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UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, TACOMA

THE HISTORY OF MURRAY AND ROSA MORGAN

BY

AMY LOELLE ADAMS

DECEMBER 16, 1998

SUBMITTED TO THE COMMUNITY HISTORY PROJECT Project Summary

In the spring of 1939, two people sharing a love for the Northwest and common interests

in writing, research, and adventure were married. Little did anyone know then that this union

between Murray and Rosa Morgan would have such an effect on Northwest history. For over

sixty years, Murray has been a journalist and historian, writing articles, books, and doing radio

broadcasts covering a world-wide range of subjects, although mainly concentrating on issues in the Northwest. His works are especially relevant to Tacoma, where he is known as the expert in the city's history. Rosa has been a constant throughout as a researcher, editor, photographer, and proofreader. Their enthusiasm for their work has produced beautifully written narrative histories that allow the reader to easily imagine what life was like in the past. Together Murray and Rosa

Morgan, doing what they love and do best, have changed the way we feel about the Northwest through their research and Murray's writings.

What follows is a project centered around the lives and times of Murray and Rosa. The introductory paper will give the reader a background on Murray and Rosa's lives and a context in which to place the subsequent interviews. The interviews were taped the afternoon of November

10, 1998 at Murray and Rosa's house near Trout Lake. There are also several appendices included to learn more on Murray and Rosa's lives through primary sources. Contents

I. Introductory Paper: The History of Murray and Rosa Morgan 5 - 18

II. Transcript of Interview with Murray Morgan 19 - 44 ill. Transcript of Interview with Rosa Morgan 44-76

N. Timeline of Murray and Rosa's Lives 77 -78

V. Writings of Murray Morgan 79 - 80

VI. Appendices: Newspaper Clippings and Copies

A. Articles about Murray and Rosa's lives.

B. Reviews of Murray's books.

C. Murray's articles on his second trip down the Danube by kayak. and on Alaska.

D. Excerpts from Murray's books describing his personal experiences. The History of Murray and Rosa Morgan

Murray and Rosa Morgan's lives have spanned most of the twentieth century. They have

witnessed many changes in their hometown of Tacoma and throughout the world. Throughout

their lives, Murray and Rosa have been involved in journalism, working to document events

through intensive background research. Many of Murray's books were inspired by events he and

Rosa witnessed first-hand, that led to thorough research of their history. The Tacoma community

knows and respects Rosa and Murray for their dedication to researching, documenting, and

preserving Tacoma history. Although Murray is the more well-known of the couple through his

writings, radio broadcasts, and teaching career, he is quick to extend credit to his wife, Rosa, who has researched, edited, and been his general "leg-woman" in all of his endeavors. What follows is the story of this incredible couple: the history of Murray and Rosa Morgan.

Murray and Rosa were born when the world was at war. On Murray's birthdate, February

16, 1916, the United States had not yet entered World War I but had felt the effects of it in the sinking of the Lusitania the year before.) In April 1917, the u.S. entered the war. Dissent was severely discouraged through the Espionage and Sedition Acts (1917-1918).2 Murray's father,

Henry Victor Morgan, a lifelong Socialist, could only have been dismayed when the Socialist leader, Eugene Debs was jailed for "declaring that wars were fought by the working class in the interests of the capitalist class.") World War I brought growth and economic prosperity to

I W. 1. Rorabaugh and Donald T. Critchlow, America! A Concise History (Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 1994), Chapter 23. 2 Rorabaugh and Critchlow, 467. 3 Rorabaugh and Critchlow, 468.

5 Tacoma. The construction of Camp Lewis brought many jobs, workers, and troops to the region.

By the end of 1917, there were 40,000 men at Camp Lewis training to be soldiers.4 Orders for airplanes and ships also increased productivity at Boeing and in the shipyards and brought more people to the Puget Sound region.5

Rosa was born on November 9, 1918, just two days shy of official armistice. On return from the war, U.S. soldiers found a shortage of jobs since many war contracts had been canceled.6 Anti-Socialist attitudes increased as labor struggles elevated around the country.

