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Home My WebLink About2020 Issue 4 - Can I Play Too.pdfHometown Teams opening September 9 at RHM! President's Message by Colleen Lenahan, President. What Difference Do Renton Women make? coming soon! Museum Report by Elizabeth P. Stewart, Director. By the time this article is in print America will have lived through six months without a majority of our sports—be they major league, college, high school, recreational, or children’s leagues—due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Not having access to sports shines a bright light on why we value sports: exercise, camaraderie, teamwork, and, simply, fun. As we all struggle with our own lack of access to sports today, it is a good time to take a glance backward and remember that not everyone has always had easy access to the benefits of sports in the past either. QUEENS OF THE COURT The 1920s are remembered for their excess, but they were also a time of access to education and relative freedom for women. In the early 1920s high school girls in the Pacific Northwest had the chance to regularly play against teams from other schools. In Renton, however, by 1926 those opportunities disappeared. What happened? The earliest evidence we have of girls’ basketball in Renton is a photograph from 1909 showing five young women ranging in age from 15 to 19. Pictorial evidence picks up again in the mid- to late-1910s, with Also In This Issue... RENTON HISTORICALSOCIETY & MUSEUM Summer September 2020 Volume 51 Number 4 Continued on page 5 2 4 113 QUARTERLY CAN I PLAY TOO? by Sarah Samson 2 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM DORLENE E. BRESSAN (1925- 2020) We are sad to acknowledge the passing of one of our long-time volunteers, Dorlene Bressan. With her sister-in-law Mary Sutter, Dorlene was a Saturday greeter for many years at the Museum, making visitors feel welcome with her shy smile and soft voice. She was a 20-plus year member and had even recruited daughter Susie Bressan as a member of our Board of Trustees. Born a twin in a large Montana family, Dorlene made her own home on Renton Hill COVID-19 PANDEMIC UPDATE The Renton History Museum is furiously preparing to reopen, thanks to Governor Jay Inslee’s revised “Safe Start” Plan. We have dusted off our reopening plan that meets CDC, WA Secretary of Health, and Governor’s Office Guidelines. Changes you will see: masks are required; a one-way path will have you exiting in the back; hand sanitizer and masks on-hand for visitors; and a reduced capacity of 10 visitors at a time. No tours, no volunteers, and no researchers until further with her husband Angelo and her five children, Glenn, Tony, Mia, Brian, and Susie. We know she will be missed by all who knew and loved her. notice. We’re doing our best to keep you and us safe. Watch our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest pages for updates. We are looking forward to welcoming you! H ometown Teams examines the many roles that sports play in American society. Hometown sports are more than just games–they shape our lives. They unite us and celebrate who we are as Americans. We play on ball fields and sandlots, on courts and on ice, in parks and playgrounds, even in the street. From pick-up games to organized leagues, millions of Americans of all ages play sports. And, if we're not playing sports, we're watching them. Made possible by Humanities Washington and Museum on Main Street. Exhibited alonside Hometown Teams will be Renton's Sporting Triumphs, featuring sports heroes from Renton's past! From SEPTEMBER 9 to OCTOBER 3 FALL QUARTERLY, 2020 | 3 MUSEUM REPORT QUARTERLY Fall 2020 What does it look like when you put Black history at the center of Renton history? This spring’s Black Lives Matter protests of the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many others stimulated our BLM social media initiative, at a time when social media has been our most significant method of doing history. For eight weeks, with a few exceptions, we posted nothing but Black stories and Black voices on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds. Our first question was, could we even do it? Did we have enough photos and stories documenting the lives of people of color in our city? The Renton History Museum is a museum founded by white middle-class educators and librarians, and for many years the history we collected reflected that perspective. For the past 15 years we have worked to reverse that. Building trust with people is a slow process, but we are so appreciative of those who have already shared oral histories, photos, and objects. In developing these social media posts, we learned some incredible life stories that we will continue to research. We have published newsletter articles in the