HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013 Issue 1 - Home Away From Home, Vall’Alta Transplants in the 1900sI Am Here
Currently on
Exhibit at RHM.
President’s Report
by Theresa Clymer,
Board President.
Collection Report
by Sarah Samson,
Collection Manager.
Museum Report
by Elizabeth P.
Stewart, Director.2
HOME AWAY FROM HOME:
Vall ’Alta Transplants in the 1900s
by Elizabeth P. Stewart
Author’s note: In January I received a forwarded email
from the Office of the Mayor of Renton, asking if I
could help do some research. The request was from
the former Mayor of Vall’Alta, Italy, inquiring about the many
residents of his village who emigrated to Renton at the turn
of the twentieth century. Mayor Capelli provided a list of
surnames. That question became the jumping-off point for this
piece. Much more research remains to be done, but the story
thus far is so fascinating that I wanted to share it.
1907 represented the high water mark of Italian
immigration to the United States, literally; between the 1890s
and 1914, one-fourth of all Italians got on steamships for
other countries. The combination of environmental collapse,
agricultural depression, and a political system unable to cope
with these challenges left Italians no way to support themselves.1
In the north of Italy in the province of Bergamo was the frazione
of Vall’Alta. Vall’Alta was located in the Lombardy region,
historically one of the richest and most populous of Italy’s
twenty regions.
Also In This Issue...
RENTON HISTORICALSOCIETY & MUSEUM
Spring
March 2013
Volume 44
Number 1QUARTERLY
Continued on page 5
3 4 8
2 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
CURRENT EXHIBIT
TITLE GOES HERE
I AM HERE: STUDENTS FIND
THEMSELVES IN RENTON
Our third collaboration with Renton High School students, this exhibit explores students’
sense of place, using their own essays and photographs. The exhibit represents entirely
their work, the result of three months of research, thought, writing, revising, and
visualizing. The Museum’s mission is to help forge a stronger link between Renton residents and
the place they live in. Come learn about the places that make Renton special to these teens!
From
FEBRUARY
12
To
MAY
25
We are very sad to
acknowledge the death on
February 18, 2013 of one of
the Renton Historical Society’s
past Presidents. RoseMary
Greene—along with Ernie
Tonda and Stan Greene—
was a driving force behind
the Museum’s organization.
RoseMary and Stan organized
the Museum’s collections, in
particular creating a library
for generations of researchers.
She led 3rd grade tours and
designed exhibits until her
retirement from volunteering
after the Century to Century
ROSEMARY GREENE
(1927-2013)
ROSE C. CAMERINI
(1916-2013)
One of the Museum’s most
steadfast volunteers, Rose
Camerini, passed away on
January 30, 2013. Born in
1916, Rose was a lifelong
resident of Renton. She
graduated from Renton
High School in 1936, after
which she worked for Puget
Power and as a secretary at
McKnight Middle School
and Hazen High School. She
was also active in the Renton
High Alumni Association.
With her gentle voice and a
twinkle in her eye, Rose was
a greeter and a tour guide for
Museum’s third-grade tours
for many years. Though Rose
was petite in stature, she
made a big impact here and
we will always be grateful to
have known her.
exhibit celebrating Renton’s
centennial. RoseMary had
a profound impact on the
preservation of Renton’s
heritage, a lasting legacy. Our
thoughts go out to her husband
and family.
SPRING QUARTERLY, 2013 | 3
RENTON HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
Wil Samson
Graphic Design & Layout
Karl Hurst
City of Renton Print &
Mail Services
RENTON HISTORICAL
SOCIETY BOARD
OF TRUSTEES
Theresa Clymer, President
Andy Sparks, Vice President
Phyllis Hunt, Treasurer
Elizabeth P. Stewart, Secretary
Lisa Wivag, 2013
Larry Sleeth, 2013
Meris Mullaley, 2013
Vicki Jo Utterstrom, 2014
Anne Melton, 2014
Alexis Madison, 2014
Shast McKinley, 2014
Sandra Meyer, 2015
Stefanie McIrvin, 2015
Susie Bressan, 2015
Terri Briere, City Liason
MUSEUM STAFF
Elizabeth P. Stewart
Museum Director
Sarah Samson
Collection Manager
Dorota Rahn
Education & Volunteer
Coordinator
Cindy Ensley
Museum Office Aide
Pearl Jacobson
Volunteer Registrar
RENTON
HISTORY MUSEUM
235 MILL AVE. S
RENTON, WA 98057
P (425) 255-2330
F (425) 255-1570
HOURS:
Tuseday - Saturday
10:00am - 4:00pm
ADMISSION:
$3 (Adult)
$1 (Child)
MUSEUM REPORT
QUARTERLY
SPRING 2013
Elizabeth P. Stewart
Director
Some of our research projects this month reminded me how
dependent we are on the historical record. We rely on
obituaries, government records, maps, photos, newspaper
clippings, and primary documents like letters and memoirs to
answer people’s questions, write articles, and create exhibits.
