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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023 Issue 2 - On Stage, On Screen, & Behind The Scenes Pt. 2.pdfHappy 105th Birthday Louise George! Board Report by Dan Clawson, President. What Collections Do by Elizabeth P. Stewart, Director. Museum Report by Elizabeth P. Stewart, Director. In our December 2022 newsletter, we explored the careers of three Rentonites who worked in the entertainment industry. This issue brings you more stories of Rentonites on stage and screen: a Longacres racing family whose equestrian skills crossed over into the realm of film and television, a hopeful 1930s starlet who sang and danced in movie musicals, and a world-class ballet dancer. Despite their varied careers, these individuals had one thing in common: they had roots in Renton. Also In This Issue... Continued on page 5 2 4 83 by Stephanie Snyder ON STAGE, ON SCREEN, AND BEHIND THE SCENES, Part 2 RENTON HISTORICALSOCIETY & MUSEUM Spring March 2023 Volume 54 Number 2QUARTERLY PAT AUTEN (1940 – 2023) Pat Auten was a longtime supporter of the Renton History Museum, but we were just one of the many Renton causes that benefited from her passion. Kiwanis Clothes Bank, Renton School District, Allied Arts of Renton, and Renton Regional Community Foundation all were strengthened by Pat’s time, attention, and experience. Kids were her first priority, giving them a good start in life with healthy families, a good education, and food and clothing to succeed. So many in Renton will miss her terribly, but she leaves incalculable good behind. JANET CHRISTIANSEN (1936 – 2023) Janet Christiansen was a longtime volunteer with the Renton History Museum, as a Saturday greeter and a member of our Volunteer Steering Committee. A long-term volunteer with KCLS, Janet was also passionate about reading and never lacked for a good book recommendation. In 2010 she earned our “Greeter of the Year” Award for her positive outlook and welcoming attitude, qualities that benefited everyone who came into contact with her. We know her friends, family, and other walkers at Coulon Beach Park will miss her. I t’s not often you get to recognize such a milestone, but we’re delighted to acknowledge Louise George’s 105th birthday. A key volunteer for many years at the Renton History Museum, Louise Delaurenti George started life on March 9, 1918, the daughter of Italian immigrants. Whether serving in the U.S. Marine Corps Women’s Reserves during WWII or working for the United Mine Workers or the King County Election Board, Louise’s love of community pushed her to break new ground. Surely her grit and determination are part of what has made her so long-lived. We salute you, Louise, and the many great things you have achieved. HAPPY 105TH BIRTHDAY, LOUISE GEORGE! Pat Auten Janet Christiansen 2 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM SPRING QUARTERLY, 2023 | 3 MUSEUM REPORT QUARTERLYSPRING 2023 T he Seattle Times recently reported that the rate of volunteerism in Seattle—a city famed for its engaged residents—declined from 30% before the pandemic to 26% during the pandemic. Not surprising, right? Like most nonprofits, our volunteer opportunities dried up during COVID, because we couldn’t even open our building. But the concerning part is that the numbers of adult volunteers have continued to fall off as things opened up. As of July 2022, only 22% of Seattleites had volunteered in the past 12 months. What’s important about volunteering? The Renton History Museum was actually launched by an all-volunteer staff of educators and librarians, passionate about preserving Renton history for future generations. Fifty plus years later, we are a thriving organization that still needs volunteers on our Board of Directors, to greet visitors and give tours, and to assist with the care of our collections, mounting exhibits, and hosting programs. But it’s not just the work we’re looking for, although that’s really important with a staff of two. Volunteers bring valuable outside perspectives to bear on what we’ve been doing, fresh ideas from their own experiences, and a sense that the community supports us. And we know, from day-to-day contact with volunteers, that volunteers enjoy the social interactions they have at the Museum, the sense that they play a valuable role behind the scenes, and that they’re constantly learning. Most importantly, volunteering on projects we are passionate about mirrors the work that a successful democracy requires: the give-and-take, the teamwork, the ability to share and listen to others. As the nation moves toward its 250th anniversary in 2026, the Museum is spending more time thinking about