West Seattle, Washington
06 Sunday
Responded to the U.S. Census yet? If so – you’ve helped our area beat the national average! We received this sampling of stats from Census rep Toby Nelson:
West Seattle neighborhoods are currently eclipsing both the city and statewide response averages.
*In Tract 96 (roughly corresponding to North Admiral), 75.5% of households have responded
*In Tract 97.01 (roughly corresponding to Alki), 75.2%
*In Tract 97.02 (roughly the area between Schmitz Preserve Park and California Ave. SW) – 84.4%
*In Tract 98.01 (roughly the area between Harbor Ave SW and California Ave SW) – 80.3%
*In Tract 98.02 (roughly the area between the West Seattle Bridge and California Avenue SW) – 80.3%
Overall, Seattle is the second-best responding major city (defined as the top 50 cities for population) in the United States, edged only by Louisville. Approximately 71% of Seattle households have responded to the 2020 Census. The national response average is 61.8 percent.
Washington
Washington state today hit a major milestone in the 2020 Census. As of (Wednesday) — and with three months left in the national headcount — Washington has now equaled its self-response rate from the 2010 Census, ten years ago, making it the second state to do so. Approximately 2.2 million Washington households, or 67.1% of the state, have submitted their census questionnaires. This also makes Washington the sixth best-responding state in the United States and the best-responding state west of the Rockies.
If you haven’t answered it yet: “The Census Bureau strongly encourages the public to respond online at 2020census.gov. Households can respond online in English or 12 other languages or by phone. Households can also respond by mail using the paper questionnaire.”
Not only is Evan Smith celebrating graduating from West Seattle High School, the bowler also has a national honor to celebrate – mom Bri’Anna Smith sends word that Evan made the High School All-American Team presented by Dexter Bowling – here’s how the announcement describes her achievements:
The senior, who took honors classes in biology, language arts and world history, also is part of the concert and marching bands at West Seattle High School. She led the charge to have a bowling team at her school and helped the team to the state tournament in its first year in 2019-2020, where she finished 12th in the individual standings. She also serves as a director on the Greater Seattle USBC board.
As noted here in April, Evan signed with Texas Southern University. Her achievements go back years – as a 9th grader, she won two major titles.
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
Hundreds of people of all ages commemorated Pride Sunday in West Seattle with a “mini-march” along a few blocks of California SW in Morgan Junction this afternoon. Some brought flags and banners, big and small:
As announced by organizers Autumn Lovewell and Monica Colgan, who just took over Morgan Junction’s Youngstown Coffee, there was a special focus, “honoring and remembering Black and Indigenous Trans/Queer Lives, the creators of Pride”:
As they also noted in the announcement, “the first Pride was a protest, not a parade” – a reminder of the Stonewall uprising that began with a police raid in New York, 51 years ago today.
Though there have been major victories for LGBTQ rights, from marriage equality to the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, today also carried the reminder “there is so much work to do.”
Whether marching or not, supporters were invited to help with that work by donating to the Ingersoll Gender Center.
Thanks to Amber for the photo from another West Seattle Pride event today, a neighborhood walk in Admiral! Sorry this wasn’t in our daily preview list – we didn’t hear about it in advance, but our list does include the Morgan Junction mini-march for Pride, set to start from Morgan Junction Park, 6413 California SW, around 2:15 pm.
11:56 AM: Today and tomorrow, 60+ rainbow flags line the heart of The Junction, as this year’s Pride month concludes. Volunteers placed them this morning:
Above, West Seattle Junction Association executive director Lora Radford and King County Councilmember Joe McDermott were part of the crew.
This is the second year for the flags, which were all “adopted” as a Junction Association fundraiser (WSB is among the adopters).
The flags will be removed at 8 pm tonight and re-placed at 8 am tomorrow – helpers welcome (meet up on the northeast corner of California and Alaska).
P.S. One more flag for The Junction – muralist Desmond Hansen is painting the Progress Flag on the signal box at the northeast corner of California/Oregon.
ADDED 1:49 PM: The artist and his creation (photo courtesy WSJA):
Great day for a walk! That’s what Lou Cutler (with support team Denise and Juli) is doing right now – 11.5 miles around the peninsula, to celebrate his 69th birthday and raise money for Make-A-Wish!
As noted in our preview – not to mention annual coveerage! – Lou usually celebrates his birthday a few weeks early by returning to Pathfinder K-8, where he taught PE before retiring five years ago, and running one lap around the field for every year of his new age, with students and staff joining him throughout the day. This year, the campus was closed, so he’s walking one big “lap” around West Seattle. We caught up with him at Lowman Beach.
