Donald Schmechel Oral History Collection
Watch oral histories with prominent figures in the Pacific Northwest including artists Jacob Lawrence and Kenneth Callahan; Governors Albert Rosellini and Dixy Lee Ray and Reverends David Colwell and Samuel McKinney.
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Frank Cunningham Interview, September 15, 1986
Frank Cunningham (1922-2013) was a fixture in the Seattle rowing scene. Cunningham grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts and attended Harvard and was part of the varsity rowing team. He interrupted his college education to serve in the Marine Corps during World War II. Following the war he moved to Seattle where he began working at Boeing and met his wife, Jane. He earned his graduate degree in teaching from the University of Washington and began a career in education. He also coached the rowing team at Lakeside school where he was also a humanities teacher. Several of his students later became Olympian rowers. He received the medal of honor from the U.S. Rowing Association in 2010 and was included in their Hall of Fame. In 2012, he was honored by the Washington State Senate for his teaching and coaching career.
Identifier: spl_ds_fcunningham_01
Date: 1986-09-15
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Dale Turner Interview, February 27, 1986
Rev. Dr. Dale Turner (1917-2006) served as the pastor of Seattle’s University Congregational Church from 1958 to 1982. Turner was born in Glen Dale, West Virginia and his family moved to Ohio shortly afterwards. Turner attended West Virginia Wesleyan College and pursued a career in coaching before deciding to change directions and study religion at the Yale Divinity School where he graduated in 1943. In 1948 he married his wife, Leone, and the couple moved to Kansas where Turner became the pastor for Lawrence’s Congregational Church and taught at the University of Kansas. In 1958, Turner moved to Seattle to become the minister for the University Congregational Church. He held the role for 24 years and was a vocal supporter of pacifism, gay rights and civil rights.
Identifier: spl_ds_dturner_01
Date: 1986-02-27
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Florence Min-Hsien Yang Kiang Interview, August 31, 1987
Min-Hsien Yang Kiang was a professor of nutrition who relocated to Seattle in her retirement. Kiang was born during World War I in Shanghai, China. Shortly afterwards her family moved to Peking where she grew up and later attended Peking Union Medical College with a focus on nutrition and nursing. Her husband, Heng-Pin Kiang, was a professor of international law at the National Central University. During World War II he advised the governor of the Bank of China and Representative of China Defense Supplies Chungking and also held the position of special assistant to the Foriegn Minister and Prime Minister. Between 1946 and 1947 he served as Secretary General of the China Institute of International Affairs. In 1948, Kiang joined the Republic of China's mission to the United Nations in New York and the couple moved to the United States. Their son, Heng-Pin Kiang was born shortly after their arrival. After the birth of her son, Kiang resumed her academic career, teaching at Hunter College and Columbia University. After her husband’s death in 1968, Kiang began working as a full time Professor of Nutrition and Food at Drexel University in Philadelphia where she stayed until her retirement. Following her retirement she moved to Seattle to be closer to her son, Heng-Pin.
Identifier: spl_ds_kiang_01_01
Date: 1987-08-31
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Angelo Pellegrini Interview, February 27, 1986
Angelo Pellegrini (1903-1991) was a food and wine expert, author, and a professor of English Literature at the University of Washington. He was born in Casabianca, Italy and was one of six children. His father, Piacento, was a sharecropper and left Italy for the United States in 1912 to seek a better life for his family. He found work first with the Northern Pacific Railway (which sent him to Washington) and then with the Henry McCleary Timber Company in Grays Harbor. The rest of the Pellegrini family followed in 1913. Angelo Pellegrini excelled in school, learning English and completing eight years of grade school in five years. He completed high school in three years and enrolled in the University of Washington where he studied history. Following his graduation from the University of Washington, he began became an English professor at Whitman College for a brief time before returning to teach at the University of Washington. Pellegrini published his first book, The Unprejudiced Palate, in 1948. Over the course of his career he earned several awards and honors including being named an "an Outstanding Citizen of Washington State" by the Washington State House of Representatives. He retired from teaching in 1973 but continued to write, authoring ten books in total over the course of his lifetime. His books were noted for their appreciation of food and culture and representation of the Italian immigrant experience.
