The Redmond Recorder

REDMOND HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

MAY 2018 • VOL. 20 • NO. 5

Every town has a history. Discover ours.

Russ Goetschius Painting

Donated to the Society

“Barn east of Issaquah” by Russ Goetschius

Last month, the Redmond Historical Society received this colorful painting by
Russ Goetschius (1918-2016), a popular art teacher at Redmond Junior High
in the 1970s, when it was today’s “Old Schoolhouse” (Redmond Recorder,
May 2005). This painting is part of a series on Redmond Historic Barns that
appeared in the Society’s 2002 calendar, the images of which were compiled by
Terri Gordon.

Also inside:
Saturday Speaker program hits a high note, p. 4
Local History: A new look at an old photograph, p. 6
Tell your Redmond story, p. 8

Every town has a history. Discover ours. • May 2018

 2018 Society News
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Paige Norman has been appointed
OFFICERS by the Society Board of Directors as a
Joe Townsend • President Member At Large, and will be chairing
Mary I. Hanson • Senior Vice President
John Oftebro • Vice President Finance
the Membership Committee. She
Halee Turner • Vice President Collections played a key role in our Fundraising
Sayeda Haq • Secretary Dinner and Auction. Congratulations,
Paige!
DIRECTORS AT LARGE
Judith Simpson First membership meeting The
Indira Krishnaswami Society’s first membership committee
Debra Pelletier meeting will be Monday, May 14th,
Brian Burck
6:30 pm at Panera Bread, 17262
Paige Norman
Redmond Way in Redmond. Open to
ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER • all Society members.
Tasia Williams
Thank you, Dean Jowers, for the
ATTORNEY • Charles Diesen donation of invoices from Redmond
Our finances are public record and may businesses dating from the 1970s and
be viewed at the office. 1990s.
FREE NEWSLETTER Society Picnic Cancelled There will
If you don’t subscribe, please sign up. be no Society picnic at Perrigo Park in
Call the office at 425.885.2919 or email June. However, the Society will be at
info@redmondhistoricalsociety.org. Derby Days in July, as well as Saturday
State your preference of email or U.S. Mail.
The historical society prefers email as it’s
Market.
inexpensive and photos are enhanced online. Saturday Speaker Series The
FIND US ON FACEBOOK:
Saturday Speaker Series 2018-2019
facebook.com/Redmond.Historical.Society season will be announced in an
upcoming newsletter. The programs
THE REDMOND RECORDER resume in September at the Redmond
is published nine times annually. Senior Center.
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Laura Lee Bennett

GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Teresa Potter - Urban Dakota Creative
Coldwell Banker Bain real
estate broker Bliss Ong has
formed a unique partnership
PHONE 425.885.2919 with the Redmond Historical Society in an
effort to help raise money for the Society.
ADDRESS Vision 5 Building
Coldwell Banker Bain will give 10% back
8525-163rd Court NE #120 to support the Redmond Historical Society
Redmond, WA 98052 when you or someone you refer is looking
WEBSITE redmondhistoricalsociety.org to buy or sell property. Coldwell Banker
EMAIL info@redmondhistoricalsociety.org
Bain established its Community Partnership
program as a way for the company and its
HOURS Monday, Tuesday, brokers to give back to the organizations
and Wednesday: that are committed to the welfare of our
9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. communities, For more information, contact
Bliss Ong at 425.445.8006, or call the Society
Office at 425.885.2919.

May 2018 • Every town has a history. Discover ours.

