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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Virginia Price Patty Interview, August 17, 1987 and March 28, 1988
Virginia Price Patty (1898?-1998). Patty was born in Paris, Illinois ca. 1898. Her family moved to Seattle in 1905 and her father started work with his cousin, Charles Wiley. Wiley’s hydraulic construction company was responsible for regrading Beacon Hill, King St. and Dearborn. She attended Lowell Elementary and graduated from Broadway High School in 1916. She earned her degree from Smith College in 1920 where her interest was drama and theater. Afterwards she returned to Seattle and attended Cornish College and business school. She worked briefly at the Cornish Theater and in the principal’s office at Garfield High School. Patty married Andrew Price in 1922 and they had three children. Price was involved in investment banking with the National Bank of Commerce where he served in multiple roles including vice president, director and chairman. Patty served as the Girl Scout Commissioner of Seattle and King County for four years starting ca. 1942. In 1946, she was named to the Board of Directors of Western Region Girl Scouts. She was also involved with the Junior League. In 1955, her husband Andrew passed away. She married Ernest Patty in 1968. He served as president of the University of Alaska prior to their marriage and was involved in establishing the school's mining and engineering department. He died in 1976.
Identifier: spl_ds_vpatty_01
Date: 1987-08-17; 1988-03-28
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Margaret Baillargeon Interview, August 27, 1987
Margaret Sheldon Ames Baillargeon (1898-1991) was a patron of the Seattle arts and served as a patron of many organizations. She served as president of the Cornish Foundation and as president of the Seattle Tennis Club board. Margaret’s stepfather, Edward Ames founded the Ames Shipbuilding & Drydock Company in 1916. Her husband, John Baillargeon worked in a variety of roles in Seattle’s lumber and shipbuilding industry, serving as secretary-treasurer of the C.D. Stimson Company, president of the J.A. Baillargeon Company, the Stimson Mill Company and the Ames Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.
Identifier: spl_ds_mbaillargeon_01_01
Date: 1987-08-27
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John Leffler Interview, January 28, 1986
John C. Leffler (1900-1987) was the dean of St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle from 1951 to 1971 and played a vital role in its transformation into a thriving institution. Leffler was born in Northridge, New York and attended Wesleyan University and the Divinity School of the Paciifc in Berkeley. In 1929 he was officially ordained as a priest and was posted in California. When World War II struck and Japanese Americans were interned, Leffler was a vocal opponent to the policy. When Leffler arrived in Seattle in 1951, St. Mark’s was in a state of disrepair after foreclosing and being used as an anti-aircraft training location in World War II. Leffler helped reestablish the church, overseeing the development of a robust musical program and growing the congregation significantly. During his time as pastor, Leffler supported a wide range of social causes including civil and women’s rights and advocated against a number of issues including McCarthyism and the Vietnam War.
Identifier: spl_ds_jleffler_01
Date: 1986-01-28
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Albert and Audrey Kerry Interview, March 16, 1988
Albert Sperry Kerry Jr. (1903-1999) and Audrey Legg Kerry (1907-2005) were from pioneering Seattle families and were active participants in the city’s civic and arts organizations. Albert’s father, Albert Sperry Kerry Sr. arrived in Seattle in 1886, working to grow the city’s lumber industry and acting as a prominent civic leader. He served as the vice-president of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in 1909, president of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce and helped raise funds to construct the Olympic Hotel in 1924. Kerry Sr. donated the land that is now Kerry Park to the City of Seattle in 1927. Audrey’s parents, Louis and Helen Legg, were also early Seattle pioneers who moved to Seattle in 1876. Albert Kerry Jr. attended the University of Washington and served on the Seattle Art Museum’s Board of Directors for decades. Audrey Kerry attended Lincoln High School and the University of Washington and served on several clubs and committees including the Sunset Club, the Music and Art Foundation,the National Society of Colonial Dames of America in Washington, and the Committee of 33. Albert and Audrey married in 1928. They were awarded the Corporate Council for the Arts Award in 1997 for their support of the arts.