Identifier: spl_ds_apellegrini_01_01
Date: 1986-02-27
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Milton Katims Interview, May 10, 1986
Milton Katims (1909-2006) was a skilled violist and conductor, leading the Seattle Symphony for over two decades. Katims was born in Brooklyn, New York and attended Columbia University. He taught viola classes at schools such as Julliard, Northwestern University, and the University of Washington. He married his wife, Virginia Peterson, in 1940. In 1943, Katims joined the NBC Symphony Orchestra, a radio orchestra that performed weekly broadcasts, and served as the assistant conductor. He also composed his own music and played with ensembles including the Budapest String Quartet and the New York Piano Quartet. Katims conducted symphonies internationally in locales such as Montreal, Boston, Philadelphia and London. He was the conductor of the Seattle Symphony from 1954 to 1976, helping the symphony to grow in prominence. He played a critical role in garnering support to convert the city’s Civic Auditorium to the Opera House, which was shared by the Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Following his time in Seattle, Katims moved to Houston where he worked as the Artistic Director for the University of Houston School of Music for eight years. Following his retirement, he returned to Seattle.
Identifier: spl_ds_mkatims_01
Date: 1986-05-10
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Norah Raymond Interview, May 15, 1988
Norah Raymond (1902-2002) came from a prominent Port Angeles family and was an active member of multiple Seattle organizations. She was born in Port Angeles to Thomas T. and Eva Aldwell. Thomas Aldwell was originally from Toronto and moved to Port Angeles in 1890. He became a prominent landowner in the area, served as Clallam County auditor and president of the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce. He was also instrumental in advocating for the construction of the Elwah Dam. Norah Raymond attended Holy Names in Seattle and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Washington in 1922 with a degree in business administration. She married her husband, W. Lloyd Raymond ( -1941) in 1930. He was employed in the timber industry with a variety of companies including as Vice President of Rayonier, Inc., a pulp and paper company in Port Angeles. Raymond was active in the Seattle Golf and Tennis clubs, the Sunset Club and Children’s Hospital.
Identifier: spl_ds_nraymond_01
Date: 1988-05-15
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Philip McCracken Interview, February 8, 1987
Philip McCracken (1928-) is a Washington artist known for his animal and bird sculptures. McCracken was born in Bellingham, Washington and grew up in Anacortes. He graduated from Anacortes High School in 1947. McCracken began studying pre-law at the University of Washington but interrupted his education to serve as an Army reservist during the Korean War. When he returned to his studies, he decided to switch his major to art. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1954. After graduation McCracken traveled to England to become an apprentice to the famed British sculptor Henry Moore. On the ship to England, he met his future wife, Anne. The couple moved to New York where Morris Graves helped introduce him to local galleries. In 1955 they decided to move back to the Pacific Northwest and settled into their Guemes Island home. McCracken’s work is featured in many galleries and museums such as the Tacoma Art Museum and the Seattle Art Museum. In 1994, he was awarded the Washington Governor’s Art and Heritage Award.
Identifier: spl_ds_pmcracken_01
Date: 1987-02-08
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Ed Dunn Interview, August 6, 1985
Edward Dunn (1904-1991) was involved with Seattle Trust and Savings Bank and in import and export business. He also served on the board of the Mount St. Vincent Foundation. Dunn’s father was prominent in the formation of the fishing industry in the Northwest.
Identifier: spl_ds_edunn_01
Date: 1985-08-06
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William McGuire and Jeannie Carson Interview, April 7, 1988
William “Biff” McGuire (1926-) and Jeannie Carson (1928-) were actors active with the Seattle Repertory Theater and married for over 50 years. During the interview they discuss their upbringing, their careers and their experiences working with each other. McGuire was born in New Haven, Connecticut and attended Hamden High School and the University of Massachusetts. He joined the Army during World War II where he was stationed in England and took his first acting role. McGuire acted in Broadway plays and films and often appeared in productions with his wife, Jeannie Carson, whom he married in 1960 after meeting her in a production of “Finian’s Rainbow” on Broadway. Carson (1928-) was born in Pudsey, England. She was discovered while performing in the musical “Love from Judy” in London and contracted to appear in the comedic television series “Hey Jeannie!” which aired in 1956. Jeannie and Biff joined the touring show of Camelot in 1961 where they played the roles of King Arthur and Guinevere. The couple spent 15 years with the Seattle Repertory Theater in Seattle.
Identifier: spl_ds_mcguirecarson_01
Date: 1988-04-07
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Emilie Schwabacher Interview, July 9, 1987
Emilie Bloch Schwabacher (1903-2000) was an active member of Seattle’s charitable community and a member of one of Seattle’s early families. She was born in San Francisco and attended Mills College, earning a master of arts degree in education. She married Morton Leo Schwabacher (1902-1977) in 1931 and the couple had one daughter together. Emilie was dedicated to many social causes including the Settlement House which helped struggling families in Central Seattle. In 1948, she joined the board of Children's Orthopedic Hospital, where she remained for 25 years. Her husband, Morton, was the president of Schwabacher Hardware Company, a company that his grandfather and his grandfather’s brothers first opened in Seattle in 1869.
Identifier: spl_ds_eschwabacker_01
Date: 1987-07-09
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