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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Parsons Gardens, Queen Anne, May 7, 1967
Parsons Gardens or Parsons Memorial Garden was donated to the city of Seattle in 1956 by the children of Reginald H. Parsons and Maude Parsons and was designated a Seattle landmark in 1980. This photograph also shows the Stuart-Balcom House above the gardens, another Seattle landmark designated in 1984.
Identifier: spl_dor_00047
Date: 1967-05-07
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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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Drumheller Fountain, University of Washington, ca. 1980s
Exterior view looking south towards the Drumheller Fountain on the University of Washington campus. Mary Gates Hall appears on the left. Johnson Hall appears on right.
Identifier: spl_dor_00039
Date: 1985?
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1st Ave. south from University St., May 23, 1969
Corner of 1st Ave. and University St. in downtown Seattle. Looking south, several businesses can be seen, including Western Leather Works, Pacific Loans, other lending establishments, and Zobrist's Consumer Electronics shop.
Identifier: spl_dor_00018
Date: 1969-05-23
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Jesse Epstein Interview, January 22, 1988
Jesse Epstein (1910-1989) was a lawyer and the first director of the Seattle Housing Authority. Epstein was born in Russia and his family moved to Great Falls, Montana in 1913. Epstein attended the University of Washington where he graduated with a degree in political science in 1932 and a law degree in 1935. He became the director of the Seattle Housing Authority in 1939 and held that role throughout World War II until 1945. During his tenure as director he supervised the development of Yesler Terrace which was the first housing project in Seattle. Yesler Terrace also notable for the fact that it was not segregated according to race (in contrast to many other housing options in the country). In 1945 Epstein became the Regional Director for the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) and became the West Coast Director the following year. In 1948 he left his position at FHA and refocused on his legal career. Epstein was heavily involved in multiple community organizations including Neighborhood House, the Mountaineers and the Washington Wilderness Association.
Identifier: spl_ds_jepstein_01
Date: 1988-01-22
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Yesler Way, east from Western Avenue, April 4, 1961
Showing views of Smith Tower, and the Seattle Hotel building the day after its demolition began on April 3, 1961.
Identifier: spl_dor_00035
Date: 1961-04-04
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View north to regrade at 7th and Virginia, ca. 1906
Dwellings in the process of being lowered appear to the right.
Identifier: spl_dr_035
Date: 1906
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Memorandum regarding a draft Market Ordinance, July 1983
Memorandum addressed to the Pike Market PDA Ordinance Advisory Group from Michael Hildt regarding a new draft of the ordinance on establishing operational policies for the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority. Included is a copy of the draft ordinance and a copy of the agreement between the City of Seattle and the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority.
Identifier: spl_ps_040
Date: 1983-07-13
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R. Duke Watson Interview, May 8, 1986
R. Duke Watson (1915-2010) was born in Alton, Illinois. He grew up with a heavy interest in the outdoors and first visited Seattle on family trips to the West Coast. He attended the Western Military Academy and the University of Illinois where he graduated with a degree in forestry in 1937. Watson moved to the Pacific Northwest shortly after to pursue a career in the timber industry. When World War II began, Watson enlisted in the Army where he served with the Tenth Mountain Division and became a major. On his return from the war, Watson married his wife, Marillyn Black and started his own lumber wholesale business. His interest in the outdoors continued throughout his lifetime and he became one of the founders of the Crystal Mountain ski area and a significant figure in the early history of North Cascades mountaineering.
Identifier: spl_ds_rwatson_01
Date: 1986-05-08
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Ted Schuchat Interview, February 29, 1988
Theodore L. Schuchat (1923-2014) was a journalist and speechwriter who worked for the federal government for over 30 years. Schuchat was born in Warrenton, West Virginia and grew up in Baltimore. He attended West Virginia University where he was President of his class. Schuchat’s education was interrupted due to World War II when he joined the Army and served as a radarman. After the war he worked for an advertising agency in New York before resuming his college career at the New School. After graduating from college, he moved back to Washington D.C. and began working for the federal government in 1950. There he worked for the Interior Department and also wrote speeches for political figures. He also worked as a freelance writer with a focus on topics such as health, welfare and retirement. He was the author of syndicated column for the North American Newspaper Alliance. Outside of work, Ted served as the first president of Temple Micah in Washington, D.C. Schuchat moved to Seattle in 2005.
Identifier: spl_ds_tshchuchat_01
Date: 1988-02-29
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