HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003 Issue 4 - Boyhood Days in Renton.pdfNovember 2003 Volume 34, Number 4
Boyhood Days
in Renton
By Sam K. Smyth
Today’s children would be astounded, I imagine, by our activities as children in pre-television days. Parents encouraged usto leave the house, consciously or not, by thinking up chores for us to do, such as preparing wood and kindling for thestove, or taking out the ashes. Going to the woods tocut down trees, saw them into stove lengths, and haulthem home in a wheelbarrow was a big deal for mybrother and me growingup in the 1920s and 30s.
Luckily for us, in ourneighborhood, there wereplenty of vacant lots forgames, nearby woods andswamps for adventures. Alittle farther away werethe Cedar River and LakeWashington, our swim-ming and fishing re-sources. For a few yearsafter we moved into ourhouse, the roadway was dirt, with ruts six or eight inches deep. After a rain the ruts werefilled to the brim and made ideal sailing courses for our toy boats. The boats consisted ofpointed narrow boards. A hole bored with one’s pocketknife accommodated a mast madefrom a sliver of cedar. We made a sail by punching a suitablepiece of paper onto the mast. Needless to say, this was wetwork, but the competition was fierce! Such boats were alsosailed in any convenient pond, like those at the nearby gravelpit.
Rocks played a huge part in our lives and most boys became highly skilled throwers. Therocks were extremely abundant. Fights often were caused by or ended up in rock throw-ing. We threw at birds, fish, rats, signs, telephone poles, windows, and each other. Sling-shots were a step up which required learning the art of making them. You can imagine howthis kept boys occupied for days. Then came tests for accuracy, shooting at cats, dogs,bottles, cans, insulators, streetlights, and eventually each other.
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By Barb HortonPresident's Report
Renton Historical QuarterlySteve A. Anderson, Managing Editor,Susie Bressan, Graphic Design & LayoutLouise George, Copy EditorDaisy Ward, Text Input & Copy EditorDeborah Willard & Karl HurstCity of Renton Print and Mail Services
Contributing AuthorsTom MonahanSam Smyth
Renton Historical Society
Board of Trustees Barbara Horton, PresidentBill Gaw, Vice PresidentDerek Almo, SecretaryJennifer Sharp, Treasurer
Allan Unbedacht, '04Ted McLendon, '04Vicky Persson, '04Eric Black, '05Bob Hunt, '05Marge Richter '05Larry Sleeth, '06Dan Foley, '06Doug Kyes, '06Laura Clawson, '06Ken Becker, EndowmentTerri Briere, City LIaison
Museum StaffSteven A. Anderson, Director/Museum SuperivsorDaisy Ward, Administrative AssistantStan Greene, Archivist/RecordsLaura Crawford, Collections ManagaerDorota Rahn, Volunteer CoordinatorTom Monahan, Museum Assistant/ResearchPearl Jacobson, RegistrarLouise George, SecretaryDick Hawkins, Grounds/Maintenance
Ernie Tonda, Director EmeritusEthel Telban, Librarian EmeritusRose Mary Green, Curator EmeritusRenton Historical Museum235 Mill Avenue SouthRenton, WA 98055-2133Phone: 425.255.2330FAX: 425.255.1570Email: saanderson@ci.renton.wa.us
The Renton Historical Society Board meets on the fourth Wednesday of every monthfrom 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., at either the Renton Community Center or the RentonHistorical Museum. Please call the museum for meeting locations on the followingdates: January 25th, February 25th, March 24th and April 28th.Public hours for the Renton Historical Museum are Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00am to4:00pm and by appointment for archival and photographic research purposes Wednesdaythrough Fridays, 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Admission: $3 per adult, $1 per child (ages 8 - 16) andRenton Historical Society members are always free. Free days: first Wednesday and thirdSaturday of the month.
Barbara HortonPresident, Renton Historical Society
It’s hard to believe that this brand new year is nearing an end. Time flies whenthere are so many things happening! Throughout this year, I have been reportingon the work that your Executive Board has been doing with the City of Rentonto ensure the continued vitality of the Society and Museum. We have beendocumenting the relationship and expectations between the City and RHS, sothat each organization has a clear understanding of their roles and responsibili-ties, with regard to each other and the community.
I am happy to say that our new Community Services Director, Dennis Culp, hastaken the lead on the City/Society Agreement. Dennis replaced Jim Shepherd,who retired earlier this year and has brought a great “working together” ap-proach to our City/Society Agreement activities. Dennis is now the keeper ofthe document draft. We’ve been working on it together in one room, with alaptop and a projector. There are no more handwritten comments to interpretand no multiple drafts floating around to confuse us! We’ve had two good longworking session on it, circulated it through the City stakeholders and broughtsemi-final draft to the RHS Board of Trustees for review and comment in theOctober Board Meeting.