Without these sources there is so much we don’t know about
people in the past.
This is particularly true for women, who tend to
disappear from government records. With historically fewer
rights and responsibilities of citizenship, female citizens’ lives
are usually absent from economic and legal transactions. One of
our richest sources of information about people in the past, draft
records, documented men’s home address, age, birthplace, current
employment, next of kin, and disability; the WWI draft card can
usually answer a myriad of questions about any given man. But of
course women were exempt from the draft.
Women were also invisible from censuses before 1850,
as census takers recorded only basic information about the head
of household and number of residents. Beginning in 1850, census
takers began including detailed information about women and
children. In 2010, however, participants filled out only a short
form, with more detailed information collected from a random
sample of residents. This means that census records from 2010
will not provide even the basic personal data about women now
available in the censuses from 1850 to 2000.
So when we’re researching a particular woman, we may
have only her marriage record and obituary to assist us; where
those are non-existent, it as if a particular daughter, sister, wife,
and mother never existed at all. Without a historical record, when
memories cease, so does a person’s life and impact.
On January 25 during the One Night Count of the
homeless population, a team of volunteers found a 60-year
old woman who had died of hypothermia near Rainier Avenue
and I-90. The Medical Examiner identified her as Kathryn Ann
Blair. The M.E. was able to track down her family and friends,
one of whom wrote a beautiful tribute about Ms. Blair. Her
best childhood friend described an artistic person who loved to
write and draw, but began to drink as schizophrenia overtook
her in her twenties.
Without this loving friend, Ms. Blair’s life might
have vanished. Seattle City Councilmember Sally Clark, who
happened to be on the team that discovered the body, wrote of
the experience: “Everyone has a story. Sometimes the story
helps us focus on our similarities and fragility. Sometimes
the story helps us make a little bit of sense out of something
seemingly senseless.” Everyone does indeed have a story, and
at the Museum we hope to ensure that we preserve as many
stories as possible.
by Elizabeth P. Stewart,
Museum Director
Mrs. Springsteen and her cow,
Beauty, 1912. Her first name is lost
to history. (RHM# 1997.080.10598)
You can read Kathryn Ann
Blair’s story at http://clark.seattle.
gov/2013/02/06/one-night-count-3/
This woman is also unidentified. Her
portrait was in a scrapbook donated
by a contractor demolishing a home
on Tobin Street in 1986. (RHM#
1988.053.10702)
4 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
T he beginning of a new year is always a busy time for the
Renton Historical Society, as we prepare the Museum’s
operating budget, assess the success of our fundraiser,
and generally plan our next year’s work. At the end of 2012
and the beginning of 2013, as a Board we began discussing how
to deepen our commitment to the Museum. Over the past few
years the Historical Society’s Board has been stepping up our
game, looking for ways to better serve the community and to
help the Museum be bigger and better. We’ve been doing more
Board training and going out of our way to recruit trustees with
skills and knowledge that we need.
In our latest step, we agreed as a Board that we
should all make a significant annual donation to the Museum’s
operating fund. An annual gift is standard operating procedure
for most nonprofit boards. By giving this donation, in addition
to the donation of our time and talents, we as trustees hope
to demonstrate how dedicated we are to the success of the
Museum. And when we ask you to give, you will know that we
have already “put our money where our mouths are.”