 President’s Notebook
Vice President Finance –
John Oftebro
By Joe Townsend
Last year this column presented
the profile of Mary Hanson, our
Senior Vice President. This month
I’m writing about John Oftebro,
our Vice President Finance and
Treasurer.
John is in his second year as a
member of the Board of Directors
and the Board’s Executive
Committee. In this role, John chairs
the Finance Committee, and has
played a major role in philanthropy
and fundraising.
John is a Washington native,
growing up in Mount Vernon, and a
Redmond resident since 1974. After
graduating with a pharmacy degree
from WSU, John practiced in the
Seattle area until joining Kelley-Ross
Pharmacy in downtown Seattle.
During his Kelley-Ross ownership
over the next 34 years, John grew
the business to six locations with
a diversity of services, including
compounding, hospice, and long-
term care, and was an early adopter
of numerous practice advancements
and technology applications
(prescriptions filled by robots). He
currently teaches an entrepreneurial
class at WSU.
Every town has a history. Discover ours. • May 2018
John’s early involvement in
pharmacy associations led to
co-founding and past presidency
of the North King County and
Eastside local associations, and
board member and past president
of the Washington State Pharmacy
Association, where he was
instrumental in establishing the
Washington Pharmacy Association
Historical Museum. He is a past
president of the American College
of Apothecaries (ACA) and other
pharmacy organizations. He has
held leadership positions in his
church and various community
organizations.
Since retiring in 2008, John
remains active in volunteer work
and has been the president of
the Washington State Pharmacy
Foundation since 1988. He also
serves as a WSU Foundation Trustee
and is a member of the WSU Dean’s
Advisory Committee at the College of
Pharmacy. John is an accomplished
woodworker and enjoys fishing and
golfing. John played a large role in
the Society’s recent move.
John, thank you for all you have
done for the Redmond Historical
Society.
 Saturday Speaker Series
‘Waterway’ Program Hits
a High Note By Laura Lee Bennett
It was a full house in the
Sammamish Room at Emerald
Heights on April 14, when Jennifer
Ott, environmental historian and
assistant director at HistoryLink.org,
gave a presentation on the history
of the Lake Washington Ship Canal
and the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks.
Over 150 people attended the
program, which was the last of the
2017-2018 Saturday Speaker Series.
Using historic photographs from the
book she co-authored with naturalist
David B. Williams, Waterway: The
Story of Seattle’s Locks and Ship
Canal, Ms. Ott shared stories, maps,
and anecdotes on the making of
Seattle’s waterway. It was clear that
the author knew her subject well,
and she enthusiastically answered
the audience’s questions afterward.
Jennifer Ott speaking
at Emerald Heights.
Photos: Laura Lee Bennett
May 2018 • Every town has a history. Discover ours.
The year 2017 marked the
centennial of the opening of the
ship canal, and in celebration,
both authors have been giving the
‘Waterway’ presentation to many
organizations and groups in the
Greater Seattle area throughout
2017-2018.
This presentation was part of a
larger project, called “Making
the Cut,” led by a group of
“organizations, institutions,
and individuals” dedicated to
“commemorating the legacy of
the Lake Washington Ship Canal a
century after it was completed.”
For more information about the Lake
Washington Ship Canal centennial,
visit makingthecut100.org/.
Over 150 attended the Saturday
Speaker Series program.
 Society News

Huge Historic Thank Yous

Many thanks to our Saturday Speaker Series volunteers
for their generous donation of time and effort to ensure a smooth
program day. We especially want to thank Connie Schneider,
Director of Residence Services, and the staff at Emerald Heights
for their assistance in supporting this event.

Press Release: Laura Lee Bennett

Poster: Danielle Epp (Emerald Heights)
Membership: Linda McCrystal, Bill McKenzie
Greeter: Patsy Rosenbach
Book Sales: Judy Lang, Carol Trapp
Signs: Tom Hansen
Drivers: Jerry Hardy, John Oftebro
Pastries: Bliss Ong
AV: Kendall Choy (Emerald Heights), John Gustaveson
Event Monitor: Patricia Kivela (Emerald Heights)
Shuttle Driver: Shereen Jackson (Emerald Heights)

(L-R) Sayeda Haq, Patsy Rosenbach, Joe Townsend,

Tasia Williams, John Gustaveson, Laura Lee Bennett,
Judith Simpson, Mary Hanson.
Photo: Jerry Hardy

Every town has a history. Discover ours. • May 2018

 Local History
A New Look at an Old Photograph
By Tom Hitzroth
I obtained this photograph (image
below left) as it provided a unique
street scene of Leary Way facing
south from about NE 80th Street,
ca. 1915. When I first enlarged it
something caught my eye, and I
couldn’t determine what it was. After
a few days I realized what it was.
The majority of the buildings in the
photograph are in photographs
dated earlier than 1915, as well
as later than 1915, so I was able
to identify all the buildings in the
photograph except for two. The
longer I examined the image, the
more convinced I became of what
I was seeing. I sent the image to a
photographer who uses a filtering
program to digitally enhance and
provide clarity to images. My
concern was that the issue was
the result of camera compression
or that the camera angle obscured
the street scene. The photographer
affirmed that my original conclusion
was accurate.
Leary Way ca. 1915. l88-024-004.
Courtesy Eastside Heritage Center.
May 2018 • Every town has a history. Discover ours.
Two buildings in the photograph
(image below right) are in the middle
of Jackson Street (Redmond Way),
demonstrating that Jackson Street, ca.
1915, stopped at Leary Way. This fact
was further confirmed by a photograph
I have, taken by Lionel Sikes in 1909,
of his mother Jennie feeding her
chickens. That photograph features a
long row of strawberry vines across the
location where Jackson Street should
have been. Jennie is actually standing
in what would become the right of way
for Jackson Street.
Although Jackson Street was platted
by William Sikes in both Sikes First
and Second Addition maps, it was not
completed west of Leary until town
growth necessitated it to be opened
sometime after 1915. This discovery
adds significantly to our understanding
of how this part of downtown Redmond
grew and developed in its earlier days.
Close-up of buildings on Leary Way.
The two buildings in the middle are the
ones in the middle of Jackson Street.
 Society News