The Board of Trustees believes that the language in the City/Society Agreementmust foster our next big project as a Board. That is the Society’s goal of qualify-ing for and achieving Museum accreditation. Accreditation is a major step forthe Society and the Museum toward growing our organization to the next step ofprofessionalism. We will feature an article on Accreditation in our next newslet-ter that will answer all your questions about it. To prevent us from re-inventingthe wheel, Dennis asked me to go out to communities that have accreditedmuseums and do some investigation on their operating agreements. It makessense to examine the way that others have gone before us on this endeavor. Iwill be focusing on gathering this information, so that we can determine if wecan tailor the City/Society Agreement to foster conditions that would supportMuseum accreditation.
As we head into the end of the year, it may be a challenge to get everyone topay attention to governance documentation instead of sugar plums dancing intheir heads, but we’ll sure give it a try!!!
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The Wonderful World of EbayBy Tom Monahan
Recently, severalpeople haveasked mequestions aboutthe Museum’sprocess forobtaining objectsthrough Ebay.For those whoare not computerfriendly, Ebay isan Internetauction site onwhich peoplecan bid on anenormous varietyof objects fromsellers all overthe world. OnEbay, one canfind literallyeverything; fromreal picturepostcards toautomobiles,statues tocampaignbuttons, andpretty much anyother item it islegal to buy andsell.
The way the wholeprocess works is fairlysimple. We bid underthe screen nameRTNMUSEUM, andwhen we find an itemwe want, we place abid for the highestamount we are willingto pay. The catch is thatyou can’t see whateveryone else’s maxi-mum bid is, and theycan’t see yours. Yourhighest bid is not visibleon any other biddersscreen; only the mini-mum highest bid isshown to all the otherbidders. All the hopefulbidders then wait untilthe last few secondsbefore an auction endsto place their highestbid, hoping that no onewill place a greater bidat the last moment. Itcan be quite an excitingfeeling when we havean item that we reallywant, and we see 7other people bidding onit. It can also be a greatdisappointment whenyou believe you’re theonly bidder on a particular object, onlyto be outbid at the last second.
We are aware that other members ofthe Renton Historical Society as wellas other residents of our city like touse Ebay too. It would be helpful to usfor everyone reading this article to notbid against us if you see if you’rebidding against RTNMUSEUM. Itemsthat we acquire will be available toeveryone as part of our collection.More bidders can also drive the priceup on an item that is not actually worthas much as it sells for. We do have ourlimits, and have let items go that wentbeyond the market value. By lettingour museum bid on items of historicalinterest to Renton, you insure thateach item is auctioned off for a fairprice, cared for and preserved byprofessionals, and available to themost number of Rentonians.
A few years ago, the staff at the Renton Museum received a tip from a fellowKing County heritage colleague that an important Renton artifact was up forsale on a newly created online auction service. The item was an original stockcertificate, dated 1875, for the Renton Cooperative Coal Company. We did notget to acquire that piece, but it placed us on a track that we’ve continued onever since.
Since that initial failed attempt, the Renton Historical Museum has had greatluck in finding many rare Renton related items this way, which we wouldotherwise not been able to acquire. At the time of this writing, we have recentlyacquired an 1891 land deed regarding property in Renton, and several photo-graphs from the 1930s and 40s showing downtown landmarks. In the past wehave acquired other interesting items, such as antique ceremonial swords fromfraternal organizations for one of our satellite “History Zone” exhibits, ephemeradealing with Renton’s industries, and a large number of rare and one-of-a-kindphotographic images from the earliest times in our city’s history.
One of our Ebay purchases.Renton's downtown on 3rd Avenue, 1947
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The difficult art with the knife was flute making. Greensegments of swamp willow were chosen, about sixinches long and one half inch in diameter. By carefulworking, the bark of the segment could be totally loos-ened, and by sliding it back and forth whilst blowing inthe end, a whistle sound could be produced.
Another game, a type of field hockey, involved whittlinga “puck” of one-inch diameter maple about five incheslong. The game started with a “shinny,” in which aplayer from each of the two teams stood opposite eachother with the puck on the ground between them. Theritual included saying “Hockey one, hockey two, hockeythree,” each time ceremoniously extending one’s stickforward. However,after “hockeythree,” each player tried to be first to bash his stick down on the pointed end of thepuck nearest him. The puck would catapult up in the air, and while airborne, it wassupposed to be batted toward the opponent’s goal.
