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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Plat of West Seattle Land and Improvement Company's Platted Lands, 1890
Map showing land parcels in West Seattle.
Identifier: spl_maps_2449573
Date: 1890
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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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Jeanette Williams Interview, May 1988
Jeanette Williams (1914-2008) was a Seattle native who spent 20 years serving on the Seattle City Council. Williams attended Mercer Grade School and Queen Anne High School. She was a skilled violinist and attended Cornish School of Music, the University of Washington and the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. Before embarking on her political career, Williams played for the Chicago Philharmonic and formed a quartet that went by the name Swinging Strings. In 1962, Williams became the first woman to chair the King County Democrats. In 1969, she won a seat on the Seattle City Council, championing the creation of Magnuson Park and programming for senior citizens. During her tenure on the council, Williams introduced legislation to protect gay, lesbian and transgender citizens from discrimination in employment and housing. She was also instrumental in obtaining funding for construction of the West Seattle bridge helped the city to acquire Kubota Garden as a park. She remained on the council until 1989.
Identifier: spl_ds_jwilliams_01_01
Date: 1988-05
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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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Baist's Real Estate Atlas of Surveys of Seattle, Wash - Plate 21
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. <br></br>The future site of the Ballard Locks appears at the top of the Salmon Bay Waterway.
Identifier: spl_maps_341191.21
Date: 1905
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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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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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Narcissa, Alice, Hattie, Clara and Emma Latimer, ca. 1880
Narcissa Latimer Denny was the daughter of Alexander and Sarah Latimer. She had four sisters: Eliza Alice Latimer Fowler (1856-1934), Harriet Ellen Latimer Stephens (1859-1938), Clara Latimer Bickford (1861-1934), and Emma Chesney Latimer Reynolds (1864-1946). The three women standing in the back are Emma, Narcissa and Clara. The two women sitting are Alice and Hattie.
Identifier: spl_lj_044
Date: 1880?
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Municipal Plans Commission of the City of Seattle map showing a portion of Duwamish Valley, 1911
Map showing proposed city improvements under the Plan of Seattle, commonly known as the Bogue Plan. Designed by Virgil Bogue, Seattle's municipal plans director, the Bogue Plan proposed a series of improvements aimed at beautifying the city and making it making it more cohesive after years of rapid growth and industrialization. The plan worked in tandem with the Olmsted Brothers new system of parks, begun in 1903, and proposed new government buildings, an improved city center and an interurban road connecting the city together. The plan was rejected by voters in 1912.
Identifier: spl_maps_2465533_8
Date: 1911
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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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