The Redmond Recorder

REDMOND HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

OCTOBER 2017 • VOL. 19 • NO. 9

Every town has a history. Discover ours.

Saturday Speaker Series

Saturday, October 14, 2017, 10:30am – noon
Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center
16600 NE 80th St., Redmond, WA

The Pine and the Cherry:

Japanese Americans in Washington

Photo: Yamane Family Collection

Washington State Historical Society

Seventy five years ago President Roosevelt signed an executive order

that resulted in the eviction of 120,000 men, women, and children of
Japanese ancestry from the West Coast of the United States to inland
internment camps. These Japanese Americans lost their liberties,
homes, businesses, and property and had to rebuild their lives after
the war. Mayumi Tsutakawa, daughter of renowned sculptor George
Tsutakawa, tells her family’s story. See p. 4.

Also inside: Welcome new Major Sponsors (p. 5). More History of
Redmond Trivia, Part II (p. 6). VALA Eastside hosts exhibit featuring
Society archival photos, curated by Poet Laureate Shi Yu Pai (p. 7).

Every town has a history. Discover ours. • October 2017

 2017
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OFFICERS
Joe Townsend • President
Mary I. Hanson • Senior Vice President
John Oftebro • Vice President Finance
Vacant • Vice President Collections
Indrani Bandyopadhyay • Acting Secretary
DIRECTORS AT LARGE
Judith Simpson
Sharon Brocker
Indira Krishnaswami
Debra Pelletier
ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER •
Indrani Bandyopadhyay
ATTORNEY • Charles Diesen
Our finances are public record and may
be viewed at the office.
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THE REDMOND RECORDER
is published nine times annually.
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Laura Lee Bennett
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Teresa Potter - Urban Dakota Creative
redmondhistoricalsociety.org
PHONE 425.885.2919
WEBSITE redmondhistoricalsociety.org
EMAIL info@redmondhistoricalsociety.org
HOURS Monday, Tuesday, and Friday: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
October 2017 • Every town has a history. Discover ours.
Society News
Please welcome Indrani Bandyopad-
hyay who is transitioning from Vol-
unteer Coordinator to Administrative
Manager. Indrani will also be
acting Secretary until that board
appointment is filled. And, we would
like to thank Halee Turner for her
excellent work as Manager of Admin-
istration and Archives.
Welcome new Business
Member Teresa Potter of
Urban Dakota Creative.
urbandakotacreative.com
Coldwell Banker
Bain real estate
broker Bliss Ong
has formed a unique partnership
with the Redmond Historical Society
in an effort to help raise money for
the Society. Coldwell Banker Bain
will give 10% back to support the
Redmond Historical Society when you
or someone you refer is looking to
buy or sell property. Coldwell Banker
Bain established its Community
Partnership program as a way for
the company and its brokers to
give back to the organizations that
are committed to the welfare of our
communities, For more information,
contact Bliss Ong at 425.445.8006,
or call the Society Office at
425.885.2919.
 President’s Notebook
Progress on the Facilities Question
By Joe Townsend
At the annual
meeting last
January,
Society
board
members
spoke to the
membership
and other
attendees about the expiration
of the Redmond Parks and
Recreation Department lease at
the Old Redmond Schoolhouse
Community Center (ORSCC).
As part of LWSD long-term
facilities planning, ORSCC will be
remodeled for district preschool
programs, which serve special
needs and low-income families.
The current lease agreement
between the City and the District
will end effective June 2018 to
allow time for renovations. The
preschool is scheduled to open
September 2019.
The City and Lake Washington
School District have been
meeting regularly to update their
current inter-local agreement,
which outlines facility and field
scheduling, shared usage and
space, and capital development.
Parks and Recreation staff,
programs, and services will
relocate to the Redmond Senior
Center, Old Fire House Teen
Every town has a history. Discover ours. • October 2017
Center, and the new interim
community center located at
6505 176th Street NE. We do
know that the Society will need to
relocate for at least an 18-month
period by April 2018. This allows
the City time to decommission
the building, and LWSD time for
necessary renovations.
The Society has a commitment
for temporary office and archive
workroom space in a nearby
building. Natural and Built
Environments, Inc. has offered
the retail space in their Vision
5 building on 163rd Ct NE, off
of NE 85th Street. This is a very
generous offer, and the space
will serve the Society well. We are
looking at a move in the spring.
We have been working closely
with the City throughout this
process and will continue to
be updated as the inter-local
agreement is finalized. The City
appreciates the Society’s Mission,
and understands our desire to
move back into the Schoolhouse
if possible. Both the Society
and the City share a vision of
preserving and celebrating
Redmond’s rich history.
 Saturday Speaker Series

The Pine and the Cherry:

Japanese Americans in Washington
In the lead-up to World War II,
Japantown in Seattle featured
grocery stores, cafes, and native-
language services, as well as
labor and music clubs. Trading
companies imported Japanese
goods, and restaurants served the
familiar sukiyaki, tofu, and miso
soup. In Eastern Washington,
Japanese farmers prospered.