democracy and what it takes to make it work for all Americans. Long before Washington state or the City of Renton even had governments, residents figured out how to get things done together by focusing on initiatives they cared about, forging new roads or recruiting teachers, for example. Even Renton’s Fire Department was all-volunteer until 1944! As governments have taken over more of these tasks, plenty of work remains for those willing to strengthen our community, in museums, libraries, schools, food banks, prisons, churches, day cares, and on and on. Whether you’re volunteering at the Renton History Museum or elsewhere, every volunteer hour you give to the community benefits you, the organization you give to, and the community we cherish. by Elizabeth P. Stewart, Museum Director RENTON HISTORICAL QUARTERLY Pritchard Design Graphic Design & Layout Karl Hurst City of Renton Print & Mail Services RENTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES Dan Clawson, President Don Hunsaker III, Treasurer Robert Wilson, Secretary Elizabeth P. Stewart, Board Liaison MUSEUM STAFF Elizabeth P. Stewart Museum Director Stephanie Snyder Museum Office Aide RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM 235 MILL AVENUE S RENTON, WA 98057 P (425) 255-2330 F (425) 255-1570 E rentonhistorymuseum rentonwa.gov HOURS: Tuesday - Friday 10:00am - 4:00pm ADMISSION: $5 (Adult) $2 (Child) Members always FREE Founding volunteers of the Renton History Museum Ernie Tonda and Ethel Telban at the Renton River Days booth, 1980. Elizabeth P. Stewart Director Cover photo: Karel Shook played the lead, “Stephen Santry,” in the 1939 RHM senior play, New Fires. Shook is pictured standing furthest to the left. (RHM #2005.019.045) 4 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM RHS acknowledges RHS acknowledges we are on the we are on the unceded traditional unceded traditional land of the land of the Duwamish people. Duwamish people. A people forced to A people forced to relocate, but who relocate, but who have persevered.have persevered. The Museum views the history of Renton to include since time immemorial to today and is committed to exploring that through its partnerships, exhibits and programs. PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE T he Renton Historical Society is launching into 2023 with optimism and enthusiasm as we move forward to provide the best possible support for the Renton History Museum now and in the years ahead. Our 2022 accomplishments include: • recruiting and appointing qualified Board Members to serve as Secretary, Treasurer, and President; • updating and revising our Bylaws to comply with the new Washington Nonprofit Corporation Act; • beginning discussions with the City on a new agreement to define the roles and responsibilities of the two organizations in operating and supporting the Museum; • approving a 2023 budget to pay Museum operating expenses and to fund a Curator position and other positions. We are most fortunate to have retained professional museum consultant Bruce Eldredge, First Vice President of the Museum Trustees Association and retired director of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, to help us craft a new partnership agreement in a cooperative process with the City of Renton. Bruce has decades of experience directing museums around the U.S. and working cooperatively with nonprofit historical societies and government entities. Our plans and projects for 2023 include maintenance for the Annex building which houses collections that are not currently on display, a fall fundraising event, improving online outreach to Historical Society members, recruiting and educating new Board members, and preparing to update the 5-year Strategic Plan in 2024. Your volunteer and financial support makes our outstanding Museum and the many learning opportunities it provides to our community possible. It’s easy to donate or renew your membership with new buttons on the City of Renton website Museum page—search “Renton History Museum” on your browser to get there. The Renton Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and your donation may be tax deductible. You can also visit the new Renton Historical Society website at www.rentonhistoricalsociety.org, or contact us directly at rentonhistoricalsociety@gmail.com. We welcome your questions about joining the Board or helping in other ways, such as serving on a committee or by helping with our fundraiser or other RHS projects. by Dan Clawson, President Dan Clawson President Shirley Temple poses with three-year- old Sally Leonard on the set of The Story of Seabiscuit; Jack Leonard, Sr. sits right. (Photo courtesy of Sharon Clymer.) SPRING