Other games, often played at night or after supper on summer evenings generallyincluded some kind of hiding and seeking. Leapfrog was harmless and common. Aform of jousting was popular where a smaller boy clinched his legs around the waistof the larger boy (horse). Together “horse” and “knight” would charge similartwosomes with intent to topple them either by bumping or pulling them down.Marbles was a common grade-school game, played with great intensity and highemotions, usually at recess. In grade school, a favorite game on rainy days was“Boom My Bear.” The boy who was “it” must kneel on the floor to be the Bear.The boy who previously had been the bear grasped the bear ’s belt with one handand held his own belt in his other hand. All the remaining boys circled around thispair, belts in hand, swatting “the bear” when the opportunity presented itself. If thebear’s handler managed to smack one of them with his belt, the person being“smacked” became the bear.
A more dangerous game played outdoors was “Duck on Rock.” First, a rectangulararea about six feet wide and thirty feet long would be scratched in the dirt. At thecenter of this space a flat “Rock” was placed and on it, the rock or “Duck” of theperson who was “it.” The rest of the boys, each with a rock in hand, gathered atone end of the rectangle. Their purpose was to throw or bowl their cobble-sized rocks (one or two pound each) at theDuck with the intent to knock it off theRock. Of course, the person who was“it” had to step back to avoid gettingclobbered. If and when the Duck wasoff the Rock, the participants had freepassage to the other end of therectangle, scooping up their rocks asthey ran, but as soon as “it” got hisDuck back on the Rock, he was freeto tag anyone he could reach who wasstill not across the end line. Anyonetagged fairly then became “it.”
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We were lucky to have Cedar River and Lake Washington as close as theywere to our neighborhoods. The river especially provided opportunities to swimand fish. One could usuallycatch a couple trout in anhour’s time. Other strangespecies in the river includedchubs, bullheads, suckers,eels, and red fish, a salmonvariety. We actually learnedto swim in the Cedar River,quite naked, aided by theswift current. Upon groundingon a gravel bar, the swimmerwould hasten back to the firebuilt prior to ever going in thewater. Whilst huddled aroundthe fire, there was theopportunity to smoke “smokewood,” pieces of hollow rootsfrom the stream. We alsoswam off the log booms inthe lake at what is nowCoulon Park. A large sawmillwas located there. Lake fishwe caught were mostlyperch, but occasionally wecaught a trout or two. Therewere also elusive bass.
Just north of the hill on whichMt. Olivet Cemetery islocated, a small stream issuesfrom a spring and flows gently west toward what was once a Sartori farm, adairy farm in our day, run by a family of Swiss immigrants. A little fartherdownstream, where we boys had a great time making small dams, anotherfamily approached me one day as I knelt, dabbling quietly in the water. It was amother hen and her brood of tiny little ones, come to drink. It was somewhatlater that it dawned on me that she wasn’t a Plymouth Rock chicken but actu-ally a grouse.
A proliferation of old logging roads on the hill below the cemetery were just rightfor wild trips down in my wagon, or in winter for sledding or skiing. Another skidroad led from the Sunset Highway eastward to Plute’s Pond, another boyhoodretreat. Although only about a foot deep, we managed to build and operate raftson this hide-away in the deep woods. You may correctly gather that the woodswere a favorite place with the boys, and especially me. You may also correctlyinfer that this pre-television atmosphere, together with a stable family life, wentfar in the development of a scientifically curious and inventive youth who was atthe same time attuned to the beauties and attraction to be found in the greatoutdoors.
Editor ’s Note: The preceding story was published in Nostalgia Magazine inJuly 2003 and was reprinted here with permission from the author. Also, imagesused in illustrating this story came from the Guitteau family collection.
HolidayHappeningsHoliday PartyThe museum staff and the SocietyBoard are organizing a HolidayParty for Society members andvolunteers at the Carco Theateron Tuesday, December 9th from3:00pm to 6:00pm. Please make anote in your calendars. Formalinvitations with details were sentout in mid-November. One of theattractions will be a performanceby the Ballet Bellevue Company.Victoria Titova, former soloist forthe Bolshoi Ballet, will be dancingtogether with her students. Herachievements are listed on theopposite side of the invitation. Ifyou want to become familiar withBallet Bellevue, Victoria Titova,and her cast before the HolidayParty, you will have a chance tosee Sleeping Beauty at theMaydenbauer Center, November28 through 30, with a gala perfor-mance (special guest, EkaterinaShipulina, current principal dancerof the Bolshoi Ballet) on Novem-ber 29 at 7:00pm. For tickets,callTicketwindow at 206-325-6500.Holiday ClosureThe museum will be closed forthe Winter Holiday seasonstarting Sunday, December 21through Tuesday, January 6. Lowpublic visits during this period,combined with staff holidays,vacations and busy volunteersmake the closure a practicalmethod for conserving energy andre-energizing for the New Year.
