Drowning in paper: this aptly describes the experience of writers working on The Magnolia Historical Essay Project II at this point in time.
Topics like Fort Lawton (Mike Davis, writer, and contributor to this paper); the Children's Convalescent Home for Crippled Kiddies (Sharon Warsinske and Monica Wooton); and Lawton Wood (Don R. Clark, Wayne Gray)-these subjects entail extensive research, lots of reading, conducting interviews, as well as a "needle in a haystack" feeling when one finally gets down to writing an interesting story with a beginning, middle and end.
I think of it like this lately: 'round November, when we had our sparkling cider and croissant sandwiches send-off-with well-wishers like Paul Dorpat, historical writer for The Seattle Times, and Charles Payton, director of Heritage 4Culture of King County, toasting us on our way to heroism for history-everything felt new, exciting, fun... our stories were like brand-new babies. Everything about the project glowed in the hope of possibility, a beginning.
'Round about this time, it's all gotten a little messy: too many stacks of paper, confusion over dates, no photos yet to aid the storytelling. Everything feels like a teenager with acne-awkward, unkempt and confused. We are all stuck in the middle of it. Our hormones have run rampant... we hate what we write, we love what we write, what does that editor know, or we avoid writing altogether.
In several weeks (I know, because I've been through this before) it will clear up, papers will be filed neatly, quotes arranged well in stories, photos found and citations done. It will feel like a tidy end. The feeling will give us the courage to go on, to tell and write our historical stories of Magnolia's places and people, to finish the rest of the work and to publish a book well done.
This is a long process that involves finding that one last fact, that one lost citation or uncovering one archival photo. Many writers are working with museum archives of museums or books reaching as far back as the 1880s-like, in the case of the West Point Lighthouse.
Other writers will gather their thoughts and write memoir pieces of a time long gone by, such as Hal Will's article on "The Railroad: Steam Engines to Diesel at the Round-house." Others will do interviews with Magnolians who possess significant memories, and these writers will be transported into times and places they never knew existed. (Helen Haladyna writes about Jo Keating Swift and her World War II piloting.)
Carole Furness will prove, once and for all, that if you get a group of old-time Magnolians together, they always know each other or the older brother's 1936 girlfriend... or they went to Queen Anne High School together, separated by two years, classes of '44 and '46... or their mothers knew each other from the dance club The Magnolians.
Somehow the "six degrees of separation" theory reigns on all matters Magnolia. And the Magnolia history book gets all mixed up in it. Right now, Rob Hitchings would love to hear from Magnolia's World War II vets who saw action in the Pacific theater. Gary McDaniel (a regular columnist for this paper) has collected quite an amazing array of Magnolia stories centered around the gas stations of the '20s, '30s and '40s... Do you have some memories/photos to share?
I've always been on the lookout for women who were in the arts and music society and the Magnolia garden clubs. It's easy to come forward... call me at 284-2430 or email me at magnoliabook@yahoo.com.The volunteer writers and editors in this group should be commended. Magnolia, be proud of them and their generosity. They are helping to create a lasting legacy for our beloved neighborhood.
And the Magnolians who stepped forward with stories, memorabilia and photos to add to the storytelling-they have permanently added to our sense of place: Sherm Sloan, Carol Batchelder, Art Van der Wel, Helene England and Gary Frizzel... thanks to you all!
NOTE: Fingers crossed on getting our Dept. of Neighborhoods grant to help get us to the storybook ending of this tale: Magnolia's Historical Book II... more news in the middle of May on that development!
Monica Wooton is a longtime Magnolia resident and member of the Magnolia Historical Society. You can respond to this and other op-ed pieces by email at mageditor@nwlink.com.
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