QUARTERLY, 2023 | 5 Jack Leonard Jr.’s bio from the 1987 Longacres Jockey Guide. Jack Jr. won twice for Longacres owner Joe Gottstein, riding “Sparrow Castle” in 1961 and “Praise Jay” in 1969—the same year he won the Longacres riding title. old, Jack applied for a job at the Jack Warner Horse Ranch in Canoga Park, California, owned by one of the Warner Brothers. The ranch needed an experienced horse trainer and jockey to work on a film about a famous racing horse named “Seabiscuit.” Jack was hired on the spot. During the time Jack spent working on The Story of Seabiscuit (1949), his family lived in a ranch house at Warner Ranch. His daughter Sharon recalls the smell of alfalfa fields, the eucalyptus trees that lined the driveway, and going to the same private school as the children of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. After each day of working on set, Jack would return to his family to regale them with behind-the-scenes stories.7 One of the most memorable moments of the filming was the day that Jack brought some very special guests over for lunch—actors Shirley Temple and Lon McCallister. Although Leona was too shocked to remember what food she served that day, she was impressed by how gracious Temple and McCallister were, noting that “they acted like everyday folk and didn’t put on airs.”8 The checkered dress Shirley Temple wears in the film was the one she wore to the Leonards’ home during her visit.9 For the next thirty years, the Leonards continued to work the racing circuit. Jack Sr. wasn’t the only member of the family whose career in racing landed him a show biz gig—as soon as he was old enough to work, Jack Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps as a jockey, making a television appearance as a teenager in 1959 on the game show To Tell the Truth. A panel of celebrity judges were tasked with guessing which of three young men was the real Jack Leonard. His affidavit, read out to the audience by host Bud Collyer, was an impressive synopsis of Jack Jr.’s achievements: I, Jack Leonard, am a jockey. I am 17 years old. This is my second year of racing. I rode 65 mounts before I won my first race, but I now have more than 200 winners to my credit. So far, I have earned more than one hundred and fifty-thousand dollars in jockey's fees.10 Jack Jr.’s successful career continued through the 1990s, and in 2013, Jack Jr. was nominated for the Washington Racing Hall of Fame, located at Emerald Downs Racetrack. He was inducted in 2016.11 A LONGACRES LEGACY: THE LEONARD FAMILY Renton’s Longacres Racetrack opened on August 3, 1933, when Jack Leonard was just thirteen years old. That was when he decided he wanted a career working with racehorses.1 Few restrictions prevented young boys from working at the track, and some were content to do so in exchange for food or candy, while others walked horses for a dollar a head. After working in the barns during the summer as a stable hand, Jack moved up the ranks, from “bug boy” (a moniker given to jockeys who had not yet won a race) in 1934 to a fully-fledged jockey atop a horse named “Fresno” in 1936.2 Everyday life at Longacres must have made a profound impression on young Jack as he grew up—trainers, breeders, stable hands, farriers, and groomers lived nomadic lifestyles in tents that sprang up on the back stretch during the summer racing season, heating their water for bathing in 50-gallon drums via campfire and feasting on corn from nearby fields.3 With its carefully plotted greenery and a full view of Mount Rainier, it’s not hard imagine what brought these “back stretchers” to Longacres year after year.4 Jack’s childhood acquaintance Frank Purcell recalled working with him at Longacres: “Jackie Leonard and I exercised some horses, and we met a stable bookie and bet 50 cents on a horse in Longacres Mile called ‘Biff.’ We won and we never saw the bookie.”5 (After they lost their fifty-cent bet, Frank reportedly never gambled again.) Jack attended Renton High School. Although he left school early to focus on his racing career, he did eventually marry his classmate, Leonabelle “Leona” Faull, after her graduation in 1940. At age 19, Jack was seriously injured during a race at Longacres and was rushed to Bronson Memorial Hospital. After his recovery, he decided to focus on owning and training horses, and being a “handicapper”— someone who studies race forms and decides which horses should race based on statistics. Leona was a licensed horse trainer herself, and while they grew their family, the Leonards witnessed the area around Longacres expanding. The couple had three children: Sharon, Jack Jr., and Sally.6 While Renton remained the family’s official home, the