past about Renton’s Black history that began with the influx to King County of African American coal miners recruited from the South in the 1880s and 1890s. Somehow we had missed the extraordinary story of George Washington Smalley, a Kentuckian who arrived in Franklin at age 17 and quickly established himself, in the language of the day, as “the colored constable.” Smalley had the authority to maintain the peace at the Cumberland and Franklin mines by arresting white and Black miscreants alike. He testified in at least five court cases, at a time when African Americans could not serve on juries. We also learned more about the life of our city and the remarkable people who have pressed for change. McKnight Middle School math teacher Cliff Donley was one such activist. In June 1967 he was asked to leave a Renton Education Association (REA) banquet at the Eagles hall, a whites-only organization at the time. Sixty other teachers walked out too, and Donley and the REA filed complaints with the WA State Board Against Discrimination. The incident opened a statewide debate about whether discriminatory organizations should be eligible for liquor licenses. The incredible outpouring of Facebook affection from Mr. Donley’s former students exemplify the interest in these stories of Black courage. Engagement with our Facebook posts was up 34% during this period, which tells us there is a hunger for an understanding of how Renton history fits into ongoing discussions about inclusion, equity, and anti-racism. Expect to see more from us in the future! by Elizabeth P. Stewart, Museum Director Elizabeth P. Stewart Director RENTON HISTORICAL QUARTERLY Sarah Samson Graphic Design & Layout Karl Hurst City of Renton Print & Mail Services RENTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES Colleen Lenahan, President Laura Clawson, Vice President Jessica Kelly, Treasurer Doug Brownlow, Secretary Betsy Prather, 2021 Lynne King, 2022 Rhea Kimble, 2022 Mike Lennox, 2022 Staci VanderPol, 2023 Elizabeth Stewart, Board Liaison MUSEUM STAFF Elizabeth P. Stewart Museum Director Sarah Samson Curator of Collections & Exhibitions Stephanie Snyder Volunteer & Member Liason RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM 235 MILL AVENUE S RENTON, WA 98057 P (425) 255-2330 F (425) 255-1570 HOURS: Tuesday - Saturday 10:00am - 4:00pm ADMISSION: $5 (Adult) $2 (Child) Hazen High School Assistant Principal Cliff Donley, 1990. (RHM# 2019.007.096) 4 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM The Renton Historical Society Board of Trustees was very moved by the demonstrations across the U.S. this spring and summer in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement. The current pandemic combined with the recent murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many others have shone a bright light on ongoing racism and historical and structural inequities in American society. These historical inequities have put Blacks, Indigenous people, and People of Color at a disadvantage in a country where we have prided ourselves on opportunity and fairness. As a historical organization, the Renton Historical Society and Museum have a responsibility to tell the truth about history in ways that strengthen and unite our community, and so the Board began this summer to work on next steps in our ongoing work on inclusion and equity. The Renton Historical Society was founded by white, middle-class educators and librarians with a deep appreciation for history, and their work collecting, researching, and educating Rentonites reflected their perspectives. But since the Duwamish people, Renton has always been a city of immigrants from around the world and across the country. For the past 15 years the Museum’s Board and staff have worked to incorporate the perspectives of the many diverse groups and individuals that make up Renton. We have worked with Renton High School’s and Renton Technical College’s very diverse student bodies to create seven collaborative exhibits with diverse viewpoints. We have collected oral histories with Renton’s Japanese and Japanese American residents, African American residents, and, most recently, immigrant restaurateurs. We have developed exhibits and newsletter articles on the unique experiences of Black people in Renton. We have hosted a very popular traveling exhibit on racial and ethnic stereotypes and the harm they do, complete with an advisory committee and extensive anti-racism programming. These are the first steps in our commitment to becoming an organization that embraces the rich diversity that Renton High School's journalism class with teacher Derek Smith at the opening of Among Friends: Renton High's 100 Years in 2010. Visitors using the "selfie wall" during the Museum Professionals Opening for Sorting Out Race