Summer 2015

HERITAGE REFLECTOR
Summer 2015
Vision
To be a destination heritage
museum and research
facility that enhances
community identity through
the preservation and
stewardship of the
Eastside’s history.
Mission
To steward Eastside History
by actively collecting,
preserving, and interpreting
documents and artifacts,
and by promoting public
involvement in, and
appreciation of, this
heritage through
educational programming
and community outreach.
In this
Issue
Recent Accessions…..…….…..2
Education Corner.................2
Collections Corner ..............3
Wish List………………………………3
Presidents Message……….…. 4
Programs.................................5
Strawberry Festival…………….6
Volunteer Corner…...............7
EHC Membership .................7
Volume XV
Issue 2
Medicine, Community & Passion
The Story of Dr. John Way
It was 1946 when Dr. John
Way first set up his practice
in Redmond, a quiet town
with only 500 living in the
area at the time. He was
recruited for the position
while interning at
Harborview Medical Center
after the previous town
doctor, Dr. Davis, had passed
away. For many years he was
the only doctor living in the
valley. His actions would
soon capture the admiration
of all who knew him.
Often Dr. Way would make
his rounds at the local
nursing homes and hospitals.
He would make house calls
because he knew it was
easier for him to get to his
patients than for them to
come to him. There were no
“specialists” at the time and
he was the doctor that many
would call for serious
injuries, such as severed
limbs from farming and
logging accidents. In his time
he also
delivered over
1,000 babies.
He loved
bringing life
into this
world more
than
anything.
John Way
was born in
Above: Dr. John Way with his iconic rose lapel and cigar.
Gridley,
Kansas on April 8, 1909. He
married women were not
was the fourth of five
supposed to work outside the
children. While growing up
home.
he was drawn to medicine
Before settling in Redmond,
after seeing a veterinarian
Dr. Way had many
save a horse by releasing
storytelling experiences in his
gastro-intestinal pressure
life. One being when he
through tube insertion.
dropped out of medical school
He put himself through
after realizing he was treating
medical school by working
a member of the notorious
as a Linotype operator for
O’Malley Gang, who had been
the Daily Kansan newspaper.
supposedly “winged” in a
He had to marry his wife,
rabbit hunting accident.
Alice, in secret so she could
Dr. Way tipped off the FBI
retain a job to help pay for
and afterwards received a
his education. In those days,
Continued on pg. 2…
Summer 2015
HERITAGE REFLECTOR
...cont.. from pg. 1
personal note from Jay Edgar
Hoover and a $50 bill.
Back on track, he graduated
from University of Kansas
Medical School in 1940. He
went on to be a flight surgeon
in the Air Corps in the Pacific
during World War II.
Outside of his practice, Dr.
Way was known for his
community involvement. He
was the founding member of
the Redmond Lions Club, and
in 1949 convinced them to
purchase the first ambulance
on the Eastside for the allvolunteer Redmond Fire
Department. He would later
be named Redmond’s Citizen
of the Year in 1993 for his
dedication to the community.
Dr. Way was also known for
being the publisher of The Way
News that he would circulate
to nearly 800 friends,
patients, staff members at
hospitals and nursing home
around Christmas. He
enjoyed spending time with
his five children- Annette,
John, Jani, Bill, and Marti,
and boating activities near
his home on Lake
Sammamish.
Remembered by some for
always wearing a red rose
label, a pipe in hand and his
1965 powder blue Ford
Mustang, Dr. Way lived his
life with no regrets. He will
forever live in the history of
the Eastside as a beloved
doctor and active community
member.
Dr. Way’s story was honored
at the Annual Eastside
Heritage Benefit Dinner held
on February 26, 2015.
Recent Accessions
Thank you for your donations to the collection:
Lora Ford
– Hilltop home photos
Alexa Munoz
– Materials relating to the
Nokimus Club
Donna Jean Perry
– Piano that belonged to the
Fenwick family of Bellevue
Gordon Raine
– Materials found on-site at
the Philbrook House
Roger Walker
– Wilburton Community
Association materials
Old & Elegant
– Animal traps, c. 1850s
Bev Vernon
– TELOS Club materials
Tandy Hennings
– 1966 parade slides, Bellevue
Jane Morton
– slides of parade in Old
Bellevue, 1980’s
Carol Whipple
– Northup archival materials
and photos
P age 2
Education
Corner
Jane Morton
Education Coordinator
Since 2003, Eastside
Heritage Center has held an
annual Haiku Contest in
conjunction with the
Strawberry Festival, in honor
of the region’s Japanese
American heritage.
