HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006 Issue 4 - Agnes Edwards, Pioneering WomanDecember 2006 Volume 37, Number 4
Continued on page 4
Masthead Photo: A young Aaron Edwards in a Central School photo, ca. 1900(third from the left in the back row). Aaron Edwards and Agnes Morrison weremarried in 1912. (Detail #1974.003.0554)
Editor ’s note: The following ar ticle was submitted by AgnesEdwards’s family, who wanted to see their mother andgrandmother recognized for her pathbreaking experiencesas a city official in Renton. Their timing couldn’t be better.2010 is the centennial of women’s suffrage in Washingtonstate, and the Women’s History Consortium was formed by thestate legislature in 2005 to encourage museums and historicsites to begin planning for it. And whether Democrat orRepublican, we can’t help being proud of the record numbersof women who will serve in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House ofRepresentatives starting in 2007.As you will see from this article, young Agnes Edwardstrained as a legal secretary in the 1910s, a time when mostyoung middle-class women expected to make homes andraise children. When her husband’s sudden death forced herto find a way to support her children, she used her legal andadministrative skills to serve the city of Renton. Herpolitical connections—a mentor in Paul Houser Sr., and afather-in-law, John O. Edwards, who had served in the statelegislature—gave her the courage and know-how to run acampaign for City Clerk of Renton. Agnes Edwards’s story istruly extraordinary,one of many inspiring stories of womenwho have served in elected and appointed office in Renton.
Agnes Edwards, former City Clerk of Renton, had aninteresting career serving as the first woman CityTreasurer and the first woman City Clerk in Renton.
Agnes Morrison was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in1890. She moved to Renton in 1910 with her parents,Dave and Jane Morrison, and brothers Dave and John.Once in Renton, the Morrisons enlarged the family withthe births of Ethel, Willard, and George. They built theirhome on First and Pelly, on a large plot of land withspace for a vegetable garden, berries, and fruit treeswhich supplied the family’s needs, with extras stored inthe basement. Situated near the Cedar River and whatis now Liberty Park, their house was one of the firstmodern homes in Renton.
AGNES EDWARDS -PIONEER AND PIONEERING WOMANBy Bernice Jorgensen, Mildred Thurston, and Sandra CarloneEdited by Elizabeth P. Stewart
Agnes Edwards, law student. Photo courtesy of Bernice Jorgensen,Mildred Thurston, and Sandra Carlone.
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Renton Historical QuarterlySusie Bressan, Graphic Design & LayoutLouise George, Copy EditorDaisy Ward, Text Input & Copy EditorKarl Hurst, City of Renton Print and Mail Services
Renton Historical Society
Board of Trustees Bob Hunt, PresidentSandra Meyer, Vice PresidentElizabeth P. Stewart, SecretaryPaula Tran, TreasurerJerrilynn Hadley, '07Patty Law, '07Vicky Persson, '07Larry Sleeth, '07Robert Bonner '08Kevin McQuiller, '08Ron Stroben '08Susie Bressan '09Laura Clawson, '09Doug Kyes, '09Martha Zwicker, '09Lynn Bohart '09Terri Briere, City Liaison
Museum StaffElizabeth P. Stewart, Museum DirectorDaisy Ward, Administrative AssistantDorota Rahn, Volunteer CoordinatorTom Monahan, Research SpecialistSarah Iles, Collection ManagerPearl Jacobson, RegistrarLouise George, SecretaryRenton Historical Museum235 Mill Avenue SouthRenton, WA 98057Phone: 425.255.2330FAX: 425.255.1570
Board Meetings: Please call the museumfor time and location.
Hours:Tuesday - Saturday 10:00am - 4:00pmAdmission:$3 for adults$1 for childrenAlways free to members and to thegeneral public on the first Wednesdayand third Saturday of the month.
