. Without this Torell, Jerry
dynamic duo we would not be able to show off our heritage online, in pictures Turner, Judy Gilbert
and text! Underhill, Kris
Watkins, JoAnn
Weil-Piechenick, Shlomit
Family ties: Their daughter, Anna, and son, Sergey, have been active in Weiss, Ed
Redmond, volunteering at youth groups and joining our Society at events like Weiss, Rose
Derby Days and the Old Redmond Kiosk dedication. Wiese, Margaret Evers
*First-time visitor

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History is Happening in Redmond!
Guess the Artist?
New in our collection is this
1961 abstract painting titled
“Nordquist Feed Mill.” Some
folks immediately recognize
this Redmond icon, aka T&D
Feeds, some don’t. Can you
guess the artist? The answer is
on Page 6.
Rhodes Info?
Anyone with information
about Maud and/or
Gertrude Rhodes or their
relatives? If so, Sharon
Almas would like to hear
about it. She writes that
their father, her great-
grandfather, was Richard
Allan Rhodes, who died in
1926 in St. John’s,
Newfoundland, Canada. At
the time of his death, Maud
and Gertrude were living in
Redmond. Their mother was
Bertha Stares of St.
John’s. Sharon can be
contacted at:
11 Springside Drive
Hamilton, Ontario
L9B1M5
Canada
sharon.almas@sympatico.ca
Or contact Margaret Wiese
at 425-746-0472.
The Redmond Recorder
“My Friend the Indian Princess”
by Barney Reilly
Mal Reilly, husband of the late Barney Reilly, sent us the stories she wrote
from a child’s view to go with the watercolor pictures she painted and
copies of which now hang in the Old Schoolhouse Community Center.
Below is the scene and story of her friendship with Edweena Forgue, a
Snoqualmie Tribe member who lived across from the community church.
Thank you Mal for sharing these with us. All the stories will be available in
our office for reading.
Tucked away in the woods very near
to where I lived was a tiny house of
only two rooms. It was the home of
an old Indian woman I visited.
When no one was looking I would
sneak canned goods from our
basement shelves and carry them in
the skirt of my dress until I reached
my friend’s house.
In return she would walk with me
through her small yard pointing out
her special wild flowers. She said
that when a flower or tree was to be
transplanted it must be re-planted in
exactly the same direction as it had
originally grown. N. E. S. or West.
These directions must always be the
same.
The first time I heard the wind chimes, the sound was coming from the
woods at her house. The tinkling glass chimes were so restful to the ear.
When I hear them, I think of my friend Edweena Forgue, the Indian
princess.
Mad Cow Loose in Schoolhouse!
We’ve heard long ago stories from our members of how a group of
prankster boys once led a cow upstairs in the Old Redmond Schoolhouse,
in order to confound the teaching staff. We’ve also heard that you can lead
a cow upstairs, but that it won’t go down.
So, how did those (unnamed) fellows get the cow down the schoolhouse
stairs? If you know, please share it with Naomi Hardy,
nhardy12@comcast.net or 425-883-3866.
5
History is Happening in Redmond!

Newsletters via E-mail and off our Web Site

New on our Web Site
Finding related stories and photos on
our Web site is now easier thanks to
Webmaster Ilya Smirnov.
Here’s an example of the new feature:
1) Go to www.redmondhistory.org.
2) Under "Latest photos" at top left
click on "Lt. Jim Taylor".
3) A new screen will appear in the
right pane, scroll to the bottom for
links to articles and photos that contain
some of the same keywords in the
information on Lt. Taylor.
4) You can then click on any link to
navigate to that related information.
Who’s the Artist?
(Asked on Page 5)
Betty J. Mercer
Nearly 700 people receive our free monthly newsletter, but success
has its price: It’s expensive for the City, which mails out hardcopies
in exchange for Society research time.
As a result, we’re asking everyone with Internet access to receive
it either via e-mail or our Web site at www.redmondhistory.org
If you try it and it doesn’t work on your end, you can always go
back to U.S. Mail.
If you have Internet access, please send us an e-mail message at
redmondhistory@msn.com stating that you’ll try out the new
system.
By the way, our electronic newsletter has some clear advantages:
1) The photos are much sharper, and newer ones are in color.
2) You can save the digital version on your computer.
3) Digital versions can easily be searched by keyword.
4) You can easily forward a copy along to a friend or relative.

Join the Redmond Historical Society

Please pay 2004 dues ASAP!!
And help discover, recover, preserve, share and celebrate Redmond’s history!

Levels of Membership Please make checks payable to:

(Check 1 only) Redmond Historical Society
Trailblazer (Student) ............... $ 5.00
Pioneer (Individual) ............. $ 20.00 Mail To:
Homesteader (Family) ......... $ 35.00 Redmond Historical Society
Entrepreneur (Supporter) ... $ 200.00 Attn: Membership
Corporate (Business).......... $ 250.00 ORSCC, Room 106
History Maker (Lifetime) $ 1,000.00 16600 NE 80th Street
All Contributions are Tax Deductible Redmond, WA 98052

Name__________________________________________________ Phone ______________________

(Please print your name exactly as you would like it to appear on your name tag for general meetings.)

Address _____________________________________________ City _______________________ St ________ Zip _________________

E-Mail Address ________________________________________ Birth Date (MM/DD/YYYY) __________________________________

If Family Membership, other names to be included: _______________________________________________________________________

If you would like a short, one-liner on your name tag (e.g. Charter Member, or Pioneers Since 1903), enter it below:

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