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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Jacob Lawrence Interview, July 27, 1987
Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) was an artist well known for his vivid and colorful paintings depicting African-American life. Lawrence was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey and moved with his family to Harlem at the age of 13. In 1935, in the midst of the Great Depression, Lawrence joined the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Artists’ Project which was his first paying job as an artist. He married Gwendolyn Knight, a painter and sculptor, in 1941. In 1943 Lawrence joined the United States Coast Guard where he helped transport troops to and from the European battlefields. Following his return from the war, he began teaching art as well as creating it. He first came to the West Coast in 1969 for a temporary teaching position at the California State University in Hayward. The following spring, he received an invitation to teach at the University of Washington where he was offered a permanent position. Lawrence and his wife moved from New York to Seattle in 1971. Both became instrumental in the Seattle arts scene, working with local organizations like the King County Arts Commission and the Washington State Arts Commission. Lawrence received many honors throughout his lifetime including the U.S. National Medal of Arts and the Washington Medal of Merit.
Identifier: spl_ds_jlawrence_01
Date: 1987-07-27
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Mary Todd Interview, May 15, 1987
Mary Allen Todd was born in Rockingham, North Carolina in January 1940. She was a teacher known for her love of Shakespeare.
Identifier: spl_ds_mtodd_01
Date: 1987-05-15
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Ralph Anderson Interview, May 25, 1987
Ralph Anderson (1924-2010) was a Seattle architect known for his work with historic preservation efforts in Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square. Anderson attended Queen Anne High School and graduated with his architecture degree from the University of Washington in 1951. He worked as a draftsman for Paul Hayden Kirk from 1951 to 1954 before forming his own firm. During the 1960s and 1970s, he led helped restore several buildings in Pioneer Square including the Union Trust Building, the Pioneer Building and the Grand Central Hotel. His restoration efforts extended to Pike Place Market in the 1970s, focusing on the Smith Block, Butterworth Building and Alaska Trade Building.
Identifier: spl_ds_randerson_01_01
Date: 1987-05-25
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Dwight Robinson Interview, October 23, 1985
Dwight E. Robinson (1914-1988) was a University of Washington economics professor noted for his study of fashion trends. Robinson earned his PhD from Columbia University in 1948 and became part of the University of Washington School of Business faculty in 1950. He was chair of the Business Department between 1965 and 1969. In 1963, he was awarded the John Simon Guggenheim award for his research on fashion and design. Robinson retired from the University of Washington in 1981.
Identifier: spl_ds_drobinson_01
Date: 1985-10-23
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Helmut Eppich Interview, February 6, 1987
Helmut Eppich (1933-) was born in Yugoslavia. Together with his twin brother, Hugo, Helmut moved to Canada in 1953. They founded Ebco Industries Ltd in 1956 which specializes in metal fabrication. In 1990, the brothers received the BC Business Entrepreneurs of the Year award.
Identifier: spl_ds_heeppich_01
Date: 1987-02-06
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Baist's Real Estate Atlas of Surveys of Seattle, Wash - Plate 13
Baist Real Estate atlases of Seattle were published in 1905, 1908, and 1912. The atlases show property ownership (for large tracts), plats, block and lot numbers, streets, buildings, sewers, water mains, electric railways, and steam railroads.
Identifier: spl_maps_341191.13
Date: 1905
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Dixy Lee Ray Interview, August 23, 1986
Dixy Lee Ray (1914-1994) was a Tacoma native, scientist and the first female governor of Washington State. She graduated from Mills College in 1937 and earned her doctorate in biology from Stanford University in 1942. After completing her education, Ray taught at the University of Washington and served as the director of the Pacific Science Center, helping to define its direction in the wake of the 1962 World’s Fair. In 1972, President Nixon appointed Ray as chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission where she remained until 1975. Ray became of the Governor of Washington in 1976.
Identifier: spl_ds_dray_01
Date: 1986-08-23
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Panoramic forest view, ca. 1899
Location is likely Alaska, British Columbia or Yukon Territory based on other photographs in the collection but the exact location is unknown.
Identifier: spl_ap_00032
Date: 1899
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Josiah Collins VI Interview, January 19, 1988
Josiah Collins VI (1908-1990) came from a pioneering Seattle family and was active in real estate. He graduated from Yale University and served in the Army during World War II. Following the war, Collins was involved in Seattle real estate with the firm Yates, Riley & MacDonald and as a member of several organizations including the Seattle Real Estate Board, Building Owners and Managers Association, Society of Residential Appraisers and American Right of Way Association. He married Dorothy Priscilla (Patsy) Bullitt Collins in 1947 and together they had three sons.
Identifier: spl_ds_jcollins_01
Date: 1988-01-19
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