Leonards spent much of the 1940s traveling for work, from the Lansdowne and Hastings Park tracks in Vancouver, B.C. down to Santa Anita and Hollywood Park in California. In 1948, when his youngest daughter Sally was three years Continued from page 1 6 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM soon followed by roles in Kid Millions, Roberta, and The Great Ziegfeld. She featured in a total of thirteen films, most of which did not credit her on screen.14 During her time in Hollywood, Diane also featured in a handful of newspaper articles. A syndicated article profiled her in 1935, describing her as “somewhat naïve yet possessing an air of sound judgement,” and speaking of her “beauty and charm which make friends for her instantly.”15 The following week, she made the front page of the Renton Chronicle, which revealed that her friends and family in Renton—most notably her uncle and aunt, James and Esther Hardie—were looking forward to seeing her in Roberta.16 Jack Sr. continued to train horses alongside his wife until he passed away in 1988. Meanwhile, Jack Sr.’s daughter Sally became a cornerstone of the racing community in Auburn, running the Quarter Chute Café at the Emerald Downs Racetrack with her husband, Joe Steiner. Their son, Joey, had a 35-year career as a jockey, winning over 1,000 races. In October 2002, he rode on the set of the film Seabiscuit as a stunt double to actor Gary Stevens. Ten different horses played the starring role of Seabiscuit. As a memento, Joey got a photograph of leading actress Elizabeth Banks holding his daughter in her lap—recreating a photo of Shirley Temple with Joey’s mother, Sally, 54 years prior.12 GLAMOR IN HOLLYWOOD’S GOLDEN AGE: DIANE COOK During the Great Depression, the movies were an escape from the realities of day-to-day life, and a career in Hollywood probably seemed like a dream to many young adults. Not everyone who set out for California aspiring to stardom made it—but Diane Cook, whose family lived in Renton, found her niche in movie musicals between 1934 and 1940.13 Born Maybelle Cook in 1913 in Valdez, Alaska, she was the daughter of Jack Cook, an English gold miner, and Margaret Hardie of Renton. The family moved back to Washington, where Maybelle was named “Queen of Glaciers” in a Seattle “Stampede” celebration of Alaska Gold Rushers in 1929. Maybelle graduated from Franklin High School in Seattle in 1932, the same year she was selected as “Seattle’s most perfect brunette.” She was disqualified, however, when it was discovered that she had previously eloped to be married. While in high school, she played the leading role in Carmen. After graduation, she took the stage name “Diane Cook,” moving to Hollywood with her mother. She spent about a year in a small repertory company before landing her first role as a dancer in the Busby Berkeley film Dames. This was Diane was featured in a 1935 syndicated newspaper article written as a rebuttal to critic Bernard Newman’s statement that Hollywood girls weren’t as beautiful as women in New York and Paris. (Arizona Republic, 17 March 1935.) The Winner’s Circle at Longacres Race Track, May 30, 1969. Jack Leonard, Jr. is pictured atop “Steele Blade.” This would be Steel Blade’s final victory—he broke a bone in his right foreleg during the race. (RHM # 2002.019.5616) SPRING QUARTERLY, 2023 | 7 Cook’s movie career ended in 1940 after she married her second husband, a Hollywood wig designer named Henry Frederick Schilling, known professionally as “Fred Fredericks.” The pair had two children, but divorced sometime before 1967, when Diane married her third husband, liquor store owner Vincent Keating. She lived with him in San Diego, enjoying her retirement until she passed away in 1994 at the age of 81.17 BREAKING DOWN BALLET BARRIERS: KAREL SHOOK Like many professional dancers, Karel Shook started his journey to becoming a ballet master at a young age. Born in Renton in 1920, he began making appearances on stage at the Seattle Repertory Theatre as a child. As a youngster in Renton, Karel began to develop the leadership skills he would use later in life; he was a member of the Boys’ Club, the Torch Society, and acted as a homeroom president for three years at Renton Senior High School, which he attended until his graduation in 1939. Naturally, he also exhibited his love of performance at school. He was vice president and later president of the Dramatics Club and a member of the Make-Up Crew. He also participated in one-acts and plays. A one-act performed during his senior year, in which Karel played the role of a priest, received the highest rating among other high school productions at the Annual Drama Festival in Auburn. He