in 2017. BOARD REPORT ED“TOOTS”BUNSTINE AND THE COAL MINERS We never miss a chance to do more research on Renton topics, even if the pandemic may stop us from opening the Smithsonian exhibit, Hometown Teams. One example is Ed “Toots” Bunstine, a Renton boy who almost made a career in baseball in the 1910s. Born in Renton in 1889, at age 16 he was already a well-known player for the Renton City team (sometimes known as “the Coal Miners”), catching for nationally known amateur pitcher Loyd “Kansas” Skillman. By the time he was 20 he was recruited to play for Spokane, a semi-pro team. “He is as quick as a cat on his feet and those who have watched his work say his brain works as fast in a game as his hands and feet,” the Seattle Times reported in 1908. “It seems to be an invariable rule that a boy has to go away from home to get a start.”1 Bunstine was a backstop for Spokane for a couple years, then Snohomish from 1910 to 1914, with a brief try-out for the Seattle pro team. The newspapers are silent on what drove Bunstine out of baseball, but he really never left the diamond, serving as captain of the Renton baseball team in 1917 and ending his career at the City of Renton Parks Department. is Renton and to ensuring that all residents can see themselves here. This fall we will be announcing a series of next steps toward this goal, along with a statement expressing our profound belief that Black lives do matter. We look forward to working with you to continue to create a world that lives up to the best of American ideals. FALL QUARTERLY, 2020 | 5 Renton High School teams. The yearbooks are spotty through this time period, but the 1917 Duwamish annual proudly displays the girls’ basketball team, the winner of the South District championship. They lost to Redmond for the full District title, but the team had eight players and was competing well against other schools.1 Then came the 1920s juggernaut. Renton High School fielded a girls’ basketball team that won six King County Championships in as many years.2 They also succeeded in even larger tournaments, winning a four-county tournament in 1924; that year the RHS girls’ basketball team out-scored their opponents 285-75.3 That is dominance. The girls played teams as far north as Burlington, teams as far south as Enumclaw, as well as various Seattle high schools. But their true rivals were Kent and Redmond, teams that routinely gave Renton a run for its money each season. Renton’s dominance on the court lasted so long that some players only knew success. The team kept winning and the town enthusiastically followed them; supporters rolled out en masse to Snoqualmie two weeks in a row when their first championship game ended in a tie.4 But the glow of their success was suddenly dampened when senior Verda Carr died unexpectedly in spring of 1924. Along with basketball, Verda played field hockey, ran track, was editor of the school paper, and participated in drama; she planned on attending the University of Washington after graduation.5 Her death was a shock to the community. The 1924 Renton High yearbook paid tribute to her “goodness, gentle, kind, and mild.”6 The team soldiered on and won two more Continued from page 1 Cover photo: RHS Girls' basketball team, 1923. L-R: Helen Kiel, Eva Thomas, Veva Thomas, Verna Iddings, Mildred Kiel, Vera Lewis, Flossie Sessler, Verda Carr, Coach Reva Doubravsky. (RHM# 1996.027.4165) CAN I PLAY TOO? Senior Verda Carr, 1924. (RHM# 1991.013.3267) RHS Girls' basketball team, 1925. L-R: Margaret McKnight, Ethel McDonald, Sybil Tonkin, Annie Agnesani, Martha Walenta, Coach Juanita Showalter, Mabel Holmes, Flossie Sessler, Vera Lewis, Lona Reid, and Eva Rowe. (RHM# 1996.027.4163) 6 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM GLORY ON THE GRIDIRON Unlike the girls, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) male athletes did have a place to play at Renton High School, though their experiences were sometimes challenging. Neighborhoods in and around Renton had covenants forbidding the sale of property to non-whites (also known as red-lining).11 One of the areas Black families settled was known as “the Hilltop,” an area surrounding current-day Heritage Park in the Highlands. This tiny Renton neighborhood has produced an astonishing six pro athletes who have played in the Canadian Football League (CFL), National Football League (NFL), and National Basketball League.12 The first of these amazing athletes was George Reed. Born in Mississippi in 1939, George’s family headed northwest when he was just three, looking for an escape from the segregated South.13 He grew up with eleven siblings and attended Highlands Elementary before moving on to Renton High School. In 1955 the Reed family moved to Seattle, but George made the difficult decision to