By Bob Hunt, PresidentPresident's Message
Did you know that the Society has two actual paid employees? I’m alwayssurprised to find out there are members who didn’t know that we fund two staffpositions, a Volunteer and Education Coordinator and a Collections Manager.The originating action was taken, I think, back in 2002.We were very fortunate to find some excellent candidates. Dorota Rahn hasbeen with us for quite some time now (darned if I can find the original date, I’llhave to ask her) as our Volunteer and Education Coordinator. You will find herarticle in this quarterly where she talks about some of the programs she hasbeen arranging and the ongoing volunteer training. If you don’t know Dorotayou should take a minute and stop by. She is passionate about her work and thefuture of our museum. She doesn’t hesitate to tell anyone, including me, whatneeds to be done to make this a better operation and more successfully meet theneeds of the members and the community. I’m secretly in love with her accent,but don’t tell her.Dorota is always on the lookout for new volunteers. Some of the tasks aresustaining, like manning the desk during museum hours, others are clerical, andsome are project based. Get with her and let her know what you can do to fillsome of the needs. You might find yourself making some neat discoveries in theprocess.We have gone through a couple of Collections Managers since we first estab-lished a paid position. Our first was Steve Smith, who was only with us for afew months. He had been working on establishing his skills at display work andwe lost him to a position that allowed him to extend that experience. We thenhired Laura Crawford, whom many of you may remember. She brought a lot ofenergy to the task and helped us get through the first sort of the Custer Collec-tion, at least far enough to where we could clean out the house and get it sold.Unfortunately, we were second-string to her other job and finally lost out as itbegan taking its toll on her time.Sarah Iles came to us at first as an intern through the University ofWashington’s Masters in Museology program when she started in on a detailedtask of sorting and documenting the Custer Collection. She returned to work onher thesis, using our museum as the basis. We have been fortunate that shewas able to come work for us this year. You will find her article covers some ofthe professional aspects of museum operations, along with the fun parts of reallygetting into some piece of our history.Hiring staff is a natural part of the changes we see as an operation as we strivetowards the next level of professionalism and hopefully more interesting exhibitsand events. The tasks that these two support had been covered by volunteers inthe past, sometimes with excellent results, but other times the time available wasinadequate to the demands. In times past you might also have found boardmembers in the trenches, sorting photographs and writing up donation records,scheduling events, and calling to get volunteers to cover a Saturday shift in themuseum.Times are changing. The sum of our staff, including Daisy Ward in the office,Tom Monahan in research, and of course Liz Stewart as our Director, areleading a team of volunteers that get to do the fun work. I’ve had more than afew people interested in joining our board until they find out that the history stuffis in the office and not around the board table. We’ve attracted some excellentpeople to this table, people who come with good business and organizationalstrengths and a strong interest in seeing a history museum flourish in Renton.They’re also busy people, active in many community groups besides ours thatmake them integral to the network of our community and connect us with otherboards and committees. That means that the day-to-day work that used to beshared by the board members is now taken care of mostly by volunteers andstaff.Continued on page 3
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This isn’t a bad thing if we are togrow and advance, but it is different.It holds the risk that the board couldbecome disconnected from the opera-tion we are supposed to be overseeing.That happens sometimes as organiza-tions like this evolve. The methodsused to avoid that are to put goodpeople in responsible positions, use theright measures to see that we are ontrack, and keep an ear open to themembership and the community to tryto catch any signs that we’ve veeredoff course. I know that we’ve gotgood people, some of the best, in thestaff of our museum. We’re workingthe measures to make sure that weare progressing, and we are gettingfeedback from the community. Youcould be part of that if you like. Dropme an email or a phone call. Lookover the list of board members (I’ll betyou know a couple of these peopleand see them regularly) and grab theirear the next time you see them. Letus know what you like, as well aswhat you think we could do better.Of course, if there IS an opportunity todo better, you could also volunteer tohelp make it so. I’ve said it before,the volunteers will always be theengine that drives the success of ourmuseum.
Continued from page 3 Planned Giving SeriesPart 2: Charitable Giving 101By Sandra Meyer, Endowment Chair
In the last quarterly two ways that individuals can contribute to the RentonHistorical Society Endowment Fund (or other funds) were explained, includingoutright gifts of cash, stock or securities and charitable bequests. As a 501(c3)nonprofit the Historical Society can accept many kinds of donations that alsohave financial and tax benefits for you as the donor. In this article we will coverhow retirement funds can play a role in planned giving.