Then came Executive Order 9066.

Those born in Japan, as well as
their American-citizen offspring,
were sent to concentration camps
in windswept deserts without
due process. Throughout the
West Coast, 120,000 Japanese
Americans were forced from their
homes. Most Seattle Japanese
spent the war years at Camp
Minidoka in Idaho, and when they
returned, most had lost everything
and could not find jobs.
How did they face this injustice
and rebuild their lives? How does
a lively immigrant community
face racist or religious hatred?
The 75th anniversary of Executive
Order 9066 is in 2017, and
Mayumi Tsutakawa, whose father
was renowned sculptor George
Tsutakawa, will reveal her
family’s 100-year history against
the backdrop of this dramatic
American story. Please join us on
October 14th.
Mayumi Tsutakawa
Writer and Curator
Speaking courtesy of
Humanities Washington
Enjoy a relaxing morning at the
Redmond Historical Society
Saturday Speaker Series, a
monthly program that features
six speakers addressing topics of
local, state, and Pacific Northwest
historical interest. The series
is held 10:30am – noon at the
Old Redmond Schoolhouse
Community Center, 16600 NE 80th
St., Redmond, WA. Doors open at
10:00 am. $5 suggested donation
for non-members. Speakers
subject to change. For details:
www.redmondhistoricalsociety.
org.

October 2017 • Every town has a history. Discover ours.


Business Support: Corporate
Sponsorships, Generous Donors
The Philanthropy Committee,
chaired by Board Member Debra
Pelletier, is happy to announce
renewed and continuing Corporate
Sponsorships. We have been busy
working on getting community
support for 2017 and beyond.
Thank you, Microsoft and
Nelson Legacy Group. These
organizations join the Happy Valley
Grange #322, Bellevue Collection,
4Culture, and the City of Redmond
as Major Sponsors.
Asking for money can be a
rewarding process. However, like
most nonprofits, our organization
counts on generous business
support to be sustainable—it is
what makes it possible to carry
out our Mission. The entire
Every town has a history. Discover ours. • October 2017
Society News
membership can be proud of
the work of our Philanthropy
volunteers.
The committee’s work starts with
planning. Thanks to the students
from the Society internship
program launched in the spring
of this year, we have a good
request package. That package is
made operational with a potential
sponsor list. The committee’s work
continues with communications,
following up with phone calls,
meetings, and acknowledging
funds received. The joy comes
in thanking the donors and
maintaining a relationship. Our
thanks to our Corporate Sponsors
and hard-working volunteers.
Happy Valley
Grange #322
 Local History

Redmond Trivia: Part II

By Tom Hitzroth
This month, I thought I would take you through more little-known facts
about Redmond.
• In 1885, Judge William H. White discovered that the cabin he built on
his land claim had been mistakenly located 15 feet over on the land of his
neighbor John Ware.
• Two buildings were demolished in 1913 to make way for the present Brown
Building. They were Bill Brown’s first saloon and Adile Lampaert’s first
meat market. Lampaert relocated to where Palmers East is today.
• One of the first occupants of the new brick Brown Building in 1913 was C.R.
Kern, the town undertaker. Kern was also on the first town council of Red-
mond in 1913.
• On April 13, 1930, William Perrigo’s funeral was held in the Odd Fellows
Hall, today’s Redmond’s Bar and Grill.
• Ole Skjarstad opened his store on Leary Way in 1904. This building oper-
ated as a shoe store/boot repair until 2006, earning it the rare distinction of
being used for the same purpose for over 100 years.
• On September 11, 1901, Anna McRedmond Smith advertised for a girl to
do general housework at her boarding house on Leary Way at $20.00 per
month. That would be $571.43 today.
• A social fundraiser held at the Union Hill School (Union Hill Road and 208th)
on November 23, 1901, netted $50 for a library fund.
• On April 25, 1906, it was reported in The Seattle Times that the Kirkland
Telephone Company was “well under way” to connect Redmond, Kirkland,
Juanita, Bellevue, and Houghton.
• In March 1900, the residents of Redmond filed a complaint with the King
County Board of Commissioners (today’s King County Council) for issuing a
liquor license to two men to open a saloon.
• In 1907, Ed Boddy was the town marshal; the town jail was located where
the drive-thru exit for the Bank of Washington meets 164h Ave NE.

The Brown Building in 1937.

Photo: Puget Sound Regional Archives

October 2017 • Every town has a history. Discover ours.