Announcements are mailed
in the spring to 2nd through
5th graders in the Bellevue,
Lake Washington, and
Issaquah School Districts, as
well as private schools in the
area. They are also posted on
the Eastside Heritage Center
and Strawberry Festival
websites. Winning
submissions are chosen for
originality, creativity, clarity
of expression, good spelling,
grammar, and syntax and the
winners are notified before
the end of the school year.
1st Place
Bright strawberry rain!
Fog cream; heavy dripping field.
Sweet shortcake harvest.
By Auguste Snyder, Age 9
2nd Place
Irresistible
Mouth watering at first sight
Juicy perfection.
By Alison Plagge, Age 10
3rd Place
Scrumptious butter cakes
Floating in pink summer air,
Bright whipped June sunshine.
By Wren Snyder, Age 7
Honorable Mention
Soft smell of shortcake
Plops of delicious shipped cream
Fresh and plump berries.
By Jessie Altonean, Age 10
A haiku is a Japanese poetry
form, using just a few words
to capture a moment and
create a picture in the
reader’s mind. Traditionally,
haiku is written in three
lines, with five syllables in
the first line, seven syllables
in the second line, and five
syllables in the third line.
This year’s theme was
“Strawberry Shortcake”. The
contest winners were
honored at the Strawberry
Festival on Saturday, June
27th. Bellevue Mayor Claudia
Balducci presented the
awards and the students
joined her on stage to read
their poems.
Above: 2015 Haiku Contest winners
displayed at the Annual Bellevue
Strawberry Festival.
Page 3
HERITAGE REFLECTOR
Summer 2015
Collections Corner
Sarah Frederick
Collections Manager
Exhibits
Our current Winters House
exhibit, Logging on the Eastside,
will be up until August 25th.
The next Winters House
exhibit will be on Bellevue’s
Sister Cities program.
This summer, Eastside
Heritage Center is excited to
be launching a new
partnership with the Bellevue
Library. We will be installing
quarterly exhibits in the
lobby of the building, and the
library plans to highlight
books that tie-in with the
exhibit theme. The first
exhibit will be Bellevue: A
Beacon of Diversity. Watch for it
in early August.
Strawberry Festival
Mini-Museum
We would like to say a big
thank you to all the
volunteers who helped out
with EHC’s Mini-Museum
this year!
Volunteers were grinding
corn, sealing time capsules,
selling books, helping visitors
determine “what is it?” items,
answering questions,
demonstrating artifacts,
facilitating the immigration
map activity, collecting oral
histories and helping to
transport our artifacts and
displays to and from
Crossroads Park – we could
not have done it without
them!
Exhibits this year
were focused
around Public
Services in
Bellevue. Here are
some highlights:
Wish List
EHC is seeking the
following donations:
For Care of the Collection
Prior to
incorporation in
1953, city services
were farmed out to
King County.
- 2+ Archival scrapbooks,
measuring at least 14” x 14”
x 3”
The King County
Sheriff provided
protection services
to Bellevue up until Above: Bellevue at the time of incorporation,
1953. The Bellevue 1953 map. #1996.BHS12.02
Police Department
1964, Bellevue established its
was formed almost
own fire department. Prior
immediately after
to that, Bellevue was served
incorporation, and their first
by a volunteer fire
case was locating a missing
department.
donkey.
In 1942, King County Fire
District #14 was founded. It
covered Medina, Enatai,
Wilburton and Bellevue. In
Above: EHC Board Member, Justin
Merriman, volunteering at the
Strawberry Festival at the canning and
corn grinding activities.
The Overlake Memorial
Hospital Association was
formed in 1953 to finance
and plan an Eastside
hospital. Before the opening
of Overlake Memorial,
Bellevue residents had to
travel to Seattle or Kirkland
when they needed
emergency care.
After years of fundraising,
the new Overlake Memorial
Hospital opened in 1960
with 56 beds. The hospital
opened 5 hours early (at
10:16 AM), due to the arrival
of Katherine Mary Cziprian
(at 11:04 AM), the first
patient and first baby born
in the new hospital.