RETIREMENT FUNDSFor the average person, the home and retirement funds represent the twogreatest assets. Trillions of dollars are held in IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and otherretirement accounts, and many fortunate people are in a financial position toleave some of these assets to charity. A charity can be named as beneficiary ofa portion of an IRA or a qualified retirement plan. After death, that portion offunds will be paid to the charity in a lump sum. The balance can be paid tobeneficiaries according to whatever schedule the donor may arrange, and thecharitable gift will not affect the distribution schedule. Those for whom a retirement plan designation might be appropriate include:•Individuals who—whether they realize it yet or not—have more wealth intheir IRAs or in qualified retirement plans than they and any close familymembers could be expected to need.•Those who want to retain access to potentially all of their IRA or qualifiedretirement plan assets during their lifetimes (like those who arrange charitablebequests).•Those who already know they want to leave some portion of their estates toheirs as well as some portion to one or more charities.The tax implications of retirement plan designations should always be reviewedwith a qualified advisor. Distributions from IRAs and qualified retirement plansare subject to income tax. The tax is paid by the recipient—by the account-owner while he or she is receiving payments, and by his or her beneficiariesfollowing death. In addition to income tax, the assets of IRAs and qualifiedretirement plans may be subject to estate tax.From a tax standpoint, a transfer of assets remaining in an IRA or other retire-ment account is the very best charitable gift, because retirement funds that passto the Renton Historical Society by a beneficiary designation are not subjecteither to income or estate tax.General rule: It is better to make charitable gifts with IRAs and qualifiedretirement funds (or with other selected assets, such as savings bonds andcommercial annuity contracts) and give cash, securities, and real estate to heirs.Gifts of retirement funds are very simple to arrange. The donor merely requestsa change-of-beneficiary form from the plan administrator and then names thecharity as beneficiary of a percentage of the account balance.If you have any questions about the specifics of these charitable gifts, contactyour accountant or the Renton Historical Society’s investment representative,Shane Klingenstein, toll-free, at 1.888.891.8832.Next installment: Life Insurance Policies and Charitable Giving
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Agnes Edwards story continued from page 1
As a young woman Agnes attended Seattle BusinessCollege and became a competent legal secretary. Sheworked for Paul Houser, Sr., a lawyer with offices in theSmith Tower in Seattle. Through her connection toHouser, she became secretary to the Waterway Commis-sion, which supervised the straightening of the CedarRiver after the 1911 flood. She remained secretary untilthe Commission’s dissolution in 1956, except during theseven years of her marriage.
In 1912 Agnes Morrison married Aaron Edwards, the sonof John and Rachel Edwards. The Edwards familyhomesteaded on Tobin Avenue and their property laterbecame the site for Renton High School. The Edwardskept a large garden, an acre of raspberries (or so itseemed) and a brooder house with 1500 chickens. Eachsummer the grandchildren were recruited to gather andclean the eggs and pick the ripe berries. They wore longstockings over their arms and large hats to cover theirfaces. Crates of fresh berries were taken by thewagonload to Tonkin’s Grocery to be sold or bartered.
Aaron Edwards came from a family of Welsh immigrantswho proudly settled into a productive life in Renton. Inaddition to tending to her garden, his mother Rachel alsoboarded teachers. She made annual trips back to Wales.Some summers she rented a cabin at Alki Beach and herhusband would join her on the weekends. Both wereactive in the Welsh musicals directed by long-time post-master Tom Harries and held at Renton MethodistChurch. Agnes’s father-in-law, John O. Edwards,worked in the mines, and in 1897-1898 he was a Populistcongressman representing the 43rd District in the state legislature.(Her employer and mentor, Paul Houser, Sr., also later served in the legislature and the state Senate.)
Right: City officials with the CompiledOrdinance Record, ca. 1939-1942. L-RMayor George Beanblossom, City ClerkAgnes Edwards, Agnes Deacy, and CityAttorney Paul Houser, Sr.(#1980.079.1129)
Above: Agnes Edwards, 1943 (#1982.037.1551)
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Agnes Edwards continued on page 6
Newlyweds Agnes and Aaron Edwards settled into their first home on Othello Street in Rainier Valley. Their first childBernice was born, followed by Bob and then Mildred. They later moved to Logan Street in Renton, to a home owned byAaron’s parents. Aaron was employed by Pacific Coast Railway and worked in the office. During the 1918 influenzaepidemic he contracted the disease and died tragically within days.
Suddenly a widow at the age of 28, Agnes was left with three small children, the oldest only five. There were no agenciesto provide financial assistance to a young widow and her children. Paul Houser offered her a job once again, and familyand friends helped care for the children while she worked in downtown Seattle. She rode the Interurban each day to workand back. But the long hours working and commuting kept her from her children, so Agnes decided to look for workcloser to home.
Because of her business experience, Agnes was encouraged to apply for the position of City Treasurer, which she held forfour years, from 1923 to 1927. She then ran for the position of City Clerk of Renton, less than 20 years after women hadgained the right to vote in Washington. The office of City Clerk was an elected position, and Agnes enlisted the help ofher children who campaigned, rang doorbells, and distributed leaflets. In 1927 she became the first woman elected to theposition of City Clerk for Renton; she served for 19 years, until 1946. Her responsibilities included taking minutes at theCity Council meetings, registering new voters, administering civil service exams to future police officers, collecting bills forthe water department, and keeping the books for the City of Renton. In addition to her duties as a city of ficial, Agnesattended night classes in civic administration at University of Washington.