also featured in the senior play, New Fires. In 1937 Karel entered a local talent competition featuring Bing Crosby.18 Shook displayed both a passion and a talent for the performing arts, and as early as age 13 he was awarded a full scholarship to the Cornish School of Allied Arts. There he became the protégé of founder Nellie Cornish, who started him on the dancer’s path. When the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo came to Washington during Karel’s fourth month of study, he had the opportunity to dance with dancer-choreographer Vincenzo Celli, who praised him for his physical and mental capabilities in the field of dance.19 After graduation, Shook continued dancing under the tutelage of the Cornish School’s Dorothy Fisher. He performed in events, such as a recital to raise money for an organ for Bellingham High School and a folk-dance festival at the Western Washington College of Education (Now Western Washington University). When Karel was invited by Maestro Celli to move to New York to formally join the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1940, the Cornish School held a benefit concert to help fund his journey.20 Continued on page 9 Yearbooks during the Great Depression had very few photos, but this senior class photo from 1939 is one of the few snapshots we have of Karel Shook’s (bottom left) school days. (1939 Ilahee yearbook) Diane Cook poses for a headshot in a costume, 1934. (Seattle Star, 25 June 1934.) 8 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM M useums’ collections provide an amazing service not replicated by any other institution: our objects and photos serve as a collective brain that enables people to remember past lives and experiences. Even the most seemingly insignificant objects—matchbook covers and postcards— serve as reminders of places Renton residents once knew, so we go out of our way to collect those items that might provide any insight into Renton’s past. The City Center Motel is a good example. WWI vet Frank Collman and his wife Eileen started it as the “Cabin City Court,” part of a group of “auto courts” on and around Rainier Avenue that sprang up as one of the solutions to WWII overcrowding in Renton. A few postcards posted on Facebook this month provoked a flood of discussion and some insights, including from people who remembered it. WHAT COLLECTIONS DO by Elizabeth P. Stewart, Director Color postcard of the City Center Motel, located at 112 S. Third St. The motel was “close to everything in the heart of Renton, Washington.” The Collmans moved to Renton from Seattle to run the motel; they lived on the grounds until Frank’s death in 1963. (#2014.013.007, Collection of the Renton History Museum). Color postcard of the room interior, City Center Motel. Rooms featured televisions and phones. In the 1970s the motel had 37 units, some of which were renovated for “apartment living.” (#2023.003.005, Collection of the Renton History Museum). Color postcard of the pool at the City Center Motel. The Collmans changed the motel’s name from Cabin City Court to City Center Motel somewhere around 1957 and they added the pool in 1961. After Frank’s death, Eileen Collman continued to operate the motel alone into the 1980s; she died in 1985. In 1988 the motel was torn down to make room for Safeway. (#2002.001.5793, Collection of the Renton History Museum). SPRING QUARTERLY, 2023 | 9 ENDNOTES 1 Becker, Paula. “Longacres Racetrack.” HistoryLink.org Essay #7349, 18 June 18 2005, http://www.historylink.org/file/7349, accessed 8 February 2023; Sharon Clymer, “Longacres to Hollywood Park: The Horse Racing Family of Jack Leonard,” Renton Historical Society & Museum Quarterly (May 1999). Ms. Clymer is the daughter of Jack Leonard, Sr., and has been tremendously helpful in assisting us with our research. 2 Clymer, “Longacres to Hollywood Park.” Although the Great Depression was a catalyst for labor reform, including more restrictions on child labor, the most comprehensive of these laws would not be signed until 1938, and an amendment further restricting child labor would not be added to it until President Harry S Truman signed the Fair Labor Standards Amendment Act of 1949. J. Grossman, “Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938: Maximum Strug- gle for a Minimum Wage,” U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management, History of the Department of Labor, 2013, retrieved from the Virginia Commonwealth University Social Welfare Project, https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/eras/great-depression/ fair-labor-standards-act-of-1938/, 14 February 2023; J. Hansan, “The American Era of Child Labor,” VCU Social Welfare History Project, 2011, retrieved from Virginia Commonwealth University Social Welfare History Project, https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/programs/child-welfarechild- labor/child-labor/, 14 February 2023. 