- HEPA vacuum for cleaning
artifacts
- Rolling garment rack to
use when processing or
repairing textiles
- Chest freezer for treating
and isolating artifacts
- Platform hand truck, with
minimum of 300 lb. weight
capacity
For the Collection
- Eastside materials from the
1970’s to present day
-Materials from the
Crossroads area,
particularly photos
-Issues of the Overlake
Outlook newspaer
For use in the office
-Android or Windows
tablet for use in off-site
storage and at events
-Label maker
-Self-healing (PVC) cutting
mat for producing labels for
exhibit and outreach
activities
To Donate Items:
Call: (425) 450-1049 or
Email: Collections@
eastsideheritagecenter.org
Summer 2015
HERITAGE REFLECTOR
Eastside Heritage Center
Board of Trustees
Betina Finley
President
Brittany Barker
Vice President
Sherry Grindeland
Secretary
Ross McIvor
Treasurer
Kim Radcliffe
Past President
Stu Vander Hoek
Trustee Rep to Exec Cmte
Rick Carlson
Reagan Dunn
Rebecca Jancic
Tim Johnson
Karen Klett
Justin Merriman
Anne Pickering Morisseau
Jan Van Blaricom
Alissa Liu, Youth Trustee
Heather Trescases
Executive Director
Jane Morton
Education Coordinator
Sarah Frederick
Collections Manager
Lexi Roberts
Marketing & Special Events Mgr.
Endorsers - Passed & Present
Bob & Clodagh Ash
Margot Blacker
George Brace
Bob Burke
Nan Campbell
Dick Chapin
Doris Cooper
Mike Creighton
Jean Floten
Kemper Freeman, Jr.
Stacey Graven
Jerry Henry
Ross Hunter
Tom Ikeda
Carol James
Fred Jarrett
Sarah Langton
Pamela Lee
Ken Johnson
Leslie Lloyd
Doreen Marchione
Dan McDonald
Louise Miller
Rose Nohara
Bob Nuber
Ron Sher
Lee Springgate
Bill Ptacek
Colin Radford
Dave Russell
Daphne Schneider
David Schooler
Karl Thunemann
John Valaas
Janice & DP
Van Blaricom
Dr. Roy P. Wahle
Bob Wallace
Scott Wallace
Rosalie Whyel
Charter/Founding Members
Brad Best
John Betrozoff
C.Keith Birkenfeld
Richard & Margot
Blacker Charles
Bovee
Dianna Broadie
John Cannon
Karyl Dean
Steve & Kathy Dennis
Phyllis Fenwick
Diana Ford
Peter Gulick
Birgit Hansen
Peggy Hansen
Bob Hennig
Thomas K. Hitzroth
Bill Lagen
Charles Le Warne
Anne Long
President’s
Message
siblings. To win this game you
matched card, poker-style. It
was a wonderful way to wind
down each evening while the
31 of us learned more about
each other and our
descendants.
Betina Finley
Board President
Staff
Jim & Pat Loughran
Karen & Duke
Luetjen
Louis & Patty Marsh
Beatrice Mathewson
Philip Maxeiner
Lee Maxwell
John McClelland
Rosa McDonald
Louise Miller
Alex Modelski
Charles Morgan
Bob Neir
Phil & Shelley Noble
C. & W. O’ Donell
Arnold Olson
Sally Polk
Connie Reed
Betty Ann Rizk
Bob & Pat Sandbo
Victor Scheffer
Daphne Schneider
Dick & Susan
Schwasnick
Barbara Sharpe
W. & V. Thompson
Karl Thunemann
Iris Tocher
D.P. & Jan
Van Blaricom
Stuart Vander Hoek
Libby Walgamott
John Walker
Doug & Patti Ward
James & Gwen
Warren
Robert & Barbara
Welsh
Rosalie Whyel
Marcy Williams
Page 4
I just returned from our
Heine family reunion in
Leavenworth. It was a time of
renewal, getting to know the
younger generations,
laughing and good memories.
We stayed in one large,
un-air-conditioned cabin and
traded off cooking duties. I’d
highly recommend it!!
My Uncle Carl created games
to make learning about each
other fun. Family BINGO,
where each person’s name
could only be used on one
square and then once your
card was filled, BINGO
began. “Who has been on
TV?” or “Who’s had braces?”
Each evening we played
“Guess who?” Each of the
three larger family groups
submitted 25 answers to
questions others likely didn’t
know about our family. For
example, “What nickname
did Grandpa call Grandma
when they were dating?”
When your team guessed
correctly, you won a
decedents card, but if you
missed it the next team got
TWO cards for a correct
answer. These cards were
photos of great-grandparents,
grandparents, and current
What do you know about
your extended family? Do you
make time to come together
and share the stories and
history that might be lost if
not shared?
I’m a HUGE fan of our oral
histories program. For years
we’ve been asking Eastside
descendent families to share
their stories with us. We’ll sit
with you, ask questions to jog
memories and then record and
transcribe them. Do you have
family members we should be
interviewing? To participate,
call us: 425-450-1049 or email
us: collections@
eastsideheritagecenter.org
We just wrapped up our
Bellevue Strawberry Festival
in record-breaking heat. A far
cry from our usual worries
about rain showers! Thank
you to all who made it out to
share in this annual, family
event. Renewing your
membership helps us bring
this and many more programs
to your community!