Group of Renton city officials standing by Talbot Hill reservoir, 1930. L-R standing: Fire Chief Joe Wood, Sr., Mayor GeorgeBeanblossom, Councilman Bill Avery, Tom Meehan, Councilman Jim Crook, Councilman George Pasco, City Clerk AgnesEdwards, City Attorney Agnes Richmond. L-R kneeling: Councilman Floyd Lawrence, Councilman Doug Miller, Councilman DaveMitchell, City Engineer Samuel L. Hanley. (#1980.079.1131)
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Elliott Farm continued from page 5
Footnotes referenced on page 7
Agnes Edwards was active in many areas of city government. In addition to her duties as City Clerk and secretary for theWaterways Commission, she clerked for the Police Department from 1946 until her retirement in 1950. She was also thesecretary and chief examiner for the Civil Service Commission for eight years. She was known for her efficient businessmanner and she knew most of the 3500 Renton residents by name. In 1947 she was honored at a special reception for herlife of outstanding service to her community. She was an active member of the Renton Methodist Church, the DorcasSociety, a charter member of theRosalie Evans Cancer Guild, and amember of the Business and Profes-sional Women.
Her last residence was a lovelyapartment at Hilltop House in Seattlewhere she was able to catch the busfor daily shopping trips downtown.She was well-known at Frederick &Nelson for her weekly luncheons inthe Tea Room with her son, Bob. Shedied in November 1985 at the age of94.
She will long be remembered for herdedication to the City of Renton andher determination to succeed despiteadversity.
1943 voter registration card signed by Agnes Edwards. (#1986.036.001)
FOR MORE INFORMATIONABOUT WASHINGTON WOMEN AND GOVERNMENTComing in December 2006: Washington Women’s History Consortium isorganizing events and exhibits for the 2010 Centennial of Women’s Suf-frage in Washington state. www.washingtonwomenshistory.org
“Woman Suffrage Crusade, 1848-1920,” Essay #5662, HistoryLink.org:The Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History.www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?files_id=5662
Morda Slausen, “Women’s Lib in Renton,” chapter in Renton—From Coalto Jets, 1st ed. (Renton: Renton Historical Society, 1976), 88-92.
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Renton Historical QuarterlyVolunteer ReportBy Dorota Rahn, Volunteer and Education CoordinatorThere are many things going on at the museumsince Liz joined us as Director, including educationaland volunteer activities we planned and organized forthe fall. First of all, we had lots of opportunities to listento great speakers during our Fall 2006 Speaker Pro-gram which started in September.I can only speak for myself, but I want everybodyto know that I am very excited about this program.There is nothing more rewarding in one’s job thanhaving fun and learning new, interesting things aboutthe world around us and to offer this opportunity to ourcommunity, including all members and volunteers of theRenton Historical Society and Museum. We try to include in the speaker seriesdifferent aspects of history, geography, economy, and culture as all of them areclosely related to each other.In September, for the fifth anniversary of 9/11, Professor Faizi Ghodsi from SeattleUniversity talked about different cultural, political, and religious viewpoints in theMiddle East. He explained religious differences and similarities between Islam andother religions. He helped the audience to understand the current situation in theMiddle East and how it relates to the rest of the world. I hope this was one good wayto commemorate the victims of September 11events by recognizing problems thatmight lead to such tragedies.David B. Williams, the October speaker, talked about the natural landscape ofSeattle and Puget Sound area. His presentation provided insights into the geology ofmaterials from which buildings in Seattle and Renton are built and feature about localcrows. Barry Herem, our third presenter for adults, introduced us to the fascinatingstory of house poles from the Whale House in Klukwan village of Chilkat Indians inAlaska.Together with the adult speaker program, the museum offers a family program onthe second Saturday of the month. This fall we hosted Karen Haas talking about thePacific Northwest fur trade. Karen brought a beaver fur and examples of otheritems that were traded by American settlers and Native Americans more than 100years ago. She wrapped everything up in exciting stories so the audience could learnwhile singing and laughing.Another wonderful speaker, Jill Johnson, introduced us to the true story of BerteOlson, the first woman to skipper a ferry boat on the Puget Sound and own her ownferry boat company between 1920 and 1950. It was a very emotional performanceabout women entrepreneurs during the time when many women in America wereraising kids and staying at home.One more presentation is planned on Saturday, December 9 at 11:00 am. Familiescan enjoy “The Real Toy Story: Folk Toys and Whistles from around the World" byAllan Hirsch. In addition, the Spring 2007 Speaker Program is already planned, andwe will send details to everyone at the beginning of next year. We welcome every-body to attend presentations as their subjects are very interesting, if not fascinating,and all speakers are absolutely captivating.In terms of volunteers there were a few events worth mentioning. First of all, themuseum hosted a thank you lunch for volunteers at Renton Technical College inSeptember. The food was great and the company was even better. We had fun whilesharing personal stories by volunteers and the museum staff. It was a very nicesocial time for all of us.A few new volunteers joined us within last couple of months. Bette Seligman ishelping with archival assignments on a regular basis. Daumene White joined us as afuture tour guide. And the last but not least, Edie-Mae Lawyer, former RentonHistorical Society board member, is going to volunteer as a greeter and docent.New and current volunteers attended training on emergency and other museumprocedures. In addition, greeters had an opportunity to refresh their memory abouthosting visitors at the museum. In general, everybody strives to make our museummore professional and welcoming. We thank all of you for your involvement in anyform and hope you will keep supporting our museum in the future.