We’re working on some fun things, too. The
Membership Committee is exploring new membership levels
and benefits that we hope will grow our numbers in the years to
come. The Museum Committee has developed a rental policy
for our Museum space. And in February we held our twice-
annual Volunteer Luncheon. Both the staff and the Board cannot
begin to thank enough our fantastic group of volunteers. We
feel very lucky to have each of you. Every one of our volunteers
helps support our museum in a variety ways. Your dedication
makes it possible to reach many of our community members
and share the History of Renton. We could not accomplish our
mission without you. Thank you!
Finally, in preparing a nomination for the Renton
High School Wall of Honor I recently needed to locate some
information and historic facts, which gave me the opportunity to
do some research at the museum. I can report that with the help
of the staff, it was easy to find the information I was looking
for. The museum is well-organized and has a wealth of facts
stored in the archives. The staff is so knowledgeable we had
the research done in a very short time. It was also lots of fun.
Please remember all the services the museum offers to you and
they are there to help with any of your research needs.
by Theresa Clymer, President
Theresa Clymer
President
UPCOMING
EVENTS
A WORLD OF SWEETS IN
WASHINGTON STATE
March 21
5:00-6:00pm
Anthropologist and avid traveler
Julia Harrison invites you to
savor the ways in which sweets
show how we celebrate, adapt,
and interact.
AMERICAN INDIANS IN
CINEMA
April 18
5:00-6:00pm
Seattle-based scholar Lance
Rhoades challenges our
preconceptions and raises
questions about identity,
stereotypes, and film that have
no easy answers.
THE END OF THE TRAIL:
HOW THE WESTERN
MOVIES RODE INTO THE
SUNSET
May 9
5:00-6:00pm
Movie critic Robert Horton
explores how the dramatic
changes in Westerns in the
1960s and 1970s forced us to
look critically at our own myths.
Renton History Museum volunteers.
SPRING QUARTERLY, 2013 | 5
The Italians who settled in Renton were almost
exclusively from Italy’s northern provinces: Piemonte (the
Delaurenti and Baima families); Friulia Venezia Giulia
(Franceschina, Rosa); Veneto (Pozzobon); Liguria (Pistoresi); and
Lombardia (Cugini, Azzola, and others in this article).2 Situated
on the border with Switzerland, Lombardy’s residents benefited
from economic and political association with the rest of Europe.
Industrial development in Lombardy outstripped that in the
southern provinces and literacy rates were higher.
In terms of numbers of immigrants, Renton reflects
the nationwide trends. Territorial censuses for 1880 and 1889
show only two Italians living in Renton; by 1910 there were
267 Italians.3 The huge wave of Italian immigrants frightened
Americans into writing legal restrictions aimed at controlling the
flow. After 1885 American companies were barred from recruiting
workers in Italy, but new immigrants had to have jobs lined up
to be admitted. Because of this, Italians who came here had to
rely for employment on either the exploitive padrone system—in
which a labor boss found a man a job but took a percentage of
earnings—or friends and family.4
Northern Italian immigrants not only brought with them
their slightly greater resources, they also brought their strong
ties of family, dialect, and village customs. One or two brothers
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Pacific Car & Foundry workers, 1936. Former Vall’Alta villagers included John Usibelli (1st row, 3rd from left); Oliver
Gotti (2nd row, 6th from left); Lindo Breda (4th row, far left); Philip Gotti (4th row, 2nd from left); (RHM# 1985.084.2152)
Continued from page 1 Caption for cover photo:
Vito Poli, the gardener for
Renton School District, at
Renton High School in 1954.
(RHM# 1983.077.1818)
6 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
tended to settle in a place with plenty of employment, and pave
the way for cousins, uncles, brothers, and, much later, wives,
daughters, and mothers. Even those immigrants who were “birds
of passage”—temporary sojourners who intended to return
home—preferred to surround themselves with people who shared
their culture.
At the turn of the century 78 percent of Italians who
came to the U.S. were men, and they tended to band together
to support one another.5 Among the first Vall’Alta emigrants to
make Renton their home was Battisto Cugini. In 1910 Battisto
headed up a very full household comprised of his wife, Katina
Gatti Cugini, and son James; three brothers-in-law, Enrico, Pietro,
and Stephano; and seven male boarders, all from their village.