We appreciate your continued
support of the Eastside
Heritage Center and I look
forward to serving on your
behalf as board president in
this amazing community we
call home.
Page 5
HERITAGE REFLECTOR
Upcoming
Programs
FRASER CABIN
HERITAGE PROGRAM
Dates & Time:
Location:
Saturdays, Aug. 15 & Sept. 19, 2015
11:00AM-3:00PM
Kelsey Creek Farm Park
410 130th Pl SE, Bellevue 98005
Visitors are invited to participate in hands-on activities that
relate to early Eastside settler life at the historic 1888 Fraser
Cabin. Hands-on history activities include agriculture, dairy,
household tasks, log cabin construction, games and a scavenger
hunt. Eastside Heritage Center staff and volunteers present the
activities and interpret the log cabin that was built and
occupied by the Fraser family over 100 years ago!
Presented in partnership with Bellevue Parks & Community Services.
EARLY BELLEVUE WALKING TOUR
Date & Time:
Thursday, August 20, 2015
5:30PM-7:30PM
Location:
Meet at Bellevue Downtown Park
Main Entrance & Fountain on NE 4th St.
Registration:
425-450-1049 or email
[email protected]
Before glass towers
defined the skyline and
shoppers bustled across
busy pavement,
Bellevue was a quiet
town of dirt roads and
scattered homes. The
first settlers from
Seattle began to drift across Lake Washington in the 1860s.
Discover the hidden history throughout downtown Bellevue on
this Early Bellevue Walking Tour, presented by Eastside
Heritage Center.
You can also take the tour yourself! Find a guide online at:
www.EastsideHeritageCenter.org
Summer 2015
A Century Celebrated!
Beatrice Whaley Mathewson
Beatrice “Bea” Whaley
Mathewson celebrated
her 100th birthday with
friends and family in
May. A longtime
supporter of Eastside
history, we here at
Eastside Heritage Center Bea and family celebrating her 100th
would like to wish her a Birthday.
very happy birthday!
Bea married her husband
Harry Franklin Mathewson,
Jr. in 1935. Mathewson had
moved to Washington from
Arizona during the Great
Depression to find work. He
would go on to open a car
repair and service station in
Bea at her 100th Birthday Party.
Renton. Bea’s sister
Beatrice Mathewson, better
married James Ditty, the
known as Bea, is an Eastside
owner of Ditty Properties.
native with a rich family
history. She is the
granddaughter of Issac
Kensey Bechtel, one of the
first Eastside settlers who
came to the area from
Canada in 1882.
Her father, Robert Tilden
Whaley, was a King County
builder and cabinet maker.
He was one of the first to
build a home in Beaux Arts
in 1909 when the village was
first forming.
Bea with her husband and young child.
Bea as a young girl.
Today, Bea still lives in the
home her father built her
in Renton over 70 years
ago, and she continues to
be active socially with her
community and friends.
Summer 2015
HERITAGE REFLECTOR
Page 6
Strawberry
Festival
THANK YOU
2015 SPONSORS
Thank you to all of our sponsors for their wonderful
support and participation in the Strawberry
Festival this year!
The Festival was a success yet again, with 45,000
people in attendance.
Alaska USA Credit Union
AMWolf Piano &
Kinetic Summer Camps
Back and Neck Pain Centers
Beach Camp at Sunset Bay
Bellevue Pediatric Dentistry
CenturyLink
Crossroads Grocery Outlet
Dynamic Chiros
Eastside Family Karate
Eric Dawes
FASTSIGNS Bellevue
Gutter Helmet
Hollywood Lights
Integrated Oriental Medicine
LeafFilter Gutter Protection
LeafGuard NW
LPL Financial
Mud Bay
Renewal by Andersen
Sears Home Services
Sound Transit
System Pavers
The Seattle Times
Tier One Chiropratic
Union Bank
Voya Financial
WSDOT Toll Division
Wyndham Vacation
Ownership
Xfinity
In Memoriam - Richard “Dick” Engstrom
Long time Strawberry Festival
volunteer, Dick Engstrom, passed
away in December. He was dearly
missed at the Festival this year!
When the call for volunteers went
out each spring, Dick was always
the first to respond. And he did so
with such enthusiasm! He was a
fixture at the Information Booth, a
connoisseur of great musical talent (providing many Main Stage
performer leads over the years), and he loved his strawberry
shortcake! We thank him for his years of volunteering with us
and we will remember him fondly.