You can support Make-A-Wish – which brings hope and joy to seriously ill children – via Lou’s page, here.
(Photo, video courtesy APL)
A West Seattle woman wrapping up a distinguished education career got a surprise parade on Tuesday.Jennifer Annable is retiring after a decade as executive director of the Academy for Precision Learning, which describes itself as “an independent K-12 school with the mission of providing a nurturing and individualized learning experience for students across the autism spectrum alongside their typically developing peers.” Before that, she led the UW’s Experimental Education Unit for a quarter-century. APL is in the University District, and that’s where Annable was surprised with a drive-up/walk-up celebration:
Annable’s achievements include a national award – in 2010 she was honored with the Division of Early Childhood’s Rose C. Engel Award for Excellence in Professional Practice.
(WSB photo, June 2019)
A few rainbow flags remain available for “adoption” for the nonprofit West Seattle Junction Association‘s June 27-28 display, we learned today from WSJA executive director Lora Radford – five left as of midday. If you’re interested in one or more, go here – that’s also where you’ll find more details and a list of adopters so far (businesses, schools, faith-based organizations, couples, individuals, and we here at WSB adopted one again this year too).
P.S. Also that weekend, Desmond Hansen will paint a Progress Flag (shown/explained here) on the signal box at the northeast corner of California/Oregon.
(WSB photos)
Ruth DeGabriele had a big reason for that big smile this afternoon: She’s celebrating her 100th birthday.
As has become custom in this pandemic spring, her celebration was outdoors – decorations outside her North Admiral home, friends driving and walking by for greetings at a healthy distance:
Ruth has had quite a life:
Her daughter Michele DeGabriele shared Ruth’s story:
She has been a West Seattle resident since 1942!
My mom was born in Beattie, Kansas. Her parents lost their farm in the Dust Bowl and the family traveled out west in 1937 in the “truck house” – a truck her father converted to a mobile home for them to travel in.
She was the first woman bellhop in the Pacific Northwest (the Washington Hotel in Portland, Oregon):
She met my father, who was an identical twin, when she lived in the apartment above the twins’ grocery store ‘Ray and Al’s Fine Foods,’ on the corner of California Ave and SW Walker St.
They married in 1950 and started their family in 1951, having four children within five years. All 4 of us children are WSHS alums!
She is still living in the same house they bought in 1950 and is a pillar of the neighborhood. Their house on the 1900 block of 41st Street was a voting precinct for about 60 years … until mail-in ballots in Washington were instated.
She has survived all her siblings, most of her friends, and one granddaughter.
As you might imagine, a bigger party was planned, with many family members traveling to be part of it, but COVID-19 canceled that. Happy hundredth, Ruth!
Thanks to Troop 284‘s Eric Linxweiler for the report and photos:
This weekend, we had a “virtual campout” which included some scouts actually outside in tents. Campfire complete with skits, jokes, and more on Saturday night, and cooking demonstrations Sunday morning:
Boil-in-a=bag omelette, and breakfast burrito. Nice demonstration, even without the smell of a campfire.
Then, after the morning ended, a few scouts emailed around, and decided to earn some service hours by helping clean up downtown.
Spent two hours helping, and feeling really good about seeing our city come together and clean up.
Lots of people thanked them, but one downtown business owner stopped his truck to thank the scouts, who really appreciated it.
Huge surprise this afternoon for physician and researcher Stephen Plymate, MD, as he returned to his home near Lincoln Park after a walk. Family and friends surprised him with a classic coronavirus-era celebration – a drive-by parade in honor of a national award he’s just won.
Dr. Plymate, who has worked at the UW and the Puget Sound VA for about 20 years, is the 2020 recipient of the Middleton Award, granted annually to a VA scientist for “outstanding scientific contributions and achievements in the areas of biomedical and bio-behavioral research relevant to the health care of Veterans.” As his wife Dr. Lisa Plymate explains, he “is the 4th physician to be granted this award from the Puget Sound VA in the 58 years it has been given out. He’s the first, however, to have his awards ceremony, usually held in D.C. with great fanfare, thwarted by a virus.” But family and friends weren’t going to let the virus preclude a parade, which we recorded on video:
The pandemic has kept Lisa Plymate on the east coast, so, she explains, “Steve’s Tacoma daughter Corinne worked hard to organize this surprise. She contacted his lab and colleagues plus family and friends.”