Identifier: spl_ds_akerry
Date: 1988-03-16
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Victor Steinbrueck Interview, 1984
Victor Steinbrueck (1911-1985) was a prominent Seattle architect, noted for his leadership in preserving public outdoor space and historic areas such as Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square. Steinbrueck was born in Mandan, North Dakota and his family moved to Seattle in 1913. His father worked as a machinist and was active in local labor unions and his mother was a teacher. Steinbrueck graduated from the University of Washington with his bachelor's degree in architecture in 1935. During the 1930s, Steinbrueck worked for the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps, creating artwork depicting federal projects and life in CCC camps. He later produced multiple books featuring sketches of Seattle scenes. Between 1935 and 1937, he began working with private Seattle architectural firms before starting his own practice in 1938. One of his first major jobs was helping to design the Yesler Terrace Housing Project. During World War II, Steinbrueck served in the Army before returning to Seattle in 1946 and joining the University of Washington architecture faculty. In 1950, Steinbrueck married his first wife, Elaine Worden and the couple eventually had four children together. After divorcing Elaine, he married his second wife, Marjorie Da Silva in 1964. Steinbrueck’s architectural designs ranged from creating private family residences to contributing to the design of the Space Needle for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. During the 1960s and 1970s, Steinbrueck led campaigns to help protect and preserve Seattle’s historic buildings which were being threatened by urban development plans. His leadership resulted in the creation of the Pioneer Square Historic District in 1970 and the Pike Place Market Historic District in 1971. Steinbrueck continually advocated for the importance of including thoughtful public spaces in Seattle’s urban landscape. He helped push for a public plaza to be included in the Westlake Center development and also helped to design several public parks including the area that now bears his name at Pike Place Market.
Identifier: spl_ds_vsteinbrueck_01; spl_ds_vsteinbrueck_02
Date: 1984-10-15; 1984-11-17; 1984-11-19
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Paul Thiry Interview, 1987
Paul Thiry (1904-1993) was a Pacific Northwest architect known for his leadership in the architectural modernism movement. Thiry graduated from the University of Washington with his architecture degree in 1928 and opened his own firm in 1929. Thiry acted as the supervising architect for Seattle’s 1962 World’s Fair and was responsible for the design of the Washington State Pavilion, now known as Key Arena. He also designed the Museum of History and Industry and Frye Art Museum in Seattle, the Washington State Library in Olympia, several buildings on the Lewis and Clark College campus in Portland and the Libby Dam in Montana. Thiry was awarded the AIA Seattle Chapter Medal in 1984.
Identifier: spl_ds_pthiry_01
Date: 1987-02-21; 1987-05-13
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Jack Docter Interview, March 10, 1988
Jack Docter (1915-2008) was the first medical director of Children’s Hospital in Seattle. Docter was born in Seattle and attended Montlake Elementary, Garfield High School and the University of Washington where he was part of the 1936 ski team. During his time at the University of Washington, he helped fund his education by working as an orderly at Harborview Hospital. He received his medical degree from the Columbia University School of Medicine in 1946. Docter began his medical practice in Seattle in 1947, specializing in cysticfibrosis. He married his wife, Marion Nute in 1948 and the couple had three children together. They also remained active skiers, eventually helping to establish the Crystal Mountain Ski Resort. Docter became the director at Children’s Hospital in 1959 and was instrumental in establishing the cardiopulmonary hospital. He remained in the position until 1981. In 1987, the Dr. Docter Guild was formed in his honor, raising over $700,000 for the hospital. In addition to his medical career, Docter was an avid sailor and a member of the Corintian and Seattle Yacht Clubs.
Identifier: spl_ds_jdocter_01
Date: 1988-03-10
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Wilfred Woods Interview, August 9, 1986
Wilfred Woods (1919-2017) was the editor and publisher of the Wenatchee World, a newspaper started by his family in 1907. Woods was born in Wenatchee and worked in the offices of the Wenatchee World from an early age. His father, Rufus Woods, was an advocate of the Grand Coulee Dam and the Columbia Basin Project. Woods attended college at the University of Washington for three years before the interruption of World War II. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps and served from 1942 to 1946. After the war, Woods returned to the University of Washington where he earned a history degree in 1947. After graduating he began working as a reporter at the Wenatchee World. In 1950, Woods became editor and publisher of the paper following his father’s stroke. He remained in this role for 47 years. In 1951, Woods married his wife Kathy. The couple had three children together. Woods was a large supporter of arts in his community, helping to establish the Woods House Conservatory of Music, the Wenatchee Performing Arts Center and the Icicle Center for the Arts in Leavenworth.
Identifier: spl_ds_wwoods_01
Date: 1986-08-09
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Pasquale Minotti Interview, February 29, 1988
Pasquale Minotti was born in Sant’Angelo Limosano, Italy. His parents were Domenico and Ezelinda (DiPaolo) Minotti.
Identifier: spl_ds_pminotti_01
Date: 1988-02-29
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Greg Falls Interview, 1987
Gregory Falls (1922-1997) was heavily involved in the Seattle theater scene, serving as chair of the University of Washington School of Drama and founding artistic director of A Contemporary Theatre (ACT). Originally from Russellville Arkansas, Falls came to Seattle in 1961 to become head of the University’s Drama School. He created ACT Theatre in 1965 provide a space for unique and progressive theater. Falls acted as the director of the theater until his 1987 retirement. Falls also served as the president of the Washington Association of Theater Artists and National Theater Conference. In 1994, Falls was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Theatre, an organization of distinguished professionals in the education and theater communities.
Identifier: spl_ds_gfalls_01
Date: 1987-07-09; 1987-11-04
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