3 Clymer, “Longacres to Hollywood Park.” 4 Becker, “Longacres Racetrack.” 5 Frank W. Purcell Oral History, 21 August 2008. (#2008.052.002, Collection of the Renton History Museum.) 6 Clymer, “Longacres to Hollywood Park.” 7 Ibid. 8 Ibid. 9 Ibid. 10 “Episode 121,” To Tell The Truth, Season 3, Episode 18, CBS, 14 April 1959, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvkapyio0fY,retrieved 23 February 2023. 11 Email from Sharon Clymer to Stephanie Snyder, 30 November 2022; Dave Nelson, “Renton Native Named Racing Hall of Finalist,” Patch.com, 8 January 2013, (Vertical File: Clymer Family, Renton Historical Society); “Jack Leonard,” Washington Thoroughbred Breeders & Owners Association, https://www.washingtonthoroughbred.com/jack-leonard-washington-racing- hall-of-fame-2016/, retrieved 17 February 2023. 12 Soren Anderson, “A Racing Family’s Daily Double on ‘Seabiscuit,’” Sun Herald, 7 August 2003; Jeremy Balan, “After 35 Years, Jockey Joe Steiner Retires,” Bloodhorse, 21 July 2016, https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse- racing/articles/213509/after-35-years-jockey-joe-steiner-retires, accessed 24 February 2023. 13 “Hollywood Praises Former Renton Girl,” Renton Chronicle, 24 March 1935, p.1; “Diane Cook,” The Internet Movie Database, https://www.imdb. com/name/nm0177010/, retrieved 24 February 2023. 14 “Diane Cook,” Unknown Actresses of Hollywood, https://obscureactresses. wordpress.com/2014/10/02/diane-cook/, retrieved 18 February 2023; “Sourdoughs ‘Stampede’ Seattle,” Seattle Daily Times, 15 August 1929; “Maybelle of Seattle Now Is Known as Diane of Hollywood,” Seattle Star, 25 June 1934, p. 2; “Two Seattle Lovelies in Coming Film,” Seattle Star, 14 December 1938, p. 13; Dan Thomas, “So the Movies Have a Beauty Shortage!,” Arizona Republic, 17 March 1935. 15 “So the Movies Have a Beauty Shortage!” Arizona Republic, 17 March 1935. 16 “Hollywood Praises Former Renton Girl,” Renton Chronicle, 24 March 1935. 17 “Diane Cook,” Unknown Actresses of Hollywood; “Wig Designer, Bride Sojourn in Mexico,” Hollywood Citizen-News, 7 May 1935. 18 Renton Senior High School Yearbook (Renton, Washington: 1939), p. 20; “Bing Crosby Talent Quest Enrolls 15 More Entrants,” Seattle Times, 22 August 1937, p. 2; “Renton One-Act Play Gets Highest Rating,” Renton High News, 31 March 1929; “‘New Fires’ Chosen Senior Play, Cast Announced,” Renton High News, 31 March 1929. 19 “Karel Shook,” Renton Chronicle, 28 July 1985; “Renowned Ballet Master Karel Shook Dies at 64,” Los Angeles Times, 28 July 1985. “Local Ballet Star,” Seattle Daily Times, 24 July 1940, p. 11. 20 “Dorothy Fisher Will Aid H.S. Organ Fund with Dance Program,” Bellingham Herald, 4 February 1940. “Folk Dances Feature of Music Club Meet Wednesday Morning,” Bellingham Herald, 24 April 1940, p. 10. 21 “Karel Shook,” Renton Chronicle, 28 July 1985; “Renowned Ballet Master Karel Shook Dies at 64,” Los Angeles Times, 28 July 1985; Galerie Thaddeus Ropac,“Warhol and Dance,” date unknown, https://ropac.net/usr/documents/ exhibitions/press_release_url/303/warhol_and_dance-416.pdf, accessed 24 February 2023. 22 “Karel Shook,” Renton Chronicle, 28 July 1985; “Renowned Ballet Master Karel Shook Dies at 64,” Los Angeles Times, 28 July 1985; Dell Omega Grant, “Karel Shook, Dancer, Is Dead; Co-Founder Harlem Troupe,” New York Times, 27 July 1985; “Dance Stars Join Summer Festival,” Daily News (New York, New York), 20 June 1954, Section 2, p 3; Karel Shook, Elements of Classical Ballet Technique as Practiced in the School of the Dance Theatre of Harlem (New York: Dance Horizons, 1977), p 14-15, 16, 22. 23 Ibid.; Nancy Goldner, “Dance Theater of Harlem, Pick-Up Company to Appear,” Philadelphia Inquirer, 27 March 1985, p. 7; Dance Theatre of Harlem, Film strip (Bloomington: Indiana University Audio-Visual Center, 1977), https://archive.org/details/dancetheatreofharlem, retrieved 24 February 2023. He spent several seasons performing with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, and a year with the New York City Ballet, where he worked with famous choreographer George Balanchine. Karel also began to choreograph his own ballets, directing dance stars like Alexandra Danilova. His many interactions with famous individuals also extended beyond the world of dance—Andy Warhol sketched Karel’s picture as part of a series on ballet in 1954.21 His teaching career began in 1952, when he joined the faculty of the Katherine Dunham School of Dance. When it closed in 1954, he opened his own school, Studio of Dance Arts. There he taught some of New York’s most promising up-and-coming Black dancers: Arthur Mitchell, Alvin Ailey, Carmen de Lavallade, and Geoffrey Holder. At a time when Brown v. Board of Education and the Montgomery bus boy-cott were making headlines, a white instructor training Black students in the art of ballet must have certainly turned a few heads. But Shook firmly believed that dance was a universal form of expression: “Man started to dance the moment he stood up on two feet; no one knows what color he was then. It didn’t matter, as it doesn’t matter now,” he wrote. 