stay in Renton, moving in with neighbors Clarence and Leona Williams.14 George enjoyed football, basketball, and baseball; it wasn’t until he figured out that he might have the talent to get a college scholarship that he really dug into football.15 BIPOC students made up about 1% of the school’s student body in the mid-1950s; George was one of two Black teens on the varsity team his junior year and was the only one his senior year. Despite that, he recalls feeling comfortable in Renton and credits his coach, John Suzick, with helping him through high school.16 George made All-Conference his junior year and Coach Suzick later recalled, “there were athletes championships. Then it happened again. Senior Annie Agnesani died suddenly in spring of 1926. Annie’s school career was eerily similar to Verda; she was a three-sport athlete, worked for the school paper, and acted in school plays.7 We do not know Annie’s cause of death, but we do know Verda’s: a strep infection in her tonsils that moved to her bloodstream.8 The stunned town tried to make sense of the tragedies. “For some reason they just sort of connected that the athletics was too much for the girls, so they stopped the [games] with the other schools. They felt it was too hard on the girls growing up at the time because of the two passing away in two years," remembered Verda’s little sister Bessie Carr Miles.9 Verda’s death was surely not caused by basketball, but it did not matter to nervous parents and teachers; the damage was done. The mourning town did away with competitive girls’ basketball. However, girls’ athletics at RHS didn’t completely shut down; girls continued to play other schools regularly in tennis and also played intramurals sports (small girls’ sports leagues within Renton High). The intramural sports sometimes featured “play days,” during which several schools gathered for a one-day tournament. But girl athletes mostly focused on playing teams within RHS and their teams experienced nothing like the full-length seasons of old. Five years after Verda’s death and three years after Annie’s, their little sisters Mildred Carr and Tilda Agnesani were both part of the senior girls’ basketball team that won RHS intramurals in 1929.10 Despite the tragedies both families had suffered, Mildred and Tilda were multi-sport athletes just like their older sisters. RHS Girls Intramural basketball champions 1929. L-R: Mona Riebe, Hermine Foster, Hazel McKenna, Nela Belmondo, Julia Belmondo, Tilda Agnesani, and Mildred Carr. (1929 RHS Duwamish annual) FALL QUARTERLY, 2020 | 7 who were every bit as good as George Reed, but there was none who worked harder.”17 His hard work paid off. After graduating from RHS in 1958, George got his scholarship, to Washington State University. He went on to star as the Cougars’ running back and then entered the big leagues with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL. He spent all eight seasons of his pro career with the Roughriders, racking up yards and accolades. George hung up his cleats in 1975 and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame just four years later in 1979.18 George’s career and accomplishments were outstanding. And he wasn’t the last in his family to play professional football; brother Smith Wayne Reed was a running back for the New York Giants and brother Frank Reed was a cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons.19 Three years younger, Clarence “Clancy” Williams picked up right where George Reed left off. Clancy’s family housed George after George’s family moved, and they considered themselves adopted brothers. Football, basketball, and track—Clancy excelled at all of them. He attended Renton High from 1958 to 1961 and, just like George, Clancy was usually the only African American on the teams. Clancy’s mother, Leona Williams, recalled “[I told him] you’re just as great as anybody, and you can make yourself worse than anybody. I said don’t let anybody degrade you on account of color. That’s the way we brought them up. [Clancy] told me in the shower in school how some of the kids would call him names, and he would go on.”20 Clancy was fast. He won championships in track and basketball, but it was in football that he stood out. He played both offense and defense for the RHS football team, as a running back and defensive end. Known as “Sweets” to his teammates, Clancy led the scoring and helped RHS win the Puget Sound League.21 His efforts earned him a football scholarship to Washington State University. As a Cougar, Clancy continued with the double-duty of offense and defense and is regarded as one of the all-time greats at WSU.22 But he wasn’t done yet. In 1965 he entered the NFL draft and was chosen ninth in the first round by the L.A. Rams. Renton declared March 27, 1965 “Clancy