The brothers Gatti were all Denny-Renton Clay & Coal brickyard
laborers. The boarders—single and married, ranging in age from
18 to 36—all worked at the brickyard or for the railroad. Battisto
himself was a wheeler for the brickyard.6
A few blocks away from the Cuginis’ North Renton
home was Frank Azzola’s household on North Williams Street.
Frank lived with his three younger brothers: Alessio, Lorenzo,
and Joseph. The four had left Italy together in 1909 and by 1910
they were working together at the Denny-Renton brickyard. The
Azzola brothers shared the house with three other recent Italian
Zaffira and Lino Azzola pose with their
daughters Mary and Olga, ca. 1928.
(RHM# 1988.111.2688)
Lino Azzola ready for customers at
Azzola Tavern, 1937.
(RHM# 1988.111.2689)
SPRING QUARTERLY, 2013 | 7
immigrants, Franquilo and Pasqualli Fleibelli and Nicola Guiga.
All were brickyard workers, although Frank and Joseph had the
more skilled but unpleasant job of stoking the fires in the kilns.7
These households were just two of many Renton homes occupied
by young Italian men alone.
It took these men a while to put down roots, but those
who decided to stay worked hard to make good. Two years after
the four Azzola brothers left their village, brother Lino Azzola
joined them. As soon as he arrived, Lino had a job as fireman at
the brickyard, probably thanks to his family ties. He became a
naturalized citizen in December 1918, while a soldier at Camp
Lewis. A year later he applied for a passport to return to Vall’Alta
for “urgent family interests.”8 Just twenty-two when he arrived
in the U.S., Lino waited ten years before choosing a wife. He
returned to his hometown with his fiancée in 1920 and again in
1947 after he and Zaffira had married and had a daughter. By
1930 he was a farmer living on Talbot Road, with Zaffira and
his daughters, Olga and Mary; Olga later recalled fruit orchards,
a dairy barn with 40 cows, chicken houses, and cabins for hired
help.9 He developed the property into a residential development
called “Azzola’s Country Villa,” and by 1937 he had become a
co-owner of Azzola’s Tavern on Main Avenue.10
The 1920s represented a period of success for the
new immigrants from northern Italy. Alessandro “Alex” Cugini
arrived in Renton sometime after he immigrated in July 1921. He
married Josephine Belmondo in September 1926, the same year
he became a naturalized citizen. His brother Constantino “Tino”
Cugini followed in 1927, and together they developed a series of
successful businesses. Alex parlayed his talent as a logger—his
first American job—into ownership of Barbee Mill, while Tino
was proprietor of Cugini Court and a mining/logging contractor in
the 1940s.
By 1930 the numerous households full of Italian men
had given way to more traditionally American single-family
situations. On High Street, Grant Street, and Beacon Avenue on
Renton Hill, numerous families created a mini-Vall’Alta. The
families of Angelo Usibelli, Victor Poli, and Leo Gatti lived next
to Yugoslavian families like the Musgas and Scots like Charles
and Elizabeth Faull. “In that time I’d have to say that the hill was
probably 60 percent Austrian and 40 percent Italian, so it all got
mixed up,” Andrew Gigli remembered in 1987. “The Italians
disappeared, the American or the English became part of it. It was
just one big ball; it didn’t seem like any different.”11
In twenty years the villagers from Vall’Alta had made
Renton their new home, and not just a home away from home.
Renton Hill Italian Ladies Birthday Club, 1952. Vall’Alta
immigrants included Esther Poli (far left) and Ambrosina
Breda (third from right). (RHM# 1988.555.2792)
Endnotes on page 10
Gladding McBean Yard Crew, 1936 – 1937, including four
Vall’Alta immigrants, Vito Poli (2nd row left); Leo Gatti
(2nd row, 2nd from right); Primo Capelli (standing, 2nd from
left); and Pete Gatti, (standing center). (RHM# 41.2073)
8 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
Collections work at the Museum has
been moving forward at a fierce
pace since the New Year began. New
faces and new projects are rapidly changing
the state of collections here for the better.
Three interns have joined the collections
team: Niki Ohlandt, Seema Gajria, and
Clare Tally-Foos.
Niki, a second year graduate
student in Museology at the University
of Washington (UW), is tackling
our registration filing system. She is
fundamentally changing the way we organize our collections
paperwork; she is changing us from a donor-based system to
one based on accession numbers. Her work brings us up-to-
date and in accordance with best practices in the museum field.