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FROM THE RENTON HISTORICAL MUSEUM FILESAlfred Fabre, deceased November 16, 1998, wrote music and played theaccordion. He was a life member of Local 360 Renton Musicians.My Vocationis to become an Accordionist1937ForwardThis essay has been assembled in the hopes that it will interest new prospects ina field which I hope will prove as interesting and entertaining to them as tomyself.DedicationTo Pete Delaurenti, my patient and friendly teacher. I, Alfred Fabre, dedicatethis essay in honor of his everlasting interest in me and my undertakings.Reasons for Selecting this OccupationAccordion music has always been very sweet and soothing to my nerves and Ihave always had a desire to take up the study of the accordion.It happens that I am very fortunate to have an uncle who took to playing theaccordion when just a boy and who has worked along with it until now. He is ateacher of the instrument. So when he began looking for a prospective relativeto teach, his eyes were upon me. At first it was a very tedious process, thiscontinual drilling on runs, chords and rhythm and trying not to forget the combin-ing of the bellows manipulation with right and left hand playing.Now that I am learning to play popular music and old favorites, it is becomingvery fascinating. I would rather practice on my accordion than go out to playball with the other boys. Music seems to satisfy my recreational and emotionaldesires.
Whenever there are any social func-tions in my community and the enter-tainment committee want entertainers,then I can accept their invitations toplay as I have developed a talentwhich makes me an asset to the socialworld.Another reason for selecting the pianoaccordion for my profession is that it isjust in its infancy. The field is notcompetitive and promises a goodharvest to the industrious player.In Europe and particularly England,hundreds of accordion clubs are inexistence and now the accordion feveris spreading throughout the UnitedStates. There is a great demand foraccomplished accordionists and thisdemand will continuously increase, asthis is a new profession.One cannot acquire really fine resultsupon the accordion unless as muchtime is given to practice as would haveto be given to mastering the piano orviolin. Efficiency on any instrumentcan be acquired only by long and hardwork. Enthusiastic accordion studentspractice from three to four hours aday.The qualifications to become a profi-cient player are numerous. The mostimportant requisite is to have thedesire to learn the instrument. Nextcomes the necessity for a goodconservative accordion. Another pointis the ambition to practice until perfec-tion and not to give up at any obstaclethat confronts us. And last but notleast, a good conscientious teacher, forwithout a good teacher, you can havethe best of all the requirements andstill never reach the top of the ladder.My physical condition is beyondreproach. My future outlook in themusical field is very bright as I feelthat I am improving more and moreevery day. My greatest desire is tokeep on working on my instrument sothat I may became an accomplishedplayer in the class of Pietro Deiro,Paul Donath and Pietro Frosini.
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Front row: Alex Cugini, Mario Tonda, Tony DalSanto, Vaughn Miller, Carol Prandi,George Woods, Tillie Favro. Middle row: William Favro, Louis Traverso, AldoScappini, Pete Delaurent (deceased), Fred Miller, Evelyn Hosko, Dorothy Dalloco.Back row: Hugo Toschi, Elmer Lund, Al Fabre, Pete Delaurenti, Harvey Delaurenti.
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Renton Historical Quarterly
By Steve A. Anderson, Museum SupervisorRenton Museum Report
This past year, record-breaking sunshinefollowed by the sudden arrival of clouds, 5inches of rain in one day! and, well, moreclouds, prompted a steady increase in thenumber of leaks within the museum. If you’vedriven by lately, you’ve no doubt noticed alarge amount of equipment around the museumstructure. This equipment belongs to the LloydLynch Company and its subcontractors, whohave been hired by the city (for about $72,000)to re-roof the museum. The project consists ofseveral steps: (1) removing the existing yearsand multi-layers of built-up roofing materialand, (2) placing 2” rigid insulation on thedecking and then (3) torching a SopremaModified Bitumen Roof Coating System overthe whole lot. A final step is to completely install new flashings, scuppers,insulation, and other incidental work as may be necessitated by these operations.
The work is noisy, loud, smelly and obnoxious, but those of us who have hadnumerous buckets on the floors in the exhibition and collections storage areas tocatch the many drips and leaks appreciate every minute of their efforts. Work isscheduled to be completed by the end of November.