Williams Day,” honoring the athlete’s accomplishments with a parade, luncheon, and a gala dinner.23 Clancy stayed with the Rams for all eight seasons of his NFL career. Still lightning fast, he shone as a defensive back, standing toe-to-toe with the best receivers in the game. After retiring from football in the mid-1970s, Clancy worked in L.A. for a time. He returned home to Washington after being diagnosed with cancer. Over 250 friends (including many Rams players) came together to throw him a benefit in California. George Strugar, another RHS grad turned L.A. Ram, attended.24 Clancy was unable to outrun his cancer, however, and died in 1986 at the young age of 43. After he passed, his son, Clarence III, followed in his father’s football footsteps, playing for both WSU and the NFL. TITLE IX CHANGED EVERYTHINGMany people under the age of 45 might not realize how recently girls and women gained equal access to sports: Title IX is only 48 years old. This 1972 law mandated that sports opportunities be equal between men and women. No Clancy Williams (left), 1961. Above: Clancy's senior photo. (Both from 1961 RHS Illahee annual) George Reed (center), 1957. (1958 RHS Illahee annual) Above: George's junior photo. (1957 RHS Illahee annual) 8 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM other law has impacted women in sport as much as Title IX. Renton’s history clearly demonstrates the effects of this landmark legislation. After basketball was taken away from the RHS girls in the mid-1920s, tennis was the only sport in which girls regularly competed against other schools, but even that was not consistent. Girls’ tennis was finally officially established in 1963.25 A second sport wasn’t added until 1969 (gymnastics) and the third (swimming) in 1971.26 Title IX had a drastic, if slightly delayed, impact on Renton High. After the law passed, RHS slowly added girls’ sports, but they only approached parity with boys’ sports five years later in 1977. Female athletes had a difficult time during the long years before Title IX, but a few managed to catch the eye of the right coaches. Marcia Cosgrove was in the same class as George Reed, the RHS Class of 1958. The fifteen-year-old track phenom earned her big break when Liberty Park’s athletic director, Jim Lord, saw her running in the park and connected her with a Seattle Pacific College Coach, Ken Foreman.27 Renton High had no girls’ track team, so Marcia trained in hurdles and long jump after school with the Renton High boys’ track team, and also with Coach Foreman at his college. She had to travel far and wide to compete: Vancouver, San Francisco, and Washington DC in January 1956 for the National Women’s Amateur Athletic Union indoor championships.28 She often competed against college athletes and she held her own, with finishes in the top three. She ran her first national competition in summer 1955, and by November she had set her sights on the Olympics.29 In August 1956 Marcia traveled to Washington DC for the Olympic Trials. Marcia and her coach were told that athletes with the best times would advance to the Olympics, so she ran both the 100- and 200-meter races. Halfway through the competition they were informed that instead only the top three in the final heat would make the team.30 The change in strategy worked against Marcia and she faded to fourth in the final of the 200. Coach Foreman formally protested, but the results stood. Cosgrove qualified as Olympic alternate, but did not end up going to the Melbourne Olympics.31 Nevertheless, Cosgrove’s incredible Seattle-area popularity got the attention of the Seattle Amateur Athletic Union, and retiring president Jim Cain acknowledged that, “we realize the lack of track events for our young girls and… we will stimulate the interest developed by Marcia Cosgrove.”32 Track star Patricia “Patty” Van Wolvelaere also managed to excel. Patty was ten years younger than Marcia, graduating from RHS in 1968. Girls were not allowed use of the track at Renton Stadium and Patty’s only opportunity to run was in the “play-days” of intramurals.33 P.E. teacher Marie Larsen took notice of Patty’s speed and connected her with a private group that had just been created locally, the Angels Track Club, to provide girls the training and support they needed to excel.34 The Angels pulled girls from the area southeast of Seattle and trained them on a “little red track in the woods” in Kent; they were given left-over track shoes from boys’ teams.35 In her junior year Patty began to win and people began to notice; it was hard not to when she was named to Team USA for the 1967 Commonwealth Games in L.A.36 As a high school senior in 1968, Patty broke the world record for 60 yard hurdles.37 Patty’s mother Shirley recalled, “they didn’t have a single thing in