THE

JANUARY 2006 NEWSLETTER REDMOND HISTORICAL SOCIETY

VOLUME 8, NUMBER 1 16600 NE 80th Street, Room 106
Redmond, WA 98052 ~ Tel 425.885.2919
OUR MISSION:
To Discover, Recover, Share and Celebrate website ~www.redmondhistory.org
Redmond’s History e-mail ~ [email protected]

HISTORY IS HAPPENING IN REDMOND! HOURS: Mon.-Thurs., 1-4 p.m., or by Appointment

P resident’s Corner
Hunting season has ended and now all those
N orth Education Hill:
Then and Now
“hunting widows” will probably be “fishing widows,”
for it is time to dust off the steelhead fishing rod and
head for the Sammamish River. Years ago, this was a
part of life for many folks in Redmond and might be
today. I don’t even know if the river is open for fish-
ing any more. No matter the weather, the banks of
the Sammamish River would be lined with fishermen
and some women to fish for steelhead. Part of this
sport was sharing the fresh catch and home smoked
fish with the neighbors. What a treat! I know my
family had never eaten this delicacy until Art and
Nancy Lang and sons Allen and Vernon moved into The hillside at Redmond-Woodinville Road and 124th Ave NE would
become a shopping area and church campus under a proposal before the City.
my Willow’s Road neighborhood.
(Continued on page 3.) From the hundreds of homes going in on 116th to
the shopping/cultural/religious campus proposed for the
corner of Red-Wood Road and 124th, North Education
Hill is going through major changes.
As did most local
men, Bob Martin’s At our next general meeting, we’ll bring together
grandfather, Henry folks who have lived there and seen the shift from farms
Johnson, supplied
meat for his family and ranches to dense housing developments and
table during the commercial use.
Great Depression by
We’ll also survey our
hunting and fishing. NEXT
He writes, “This members on where they MEETING
photo was taken
about 1930 ~ on the stand with the pro-
Saturday, January 14
front porch of the posed campus, and 10:30 a.m. to noon
Redmond home about
one block north of the
pass that feedback OLD REDMOND SCHOOLHOUSE
Redmond School.” along to the City COMMUNITY CENTER
Council and 16600 NE 80th St
Planning Commission. ●

THE REDMOND RECORDER ~ JANUARY 2006 1 HISTORY IS HAPPENING IN REDMOND!

 GENERAL
MEETINGS
2nd Saturday of the Month
10:30 a.m. to noon
I n Memoriam: Robert A. Sollitto, Jr.
JULY 23, 1924 TO NOVEMBER 21, 2005

One of Redmond’s great personalities passed

away last November. Bob Sollitto served as
OLD REDMOND SCHOOLHOUSE
Redmond’s police chief for 17 years from
COMMUNITY CENTER
4/1/1963 to 4/1/1980. He was also a member
16600 NE 80th St of the Redmond Lions Club, Veterans of Foreign
Wars, American Legion and Redmond Historical
Society. His Society talk on Redmond’s early police
2006 days left the audience in stitches. Writer Dan
JANUARY 14 Aznoff captured that humor in a 2003 inter-
FEBRUARY 11 view for our upcoming Redmond Reflections book.
MARCH 11 Below is Dan’s profile of Bob:
APRIL 8
MAY 13 Born in Brooklyn, Bob Sollitto had always wanted to be a policeman, just
JUNE 10 like his father and his grandfather before him. His hometown turned down the
SEPTEMBER 9 eager young man because he wore glasses, so he headed to the Northwest where
OCTOBER 14 requirements weren’t as stringent.
NOVEMBER 11
When Bob became Chief of Redmond’s three-man Police Department in
................................................... 1963, he brought with him all the tools of his trade. He had two generations of
police service, the knowledge of advanced police techniques, and one more
2005 EXECUTIVE BOARD asset: his own gun. Redmond provided him with a uniform and a badge. And
Judy Lang President that was about it. “I had my father’s snub-nosed .38, but I had to go out and
Naomi Hardy Vice-President buy a pair of handcuffs before I started my patrols in Redmond,” he recalled. “I
Miguel Llanos Vice-President also had to take the City’s physical exam. I was breathing, so I passed.”
Teresa Becker Treasurer With only three officers, the police force Bob inherited couldn’t offer
Margaret Wiese Redmond 24-hour protection. So, every morning Chief Sollitto closed up shop,
Corresponding Secretary
and handed the protection of the City over to a King County sheriff. Six
Beryl Standley
Recording Secretary months after being hired, Bob demanded and received funding to hire four
additional officers. In less than a year, the Redmond Police Department had
BOARD OF DIRECTORS grown by 300 percent.
Terri Gordon Forty years ago, Redmond was known for the number of taverns serving
Tom Hitzroth alcohol late into the night. Bob made a habit of paying a visit to the bars just
Jon Magnussen before closing time, giving safe rides home to anyone in need. Bob raised
Amo Marr eyebrows when he told of being the new chief, and immediately squashing his
Daryl Martin
officers’ routine of having “a snort” before going out on patrol.
Doris Schaible
The chief’s biggest case of his career came 18 months into the job, when the
Patti Simpson Ward
FBI informed him that an anti-Communist group dubbed the Minutemen had
................................................... plans to bomb Redmond City Hall as a diversion while they attempted to rob
all three banks in town. Bob was told the Minutemen intended to toss a pipe
THE REDMOND REPORTER bomb into City Hall just after it opened for business in the morning. The
Published nine times annually Minutemen thought the confusion created by the bomb would enable them to
Miguel Llanos Editor loot all the cash in Redmond’s banks before noon, after which they planned to
Patti Simpson Ward continue their crime spree in Des Moines with a similar scenario that same
Newsletter Graphic Designer
afternoon. In the end, FBI agents arrested the Minutemen in a parking in the
©2005 Redmond Historical Society
Overlake area, as they were attempting to steal getaway cars for their scheme. ●