Page 7
HERITAGE REFLECTOR
Volunteer Corner
“Here's to all volunteers, those dedicated people who
believe in all work and no pay.” -Robert Orbetook
Karen Klett
Volunteer Coordinator
All it took were some
volunteers, lots of
planning, a beautiful
park and the Strawberry
Festival is again history!
A huge thank you to the
approximately 150
enthusiastic and
dedicated volunteers
Above: Festival Volunteers serving up
scrumptious strawberry shortcake!
who made this event
possible! Many who were
as well as graciously
returning after having such a
responding to lots of phone
great experience in previous
calls. Could we have done
years. The majority of our
the Festival without her?
festival volunteers are from
Absolutely not!
local high schools.
Hosting at the Winters
Volunteering at the
House is a different type of
Strawberry Festival is a fun
volunteering, and time there
way for students to gain
is a great way to increase
required volunteer hours –
one’s knowledge of Eastside
and a free strawberry
history.
shortcake!
To join “those dedicated
Kudos to Terri Young and the
people”, please contact:
Vander Hoek Corporation!
karenklett@eastsideheritage
Terri again did an amazing job
center.org for more
as the Festival Volunteer
information.
Coordinator, fielding
hundreds of emails,
scheduling all of the students,
All Eastside Heritage Center
Members receive:
- Membership Card
- Quarterly Newsletter with historical features and program updates
- Invitations to exhibits and programs
- 10% discount on books and gift shop items
CATEGORIES:
Benefactor - $1,000
Receives Steward Benefits, plus:
Honored at Annual Event
Steward - $500
Receives Supporter benefits, plus:
Special publication
Summer 2015
Eastside Heritage Center
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
MEMBERSHIP LEVEL:
□ Benefactor $1000
□ Steward $500
□ Supporter $250
□ Organization $100
□ Contributor $100
□ Family $40
□ Individual $25
□ Student $15
Enroll me as: □ New Member □ Membership Renewal □ Gift
___________________________________________________________
MEMBER’S NAME
___________________________________________________________
ADDRESS
___________________________________________________________
CITY/STATE/ZIP CODE
___________________________________________________________
PHONE
___________________________________________________________
EMAIL
This membership is a gift from:
___________________________________________________________
PAYMENT INFORMATION:
□ Check (make checks payable to the Eastside Heritage Center)
□ Credit Card
□ Visa □ Master Card □ American Express
___________________________________________________________
NAME ON CARD
___________________________________________________________
CARD #
___________________________________________________________
EXP. DATE
V-CODE (last 3 digits on back)
Additional Contribution: ________
Total Enclosed: __________
□ My company will MATCH my gift. Company Name:
______________________________________________________
The Eastside Heritage Center is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization.
PLEASE MAIL THIS FORM AND PAYMENT TO:
Eastside Heritage Center
P.O. Box 40535
Bellevue, WA 98015
Phone: 425-450-1049
Fax: 425-450-1050
www.EastsideHeritageCenter.org
Curator’s Tour of the collection
Supporter - $250
Receives Organization benefits, plus:
Historic photo reproduction
Organization (schools, scout troops, etc) - $100
Receives Contributor benefits, plus:
Free Treasure Box rentals
Discounts on field trips and classroom presentations
Contributor - $100
Additional benefits include:
Access to Archives fee waived
Family - $40
Individual - $25
Student (under 18 years of age) - $15
EASTSIDE HERITAGE CENTER CONTACT INFORMATION
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 40535, Bellevue, WA 98015
Tel: 425-450-1049
Fax: 425-450-1050
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: www.eastsideheritagecenter.org
McDOWELL HOUSE (EHC Administrative Offices)
Visiting Address: 11660 Main Street, Bellevue, WA 98005
Tel: 425-450-1049
WINTERS HOUSE (National Historic Site and EHC Research Services)
Visiting Address: 2102 Bellevue Way SE, Bellevue, WA 98004
Tel: 425-452-2752
Hours of Operation: EHC Research Office Hours
Tues., 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Winters House Public Visiting Hours:
Tues 10:00 AM-4:00 PM ; Thurs-Sat 10:00 AM-2:00 PM ; Closed Mon, Wed & Sun.
ACTIVITIES OF THE EASTSIDE HERITAGE CENTER ARE SUPPORTED BY
HERITAGE REFLECTOR - Editor in Chief: Heather Trescases, Design/Layout: Lexi Roberts
HERITAGE REFLECTOR © 2015 Eastside Heritage Center. All rights reserved.
P.O. Box 40535
Bellevue, WA 98015