Art Exhibit Showcases
Society Archives By Laura Lee Bennett
In September, an unusual exhibit
opened at VALA Art Center in
Redmond Town Center. “Animating
Archives: Contemporary Chlorophyll
Prints” is a collaboration between
Redmond Poet Laureate Shin Yu
Pai and photographer Megan
Bent. Working with Redmond
Historical Society archives, Shin
Yu curated a series of images
of the town and its inhabitants,
which the artists then recreated
as chlorophyll prints. The leaf
species—including hosta, gingko,
and blackberry—were sourced
from Redmond—the artists
collected field samples from sites
that included The Old Rookery
and Farrell-McWhirter Farm and
produced the prints from leaves
harvested in and around the city.
The artists printed digital scans
of the leaf prints in large format,
ranging in size between 16” x
16” and 20” x 20”. “At these
sizes,” wrote the artists, “viewers
could see the fine details of the
Every town has a history. Discover ours. • October 2017
Society News
chlorophyll prints, magnifying
the veins, cracks, holes, and
deterioration.” The original printed
leaves, on a much smaller scale,
were displayed in 10 light-safe
boxes designed and built by
woodworker Tom Gaylord.
The works are intricate, inviting
the viewer to study the details.
As you lean in close, you could
see familiar images: logwalkers,
bicyclists at Derby Days, and wood
carver Dudley Carter.
Shin Yu Pai is the fourth Poet
Laureate of the City of Redmond.
She received her MFA from The
School of the Art Institute of
Chicago and studied at the Naropa
Institute. Megan Bent is a Seattle-
based artist, teaching artist, and
activist. She received her MFA and
Graduate Certificate in Disability
Studies from the University of
Hawai’i at Manoa in 2012. VALA,
Venues for Artists in the Local
Area, Eastside, is a 501(c)(3), non-
profit arts organization based in
Redmond.
Campbell Mill Logwalkers
(chlorophyll print) c.1915/2017
Photo: Megan Bent
 Society News
Make a Difference! Volunteer
with the Society
Love history? Want to make a
difference in your community?
If you live or work in Redmond,
you’ve no doubt experienced
the redevelopment of the city’s
downtown core first-hand. New
buildings are going up, old
structures are coming down. The
Connector Trail has a new section
opening via the railroad trestle.
Cleveland Street is becoming two
way. The Downtown Park is nearing
completion.
We need your help in documenting
these changes to our city, as
well as preserving our past. Our
infrastructure needs your support
as well. We need people of all skills
sets. Our office and archives need
your support. If you are a marketing
maven, researcher, writer,
photographer, or IT professional—
or a gregarious sort who likes
to connect with people—please
consider joining us.
The Redmond Historical Society
has several key volunteer positions
open. We are looking for individuals
who love to work and make a
difference. Our Mission: to serve the
community through stewardship:
collecting, preserving and sharing
Redmond’s unique heritage.
October 2017 • Every town has a history. Discover ours.
Contact Indrani at the Redmond
Historical Society Office: 425-
885-2919 or email info@
redmondhistoricalsociety.org.
Board Positions
• Corporate Secretary (Officer)
• Facilities Oversight Leader
• Information Technology Leader
• Volunteer Resources Leader
Committee Chair Positions
• Message & Branding Chair
• Fund Development Chair
• Saturday Speakers Series
Program Chair
• Volunteer Coordination Chair
• Facilities Maintenance &
Operations Chair
Redmond
Walking Tour
FREpE!
Ap
Steps
in
Time
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425-885-2919
 Order
Now
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NOTE: REDMOND REFLECTIONS is also available at the Redmond Historical Society

OFFICE at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center. (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. • October 2017

 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:

Room set up – Tom Hansen

Greeters – Patsy Rosenbach & Silvia Bernauer
AV – David Rossiter
Coffee – Judy Lang
Snacks – Bliss Ong
Membership – Linda McCrystal, Bill McKenzie, Aashna Tiruvallur

Our Society Lifetime Members

Sharon Freeman, Ballisty Judy Aries Lang Frederick Springsteel
Pierre Bruneau Miguel Angel Llanos Beryl Standley
Marjorie Costello Jon M. Magnussen John C. Stilin
John Couch Dorothy Matsui Sherry B. Stilin
Cory de Jong Allison Francis Reed Fred Stray
Betty L. Emmanuel Morris Larry O. Sundholm
Tony Emmanuel Edward O’Brien Subhadra Terhanian
Frank Garbarino John Oftebro Doris Townsend
Madeleine Roberts Hagen 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
Barbara Weiss Joyce Doris Bauer Schaible
Allen Lang Dick Shinstrom

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

is available at redmondhistoricalsociety.org

October 2017 • Every town has a history. Discover ours.

 Membership

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

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ORSCC, Room 106
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16600 NE 80th Street Now!
Redmond, WA 98052
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Every town has a history. Discover ours. • October 2017

 October 2017 • Every town has a history. Discover ours.
Redmond Historical Society
16600 NE 80th Street, Room 106
Redmond, WA 98052
Major Sponsors
Happy Valley
Grange #322