THE REDMOND RECORDER ~ JANUARY 2006 2 HISTORY IS HAPPENING IN REDMOND!

H istory Mystery Solved
November’s mystery was solved by Patsy Cook Rosenbach, who used the scrapbook of her mother, Violet Green
Elduen, to identify the photo as the Redmond School, 1911-1912 term. The school was at what today is Anderson Park
and student names listed are: Genevieve Reed, Clemence Martin, William Anderson, Todd Olson, Myrtle Olsen, Hazel
Huffman, John Huffman, George Keller, Clarence Stitham, Howard Wallace, Oliver Perrigo, Arthur Connery, Dorothy
Brown, Cordelia Wallace, Mildred Shanks, Manny “Ed” Tardy, Lyle Forrester. ●

Historic Street
Signs Map
If you haven’t spotted all ten sets of street
signs named after pioneer families and installed
in the last year, the City has published a map of
where each one is. To see the map, log on to:
www.redmond.gov/cityservices/citmaps.asp

(Continued from page 1.)

Redmond was home to many great and avid hunters and
fishermen. Two who stand out in my memory, and who are no QUOTABLE
longer with us, were Leonard Carlson and Art Lang. They always
bagged the game and caught the fish. I put these two guys at the
top of the list. They are a legend among the outdoor sportsman. I
know there are others because Bob Martin provided us with some
old hunting photos of his family for our collection.
“Q”
“The 1950s plateau had
changed little since settlers
first came here in the 1890s. The
big chicken farms were still here,
We still have some hunters and fishermen who are around today
the dairy farms were still here, as well
~ A l l e n, Vernon and Mike Lang and old time friends Cory
DeJong and Walt Cooper. as the orchards, the trees and the
Not only has hunting season ended, but now Sportee’s is closing. resorts. People living here then say that
The first real exclusive sporting goods store in Redmond has been the 1950s were the last decade that was
around since the ‘70s. This place has been a haven for the many so much more like the old than the new.
outdoorsmen and sportsmen and ladies too. Some of you reading In the 1960s, the farms and resorts began
this newsletter probably know Brian Howe, the owner. He grew to gradually disappear; by the late 1970s
up on Union Hill on the Mel Howe Fur Farm. Larry Miller, one
significant development was underway
of our members, worked at the store and retired a few years ago.
When I married into the Lang family, I didn’t have a clue what here, transforming Sammamish into the
“hunting widow” really meant, but it didn’t take long to find out. bustling 21st century Seattle suburb
My thought would have been that someone actually lost his or her we know today.”
life to the sport and in a way I guess that’s right. It didn’t take
long to learn that as long as there is a game tag or a punch left on From Phil Dougherty
the fishing record card, the hunter/fisherman was out of the house. “Sammamish in the ‘70s”
Good luck Brian. Thanks for being part of Redmond’s history. ● ~ The Sammamish Review ~
~ Judy Aries Lang

THE REDMOND RECORDER ~ JANUARY 2006 3 HISTORY IS HAPPENING IN REDMOND!

W ere you at our November 12th meeting?
These folks enjoyed our “Horsing Around the Eastside” presentation. First time attendees are noted in BEIGE
BOLD TYPE and a silver ★!

Becker, Teresa Lang, Angela Aries

Campbell, Sally Lang, Judy Aries
Cisneros, Nancy Llanos, Miguel
Chambers, Coeta Magnussen, Jon
COFFIN, FLORENCE ★ Magruder, Joan
COFFIN, WILLIAM R. ★ Marr, Amo
CONWAY, PHIL ★ Martin, Bob
CONWAY, YVONNE ★ Martin, Daryl
Our November speakers: Former Redmond Mayor
Dudley, Irene McCormick, Elma Chris Himes, Rod McNae and Scott Wieder.
Elduen, Violet Cook McFarland, Doris
Garbarino, Frank MCNAE, ROD ★
Garbarino, Peggy Miller, Larry
Garland, Lillian Montgomery, Mary
Garrity, Yvonne Lampaert Morris, Allison Reed
Goetschius, Millie Murphy, Ed
Goetschius, Russ Neal, Marion Little
Gordon, Terri Peterson, Dean
Goshorn, Jean Etta Dudley PETESCH, KIERSTEN ★
Gwerder, Frank PHILLIPS, JOHN ★ Our presentations are now on the big screen ~ the City’s
projection system in Cotterill Auditorium is ideal for
Hahnlen, Charlotte PHILLIPS, ROXANA ★ slideshows!