The project is not without its headaches; Niki is attempting to
reconcile 45 years’ worth of paperwork! In two months Niki has
already cleared up some important mysteries about where certain
artifacts and photographs originated.
Our other major project is an on-site inventory of all
our artifacts in storage at the Museum, a project funded by a
grant from 4Culture. A team of two interns, Seema and Clare,
are sorting through everything, box by box. Both Seema and
COLLECTION
REPORT
Clare are first year graduate students in the Museology program
at UW. They have six rows worth of shelving to go through,
artifact by artifact. They have already uncovered one hazardous
artifact, a tin full of black gunpowder. After consulting with
the Renton Police Department, we got to keep the tin after the
contents were safely emptied out by the Port of Seattle Bomb
Squad. When Seema and Clare finish we will finally have a
complete picture of what artifacts we hold in our collection and
where each of them is located. To learn more about the project,
you can check out the News page on our website where Seema
and Clare are blogging about their discoveries.
One of the resources we lack the most here at the
Museum is people. Interns from the UW Museology program are
invaluable to us. They come to us with training and experience,
and they are able to complete projects for the Museum that
we would never be able to accomplish without their help. The
students receive on-the-job training, credits toward their degree,
and experience for their resumes. In 2004 I was the first intern
the Museum hosted from the Museology graduate program.
Since then the Museum has hosted ten more interns from the
graduate program and two from the certificate program. We
hope to host many more interns in the future and to keep our
relationship with UW thriving.
by Sarah Samson,
Collection Manager
Intern Niki Ohlandt with the accession files.
Sarah Samson
Collection Manager
Interns Clare Tally-Foos and Seema Gajria with some of the artifacts they have inventoried.
SPRING QUARTERLY, 2013 | 9
GENERAL
CONTRIBUTIONS
Joseph & Marjorie Avolio
Jim & Char Baker
Connie Baker
Janet & Gerry Bertagni
Michael Bishop & Monica Hayes
Karen Boswell
Helenanne Botham
Harley & Cathy Brumbaugh
Mary Burns-Haley
Cynthia Buster-Burns
Gene & Judy Craig
Trudy Dasovick
Phyllis Davy
Gerald & Carole Edlund
Darren Emmons
Shari Fisher
Rosemarie Fliseck
Joan Frank
Bertha Renton Graham
Tom & Bobbi Gray
Don & Judy Gunderson
Shirley Hart
MEMORIAL
CONTRIBUTIONS
November 15, 2012 - February 15, 2013
Lee Anderson
Florence Murray
Kenneth Baker
Connie Kess Baker
Ann Bisiack
Olympe Toman
Virginia Shook Busato
James & Frances Bourasa
Rose Camerini
John & Eleanor Bertagni
Louise George
Ila Hemm
Lila Houser
Bob & Roberta Logue
Beatrice Mathewson
Peter & Hazel Newing
Mary Sutter
Olympe Toman
Mario & Victor Tonda
Dorothy Treosti
Daisy Ward
Betty Warren
Robert & Gilda Youngquist
Aggie Clark
Sue & Mike Moeller
Ron Clark
Sue & Mike Moeller
Walt Clark
Sue & Mike Moeller
Bob Corey
Janet Henkle
Olive Corey
Janet Henkle
Bert Custer
Emily Adams
Darlene Bjornstead & Bill
Anardi
Harriet Budinich
Larry & Jeannie Crook
Shirley Custer
Ron & Barbara Dengel
Paul & Nancy Duke
Karen Olson
Suzanne Zimmer
Bill Donckers
Larry & Jeannie Crook
Sue & Mike Moeller
Donald Emmons
Sarah Jane Hisey &
Howard Nelson
Don & Judy Gunderson
Diane Ford
Florence Murray
Logan Garrison
Wendell & Cleo Forgaard
Annie, Tom & Michael
White Families
Bette Hill
Shirley Custer
William & Helen Hawkins
Jean Hobart
Richard & Lori Hoyt
Pauline Kirkman
Patricia Lackie