While that has been going on outside, within the walls of the museum things arecontinually moving ahead. Our new collections manager Laura Crawford hascharged into the Custer Collections and has indicated to me that the photographportion of the project will be accessible via computer by the end of the year.Now, that is no small statement, as the photographic imagery from this onecollection is estimated at being over 1,000 images at the very least. That’s 1/7ththe size of our entire photographic collection! We have a number of dedicatedvolunteer registrars (those individuals who type in data regarding images orobjects) and even I’m getting in on the act, learning the Past Perfect program-ming and assisting when and where I can.
We have also discovered that the Renton Historical Museum has a vast “phan-tom” collection – objects and photographs that came to the museum in the past30 years but were never accounted for within the museum’s record keepingsystem. Now, this presents a far more challenging proposition than we firstestimated. For every one item that has entered the record books here, we arenow estimating between 20 to 30 objects, photographs or old paper, never gotinto the books. We’ll be having to do a recovery program of those “old acces-sions” to bring them up to speed and make them a formal part of our overallcollections. This is especially important if the museum ever wishes to attain thecoveted “accredited” stamp of approval.
Another staffing note: our office’sadministrative assistant, Daisy Ward,took a tumble this past month at homeand unfortunately broke her leg!Because of that, we’ve lost herservices for the rest of the year, butwill be getting by with Amy Neff, whocomes from the library where she isworking part time. For contact info onDaisy, please call the museum or sendyour notes here. We’ll make sure shegets them.
Christmas is upon us . . . pleaseconsider giving the gift of membershipin the Renton Historical Society to afriend or neighbor. A great deal ishappening here and we’d love to havemore folks interested in Renton’s pastcome along for the ride!
Cheers,
RentonHistoricalSocietyMembership CardGot One?
Membership DuesA reminder for those who havenot paid their dues for 2004....Yourcontinued support of the RentonHistorical Society is appreciated.
HappyHappyHappyHappyHappy
HolidaysHolidaysHolidaysHolidaysHolidays
Steve Anderson,Museum Supervisor
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George W. &Annie Lewis CusterEndowmentProgram Report
The Endowment Committee met onthe 21st of October with the Chair,Ken Becker presiding and committeemembers Allan Unbedacht, NaomiMathisen, Steve Anderson, and guestDiana Girard, attending. It wasreported that the fund rested at$1,228,000 on September 31 sst, due tothe influx of $1 million of Custermoney recently committed by theboard. Currently 92% resides in fixedincome investments and 8% resideswithin equity investments. Most of themeeting centered on returning the fundto a 60/40 spread of investments, withchairman Becker leading the discus-sion. The committee voted to spreadthe funds out amongst its currentholdings in mutual funds, all of whichhave four or five star ratings. As therewere no other investment decisions tobe made, the meeting adjourned. Thecommittee meets quarterly, with thenext meeting on January 28, 2004.
All memorials, life membership duesand directed gifts go toward the fund’sworking capital. All gifts are taxdeductible as allowed by law. Consultyour tax advisor. Only the interestgenerated by these invested funds willbe used as sustained support to theRenton Historical Society. Please call425.255-2330 for more information, oremail at saanderson@ci.renton.wa.usfor more information regarding includ-ing the Renton Historical Society inyour living will or bequest.
Volunteer MessengerBy Dorota Rahn, Museum Volunteer Coordinator
Our 86-year-old volunteer Furman George Carter died this past September. Welost a very devoted volunteer who helped with cleaning and refurbishing ourmining exhibit. Born Feb. 21, 1917, in Seattle, he graduated in 1935 fromHighline High School and lived in Renton since 1942. Furman worked as amachinist at PACCAR for 37 years, retiring in 1978. He enjoyed tinkering andrepairing things, making wine, hunting, fishing, gardening and genealogy. He waspreceded in death by his wife, Violet, on April 2, 2002. He is survived by hissons James Carter of Bellingham and Wayne Carter of Renton; daughter,Patricia Adams of Enumclaw; brothers, Wilbur Carter of Seattle and WillisCarter of Federal Way; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.”
Also, our office administrative assistant Daisy Ward broke her leg, had surgeryand is currently resting at home in Renton. We are missing her tremendouslyand hope she will be able to come back to the museum sooner than later. AmyNeff from the Renton Public Library is temporarily substituting for Daisy.