Society Celebrates 15 Years

of Walking Tours By Laura Lee Bennett
In 2002, local historian Tom Hitzroth and Society co-founder Naomi
Hardy developed a walking tour, which was an enhancement of one
developed by Dorothy White Hanscom (daughter of Judge William
White and Emma McRedmond White) in 1976. Since 2003, Tom has
led walking tours of Redmond’s historic district. Over the years, the
tour has evolved from one hour to two, with the script changing as new
information is discovered. “I’m looking for the question I can’t answer,
which means I need to look further into a particular area.”

A lifelong Eastside resident and chair of the City of Redmond Landmark

Commission, Hitzroth continues to work at identifying details of
Redmond development from its earliest times to 1930. He is currently
researching the historic site of the settlement of Melrose that preceded
Redmond.

2018 Walking Tour Schedule

Sunday May 6, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Sunday May 20, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Sunday June 10, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Sunday June 24, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Sunday August 12, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Sunday September 9, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Justice White House/Hotel
Redmond

There is a suggested donation of $10 for each person with a limit of

10 people per group. You can pre-register for the event by calling our
office at 425.885.2919. You can also drop by our office, or mail in a
check to 8525-163rd Court NE #120, Redmond, WA, 98052. You can
also pre-register on our website: www.redmondhistoricalsociety.org/.
Registrations must be received by the Friday before the tour.

Tours include a significant amount of walking and standing, with limited

opportunity for resting. We recommend comfortable shoes and weather-
appropriate clothing. If you have any further questions about our tours,
please call our office. Tour begins across the street from the Hotel
Redmond (Jensen/Fey Architects) at 7730 NE 76th St.

Every town has a history. Discover ours. • May 2018

 Society News

Tell Your Redmond Story

“Growing up, I remember riding my motorcycle around 88 Acres Park.
It was nothing but grass and trees. There was always talk that a business
was going to go in there; a bunch of my friends and I always thought
we’d link arms to stop the bulldozers. Who would have guessed that
half of them would end up working there?” —Steve Larson, Redmond
resident from 1972 to 2003

Photographer Zachary Burns is working with VALA Art Center to show

how Redmond has changed from a small bedroom community in the
1970s and ‘80s to the bustling home of the tech industry it is today.
The project involves pairing stories of what Redmond was like before
the tech boom with current images of the area. If you lived in Redmond
before the late 1980s, he wants to hear your story. These stories will
not only be part of an exhibition but will also be made available as a
permanent digital archive. For more information, or to volunteer for an
interview, contact Zachary at zachary@zlburns.com.

This project is made possible through a generous grant from 4Culture.

Transcribe Oral Histories

Are you interested in History? Do you love to help others share their
stories? The Society is looking for talented typists to help us transcribe
oral histories recordings. This is a great fit for anyone interested in
volunteering from home or at the RHS office. For more information,
contact us at 425-885-2919 or info@redmondhistoricalsociety.org.

Volunteer Coordinator
Opportunity
The Volunteer Coordinator manages all elements of volunteering
within the Redmond Historical Society. The role involves assessing
an organization’s needs and then meeting those needs through the
recruitment, placement, and retention of volunteers. They also monitor,
evaluate and accredit volunteers. For more information, contact us at
425-885-2919 or info@redmondhistoricalsociety.org.

May 2018 • Every town has a history. Discover ours.

 Order
Now
Redmond
Reflections Book
$15 (INCLUDES TAX)*

SHIPPING & HANDLING: Please add $10.00 shipping & handling surcharge
for any order that you would like mailed.