Along with his work for the Veterans Administration, Stephen Plymate is also a veteran himself, a retired U.S. Army Colonel. A local veterans’ advocate, Seattle Police Lt. Steve Strand, led today’s parade, in his dress uniform:
Pre-parade, as he walked unsuspectingly up the street, Dr. Plymate was serenaded by one of his neighbors, tenor José Iñiguez from Encanto Arts – we caught a bit of that on video too:
More about Dr. Plymate’s accomplishments, from his wife: He “is professor of endocrinology in the Department of Medicine and director of Prostate Cancer Endocrinology as well as a founding member of the Institute for Prostate Cancer Research at the UW and Fred Hutchison. His work has focused on prostate cancer and its treatment for over 25 years. He has over 300 publications in peer-reviewed journals and is internationally known for his work,” which she says he continues to do about “80 hours per week” in addition to remaining “an avid skier and bicyclist.”
Lisa Plymate adds, “Steve’s 12-year-old granddaughter Liora compiled a montage of congratulatory videos sent by family members and colleagues from around the world. This is also a surprise he will be able to watch after the parade. The entire Plymate clan thanks all the scientists, friends, and neighbors who have helped us put this together in his honor. And they’re grateful for this bit of excitement during our stay-at-home era!”
“Superman” is Michael Flor, who survived a life-threatening case of COVID-19 and returned home to a spirited welcome from his West Seattle neighbors today.
His story was told by Danny Westneat of The Seattle Times two weeks ago, when Flor was discharged from Swedish Medical Center. (The story didn’t mention he lives in West Seattle, but a friend told us, so we linked the story in our nightly virus-crisis roundup.) He’s been recovering at a rehab facility since then – until today.
The photos were sent by Wendy Hobson, who reports, “All of the neighbors came out to welcome him home with signs, balloon, chalk drawings, and a power-washed welcome home in the intersection” (above).
A doctor told The Times that at one point, Flor – who is 70 – was near death, “as sick as you can get.” But he survived, and is now back home to do exactly what that window sign exhorts – “celebrate.”
Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Westside Awards, announced today by the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce. As shown in the Chamber-provided graphic above, here’s the announcement from CEO Julia Jordan:
Our Business of the Year White Center Glass, celebrating 50 years … Row House, our Emerging Business of the Year; Not-for Profit of the Year Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association – DNDA; and finally our Westsider of the Year, Mary Anne DeVry. Each of you make life in West Seattle that much better. Loving, caring, and openly helping our neighbors. THIS is why West Seattle, IS THE BEST SEATTLE!!!!
The winners are chosen each year by the Chamber from community-provided nominations. The criteria, and past winners, can be found here.
(WSB photo, June 2019)
Though the pandemic has pre-empted the Pride parade and parties this summer, the West Seattle Junction is still planning to display rainbow flags for a second year, and you’re invited to adopt one (or more!). 60 rainbow flags will line the heart of The Junction the weekend of June 27-28, available for adoption at $85 each, which gets you a 3′ x 5′ that you can choose to keep (or not) with “a commemorative 8 inch x 6 inch rainbow flag with a desk stand. Your commemorative flag will include your name and message. Each commemorative flag will be affixed to the pole of the large 3 ft x 5 ft flag …” Interested? Go here.
(Photo courtesy Jim Edwards: Donn Weaver, with son Doug in the background)
Opening this afternoon’s media briefing about mask-wearing, King County Executive Dow Constantine expressed condolences for those lost to COVID-19 – saying a West Seattle music legend was among them, Donn Weaver. Mr. Weaver, 87, was a longtime music teacher – including 12 years at West Seattle High School – and spent 19 years as leader of the West Seattle Big Band. The band’s current leader, Jim Edwards, says, “Donn made music a passion for many here in West Seattle,” Jim included. “For the West Seattle Big Band, in his 19 years as musical director, he set the foundation for what has become a highly respected group that continues to give back to the community the joy and the love of music. And we in turn continue to share that with the student musicians at all the schools we collaborate with. His passion for music, and his love of teaching, have made all of us better people because of it. He will be missed.” We featured Mr. Weaver in 2015, when he was honored with the West Seattle Grand Parade‘s Orville Rummel Trophy. We hope to have a longer tribute to him soon.