HOLIDHOLIDHOLIDHOLIDHOLIDAAAAAY HOURSY HOURSY HOURSY HOURSY HOURS
AND EVENTSAND EVENTSAND EVENTSAND EVENTSAND EVENTS
Closed:Sat., Dec. 23 to Weds., Dec. 27Sat., Dec. 30 to Mon, Jan. 1
“The Real Toy Story: FolkToys and Whistles fromAround the World” with AllanHirschSaturday, Dec.9 11:00 am - 12:00 pmThe whole family gets to try outhistorical toys from around theworld!
Renton Historical SocietyAnnual Holiday PartyTuesday, Dec. 12,3:00 - 5:30 pmCarco TheatreDessert and beverages, and aperformance by Evergreen CityBallet! Free for members andvolunteers; $15 suggested dona-tion for all others
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Renton Museum ReportBy Elizabeth P. Stewart
The museum has been working hard to offer programs that present history infresh and different ways to get people engaged. A recent talk by art historianand artist Barry Herem, for example, made me think about how the RentonHistory Museum and the Renton Historical Society contribute to the preserva-tion of the city’s history. In November Barry presented a slide talk about theWhale House in Klukwan, a Chilkat village in Alaska. If you’ve never heardBarry speak, you must come the next time the museum hosts him. This was hissecond talk at the Museum; we welcomed him back because he is so knowl-edgeable and such an enthusiastic student of Northwest Coast art, particularlythat of Native peoples. He has been studying Native art for over 25 years,making numerous trips up the Pacific Northwest Coast into Alaska and Canada,and now he incorporates all this firsthand knowledge into fascinating lecturesillustrated with slides.Barry’s talk got me thinking about different communities’ approaches to thepreservation of their heritage. The Whale House story involves a Chilkat familywho believed it had rightful ownership of four richly carved house posts from anancestral house, and wanted to remove them to place them in a major museum in a faraway city. Each nine-foot post iscarved and painted with stylized human and animal figures representing stories significant to the people’s understanding oftheir traditions. Homeowners commissioned artists to create these masterpieces that preserved Chilkat history anddemonstrated their own wealth and status in the community. In this way, the preservation of history is inextricable linkedto community leadership. The family who helped remove the posts took this tradition a step further, believing that theseposts could best benefit the Chilkat in a museum where people from around the world could appreciate their culture andlong tradition of craftsmanship as one of the richest of the Tlingit tribes.The posts themselves save history in two ways. First, they preserve and communicate tribal stories visually. Forexample, the “Strong Man” post—carved with the figure of a disabled man tearing a sea lion in half with his bare hands—illustrates a story about how anyone can become a tribal leader if he’s determined enough. In this way, the beautifulcarvings become teaching tools to pass along stories and lessons from generation to generation. The second way theseposts preserve history is by recording the talents of Tlingit carvers and their dedication to honing their skills and passingthem down for generations.The family who wanted to donate the posts to a grand museum were most interested in promoting international recognitionof these talented carvers; they hoped that the posts would teach people who might have preconceived ideas about the“primitiveness” of Native peoples. But for other families in Klukwan, the first reason for preserving history—teachingtribal traditions to future generations—was more important. They did not want to see the posts leave the village toeducate outsiders in a museum where their own children would never benefit from them. The controversy was ultimatelyresolved with the posts being returned to the village.The debate over the Whale House posts centered around the question of the audience for Chilkat history. Who mostneeds to know about the Tlingits’ history? The Whale House story reminded me what a great responsibility RentonHistory Museum has to heritage preservation. Some cities have multiple museums, historical societies, and governmentagencies that save and teach their communities’ history; in Renton, the museum and the historical society willingly shoul-der the responsibility for it all. But it is a lot to accomplish, and to do it well we all need to be constant advocates forhistory education and preservation. We need to work together to ensure that history is everywhere you look, and that thathistory includes everyone. Like the Chilkat our benefactors recognize the importance of history and they are using someof their resources to demonstrate their commitment to documenting and preserving history. But unlike the Chilkat, wedon’t have to choose between telling outsiders and telling our children how important Renton’s history is. With enough ofus involved, we can do both.