They were especially prominent in Washington State. On the first anniversary of Armistice Day,

November 11, 1919, in Centralia, Washington, the American Legion, representing anti-Bolshevik sentiment and right-wing thinking, paraded past the International Workers of the World

(Wobbly) headquarters, which represented leftist, labor union perspectives.? Shots were fired and several members of the American Legion were killed. In the mob scene that followed, one

Wobbly was hung fro~ a railroad trestle while many others were imprisoned. The event and subsequent trial in March 1920 drew national attention to labor struggles in Washington and drew one Easterner to comment that "the American Union consists of 47 states and the Soviet of

Washington."s This was the context that surrounded Murray and Rosa's infancy.

As the United States entered the 1920s, Tacoma became a center of activity and economic prosperity. War veterans who remembered their training grounds at Camp Lewis with fondness

4 Paul W. Harvey, Tacoma Headlines (Tacoma: Tribune Publishing Co., 1962),52. 5 Michael Sullivan, History of Tacoma lecture, University of Washington, Tacoma, 4 November 1998. 6 Rorabaugh and Critchlow. 7 Harvey, 59-60. s Harvey, 60.

6 came back to make their homes.9 Housing was under construction throughout the city, and many new steel skyscrapers began to form Tacoma's skyline. IO The advent of the automobile and greater automation on farms drew many agrarian families into the city. I I The growing popularity of radio and movies painted a romantic picture of urban life. World War I had been the first war where the majority of soldiers were literate, and education continued to be expected and encouraged in young people. 12 Murray and Rosa were children during this decade. They met in

Sunday School and became fast friends with similar interests. Each has fond memories of playing in neighborhood parks, going to movies together, and doing well in school.

At the end of 1919, the Morgan family was pictured in the Tacoma Sunday Ledger with their new Ford sedan, symbolizing the beginning of a decade of greater economic prosperity. 13

Murray's father was the well-known minister of Park Universalist church on Division A venue and was also president of the International New-Thought Alliance. He went on several trips to

Europe as a result of this affiliation, and took young Murray along at least twice in the 1920s.

These early experiences of exploring the world beyond Tacoma instigated Murray's interest in history. Murray's parents were both writers with strong opinions on social issues. It is not surprising Murray followed their lead as an effective writer with interests in the Tacoma community. It is also evident that Murray's mother, Adda Laine Morgan, served as assistant in

9 Sullivan, 4 November 1998. 10 Sullivan, 9 November 1998. 11 Sullivan, 4 November 1998. 12 Ibid. 13 "Church Pastor Buys Third Ford, a Sedan," Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 2 November 1919. See Appendix A for the picture and copy of the article.

7 her husband's career and was a vital part of his life. 14 By observing this parental model, Murray

learned how important a loving and intellectually challengin~ partnership was in a marriage and

chose such a partner in Rosa Northcutt.

Rosa also fondly remembers her childhood and family. Her father, Stanley W. Northcutt,

was self-employed as a bookkeeper and accountant as a partner in a motor freight business.

Rosa's mother, Jessie O. Northcutt, was a mountaineer and instilled an early love of the

Northwest in Rosa by taking her and her friends on camping trips to Mt. Rainier. Rosa's parents also encouraged adventure by allowing her freedom to explore the region with her friends at their beach cabins or on day-trips by themselves. Rosa's interests in writing were instilled in school, mainly by her work on the Lincoln High School newspaper. She also was independent enough to take classes she enjoyed, such as woodshop and architectural drawing, even when she was the only girl in the class. Throughout life, Rosa has continued her education, trying everything and taking a variety of courses at nearby colleges. Although it may have taken her a long time to get the credits lined up in the right patterns to earn a college degree, Rosa's eagerness to follow her own interests, no matter what the social norm might have been, created a personality rich in intelligence and diversity, constantly open to new challenges and ideas. This personality would ultimately produce exceptional skills in research and editing that became so evident later in her life.

The cold, bitter winter of 1929 in the Pacific Northwest portended a downturn in economic prosperity for the next decade. IS The stock market crash of October 1929 sent the

14''Tacoma Churches," newspaper article from hanging file on Tacoma, Unitarian Churches in the Northwest Room, Tacoma Public Library.

8

------country into the Great Depression of the 1930s. This was the fonnative decade during which

Rosa and Murray would turn from children to adults. In 1932, Tacoma put its political support behind Franklin D. Roosevelt for president. Voters were not disappointed when many of

Roosevelt's federally funded New Deal programs, like the Grand Coulee and Bonneville dams authorized in 1933, benefited the Pacific Northwest. 16 Despite these efforts, however, Tacoma suffered throughout the Depression, with its worst economic woes occurring in the mid-1930s.

