Heritage Reflector
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HERITAGE REFLECTOR Fall 2013 Volume XIII Issue III Vision The Story Behind a Bike To be a destination heritage museum and research facility that enhances Sherry Grindeland Former Seattle Times community identity Trustee columnist Don Duncan through the preservation remembers the race well. He and stewardship of the Barbara Fox Curran always wrote about it in a 1990’s Eastside’s history. intended to restore her old column. bicycle. She kept it through “Hearts pounding, my buddy a long and happy marriage, Mission and I hunched over our bulky, through moves around the To steward Eastside history balloon-tired bikes, impatient for world, and finally, for the last 3 by actively collecting, Gov. Clarence D. Martin to cut ½ decades, in the garage of her preserving, and interpreting the ribbon so we could race across home in Bellevue’s Woodcreek documents and artifacts, the brand new Lacey V. Murrow complex. and by promoting public Floating Bridge. involvement in and Fox recently moved to The (…) we were going to make history appreciation of Gardens senior living complex by leading the first official charge this heritage through in downtown Bellevue. As to the Mercer Island side. Imagine, educational programming part of the downsizing, she a concrete bridge that floats right and community outreach. donated the bike to Eastside here in the center of the universe, Heritage Center. The bike has Seattle, Washington. Above: Barbara Fox Curran, ca. 1940. an interesting track record. We didn’t win the great bike race, On July 2, 1940, as part of the my buddy and I. A mere girl, astride bike. She and a friend rode from In this Lake Washington Floating a new-fangled bike with skinny tires University Avenue and 22nd Bridge opening festivities, Fox and a gear shift, blew past us and was in Seattle to Tacoma and spent pedaled the bike in a race from interviewed by a radio announcer. It the night. The next morning Seattle to Mercer Island. She Issue hurt our pride, of course, her being a they peddled to Mount Rainier. was 18. And she zipped by the girl and all…” They spent the night at the Recent Accessions.................2 mostly-boy crowd to finish ranger station in the park. Wanted ..................................2 first. “The boys were younger than I In the morning, they headed Collections Corner ...............3 was,” Barbara said. “But I was downhill and were home in Her memories of the day have President’s Message ............4 used to riding my bike a lot. I Seattle by dark. dimmed. She doesn’t recall if Programs................................5 rode it everywhere. That’s how she won any prizes that day. In Memoriam ........................6 I got along.” “It was safe to ride on the But she does remember that Education Corner.................6 streets then,” she said. “We her family didn’t know she was Fox believes that was the Welcome..........................6 didn’t worry about cars headed to the bridge opening. same summer she had a more Volunteer Corner..................7 because it was crowded. And memorable experience on the EHC Membership .................7 Continued on page 2... Page 2 Heritage REFLECTOR Fall 2013 ...Bike, continued from pg. 1 those cars and drivers that Wanted! were around were polite.” Recent Accessions By Nancy Sheets, Volunteer Thank you for your donations to the collection: Fox, who was born Sept. 12, It is a fact, Bellevue, along 1921, spent most of her youth with the rest of the Eastside, in Seattle with the exception Trisha Nerney Barbara Sharpe is growing up and out, and of a brief stint in California and - Photos and archives related to - Misc. artifacts, photos and forever changing; and as an a couple years in Medina. She the Easton family of Bellevue archives relating to the Sharpe organization we must keep up. attended fourth and fifth grade family and general Bellevue in Medina. She remembers Jane Morton history; complete archive of Questions are being asked, and walking to school there and - 1980 Bellevue teacher’s strike the Bellevue Reflector we should have the answers. said downtown Bellevue was t-shirt We are requesting your help open fields then. C.R.Bowar in keeping our collection and Rob Foxcurran - Photos for the Mercer Slough Both sets of her grandparents research archive up-to-date. - Barbara Jean Fox’s bicycle, were early Seattle residents. used to win the 1940 race Heather and Nick Trescases Her paternal grandfather was Here are some of the subjects across the Mercer Island Bridge - Assortment of Microsoft on the board of the Alaska we need more information on: Office product installation Yukon Pacific Exposition. Her Kathy Lindquist discs grandmother Lucinda Diane Parks - community and - Brick from Medina School, Horback told her stories about neighborhood wood panel from Medina Store BOLA