the school annual about Patty’s track accomplishments, nothing! It was just pure chauvinism, and that’s what I told them too!”38 Patty left RHS and went straight to the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, where she competed in the 80 meter hurdles. She finished fourth, just out of the medals.39 Her running career was just getting started. She went on to compete in the 1972 Olympics, but did not advance to the medal round.40 In between Olympics, she racked up ten gold medals at the Pan-American games and the National Indoor Championships. She held the women’s 100-meter hurdle record for four years, from 1972 to 1975.41 After that was all over, Patty received a scholarship to attend USC and ran for their track team. WHERE ARE WE TODAY? Sports equality is certainly better today than it was 100 years ago, or even 15 years ago, but there is still work to be done. Women are still fighting for equality, as shown by the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team’s fight for equal pay and treatment from their federation. BIPOC players are well-represented in most major leagues, but that still hasn’t translated to parity in coaching, administration, and ownership roles. Transgender athletes are also still fighting to complete. While the NCAA allows both trans men and trans women to compete, neighboring Idaho passed a law this March banning competition of all trans women at every level in the state (though the law was blocked by a judge in August 2020).42 Access to sports has always evolved and will certainly continue to do so as time marches on, but all sports benefit from access for all. Endnotes on page 10 Marcia Cosgrove sprinting during training, 1955. (RHM# 2020.009.006) FALL QUARTERLY, 2020 | 9 MEMORIAL DONATIONS May 16, 2020 - August 15, 2020 Lyle Dull Glenn & Janet Bressan Anita "Babe" Gaidos Oliphant Connie Kerr Baker Marian Sutton Hazel Newing Elizabeth P. Stewart Sarah Jane Hisey Dorlene Elizabeth Bressan Carrie & Greg Bergquist Wil & Sarah Samson Elizabeth P. Stewart MEMORIAL DONATIONS OF $100 OR MORE Marian Sutton Robert & Dolores Halstead Peggy J. Laughlin Dorlene Elizabeth Bressan The families of: Terry & Carole Sattler, Dov & Marilyn Nadel, Bill & Jackie Lackner GENERAL DONATIONS OF $5000 OR MORE Harper Engineering Children's Fund (Pat Auten, fund advisor) GENERAL DONATIONS OF $1000 OR MORE Nancy Fairman Neil & Margaret Storey GENERAL DONATIONS OF $200 OR MORE Sarah Jane Hisey Karen and Charles Jones Lynne & Mike King Roger & Marlene Winter Fund GENERAL DONATIONS OF $100 OR MORE Anonymous Bob & Angelina Benedetti Cynthia M. Buster-Burns Terry Higashiyama In honor of Kirsten Taylor's Retirement Derric & Irma Iles Sonja Kyes Judith Leu Basil & Ellie Simpson Janice Tanner GENERAL DONATIONS Patricia J. Auten Carolyn Boatsman Mary Lou Burdulis Donald & Carmel Camerini Sabella Curtis Shirley Custer Charles & Jeanette Delaurenti Fritz & Gloria Delaurenti Michael R. Dire In honor of the Class of‘58 Margaret Feaster Kevin G. Gallagher In honor Lynne King Don & Judy Gunderson Merrie Tonkin Hamlin Ama Hoffman Philip R. Hoge John W. Jaffray Roberta Logue Lucy Miller Bruce Milnor Linda Venishnick Moore Meris Mullaley Michael & Valerie O'Halloran Judith Peters Tom Pratt Martha Wine MATCHING DONATION CONTRIBUTION The Boeing Company NEW MEMBERS John & Bonnie Graham Tim Greyhavens Mary Ritchie GIFT MEMBERSHIP DONORS Janet Graham COLLECTING COVID-19 HISTORY It can be difficult to look at what’s happening right now and see it as “history,” but history is created each day. Life has surely changed in Renton during the last six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re looking to collect this history as it’s happening so we have a leg up helping future researchers tell Renton’s coronavirus story. We know we’d like to have masks, signage, photographs, and diaries. We know this story isn’t over but we’d like to get you thinking about how to preserve your experience so that when you’re no longer using those masks, you might donate one to RHM. TWO-WAY STREETS RESTORED The City of Renton is currently taking the COVID- induced traffic lull as an opportunity to push forward with work converting South 2nd and South 3rd at Wells and Williams Avenues back to two-way streets. Converted to one- way streets in the 1950s to speed Boeing workers’ commutes through the city, these main thoroughfares still bear evidence of past transport underneath. Bill Collins writes: “Since the holes [opened up for utility work] are from two to three feet deep (or more), it is very easy to see what is left of the old Seattle to Renton streetcar line (Rainier Valley Lines)…. When the streetcar tracks were removed in the 1920's, the ties were left in the ground.” MEMORIAL DONATIONS OF $500 OR MORE Robert McLendon Linda Holmes 10 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM Continued from page 8 ENDNOTES 1 1917 Renton High School Duwamish Annual (no pagination). 