First Little Free Libraries; now, the “Little Free” movement has expanded in a variety of ways, and here’s another one! The report and photo are from Brad:
My partner has installed a shoebox full of love letters for neighbors inside our Little Free Library. She’s deemed it the Little Free Love Letter pop-up and it’s pretty adorable, full of kind, funny, thoughtful cards for anyone to take and enjoy. She’s always been a serious card-giver, but here she’s taken it to a new level. She knows people are struggling out there, big problems or small; she’s sending some handmade love. So please, stop by and grab a letter! If you’re feeling inspired, feeling the love, drop one off for a random neighbor! 3224 61st Ave SW
Ann Anderson sent the photo and story of a small act of kindness on this sunny Saturday:
Wanted to send out a big thank you to these West Seattle residents who were taking a row off of Duwamish Head early this morning. Their lifeboat was called into action when a photographer dropped her camera into the water off the small pier near Salty’s. After unsuccessfully attempting to get the attention of nearby scuba divers, the lifeboat rowed over and stood by while the photographer (me) jumped in and dove down retrieve the camera from under the pier. It turns out that the familial group – Hayden, Emily and Katherine – were out celebrating not one, but two birthdays today (in a quiet, isolated, C-19-responsible way) when they so kindly assisted a stranger in distress.
The photo is from Kim Mickelson west of The Junction: “Making the best of our son’s 21st birthday in quarantine.” Happy birthday, Tristen!
Life goes on, with adjustments. The video and report are from Bill Schrier:
Nancy Morrison is a long-time resident of the North Admiral District. Today a bunch of her neighbors got together to sing her Happy 91st Birthday, from the street and with social distancing.
Among the groups that have found a way to carry on in the coronavirus crisis: Scout troops! Above are Scouts from West Seattle’s Troop 284, during an online class. We asked for the image after hearing from Chance Mason, who emailed us this report:
I am 12 years old and a Scout in Troop 284. I thought you might be interested in reporting on how Scouts are continuing o operate during self-isolation. Although we are not able to go on campouts or meet to work on projects together, we are meeting over Zoom. We just held our troop and patrol elections. We are also working at home on merit badges such as Family Life, Cooking, and Radio.
Chance’s merit-badge counselor Eric Linxweiler adds, “We’re trying to take advantage of this time to continue scouting journeys while we can’t do it outside in the environments we like so much. We really can’t wait to get back to our community service also, especially our annual Scouting for Food, which has been suspended for now.”
P.S. This story from the WSB archives reminds us, Troop 284 has a century-plus o history!
Alone doesn’t have to mean being lonely. Helen at Our Lady of Guadalupe sends word of one reason why:
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish has a team of “Angel Buddies” ready to check in on our neighbors!
During this difficult time of uncertainty and staying home to stay safe, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish has a team of volunteers who are making weekly calls to check in on our community members and neighbors in West Seattle, offering messages of Hope that we will get through this pandemic crisis together! If you know of someone who would like to receive a call from one of our “Angel Buddies” contact Marion Kari at Our Lady of Guadalupe, via email, at: marionk@olgseattle.org.
The more we spread the message of hope during this time of isolation, we can strengthen confidence that as a community, we will be stronger when we are able to resume our normal lives.
Today is the once-every-decade U.S. Census day – so local leaders have sent this reminder for everyone to participate:
Mayor Jenny A. Durkan, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, Council President Lorena González, and Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda today urged Seattle residents to complete their 2020 Census form and help Seattle access much-needed federal resources. As of March 31, 2020, 42 percent of Seattle residents had completed their Census form, as compared to a nationwide completion rate of 34.7 percent.
From March 12-20, households received the first of several invitations to participate in the 2020 Census. This invitation included a unique ID code that can be used to complete the Census online. Seattle residents can go online today, with or without that code, and fill out their Census form at www.my2020census.gov. The Census form can be completed online, by phone, or by mail. A citizenship question is not included on the 2020 Census form.
Last week, Mayor Durkan sent a letter to the United States Census Bureau requesting that the Bureau extend the 2020 Census deadline from August 14, 2020 to September 30, 2020. The letter to the Census Bureau was co-led by Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City, Mayor Lori Lightfoot of Chicago, and Mayor Sam Liccardo of San Jose. In total, 40 bipartisan mayors from across the country signed onto the letter calling on the Census Bureau to extend the Census deadline. The Census Bureau has not yet responded to the mayors’ letter.
You can read the rest of their news release here.
The photos and explanation are from Hal:
A neighbor left a nice note in my mailbox. I don’t know who left it but it was very nice. I drew a heart on a separate piece of paper and taped them both to my house’s front window, I thought maybe the person who wrote it might see that it was appreciated.
Thanks to the friend who suggested Hal share it with us, so we could share it with you!
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