On the brighter side of life, some of our volunteers visited the Tacoma ArtMuseum and were impressed by the Mille Fiore special installation project byDale Chihuly. If you haven’t had opportunity to see it yet, you have time untilthe middle of January when the “glass garden” will be taken apart and sentback to his studio in Seattle.
The Docent Training Program, which started on September 18th, was followedby a second training session regarding Puget Sound Salish Indians (includingDuwamish) on October 22nd. The third training session will be held in Februarynext year. The exact date will be given at a later time.
As my due date (Twins!) is approaching very quickly, I am going to be out ofthe office from November 10th till middle of February. I do not know the exactdate of return, as it is very difficult to forecast how I will be handling twins.However, I am definitely planning to be back in the museum and working as aVolunteer Coordinator. I enjoy working with our volunteers too much to leavenow. In the meantime, I will try doing some work from home including schedul-ing greeters so please do not be surprised if I call you at home at different hoursthan usual. I will appreciate your cooperation very much. Enjoy your Thanksgiv-ing dinner and have a very Merry Christmas.
DonationsNew Members
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Jack & Lorraine SwisherJack & Lorraine SwisherJack & Lorraine SwisherJack & Lorraine SwisherJack & Lorraine Swisher
Marsha BonfiglioMarsha BonfiglioMarsha BonfiglioMarsha BonfiglioMarsha Bonfiglio
Joy AllisonJoy AllisonJoy AllisonJoy AllisonJoy Allison
John SneddonJohn SneddonJohn SneddonJohn SneddonJohn Sneddon
Edwin & Claudia GillispieEdwin & Claudia GillispieEdwin & Claudia GillispieEdwin & Claudia GillispieEdwin & Claudia Gillispie
Jennifer ScottJennifer ScottJennifer ScottJennifer ScottJennifer Scott
VVVVVelma Evanselma Evanselma Evanselma Evanselma Evans
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Anita BurkettAnita BurkettAnita BurkettAnita BurkettAnita Burkett
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Keith Pearson, M.D.Keith Pearson, M.D.Keith Pearson, M.D.Keith Pearson, M.D.Keith Pearson, M.D.
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Renton Historical Quarterly
Centennial Snapshots
When you think of the many people you relate to and arefriends with on a daily basis, it is no surprise that you endup with pictures of them. And so it was with George andAnnie Custer, who obtained this image of a very youngSarah Florence Newland, who eventually married WilliamTonkin in 1883 and moved to Renton with him (the TonkinFamily currently operates a Taco Time Franchise onRainier Avenue South.) The Tonkins married into theCuster family (or vise/versa) – a genealogical line thateventually produced a Renton mayor – Don Custer. TheCuster Albums have many images from the Illinois area,circa 1880-90, which could only be the Tonkin connection,because no other part of the Custer/Lewis/Edwards/Harrisfamilies came from that part of the country. We’d like toknow if any Tonkin family members could help us identifyother Chicago/Illinois images that just may be moreTonkins. Please give us a call – it may be the only chancewe have in identifying past Rentonites from your family.
Howard Bonner “Fats” Custer was one of the Custerfamily’s youngest, and little heralded members. Born thelast child of the Custer ’s twelve siblings, Howard made hisway west in the latter 19th Century and eventually estab-lished a home on Renton Hill. From there, he spent 30years of his life working at the Pacific Car Foundry fromaround 1915 to the middle 1940s. This image showsHoward at a family gathering in about 1919-20. We do notknow much about Howard, or his family. If you know ofhim, or are a descendant, we’d love to hear from you, forwe have other images we think may be him.