2 Photo RHM# 2001.075.5702. The photo shows a banner listing championships from 1920-1925 along with some trophies. Renton High School still has at least one of the trophies. 3 1924 Renton High School Duwamish Annual, p.67. Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, and King Counties all participated in the tournament. 4 1925 Renton High School Duwamish Annual, pp.48-49. 5 1924 Renton High School Duwamish Annual, p. 13. 6 1924 Renton High School Duwamish Annual, p.5. 7 1926 Renton High School Duwamish Annual (no pagination). 8 Dr. Adolph Bronson’s callbook, p.70 (RHM #1988.133.001, Collection of the Renton History Museum). 9 Oral history of Leslie Carr, Betty Jean Younquist Carr, Bessie Gern Carr Miles, and Daniel Robert Miles; RHM #2000.139.002. 10 1929 Renton High School Duwamish Annual, p.65. 11 “Racial Restrictive Covenants,” Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project, Civil Rights and Labor History Consortium, University of Washington, https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/covenants.htm, accessed 28 Jul 2020. Neighborhoods in and near Renton with racially restrictive covenants included: Windsor Hills Addition to Renton; Stewart’s Highland Acres (Highlands); Creston View Addition (Kennydale); Renton Suburban Tracts; Northwestern Garden Tracts, Divs. 1-6 (Fairwood); and Lake Kathleen (East Plateau). 12 The Hilltop’s pro athletes include: George Reed, Smith Wayne Reed, Frank Reed, Clancy Williams, Tony Wroten Sr, and Tony Wroten Jr. 13 George Reed and John Chaput, George Reed, His Life and Times, (Centax Books: Regina, Saskatchewan, 2011), 11. 14 Reed and Chaput, George Reed, His Life and Times, 14. 15 Reed and Chaput, George Reed, His Life and Times,15. 16 Reed and Chaput, George Reed, His Life and Times,14-15. 17 Reed and Chaput, George Reed, His Life and Times,178. 18 “George Reed, Class of 1979,” Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum, http://www.cfhof.ca/members/george-reed/, accessed 28 Jul 2020. 19 Reed and Chaput, George Reed, His Life and Times,139. 20 Oral history of Leona Williams, RHM# 2006.059.005. 21 1961 Renton High School Illahee yearbook, p.39, 76-77. 22 Dick Fry, “Two-way terror Clancy Williams: WSU's finest all-around player?,” https://247sports.com/college/washington-state/Article/Clancy- Williams-Washington-State-Cougars-legend-two-way-Rams-135853475/, 5 Aug 2003, accessed 28 Jul 2020. 23 "All-American Gridder Given Day-Long Fete," Renton Record-Chronicle, 31 Mar 1965, p.1. 24 "Battling Against Cancer: Ex-Ram Clancy Williams Has the Disease But Gains Support from Friends," Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb 1986, n.p. George Strugar graduated from RHS in 1953. He played defensive tackle in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, and New York Jets. 25 1963 Renton High School Illahee yearbook, p.82. 26 1969 Renton High School Illahee yearbook, p.180; 1971 Renton High School Illahee yearbook, p.77. 27 Lenny Anderson, “Home is the Sprinter—Looking Ahead,” Seattle Times, 28 Aug 1956, p.23. 28 “Teen-Ager Stars In U.S. Meet,” Seattle Times, 21 Jan 1956, p.1. 29 “Miss Cosgrove to Compete in S. F. Track Meet,” Seattle Times, 19 Aug 1955, p. 24; Jack Hewins, “’March’ Sets Sights on Olympics,” Seattle Times, 9 Nov 1955, p.29; “Renton Girl in Track Spotlight,” Seattle Times, 20 Jan 1956, p.24. 30 “New Squawks Heard Over Women’s Track,” Seattle Times, 27 Aug 1956, p.22. 31 Marcia ran a trial against the stellar track star Wilma Rudolph and managed to come in fourth; Rudolph went on to win a bronze in the 100-meter in 1956, and three gold medals in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. “17 ‘Gals’ Named for Olympics,” Seattle Times, 26 Aug 1956, sect. 6, p.1; “I’ve Had My Cry’: Marcia Misses Olympic Team, Coach Protests Picks,” Seattle Times, 26 Aug 1956, sect. 6, p.1; “New Squawks Heard Over Women’s Track,” Seattle Times, 27 Aug 1956, p.22; Lenny Anderson, “Slow Finish to a Year of Promise,” Seattle Times, 17 Oct 1956, p.26. 32 “A.A.U. Here to Emphasize Women’s Junior Sports,” Seattle Times, 18 Sep 1956, p.30. 33 Jack Pfeifer, “Patty van Wolvelaere is Track Herstory,” Pioneers of Women’s Track in Washington, Feb 1978, (no pagination). 34 Pfeifer “Patty van Wolvelaere is Track Herstory.” 35 Pfeifer, “Patty van Wolvelaere is Track Herstory.” ; “VanWolvelaere [sic] Makes USA Team,” Renton Record-Chronicle, 5 Jul 1967, p.6. 36 “VanWolvelaere [sic] Makes USA Team,” Renton Record-Chronicle, 5 Jul 1967, p.6. 37 Pfeifer, “Patty van Wolvelaere is Track Herstory.” Sprinter Patty Van Wolvelaere setting a world record, 1968. (RHM# 2020.009.010) 38 Pfeifer, “Patty van Wolvelaere is Track Herstory.” 