22 In 1959 he went to Europe and became a teacher at the Dutch National Ballet, where he would later be named Ballet Master and decorated by Queen Juliana of the Netherlands. The year 1969 was a turning point in both U.S. history and Shook’s career: the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. prompted Karel’s former pupil, Arthur Mitchell, to found Dance Theatre of Harlem, where Black students could be trained professionally in the art of ballet— one of the first schools of its kind. At Mitchell’s request, Shook became a co-founder of the school, which rose to prominence from humble beginnings in a church basement. “The so-called miracle of Dance Theatre of Harlem sprang directly from the human need for civil and artistic justice,” he later wrote in his book, Elements of Classical Ballet (1977). He continued work at the school until his death in 1985.23 The Dance Theater of Harlem continues operations today; a symbol of Black excellence in the field of dance and a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when we reach across barriers in our communities. 10 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM MEMORIAL DONATIONS November 30, 2022 – February 28, 2023 Pat Auten Julia Shaffer Elizabeth P. Stewart Janet Christiansen I la Hemm Bob & Olive Corey Janet Henkle Dennis Scappini Jeannie Greene-Crook MEMORIAL DONATIONS OF $100 OR MORE Bill Anardi Orville Nelson Pat Auten Denis & Patty Law Janet Christiansen Elizabeth P. Stewart Naomi Mathisen Nancy Fairman Elizabeth “Lil” Menzel Margaret Gambill Donna Nelson O rville Nelson Shirley Newing and Peter Newing Hazel Newing Art Swanson Denis & Patty Law Kenneth Taylor Denis & Patty Law GENERAL DONATIONS OF $500 OR MORE Nancy Fairman GENERAL DONATIONS OF $200 OR MORE Rich Wagner Marlene Winter GENERAL DONATIONS OF $100 OR MORE Karen Boswell Kathy Dirks Dan & Liz Hemenway JoAnne Matsumura Sandra Polley Mary Riley PATRON MEMBERS Robert Wilson GIFT MEMBERSHIP DONORS Diana Postlewait LIFE MEMBERSHIP Renée Lund BUSINESS MEMBERSHIP Robert McCorkle & Associates GENERAL DONATIONS Robin Adams Marjorie Avolio Diana Bartley Andrew Brant Carolyn M. Calhoun Dennis Conte Erin Davis Maryann DiPasquale Phyllis Davey Jeff Dineen Kate Dugdale Philip R. Hoge Cailín Hunsaker Ann Hollenbeck Nuala Keating Lynne King Jolyne Lea Ron McClure Jenan McNeight Pete Maas Colleen Monahan COMMEMORATIVE DONATIONS Louise George’s 105th Birthday Charles Isaacson NEW MEMBERS Frank Krawczyk Eric & Emily Tuazon BENEFACTOR MEMBERS Nancy Berry Roberta Graver John and Gail Pavone John Monahan Tom Monahan Marsha Nissen Showell & Nancy Osborn John & Joyce Peterson Herb & Diana Postlewait Marilyn Ragle Sally Rochelle Betty Seligman Patricia Sell Betty Spencer Jean Stearns Elizabeth P. Stewart James Wilhoit Patricia Yothers IN-KIND DONATIONS McCorkle & Associates Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association Pritchard Design SPRING QUARTERLY, 2023 | 11 W e’ve been having fun with maps on the Museum’s Facebook page, posting sections of maps in and around Renton and crowdsourcing information about neighborhoods, street names, namesakes, and property-owners. It’s amazing how smart our Facebook friends are. One of our favorite “history mysteries” is captured in this detail of a 1924 Rand McNally map that shows an unusual set of street names in Bryn Mawr. A developer named this series of 15 east-west streets for American and British writers. We can’t find anyone living on [Nathaniel] Hawthorne Ave. or [Charles] Dickens Ave., but we have seen the street names on maps from 1911 to 1924. Maybe the developer was inspired by Lake Washington or Mount Rainier views, but we’re hoping to find out more! FUN WITH MAPS RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM 235 Mill Ave. S Renton, WA 98057 Lewis Argano (center front) got the acting bug at Renton High School and briefly went to Hollywood to try his luck. He returned to Renton and continued directing, organizing and acting in the Renton Community Players and directing this 1939 “Kiwanis Karnival Kapers.” (#1966.044.0434)