Sarah Florence (Newland) Tonkin
Howard Bonner Custer
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RentoniansRemembered
Memorials shown were received from those noted in re-duced print from April 15, 2003 to July 15, 2003. denotes former Society Life Member% denotes former Society member
Boyd AnkneyBoyd AnkneyBoyd AnkneyBoyd AnkneyBoyd AnkneyKatie Gilligan
Belmont BeattieBelmont BeattieBelmont BeattieBelmont BeattieBelmont BeattieJack & Lois Gannon
Eleanor Bausano BeattieEleanor Bausano BeattieEleanor Bausano BeattieEleanor Bausano BeattieEleanor Bausano BeattieJack & LoisGannon
DorDorDorDorDorothy Bruceothy Bruceothy Bruceothy Bruceothy BruceHarold Bruce
Betty CarrBetty CarrBetty CarrBetty CarrBetty CarrCatherine Rutkowski
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JerJerJerJerJerome Fome Fome Fome Fome FaullaullaullaullaullDr. Howard Miller; Virginia Lucke;Helen Kennick; Zelima Vidmar;Richard & Corinne Lucotch;Carole & Douglas Toschi; E. JaneLawrence; Roger Hulbush; Jack &Lois Gannon; Harold Bruce; John& Charlotte Cline; Mary Hulbush;Homer & Bunny Venishnick
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Eva GoodwinEva GoodwinEva GoodwinEva GoodwinEva GoodwinLorraine Goodwin
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Floyd U. HewittFloyd U. HewittFloyd U. HewittFloyd U. HewittFloyd U. HewittLee Newton & sons; Mr. & Mrs.Wayne Wicks; Lucille Miller
WWWWWilliam Killiam Killiam Killiam Killiam KoshakoshakoshakoshakoshakGeorge & Chrissie Grubesic; Rob-ert & Nancy Phelps; Beth & MikePotoshnik; Sarah Jane & BruceHisey; Anne Butko
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MarMarMarMarMary Jane Ly Jane Ly Jane Ly Jane Ly Jane LaJoyaJoyaJoyaJoyaJoyKatie Gilligan
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RRRRRose Gigliose Gigliose Gigliose Gigliose GigliEthel Telban; Jerry & BarbaraShellan
RRRRRoger Goodspeedoger Goodspeedoger Goodspeedoger Goodspeedoger GoodspeedAl & Shirley Armstrong
AarAarAarAarAaron Goodwinon Goodwinon Goodwinon Goodwinon GoodwinLorraine Goodwin
Z
%
Z
E. Jane LE. Jane LE. Jane LE. Jane LE. Jane LawrawrawrawrawrenceenceenceenceenceNesika OES Past Matrons Club;John & Charlotte Cline
ZZMichael MackMichael MackMichael MackMichael MackMichael MackLouise George; Anonymous; IlaHemm; Homer & BunnyVenishnick
Blanche MarBlanche MarBlanche MarBlanche MarBlanche MarenakosenakosenakosenakosenakosBeth & Mike Potoshnik Z
VVVVVelma McKelma McKelma McKelma McKelma McKeaneaneaneaneanGeorge & Chrissie Grubesic; BettyWarren; Anne Butko
%
Thelma FThelma FThelma FThelma FThelma F. Newton. Newton. Newton. Newton. NewtonLee Newton & sons
WWWWWilliam Richarilliam Richarilliam Richarilliam Richarilliam RichardsdsdsdsdsBetty Richards
TTTTTodd Richarodd Richarodd Richarodd Richarodd RichardsondsondsondsondsonSteve & Lynn Anderson
Elmer SpringElmer SpringElmer SpringElmer SpringElmer SpringJack & Lois Gannon; Renton Cre-ative Arts; Carolina Spring
ZZ
Hugo THugo THugo THugo THugo ToschioschioschioschioschiJerry & Barbara Shellan
Thomas WThomas WThomas WThomas WThomas WilliamsilliamsilliamsilliamsilliamsLillian Stephenson; Richard &Corinne Lucotch; Marilyn TharpClise
Hildur “THildur “THildur “THildur “THildur “Tommie”ommie”ommie”ommie”ommie”
WWWWWilliamsonilliamsonilliamsonilliamsonilliamsonCarrie & Greg Bergquist
Marion WMarion WMarion WMarion WMarion WittittittittittDorlene Bressan & family
Z
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MEMORIALS: $100+%VVVVVelma McKelma McKelma McKelma McKelma McKeaneaneaneaneanShirley Moretti
Lois AndersonLois AndersonLois AndersonLois AndersonLois AndersonGlenn Anderson Z
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Renton Historical Quarterly
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Adron BishopAdron BishopAdron BishopAdron BishopAdron Bishop
MarMarMarMarMary Bally Bally Bally Bally Ball
FFFFFurman Carterurman Carterurman Carterurman Carterurman Carter
Alma ChristmanAlma ChristmanAlma ChristmanAlma ChristmanAlma Christman
Elsie CollinsElsie CollinsElsie CollinsElsie CollinsElsie Collins
Grace CoppleGrace CoppleGrace CoppleGrace CoppleGrace Copple
Harold DavisonHarold DavisonHarold DavisonHarold DavisonHarold Davison
Catherine DoelemanCatherine DoelemanCatherine DoelemanCatherine DoelemanCatherine Doeleman
VVVVVelma Dragin McKelma Dragin McKelma Dragin McKelma Dragin McKelma Dragin McKeaneaneaneanean
Phyllis DraperPhyllis DraperPhyllis DraperPhyllis DraperPhyllis Draper
Lester ElzigLester ElzigLester ElzigLester ElzigLester Elzig
James FJames FJames FJames FJames Fergusonergusonergusonergusonerguson
Jack FisherJack FisherJack FisherJack FisherJack Fisher
Ira FranklinIra FranklinIra FranklinIra FranklinIra Franklin
DarDarDarDarDaryl Hartmanyl Hartmanyl Hartmanyl Hartmanyl Hartman
Janice HubbirdJanice HubbirdJanice HubbirdJanice HubbirdJanice Hubbird
Melvin KatzerMelvin KatzerMelvin KatzerMelvin KatzerMelvin Katzer, Sr, Sr, Sr, Sr, Sr.....