William & Kathryn Lotto
Sharon Moats
Tom & Linda Morris
Ralph & Peggy Owen
King Parker
Vernon & Jonelle Petermeyer
David & Julia Pickett
George Poff
Tom Pratt
Joe & Carol Reed
Marsh & Fran Remillard
Ralph & Ruth Rutledge
Jerome & Bettijane Shepard
Elizabeth P. Stewart
Frances & George Subic
Mary Sutter
Patrick & Linda Texeira
Carmela Tobacco
Lila Jean Tonda
Marlene Winter
Robert & Josephine Wixom
Ann Hamblin
Florence Murray
George Hanna h
Florence Murray
Louise Hannah
Florence Murray
Evelyn Plute Johnson
Pam Blauman
Terri Harris
Rick Johnson
Laurel McDonald
Thomas Kerr
Connie Kerr Baker
Art Larson
Sue & Mike Moeller
Peter & Hazel Newing
Jack La Valley
Pauline Kirkman
Margaret Jean (Williams) Loe
Florence Delaurenti
Gloria Duffey
Louise George
Vivian Lovegren
Florence Delaurenti
Louise George
Hal Moeller
Sue & Mike Moeller
James Murray
Florence Murray
Ron Nelson
Larry & Jeannie Crook
Shirley Newing
Hazel & Peter Newing
Barney Poli
Florence Murray
Dan Poli
Florence Murray
Esternia Poli
Florence Murray
Alexander (Rip) Russell
Wendell & Cleo Forgaard
Laura Shook
James & Frances Bourasa
Elda (Businello) Staats
Florence Delaurenti
Gloria Duffey
Louise George
Joe Tasson
Larry & Jeannie Crook
Jack Williams
Wendell & Cleo Forgaard
Robert & Gilda Youngquist
MEMORIAL
CONTRIBUTIONS
OF $100 OR MORE
Rose Camerini
Dorlene Bressan
Nancy Fairman
Helen Stanlick
Shirley Phinney
Bert Harris Custer
Gene & Linda Aitken
Michael Delaurenti
Gene & Linda Aitken
Robert & Gilda Youngquist
GENERAL
CONTRIBUTIONS
OF $100 OR MORE
Dorlene Bressan
Janet Christiansen
Nancy Fairman
Dan & Liz Hemenway
Ila Hemm
Patricia Hurtgen
Naomi Mathisen
Sue & Mike Moeller
Mario Tonda
THE 50TH WEDDING
ANNIVERSARY OF
DON & LORAINE
CUSTER
Wilma Dallosto
Madeline Zanatta
NEW MEMBERSHIPS
Tom & Marcy Adelman Family
Elizabeth Bradly Family
Michael Bishop & Monica Hayes
Dennis Conte
Wendy Flores
Margie Lindberg
Jeff Rockwell
Liz & Robert Sandstrom
Mamie Thirion
Richard Wagner
IN-KIND DONATIONS
Martha Bray
Jeff Merrill
Wil Samson Design
10 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
(ENDNOTES)
1 David L. Nicandri, Italians in Washington State: Emigration 1853 – 1924 (N.p.:
The Washington State American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, 1978), 18.
2 Research for Sustaining A City exhibit.
3 1880, 1889 Territorial Censuses; 1910 Federal Census for Renton, all available
on Ancestry.com.
4 Nicandri, Italians in Washington State, 18.
5 “Italian Immigration,” Digital History, accessed on 25 February 2013 (http://
www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/italian_immigration.cfm).
6 1910 Renton census. “Gatti” was sometimes Americanized to “Gotti.” Leo and
Maria Gatti’s children were known as “Gotti.”
7 1910 Renton census. Other groups of Italian men included: Camille Gaspari’s
home with two boarders; Angelo Romita and his three “partners”; Pietro Vitoni
and his six “partners”; Annie Hartman’s boardinghouse with her exclusively
Italian clientele of fourteen boarders; Joseph Bravi and his two brothers; Ciro
Zilli, his brother, and partner; Mike Guisano and his two brothers; Giacomo Breda
and his nine boarders; Eugene Remoli and his seven partners; Ferro Morrish [sp?]
and his seven boarders; Antonio Donisio and his three partners; Antonio Shimagt
and his four partners; Gatardo Paulon [sp?], his wife, four young children, his
brother, and two lodgers; John Gomorare and his five partners, all Delaurenti
brothers. If the spelling of these names seems outlandish, it is because census
takers had difficulty spelling with Italian names.