For more about the WhaleHouse story, go tohttp://www.ankn.uaf.edu/Curricu-lum/Tlingit/WhaleHouse/part1.html.
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ContributorsContributorsContributorsContributorsContributorsDenny Dochnal(storage of coal car during repairs)Ron Stroben(registration fee to the RentonBusiness Exposition)Pritchard Design(design of event flyer)Renton Printery(invitations to membership party)
October and November have proven to be busy months in the CollectionsDepartment. The museum is currently working on two different grants thatpertain to the collections. In early October, we applied for a Collections Assess-ment Program (CAP) Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services(IMLS). This grant is awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis, and providesfunding and contacts to have a conservator and architect visit and assess themuseum’s building and collections fortwo days. The report that results fromthis visit and assessment will spell outwhat the museum’s priorities should befor improving the storage conditions ofthe collections. The report will also bea vital tool to be used in obtainingfurther grant funding for collections.The museum will be notified in early2007 if we are successful in obtainingthe grant.The second grant that the museumis working on is a Collections Manage-ment Assessment Program (CMAP)grant that was awarded to the museumin 2005. CMAP grants are part of ajoint assessment program betweenIMLS and the American Association ofMuseums (AAM). The CMAP grant provides the museum funding to have apeer surveyor visit the museum and assess all aspects of our collection manage-ment, from policies and record keeping to storage and disaster preparedness.This grant requires that the museum form an “Assessment Team” to complete aself-study workbook that asks questions about collection management and howit pertains to all aspects of the museum’s functions. The process is designed toallow us to first understand our current collections situation and then to begin adialogue as to how we can improve things for the future. This grant, like theCAP, will result with a written report that will also aid us greatly in setting ourcollection priorities and obtaining grant funding specifically for collections.Cataloging work is also continuing at a steady pace. We are currentlyworking on the Guitteau Family photograph collection. This is a large collectionthat was donated by Florence Guitteau Storey and contains over 1500 images.We estimate that we are just over halfway toward completing the cataloging ofthe collection. Many of the photos contain unidentified people and places, andwe are looking for people who might be able to help us identify them. We arealso searching for more information pertaining to the Guitteau family in general,and we would greatly appreciate it if anyone willing to share their knowledgewould contact the museum.
New AcquisitionsWe have received an exciting donation of 49 glass plate negatives. Thesenegatives date to the early 1900s and show businesses and residences inRenton. Though a few of the negatives are damaged, they are wonderfulimages and we are working with an archival photographic expert in order tohave prints and copy negatives made. Because of the negatives’ fragile natureand age, the costs of this project are likely to exceed what the museum budgetcan handle. If you are interested in making a donation in order to help curatethis wonderful collection of early 1900s Renton images, please contact themuseum.
From the Collections Department…By: Sarah Iles, Collection Manager
Please Choose Membership Category & AnyDonation You Wish To Make:
ppppp Student/Teacher Individual($12)________
ppppp Senior Individual ($12)________
ppppp Individual ($20)________
ppppp Senior Couple ($20)________
ppppp Family ($30)________
ppppp Patron Benefactor ($100)________
ppppp Business ($100)________
ppppp Corporate ($100)________
ppppp Life ($500) One Time Only ________(partially tax deductible)
p General Fund Donation ________
p Endowment Fund Donation ________In Memory of:Total enclosed:_____________
Join the Renton Historical Society Today!