Grace KortesGrace KortesGrace KortesGrace KortesGrace Kortes
WWWWWilliam Killiam Killiam Killiam Killiam Koshakoshakoshakoshakoshak
Helen KHelen KHelen KHelen KHelen Kugleruglerugleruglerugler
Steven LaatschSteven LaatschSteven LaatschSteven LaatschSteven Laatsch
MarMarMarMarMary Jane Ly Jane Ly Jane Ly Jane Ly Jane LaJoyaJoyaJoyaJoyaJoy
RRRRRonald Lonald Lonald Lonald Lonald Lazorazorazorazorazor
AAAAAntonia Lidmanntonia Lidmanntonia Lidmanntonia Lidmanntonia Lidman
Michael MackMichael MackMichael MackMichael MackMichael Mack
Blanche MarenakosBlanche MarenakosBlanche MarenakosBlanche MarenakosBlanche Marenakos
Richard McDonaldRichard McDonaldRichard McDonaldRichard McDonaldRichard McDonald
Bessie Carr MilesBessie Carr MilesBessie Carr MilesBessie Carr MilesBessie Carr Miles
Loretta NewtonLoretta NewtonLoretta NewtonLoretta NewtonLoretta Newton
TheodorTheodorTheodorTheodorTheodore “Te “Te “Te “Te “Ted” Pebworthed” Pebworthed” Pebworthed” Pebworthed” Pebworth
GarGarGarGarGary Pilloy Pilloy Pilloy Pilloy Pillo
Delores PittsDelores PittsDelores PittsDelores PittsDelores Pitts
Marguerite “Peggy” RMarguerite “Peggy” RMarguerite “Peggy” RMarguerite “Peggy” RMarguerite “Peggy” Robinsonobinsonobinsonobinsonobinson
Bobbie ThomasBobbie ThomasBobbie ThomasBobbie ThomasBobbie Thomas
Eugene WhiteEugene WhiteEugene WhiteEugene WhiteEugene White
Hildur WHildur WHildur WHildur WHildur Williamsonilliamsonilliamsonilliamsonilliamson
George ZierGeorge ZierGeorge ZierGeorge ZierGeorge Zier
Renton Historical Quarterly
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Renton Historical Museum235 Mill Avenue SouthRenton, WA 98055
Polling Results On Future Bylaws VotesBy Derek Almo, Secretary, Renton Historical Society
Recently, the Renton Historical Society (RHS) Board of Trustees polled the membership on their preferences for howthe Society’s bylaws should be revised in the future. There had been controversy over how this was done in the past,which included direct conflict with the Articles of Incorporation - which vests the authority to make and revise thebylaws in the Board of Trustees. A previous revision of the bylaws by a previous Board had given this authority to themembership, in direct conflict with the Articles of Incorporation - which is the controlling document.
In the most recent revision of the bylaws, the Board of Trustees restored the authority to make and revise the bylawsin the Board of Trustees, in alignment with the Articles of Incorporation. And as a result of that action, we receivedseveral comments back, both for and against this move. Because of this feedback, the Board wanted to hear from thefull membership to determine the best course of action in serving the Renton Historical Society membership.
A poll was taken of the full 720+ members. The results, as of September 24th are below.
uuuuu 188 prefer to have the Board of Trustees of the RHS approve future Bylaws changes.
uuuuu 92 prefer a membership vote of the RHS to approve any future Bylaws changes.
The result was a two-to-one margin favoring the Board of Trustees maintaining the authority for approving revisions tothe bylaws. We, the Board of Trustees, also heard the many comments that were provided with the poll responses.Based on these comments, and the strong showing for a membership vote, the Board will present future bylaw revi-sions to the membership for comments and feedback prior to a motion by the Board of Trustees to approve suchrevisions.
Thank you all who responded to the poll. And thank you to those who included a monetary contribution to the societywith their response. As a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, we rely on your contributions, as well as the time andefforts of our volunteers.
