Donald Schmechel Oral History Collection

K. Alvin Merendino Interview, 1988

Alvin Merendino (1914-2011) was a noted thoracic surgeon, known for his innovative contributions to surgical techniques. Merendino was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia and attended Ohio University, Yale and the University of Minnesota to receive his undergraduate, M.D. and Ph.D. During his time in Minnesota, he worked as a research Assistant to Dr. Owen H. Wangensteen in the Experimental Surgery Laboratory. He came to Seattle in 1949 and joined the University of Washington as a professor of surgery. In 1950 he became directory of UW’s Experimental Surgical Laboratory where he remained until 1972. During his time he also became professor of surgery and chair of the Department of Surgery. 1956 Merendino became the first person on the West Coast to perform open heart surgery. His wife, Shirley, was a nurse to whom he attributed much of his career success. Together the couple had five children. In 1976, Merendino took a leave of absence from UW to take on responsibilities at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh where he soon became director of medical affairs and during a later stay, directory of the Cancer Therapy Institute and the King Faisal Medical City. He was also active in the medical community, serving as a member of the National Board of Medical Examiners and as chair of the American Board of Surgery. In 2002 Merendino and his wife, Shirley, established the Merendino Endowed Fellowship at the University of Washington to support talented and impactful surgeons.

Identifier: spl_ds_amerendino_01

Date: 1988-04-14; 1988-05-12

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Fred Haley Interview, May 2, 1986

Fred T. Haley (1912-2005) was the president of Brown & Haley, the confectionary company founded by his father in 1912 that became well known for manufacturing Almond Roca. Haley was heavily involved in civil rights and education issues in Tacoma and nationwide. He served on the Tacoma School Board from 1954 to 1965 and worked for school desegregation and increasing diversity among the faculty. He was also heavily involved in establishing a Tacoma campus for the University of Washington. Haley’s deep interest in social causes was further demonstrated by his participation in the 1963 March on Washington. The American Civil Liberties Union honored Haley with their William O. Douglas award in 1985 for his work to promote civil rights and racial equality and protecting targets of McCarthyism in the 1950s.

Identifier: spl_ds_fhaley_01

Date: 1986-05-02

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Row of colorful houses at 92nd Ave. N. and College Way N., March 31, 1997

Dorpat, Paul

Photograph shows a row of homes in the Northgate neighborhood, all built in the 1980s. This image was used in the March 24, 2012 Now & Then column "Row Houses on 5th." (https://pauldorpat.com/2012/03/24/seattle-now-then-row-houses-on-5th/) The caption provided was "A modern sort of row - this one near North Seattle Community College (on the byway - rather than the freeway - to Costco.)"

Identifier: spl_dor_00041

Date: 1997-03-31

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George Revelle Interview, January 22, 1988

Judge George Revelle (1913-1999) was a King County Superior Court judge. He was born in Seattle and attended Roosevelt High School briefly before transferring to St. John’s Military Academy. He graduated from the Academy in 1931 and completed his law degree from the University of Washington in 1936. The following year he married Evelyn Hall Revelle and together the couple had two children. During World War II, Revelle served in Africa and Italy. Following the war, he began a private law practice in Seattle. In 1955, he was appointed as a Superior Court judge. Revelle was heavily active in the community of St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, acting as the head of the church school and senior warden. He was also part of the leadership of many organizations including the Washington State Board Against Discrimination in Employment, Association of Superior Court Judges of Washington and National Conference of State Trial Judges. One of his most famous cases was the trial of Dave Beck, president of the Teamsters Union, who embezzled money from the union and was tried for tax evasion.

Identifier: spl_ds_grevelle_01

Date: 1988-01-22

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Mossy wood, Washington

Colborne, Elizabeth, 1885-1948

Elizabeth Aline Colborne was born in Chamberlain, South Dakota. She studied at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY and was a member of the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors and was also a highly accomplished printmaker. She lived in Bellingham, WA and maintained a studio in New York City. She worked on the Public Works of Art Project for the state of Washington in the 1930's.

Identifier: spl_art_C671Mo

Date: 1934

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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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Solie Ringold Interview, 1988

Solie Ringold (1914-2004) was a Seattle native who became Washington’s first Jewish judge in 1961. Ringold attended the University of Washington and graduated with a degree in law in 1936. After earning his degree Ringold began working for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s office. In 1939 Ringold married his wife, Marion Margolis. Shortly after their first daughter’s birth, World War II began and Ringold left Seattle to serve as part of the Army’s counterintelligence corps in the South Pacific. Following the war, the couple had two more children. Throughout his career, Ringold held several prominent positions including serving as a chairman of the Civil Rights Committee of the Seattle Bar Association from 1960-1961, as a King County Superior Court Judge between 1961 and 1977 and a Washington State Court of Appeals judge between 1978 and 1988. Ringold was active in many community organizations including the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, Jewish Family and Child Service of Seattle, the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, and the American Veterans Club. He was a founding member of the Washington State Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The organization named Ringold their “Person of the Year” in 1992.

Identifier: spl_ds_sringold_01_01

Date: 1988

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Aerial view of downtown Seattle east from Safeco Plaza, July 15, 1981

Dorpat, Paul

Views east towards First Hill and Capitol Hill.

Identifier: spl_dor_00040

Date: 1981-07-15

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Ibsen Nelson Interview, 1988

Ibsen Andreas Nelson (1919-2001) was a Seattle architect known for his historical preservation efforts and his designs for buildings such as the Museum of Flight and the Inn at the Market. He also designed many residential homes, including one for his friend and prominent Pacific Northwest artist Morris Graves. Originally from Ruskin, Nebraska, Nelson served in the army during World War II and received two bronze stars. Following the war, he attended the University of Oregon which he graduated from in 1951 with his degree in architecture. He worked briefly at Naramore, Bain, Brady and Johanson in Seattle as a draftsman before opening his own architectural firm in 1953. Nelson was a member of the Seattle Design Commission, and served as president of both the Allied Arts of Seattle and the Seattle Municipal Arts Commission.

Identifier: spl_ds_inelson_01

Date: 1988-04-06; 1988-04-12

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Fred Bassetti Interview, January 24, 1987

Fred Bassetti (1917-2013) was a Seattle native and part of the “Northwest School” of architects. He attended Garfield High School and received his bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Washington in 1942. During the war, he worked for the Federal Public Housing Authority. In 1946, he graduated from Harvard with his masters degree in architecture. Upon his return to Seattle, he worked for Naramore Bain Brady Johanson from 1946 to 1947 before creating his own architectural firm. Bassetti was responsible for the design of projects such as the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building, the Seattle Municipal Tower and Lakeside School among others.

Identifier: spl_ds_fbassetti_01

Date: 1987-01-24; 1987

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