Name:__________________________________________________________Membership Level:________________________________________________Business Name:__________________________________________________Address:________________________________________________________City:State:__________________________Zip:____________+ 4 (______)
Please make checks payable to the Renton Historical Society.VISA/MASTERCARD #__________________________Ex.Date:_________Your Signature:_______________________________________________
p Please share your e-mail address with us:__________________________
p Please send me a volunteer application form. (32/1)Mail To:Membership Secretary, Renton Historical Society235 Mill Avenue South, Renton, Washington 98057-2133
ObituariesNew MembersNew MembersNew MembersNew MembersNew MembersLoann J. MattsonLynn BohartTom & Bobbie GrayTo our members:Please help us keep our mailing listcurrent by notifying us of changeof mailing address. Much of ourmail is sent by bulk mail postagepermit and is not forwarded whenthere is an address change nor arewe notified that the mail was notdelivered. Once a year we mailwith an address correction requestfrom the post office, but there is acharge for each correction and re-turned mail. Therefore, it helps uskeep our mailing costs down andensures you of receiving your quar-terly Newsletter and other noticeswhen you keep your address cur-rent with us. Thank you.
Z denotes former Society Life Member % denotes former Society member
(fr(fr(fr(fr(from September 15)om September 15)om September 15)om September 15)om September 15)Nellie A. BarnesKatherine Bengtson Cumming
(to November 15)(to November 15)(to November 15)(to November 15)(to November 15)Linda BauerEmery “Bob” BensonJohn C. BoweCarleton ChristophersonLeona A. CoreEdna G. Culbert
ZElmer J. HuffmanEdna G. KnudsonFranklin D. LansciardiWilliam G. Moran, Sr.Clayton ScottCarl G. Weiss
OctoberOctoberOctoberOctoberOctoberJames E. BankerGeorge E. BlueRuth Williams BonzonErnest H. “Tex” BoulliounKenneth L. CareyBetsy Emmons Derr
ZZMildred V. FaullZRaymond L. GroverArne J. JohnsonGlen G. JudkinsMarilyn A. NeilKenneth L. PottleLeslie O. H. QuandeJohn SkoorIna R. SparksMae G. Stewart
ZBetsy L. Derr
Ralph C. GoetzRichard P. HartnettBetty Pekola JacobsenJudy KirkElizabeth LewisBarbara LoomisGeorge C. NelsonRichard W. RalstonEileen Vessey
RentoniansRememberedCLCLCLCLCLAAAAAYTON SCOTTYTON SCOTTYTON SCOTTYTON SCOTTYTON SCOTT
(1905 – 2006)(1905 – 2006)(1905 – 2006)(1905 – 2006)(1905 – 2006)
One of the Puget Sound’s best-known aviation pioneers, ClaytonScott died in September. Thoughnot a Renton resident, Scott keptan office at the Renton MunicipalAirport from 1954 until his death.He was captivated as a boy by abarnstormer who landed in hisuncle’s field, and by 1928 he wasflying his own plane, ferryingpassengers from Seattle. Scottstarted his Boeing career as BillBoeing’s personal pilot, thenmoved on to testing military andcommercial jets. He stayed atBoeing for 25 years, when he leftto run his own seaplane service in1966. He continued to fly until afew years before his death. On his100th birthday in July 2005 RentonMunicipal Airport was renamedClayton Scott Field in his honor.
Lewis ArganoLewis ArganoLewis ArganoLewis ArganoLewis ArganoMartha Kingen; Al & ShirleyArmstrong
Emma PEmma PEmma PEmma PEmma Paglia Baraglia Baraglia Baraglia Baraglia BarrrrrrettettettettettWoody & Mary Clare
RRRRRuth Wuth Wuth Wuth Wuth Williams Bonzonilliams Bonzonilliams Bonzonilliams Bonzonilliams BonzonRenton High School Class of 1942;Rae Azose; Kay Edwards; AliceSandstrom
VVVVVirginia Busatoirginia Busatoirginia Busatoirginia Busatoirginia BusatoJerry & Barbara Shellan
FFFFFrank rank rank rank rank CaniparCaniparCaniparCaniparCaniparoliolioliolioliHomer Venishnick
Michael CapellarMichael CapellarMichael CapellarMichael CapellarMichael CapellaroooooHomer Venishnick