8 Lino Azzola, Application for Passport, 7 October, 1919 (U.S. Passport
Applications, Ancestry.com).
9 Notes for #1988.111.2688.
10 Homer Venishnick Oral History, 29 June 1989, p. 15 (Oral History Collection,
Renton History Museum).
11 Andrew Gigli Oral History, 31 March 1987, p.6 (Oral History Collection,
Renton History Museum).
The Museum’s volunteers have
a representative body which
acts as a link between them
and the museum staff. Current
members of the Committee
are: Janet Christiansen, Nancy
Fairman, Margaret Feaster,
Ila Hemm, Sarah Jane Hisey,
and Shirley Phinney. Please
join the Volunteer Committee
on the second Thursday of
every month for a brown bag
conversation—bring your
questions about Renton history,
the Museum, volunteering,
and anything else to share with
other Historical Society folks!
VOLUNTEER BROWN BAG
MEETINGS
WELCOME OUR NEW
OFFICE AIDE!
Cindy Ensley joined us as
our new Museum Office
Aide this past fall. Cindy
has been involved with the
Museum for several years
in a volunteer capacity,
even winning our Volunteer
of the Year Award in 2010
for her work on our Coast
Salish curriculum. Cindy has
worked in numerous offices,
for the Renton School
District, the Renton Police
Department, and Bellevue
College. Cindy’s friendliness
and professionalism
brightens our office and
keeps us on track with our
many projects. We look
forward to having her with us
for a long time!
Volunteer Brown Bag Meetings
(bring your bag lunch)
Where: Renton History
Museum Research Room
When: Second Thursday of
each month at 12:00 p.m.
beginning on March 14.
R.S.V.P. Please call Dorota at
425.255.2330 by noon the
day before.
Continued from page 7
The Renton History
Museum is looking for a
Volunteer Treasurer to serve
on the Board of Trustees.
The Treasurer is a volunteer
position responsible for
creating quarterly financial
reports and for working
with the bookkeeper, Budget
Committee, Endowment
Committee, investment
representative, and tax
preparers on day-to-day
financial needs, long-term
planning and fundraising,
and tax preparation. The
Treasurer should have good
accounting/bookkeeping
skills, including knowledge
VOLUNTEER TREASURER
NEEDED!
of QuickBooks; some
knowledge of federal,
state, and local taxes; an
attention to detail; and a
willingness to learn about
nonprofits. This position is
a great opportunity to help
the Renton History Museum
succeed, build your resume,
and work with a great group
of community-minded
trustees! Please contact
Museum Director Liz
Stewart by email (estewart@
rentonwa.gov) or by phone
(425.255.2330) to apply!
MEMBERSHIP DUES REMINDER
The dues notices were mailed in November and over 150
members have not yet paid their 2013 dues. Please pay your
dues and save us the expense of second notices. You can call
Museum Ofice Aide Cindy Ensley at 425.255.2330 in the
afternoons and she will be happy to check your membership
status. This quarterly has a printed form with the membership
categories listed. As the notice in November stated, this is the
last year to lock in your membership at current rates through
2014. Don’t delay!
SPRING QUARTERLY, 2013 | 11
SAVE THE DATE: RENTON HISTORICAL
SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING
Join us for the Annual Meeting of the Renton Historical Society and enjoy a barbecue dinner.
The meeting is open to Society members, prospective members, and Museum volunteers.
Introduction of new Renton Historical Society trustees, and update on the Museum
Master Plan, awarding of the George and Annie Lewis Custer Award for Heritage Citizenship,
volunteer awards, and raffle drawing will all be part of this exciting event. Reservations
required. Please RSVP by May 31 to Cindy Ensley at 425-255-2330 or censley@rentonwa.gov.
No regrets please.
On
JUNE
5
At
6:00 PM
Email: estewart@rentonwa.gov
RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
235 Mill Ave. S
Renton, WA 98057
IN HINDSIGHT...
The Renton High School’s Boys Basketball team last won the State Championship in 1967. They are making another run for the
trophy this year...Go RHS! (Photo from the 1967 Illahee.)