ORDERING INFO*:
NAME____________________________________________________ PHONE NUMBER_____________________

# OF BOOKS ORDERED_______ AMOUNT ENCLOSED (CHECK PLEASE) _$_____________________________

SHIPPING INFO:
NAME _______________________________________________________________________________________

STREET ADDRESS ____________________________________________________________________________

CITY • STATE • ZIP _____________________________________________________________________________

NOTE: REDMOND REFLECTIONS is also available at the Redmond Historical Society Office at the
Vision 5 Building 8525-163rd Court NE #120 Redmond, WA 98052. (Hours of operation on page 2.)

Great Gift Ideas for History Lovers

Need something special for someone who appreciates our history?
These are available at our Society office:
BOOKS POSTCARDS
of historical photos
MAGNETS
featuring artwork
by Patti Simpson Ward
HISTORIC DOWNTOWN
REDMOND WALKING GUIDE
The Redmond Historical Society’s
updated Historic Downtown Walking
Guide. Suggested donation is $8.

OUR TOWN, REDMOND

History of Redmond This painting of Marymoor Park, Flying Kites
at the Clise Mansion, is the work of fine artist
by Nancy Way. Patti Simpson Ward.
$12 (includes tax)
Visit her website to see more images of
Eastside settings— pattisimpsonward.com.

Every town has a history. Discover ours. • May 2018

 Society News

Membership Updates
Thank you, new Business Members, Steve’s Moving and Moving
Link, for their generous in-kind donation of services.

New Major Sponsor Thank you, Robert Pantley of Natural & Built
Environments, LCC, for the generous in-kind donation of space for the
Society offices.

Many thanks to David Best for joining the Society as a Lifetime Member.
David is the son of the late Brad Best, a Lifetime member, and History
Hero in 2010. This membership is given in the name of Brad’s children
Dave, Karen, and Joan, and his great grandchildren Ryan and Chris.

Our Society Lifetime Members

Sharon Freeman, Ballisty Barbara Weiss Joyce Doris Bauer Schaible
Louise Graep Barnes Allen Lang Dick Shinstrom
David Best Judy Aries Lang Frederick Springsteel
Marjorie Costello Judith M. Lankford Beryl Standley
John Couch Miguel Angel Llanos John C. Stilin
Cory de Jong Jon M. Magnussen Sherry B. Stilin
Betty L. Emmanuel Dorothy Matsui Fred Stray
Tony Emmanuel Allison Reed Morris Larry O. Sundholm
Frank Garbarino Edward O’Brien Subhadra Terhanian
Madeleine Roberts Hagen John Oftebro Doris Townsend
Suzanne Hall Dale Potter Joe Townsend
Wayne Hansen Jo Ann Potter Roger Trepanier
Mary Hanson Bobbie Graep Rettig Arlyn Bjerke Vallene
Jerry Hardy Vivian Robinson Patti Simpson Ward
Chris Himes Laurie M. Rockenbeck Donald Glennister Watts
Rosemarie Ives Margy U. Rockenbeck Joanne Westlund
Patricia Weiss Jovag William Rockenbeck James Windle

A full listing of lifetime members, both current and in memoriam,

is available at redmondhistoricalsociety.org

May 2018 • Every town has a history. Discover ours.

 Membership

Join
Redmond Historical Society
Every town has a history. Discover ours.

CONSIDER A GIFT MEMBERSHIP FOR A FAVORITE HISTORY BUFF.

LEVELS OF MEMBERSHIP (Check one only.)

$5.00 _____ TRAILBLAZER (Student)
$25.00 _____ PIONEER (Individual)
$40.00 _____ HOMESTEADER (Family)
$200.00 _____ ENTREPRENEUR (Supporter)
$250.00 _____ CORPORATE (Business)

$1,000.00 _____ HISTORY MAKER (Lifetime)
ALL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE.
PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: REDMOND HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Fill out the form below, cut out and mail with your check to:
Redmond Historical Society
Attn: Membership
Vision 5 Building
Renew
8525-163rd Court NE #120 Now!
Redmond, WA 98052
MEMBERSHIP (CIRCLE ONE): NEW RENEWING

NAME

If FAMILY MEMBERSHIP, OTHER NAMES TO BE INCLUDED

PHONE NUMBER

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CITY • STATE • ZIP

NEWSLETTER DELIVERY (CHECK ONE): _______ EMAIL ________ U.S. MAIL

Every town has a history. Discover ours. • May 2018

 May 2018 • Every town has a history. Discover ours.
Redmond Historical Society
Vision 5 Building
8525-163rd Court NE #120
Redmond, WA 98052
Major Sponsors
Happy Valley
Grange #322