On June 22, 1937, the beloved Tacoma Ledger printed its last newspaper due to economic losses.1 7 Because Tacoma was primarily a labor town, the city experienced a severe number of layoffs and industry shutdowns during the Depression that affected nearly every family in- the region. IS The country also experienced a wave of kidnappings during the 1930s and earned

Tacoma the distinction of "kidnapping capital of the West.,,19 Mostfamous was the kidnapping of George Weyerhaeuser on May 24, 1935, who was released unharmed for $200,000 ransom. 20

The kidnappers were eventually captured and convicted. Although Murray and Rosa were never much at risk (their parents were not wealthy), their memories of the excitement of the period are strong.

By 1939, Murray had saved enough money from his post-university jobs that he was able to offer his sweetheart a trip to Europe by freighter in exchange for her hand in marriage. Rosa

15 Harvey, 69. 16 Sullivan, 9 November 1998. 17 Harvey, 72. 18 Sullivan, 9 November 1998. 19 Murray Morgan, Puget's Sound: A Narrative of Early Tacoma and the Southern Sound, Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1967. For more information about Tacoma kidnappings see "Kidnappers Have Made Headlines Often in Tacoma," Tacoma News Tribune, 27 June 1969 (referenced in the computer file on kidnappings in the Northwest Room, Tacoma Public Library). 20 Harvey, 74-77.

9 accepted with delight. Murray and Rosa began their married life on a kayak trip down the

Danube. There they saw first-hand the effects of the brewing war in Europe. At one point, the newlyweds were arrested as possible German spies in Romania. So as not to worry his father,

Murray wrote home saying "I am going to be the guest of the government for aweek.,,21 When the couple returned to Washington from their honeymoon, they were out of money and needed employment. Unfortunately, the country was still feeling the effects of the Depression, and the only job Murray could find was at a Spokane newspaper. As soon as they could, the couple moved back to the western side of the state to work for the Grays Harbor Washingtonian.

Murray was city editor while Rosa worked as proofreader and temporary Society editor.

Murray and Rosa then moved to New York City in 1941 where Murray pursued a Masters in journalism at Columbia University. It was the same year that the United States would enter

World War II. Throughout the country, the war ended lingering unemployment brought on by the Depression. For Murray and Rosa, the beginning of war meant a way to earn money as jobs immediately opened up in journalism. Murray took three positions as night editor for CBS, department editor for Time, and weekend reporter for the Herald Tribune. On the side, Murray published free-lance articles. Rosa worked for Prentice Hall as a copyeditor and proofreader while attending classes in the sleepless Murray's place. Murray and Rosa's diligence would earn

Murray the Pulitzer Fellowship for Outstanding Student. Although the prize allowed the recipient to study the press anywhere in the world, Murray's draft board helped him choose a place close to the United States: Mexico. While there, Murray began his book-writing career co­

21 "Danube Voyagers Safe in N.Y." Tacoma News Tribune, 6 November 1939, 11.

10 authoring a novel with an Australian friend (Howard Daniel) entitled Thunder Down Under. 22 He

also began Day of the Dead, a murder mystery set in Mexico.

Murray and Rosa spent a year in Mexico before the Anny called Murray to serve in the

Signal Corps as code clerk in the Aleutian Islands. The islands would provide the perfect setting

for Murray's next book, Bridge to Russia: Those Amazing Aleutians. Because wives were not

allowed to accompany their h1l$bands to Alaska, Rosa stayed in Seattle and researched the history \

of the Aleutians in Northwest libraries. She also worked as a photographer and leg-woman for !

Bill Speide1.23 After Murray w;as transferred to Seward, Alaska, Rosa and Murray were able to end their year-long separation when Rosa visited as Murray's sister.24 It was here they experienced the ending to World War II. World War II was an extremely emotional war for

Americans. Many were separated from family and friends for years; many never saw their loved ones again. It was a brutal war evidenced in the German concentration camps, the bombing of

Pearl Harbor and European cities, as well as the use of the nuclear bombs in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Fear of espionage brought about the internment of thousands of

Japanese-American citizens in a country fighting for democracy and freedom. New technology led to new types of warfare, including the atom bomb partly developed in Eastern Washington.