Architecture and coming west on the Oregon Planning Trail in 1857. Neighborhoods - e.g. Surrey Pat Sandbo - Blueprints and architectural Downs and Sherwood Forest - Materials relating to the drawings from the Clise Fox graduated from Roosevelt history of the Bellevue Library Mansion/Willowmoor farm High School in 1938 and started Performing Arts, system classes at the University of Entertainment, Activities - Ross McIvor Washington. She had no including programs, pictures Carl Lind - Village Inn matchbook desire for an office job – too with people participating, - Photos from the 50Fest Moto- much sitting. She preferred and information on venues rama car show Knute Berger something active so she began (theaters, movie complexes, ice - Complete archive from the working at Sandpoint Naval rinks, bowling alleys, etc.) Margot Blacker EastsideWeek newspaper Air Station taking care of - Kathy Gwylim files relating airplanes. There she caught Schools - e.g. Odle, Interlake, to the Three Towers project, the flying bug and always an Newport, Sammamish Enatai adventurer; she earned her substation pilot’s license. She flew a Piper Shopping Centers - e.g. Lake project, Bellevue Cub and was the only girl in a Hills, Eastgate and Kelsey traffic ordinance class of 10 men. Creek file She married a young Navy Officer on May 25, 1942. After Churches - old and new City of Bellevue the war, Navy life took them to - 1993 Seafair Italy, France and Japan, and a Businesses - from all around parade photos lot of time on the East Coast. the Eastside They had four children. When school was out each summer, Pictures and information on Fox would load the children any of these would be greatly and suitcases in the family car appreciated. And remember, and drive cross country back to history is happening now – so Seattle. Upon retirement, they in addition to information from Above: Village Inn matchbook donated by moved back to the Northwest. the “old days”, we also need Ross McIvor. information from more current Moving to a retirement home times. has its advantages, Fox said. There are a lot of classes. “I like We need all we can get from To Donate Items: to keep busy. I particularly like the past to the present to call 425-450-1049 or email the exercise class.” answer the questions – and [email protected] inform and educate. Thank you! Fall 2013 Heritage REFLECTOR Page 3 over the region, State and the then back up into Old Bellevue, world, we have noticed an covering a number of historic Collections increasing desire and need to sites along Main Street. tell the Bellevue story. Some preliminary work was done The brochure will be Corner in 2012 in partnership with available online through the Sarah Frederick Visit Bellevue Washington, Eastside Heritage Center Collections Manager providing guided historic website, as well as at walking tours to visiting VisitBellevueWashington. Exhibits travel writers as part of the com and others. The printed organization’s efforts to brochure will be available in Stop by the Winters promote Bellevue as a tourist November, and we plan to House to check out destination. But, it quickly distribute it to hotels, Old our new exhibit on became clear that what was Bellevue merchants and other the history of Beaux needed was a self-guided public sites in the community. Arts. This exhibit walking tour brochure, in order will only be up to share some of Bellevue’s In the Spring and Summer 2014 until the first week early history with visitors and we hope to do some guided of December, so the public at large. walking tours for the public, don’t miss it! Santas to promote the brochure from the Golliver Over the past few months and share some of Bellevue’s Collection will then EHC worked to develop the ‘hidden’ history. be on display at both Above:Detail from a 1908 map of Beaux Arts, brochure with the help of the Winters House showing the proposed clubhouse. Gravity Design. A total of 24 Thank you to 4Culture for and at Crossroads sites are included on the tour, funding the brochure through a Shopping Center throughout which starts at NE 8th St. & Heritage Special Projects grant, the holiday season. to collect oral histories from Bellevue Way, heads south and we also really appreciate those associated with the to the Downtown Park, then the support of Visit Bellevue Upcoming Projects history and development of west to Meydenbauer Beach Washington in this endeavor. the Garden. Information from Park, along the waterfront, and Our Collections team is these oral histories, and other working on two exciting archive sources, will be used by projects this winter. the Garden in the development of interpretive elements in The first is finalizing the the new visitor center, park manuscript draft for our signage, and in the creation of upcoming Arcadia book other education materials. project, Bellevue – The Post-War Years.