Leona CorLeona CorLeona CorLeona CorLeona CoreeeeeBetty Sipila
WWWWWilliam Demchuckilliam Demchuckilliam Demchuckilliam Demchuckilliam DemchuckKatie Gilligan
Betsy LBetsy LBetsy LBetsy LBetsy Lynn Emmons Derynn Emmons Derynn Emmons Derynn Emmons Derynn Emmons DerrrrrrEmmons & Richert families
MildrMildrMildrMildrMildred Gred Gred Gred Gred Greggs Feggs Feggs Feggs Feggs FaullaullaullaullaullRandall & Linda Greggs; Mr. & Mrs.Ron Clymer
RRRRRalph Goetzalph Goetzalph Goetzalph Goetzalph GoetzJohn & Eleanor Bertagni
AarAarAarAarAaron Goodwinon Goodwinon Goodwinon Goodwinon GoodwinCharles Goodwin; John & JoycePeterson
Daisy GoodwinDaisy GoodwinDaisy GoodwinDaisy GoodwinDaisy GoodwinCharles Goodwin; John & JoycePeterson
Eva GoodwinEva GoodwinEva GoodwinEva GoodwinEva GoodwinCharles Goodwin; John & JoycePeterson
Lorraine GoodwinLorraine GoodwinLorraine GoodwinLorraine GoodwinLorraine GoodwinCharles Goodwin; John & JoycePeterson
Judy GrJudy GrJudy GrJudy GrJudy GregoregoregoregoregorCharles Goodwin; John & JoycePeterson
Elmer HuffmanElmer HuffmanElmer HuffmanElmer HuffmanElmer HuffmanBetty Warren; Beth & MikePotoshnik; Diane Henry; LarryBranze
FFFFF rank Lrank Lrank Lrank Lrank LansciaransciaransciaransciaransciardididididiVerna Koshak, Jim & Debbie
Donald MurDonald MurDonald MurDonald MurDonald MurdockdockdockdockdockAl & Shirley Armstrong
John ‘John ‘John ‘John ‘John ‘Jack’ NewellJack’ NewellJack’ NewellJack’ NewellJack’ NewellHomer Venishnick; Katie Gilligan
Juliana PedersonJuliana PedersonJuliana PedersonJuliana PedersonJuliana PedersonKatie Gilligan
KKKKKenneth Pottleenneth Pottleenneth Pottleenneth Pottleenneth PottleDon & Carmen Camerini
Marjorie RichterMarjorie RichterMarjorie RichterMarjorie RichterMarjorie RichterHomer Venishnick
Michael RMichael RMichael RMichael RMichael RockeyockeyockeyockeyockeyMartha Kingen; Margaret Bisiack;Jack White
KKKKKenny Satterleeenny Satterleeenny Satterleeenny Satterleeenny SatterleeKatie Gilligan
VVVVVirginia Secrirginia Secrirginia Secrirginia Secrirginia SecrestestestestestCharles Goodwin; John & JoycePeterson
Laura ShookLaura ShookLaura ShookLaura ShookLaura ShookJerry & Barbara Shellan
IrIrIrIrIrene McLean Thomasene McLean Thomasene McLean Thomasene McLean Thomasene McLean ThomasRenton High School Class 1940
MarMarMarMarMary Utschinskiy Utschinskiy Utschinskiy Utschinskiy UtschinskiKatie Gilligan
Frances (Bunny)Frances (Bunny)Frances (Bunny)Frances (Bunny)Frances (Bunny)
VVVVVenishnickenishnickenishnickenishnickenishnickHomer Venishnick
RRRRRuth Bonzon Wuth Bonzon Wuth Bonzon Wuth Bonzon Wuth Bonzon WilliamsilliamsilliamsilliamsilliamsRae Azose, Kay Edwards, & AliceSandstrom; Dorothy Swinehart
Sam ZerSam ZerSam ZerSam ZerSam Zer woodiswoodiswoodiswoodiswoodisKatie Gilligan
NOTE FROMNOTE FROMNOTE FROMNOTE FROMNOTE FROM
LINDA GREGGSLINDA GREGGSLINDA GREGGSLINDA GREGGSLINDA GREGGS“Recently our aunt, and long timeRenton Historical Museum enthusi-ast passed away at the age of 96.Mildred (Greggs) Faull was thefamily historian. She shared manystories about their beginnings inNewcastle and subsequent yearsin Renton. When she passed awaywe decided to make a donation tothe museum – something thatcould continue to live rather thanflowers that fade so rapidly. AuntieMil brought family members to themuseum. It was always a specialplace.”
Renton History Museum235 Mill Avenue SouthRenton, WA 98057
Nonprofit OrgUS Postage PaidRenton, WAPermit No. 105
Centennial Snapshot
Renton Rotary Club Christmas Party, ca. 1950s.Do you know who these men are? (#5473)
Happy HolidaysHappy HolidaysHappy HolidaysHappy HolidaysHappy Holidays
frfrfrfrfrom all of us atom all of us atom all of us atom all of us atom all of us at
the Rthe Rthe Rthe Rthe Renton Historenton Historenton Historenton Historenton Histor yyyyy
Museum!Museum!Museum!Museum!Museum!