39 George N. Meyers, “The Sporting Thing,” Seattle Times, 22 Oct 1968, p.18. 40 Van Wolvelaere had married in 1969 and went by “Van Wolvelaere Johnson.” Dick Rockne, “Pat Johnson Expects to Hurdle to Munich,” Seattle Times, 29 Mar 1972, p.59; George N. Meyers, “Milburn Wins Hurdles Gold,” Seattle Times, 7 Sep 1972, p.56. 41 Sherry Stripling, “Former Angel Still Soaring to Medals,” Seattle Times, 20 Jul 1977, p.106. 42 “Trump administration backs Idaho ban on transgender women from competing in women's sports,” Associated Press, https://www.espn.com/espn/ story/_/id/29335593/trump-administration-backs-idaho-ban-transgender- women-competing-women-sports, 19 Jun 2020, accessed 30 Jul 2020; Madeline Holcombe and Andy Rose, "Federal judge says Idaho cannot ban transgender athletes from women's sports teams," 18 Aug 2020, accessed 28 Aug 2020, https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/18/us/idaho-transgender-athletes- ban-blocked/index.html FALL QUARTERLY, 2020 | 11 MEMBERSHIP FORM Please select a membership level: Individual $30 Student/Senior $20 Family $40 Benefactor $75 Patron $150 Business/Corporate $175 Life membership $750 Basic memberships Sustaining memberships Name: Address: Phone: Payment information Visa or MC #: Exp. date: Signature: Please make checks payable to the Renton Historical Society. 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Donation: $ ME M B E R S H I P L E V E L S Ba s i c m e m b e r s h i p s Ty p e An n u a l C o s t Be n e f i t s In d i v i d u a l $3 0 • F r e e a d m i s s i o n t o t h e M u s e u m • F r e e q u a r t e r l y n e w s l e t t e r s • F r e e a d m i s s i o n t o t h e C u l t u r a l E v e n t s & S p e a k e r P r o g r a m s • I n v i t a t i o n s t o e x h i b i t o p e n i n g s a n d t h e a n n u a l m e e t i n g • 1 5 % d i s c o u n t a t t h e M u s e u m s h o p St u d e n t / S e n i o r $2 0 Al l t h e b e n e f i t s o f a n i n d i v i d u a l m e m b e r s h i p St u d e n t s : a n y o n e w i t h a s t u d e n t I D S e n i o r s : a g e 6 2 + Fa m i l y $4 0 Al l t h e b e n e f i t s o f a n i n d i v i d u a l m e m b e r s h i p p l u s : • F r e e a d m i s s i o n f o r t w o a d u l t s & c h i l d r e n Su s t a i n i n g m e m b e r s h i p s Be n e f a c t o r $7 5 Al l t h e b e n e f i t s o f a n i n d i v i d u a l m e m b e r s h i p p l u s : • 2 f r e e v i s i t o r p a s s e s • R H M p i n • R e c o g n i t i o n i n t h e q u a r t e r l y n e w s l e t t e r Pa t r o n $1 5 0 Al l t h e b e n e f i t s o f a n i n d i v i d u a l m e m b e r s h i p p l u s : • 5 f r e e v i s i t o r p a s s e s • R H M p i n • 1 f r e e d i g i t a l i m a g e * ( a n n u a l l y ) • I n v i t a t i o n t o a “ B e h i n d t h e S c e n e s ” e v e n t • R e c o g n i t i o n i n t h e q u a r t e r l y n e w s l e t t e r • T h a n k y o u c a r d Bu s i n e s s / C o r p o r a t e $1 7 5 Al l t h e b e n e f i t s o f a n i n d i v i d u a l m e m b e r s h i p , t h e b e n e f i t s o f a Pa t r o n m e m b e r s h i p , p l u s : • O n e t i m e 2 0 % d i s c o u n t o n r o o m r e n t a l Li f e $7 5 0 Al l t h e b e n e f i t s o f a n i n d i v i d u a l m e m b e r s h i p p l u s : • 5 f r e e v i s i t o r p a s s e s • R H M p i n • 5 f r e e d i g i t a l i m a g e s * ( l i f e t i m e ) • I n v i t a t i o n t o a “ B e h i n d t h e S c e n e s ” e v e n t • O n e t i m e 2 0 % d i s c o u n t o n r o o m r e n t a l • R e c o g n i t i o n i n t h e q u a r t e r l y n e w s l e t t e r • T h a n k y o u c a r d *C o v e r s t h e $ 1 5 u s e f e e p e r i m a g e . I t d o e s n o t c o v e r t h e r i g h t s f e e w h i c h i s c h a r g e d s e p a r a t e l y . Renton History Museum 235 Mill Avenue South Renton, WA 98057 Phone: 425.255.2330 Fax: 425.255.1570 rentonhistory.org A lot, it turns out! We’re celebrating the centennial of national women’s suffrage by exploring the extraordinary lives of Renton achievers. Washington women gained the vote in 1910, just a few years after Renton became a city and a decade before women in the rest of the country. But women did not wait for the vote to make changes. Learn about these extraordinary Renton women’s accomplishments in building and supporting hospitals, libraries, schools, and churches; pressing for civil and human rights; fighting poverty; and generally making Renton the city it is today. Exhibit Opens (Hopefully!) On OCTOBER 27 WHAT DIFFERENCE DO RENTON WOMEN MAKE? RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM 235 Mill Ave. S Renton, WA 98057 IN HINDSIGHT... Mayor Don Custer presenting Clancy Williams' parents, Clarence Williams Sr. and Leona Williams, with the proclamation for "Clarence Williams Day," 1965. (RHM# 2020.011.039)