Haines, Steve Rogers, Russ

Hall, Tom Rogers, Ursie
Hammersberg, Clara Rosenbach, Patsy
Hammersberg, Jerry Schaible, Doris
Hanson, Marge Solomon, Brad
Hanson, Roy Stoneback, Phyllis
Hardy, Jerry Standley, Beryl
Hardy, Naomi Stensland, Don
Himes, Chris Sween, Faye
Phil and Yvonne Conway (she’s a Perrigo) came all the
Hitzroth, Tom Thayer, Boyka Dincov way from Olympia to attend the meeting.
Ingersoll, Jo Ann Tollfeldt, Anne
Isackson, Duane Tollfeldt, Harvey
Isackson, Joanne Trapp, Carol
Jordon, Margaret Ward, Patti Simpson
Jovag, Pat Weiss Weiss, Rose
KIM, MIA★ WIEDER, SCOTT ★
Kraft, Gloria Wiese, Margaret Evers
Kraft, Jim Williams, Audrey
Lampaert, Roy Williams, Larry
Doris Schaible, Society President Judy Lang and Boyka
Dincov Thayer were also among those attending.

THE REDMOND RECORDER ~ JANUARY 2006 4 HISTORY IS HAPPENING IN REDMOND!

A Heap of Historical Thanks . . .
TO THESE GREAT PEOPLE FOR DONATING TREASURES, EXPERTISE, TIME & ENERGY!

4Culture, the King County agency that funds heritage and art projects, for a second $1,000 sustained
support grant to help the Society continue functioning, as well as a $2,500 grant to help publish the
upcoming “Redmond Reflections.”
Amo Marr for the IOOF chairs, vintage clothes, Redmond School cafeteria food trays, floor model radio,
tool box of old tools ~ and much, much more.
Dianna Broadie for a photograph of the City’s new fire truck and firefighters, c.1948.
Roy Lampaert for papers and memorabilia of the Lampaert family and ranch.
Clara and Jerry Hammersberg for the egg scale, medical kit and copies of 1995 Sammamish Valley News.
Yvonne Johnson Conway for additional photographs of her mother, Perky Johnson.
Lillian Garland for a copy of a 1911 issue of the Redmond Press.
Tom Hitzroth for facilitating a copy of the local 1925 phonebook from the Kirkland Historical Society.
Former Councilman Russell Rogers and his wife, Ursie, for loaning
us two scrapbooks about Redmond for scanning.
Brenda Mouw for her photos of the all-women’s football team, the
Redmond Sexkillers.
The unidentified donor who left us a Kiwanis Club banner, bell, gavel and
striking blocks. Please let Naomi Hardy (425.883.3866) know who you are.
Bob Martin for the 1930s family hunting photos.
Former Mayor Chris Himes for brochures of Farrel-McWhirter Park when it
opened and of the 1976 walking tour of historic downtown buildings.
Frances Reed for a copy of Redmond High School’s first annual, printed
in 1925.
Office volunteer Ward Martin was
Ed Weiss for donating a tournament sign from the 1998 PGA event at interviewed last November by Sabrina
the Sahalee Golf Course.
Ranellucci, an International Community
Bear Creek Students Mia Kim and Kirsten Petesch for helping with School student, for a class project.
our November meeting.

M eet a Member: Margaret Wiese

Every respectable historical society needs someone who’ll dig into old newspaper
archives and we’ve got that in Margaret “Mew” Wiese, a Society co-founder, board
member and connoisseur of the Bellevue Library’s newspaper microfiche archive.
Margaret has scanned 854 Redmond obituaries over the last four years, and they
are all on file in our office. She’s also scanned wonderful news clippings and ads,
many of which we’ve run in this newsletter.
“Obits are primarily from the old East Side Journal, the newer Eastside Journal,
Seattle Times, Redmond Reporter, Seattle P-I, Lake Washington Reflector, and Journal
American,” she says. “Most are 1918 to 1932 and 1999 to 2004, covering Redmond
and Rose Hill areas. They are mainly for people who died in Redmond. Burial
could have been anywhere in the area.” ●
THE REDMOND RECORDER ~ JANUARY 2006 5 HISTORY IS HAPPENING IN REDMOND!
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J oin the Redmond Historical Society
AND HELP DISCOVER, RECOVER, PRESERVE AND
SHARE REDMOND’S HISTORY!

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