The bomb brought the end of the war but also began the nuclear age of fear and Cold War.

Murray finished his army duty as master sergeant at the Pentagon writing a book on the Anny

Communication System's history to be presented to the top Signal Corps general on a special

22 "Morgan Writing Volume About Pioneer Settlers," 26 October 1947. 23 Bill Speidel was a Seattle historian who is famous for his role in creating Seattle's Underground Tour. 24 See Rosa's interview for details.

11 occasIon. Upon the discovery that the general would most likely be the only reader of his work,

Murray put most of his efforts into other writings.

In 1947, Murray and Rosa moved back to the Northwest and bought an old open-air dance hall they had visited as kids. They converted it into the home they have lived in ever since at Trout Lake, northeast of Tacoma. Murray took a job teaching "Journalism and Professional

Writing" at the College of Puget Sound (now University of Puget Sound) where many of his students were contemporaries as returning GIs. Rosa commuted to a job in Seattle as copyeditor and proofreader for the University of Washington Press. She worked there until their daughter

Lane was born in 1949.

Tacoma went through many changes after the war. The automobile was extremely popular and was responsible for many urban planning decisions.25 Suburban sprawl and parking lot construction dominated the 1950s. Federal urban renewal money placed emphasis on tearing down the old and putting up new. Many of Tacoma's historic buildings were lost during this period. The Federal Aid Highway Act built the interstate system which would bypass Tacoma's downtown. Tacoma compounded for the retail loss by building Tacoma Mall right off 1-5. As retail left downtown, corruption flourished at City Hall. 26 City government was so corrupt when a new public safety commissioner, James Kerr, moved into office, the question on the public's mind was not whether he was shady but which faction he belonged to.27 Tacoma was embarrassed when state senator Albert Rosellini held hearings that made the corruption public.

25 Sullivan, 23 November 1998. 26 Ibid. 27 Sullivan, 23 November 1998 and Denny MacGougan, "City Commission Tried to Halt Rampant Vice With 1951 Probe," Tacoma News Tribune, 16 January 1968.

12 In the November election of 1952, a fed-up Tacoma changed its charter in favor of a council- manager form of city government. Compounding troubled city politics was the influence of

Senator Joe McCarthy around the nation.28 The communist scare and subsequent hearings challenged all Americans to question political affiliations. In Tacoma, Murray and Rosa's friend and head of the school board, Fred Haley, was bitterly criticized for the hiring of a teacher who had been accused of being a leftist in the McCarthy hearings.29 In 1954, Edward R. Murrow, a former Washingtonian well known for his patriotism and service during the war, went after

McCarthy in a radio broadcast of "See It Now." McCarthyism eventually faded from national

·· 30 po1ItICS.

In 1953, Murray's CPS students were members of "the Eisenhower generation [where] everyone wanted to work for Weyerhaeuser and have a split-level.,,31 Losing interest in teaching,

Murray decided to learn more about the rapidly changing Tacoma, and get on the radio to broadcast his opinions. Together with Jim Faber, another established reporter, "they shook the town by Commencement Bay to its tideflats, exposing in a delightful, irreverent... way strange doings in the areas of law enforcement and law unenforcement.,,32 Later, Murray created the morning radio program "Our Town, Our World," where he explored news topics and Pacific

Northwest history. Murray also wrote regularly in the local newspapers. To keep up with

Tacoma events, Murray attended nearly every city council meeting. When he couldn't, "his alter­

28 Sullivan, 23 November 1998. 29 For more information on Fred Haley and this event see William Cookson, Fred Haley and the Brown and Haley Company, The Community History Project, University of Washington, Tacoma, 1992. 30 Sullivan, 23 November 1998. 31 Suky Hutton, "Murray Morgan, the Gentle Historian," The Weekly. 7 November 1979. 32 Don Duncan, ''The Northwest's 'Irreverent Historian,'" Seattle Times, 27 August 1967.

13 ego, Rosa Morgan, sits in on the meetings and takes notes. Mrs. Morgan knows her husband's style so well the broadcast the next morning is pure Murray Morgan.,,33 Also during this time,

Rosa became involved with the League of Women Voters and was active in the changing politics of the time. She also worked as a substitute teacher, but did not find it very rewarding. She then took a position as reference librarian at Pacific Lutheran University and stayed for twelve years in what she calls the "best job ever." In 1969, Murray returned to teaching at Tacoma Community

College where he taught Pacific Northwest History for thirteen years, heading the history department from 1980-81.

Murray and Rosa's love of history is also evident in the way they raised their family.

From talking with Murray and Rosa, I get the feeling that their only daughter, Lane, has brought perspective to their studies of Northwest history. They watched her grow up in a new generation where children bussed to school rather than roller-skated. They "burst with pride" when she gave a serious message in her Valedictorian speech during the Vietnam War. When Lane was fourteen, the family re-enacted Murray and Rosa's honeymoon kayaking down the Danube. This second journey was only months after Murray had an operation to remove cancer in his stomach, but the family knew the trip would be the "perfect convalescence." Like her parents, Lane is also a successful writer and editor. Murray and Rosa also have two grandchildren whom they will watch carry on the next generation of appreciation for and participation in history.

33 Ibid.

14 Throughout the years, Murray published book after book, covering a variety of subjects but most centering on the Northwest. In nearly every book and interview, Murray has been quick to recognize Rosa's contributions to these works. In one interview he said:

She's been a wonderful editor and critic. She's a first-rate researcher. Nearly all of the books have been joint projects. Rosa is particularly good at pointing out when I'm getting too involved in a sentence---if I start showing off in the writing, she gets it back to being solid. Also, she has an ear for the exact word ... And we like the same things. For example, we like to travel. 34

Their experiences together have led to many book ideas and a lot of collaborative research.

Although acknowledged in every book, it was in 1984 that Murray and Rosa officially co­ authored their first book together: South on the Sound, An Illustrated History of Tacoma and

Pierce County. It is a pictorial collaboration synthesizing their research with Rosa's love of photography and Murray's eloquent narrative style.

Murray's writings all represent a narrative style that is absent in many historical works today. One Northwest writer said that Murray possesses "a rare talent for making the past throb with vitality, for selecting just the right anecdote to illustrate a point ... [bringing] to his books a light touch and a compassion and understanding for man's foibles that make the reader cry for more. ,,35 Each book and article comes from what he has found fascinating through his own experiences and research interests. In each book, Murray writes of some personal connection to his subject, usually describing the experience he and Rosa had that led to their research in the topic and the book's eventual publication.36 He doesn't enjoy writing definitive analyses of

34 John Lawrence, "Murray Morgan--The Northwest's Man for All Seasons," Tacoma News Tribune, 29 March 1981,9. 35 Duncan. 36 See Appendix D for excerpts from Murray's books describing these personal experiences.

15 history, but instead likes "to see what the impact of personality was; how people responded to the

economic conditions of the time, and tell a story that way.,,37 Although he likes story-telling,

Murray is quick to point out that "every conversation is documented ... from a hell of a lot of

research.,,38

Murray and Rosa are well-known and honored members of the greater Tacoma

community (including Seattle!). When people speak of Murray and Rosa, everybody has a

glimmer in their eyes as they recall memories of personal encounters, books, articles, and radio

broadcasts. Throughout their lives, many articles have been written praising Murray's writing

and journalism. Nearly all of these articles recognize Rosa's contributions to Murray's career.

The Tacoma Public Library has established the annual "Murray Morgan Prize" to recognize a

work "of high literary quality and wide interest. The work must exemplify the principles of

narrative excellence and high standards of research as demonstrated in the distinguished career of author Murray Morgan.,,39 In 1997 Tacoma's 11th Street Bridge was renamed the "Murray

Morgan Bridge" to honor "Puget Sound's most noted historian.,,4Q On December 17, 1997,

Murray and Rosa were saluted by the City Club for their contributions to Tacoma. The list of honors goes on. The recognition and respect from the community alone tell how Murray and

Rosa have made the people of the Northwest feel about their home. The books, articles, radio broadcasts, and photographs ensure that their contributions to history will be appreciated for generations.

37 Hutton. 38 Ibid. 39 Murray Morgan Prize 1998 pamphlet. 40 Joseph Turner, '''Historic' Name for a Bridge," Tacoma News Tribune, 15 May 1997, B 1.

16