Land that once belonged to a 19th-century African-American entrepreneur in Seattle was officially opened May 14 as the Madison Valley's newest park, dedicated to a modern-day African-American man of high achievement.
Homer Harris Park, in the 2400 block of East Howell Street, was named after a Garfield High School football-team captain.
He also went on to become the first African-American football-team captain at Iowa State University, and Harris was inducted into the Iowa Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.
Before retiring in 2000, Harris also worked for 43 years as a dermatologist in Seattle, where he is honored as a "pioneer black doctor."
And he has made a lasting impression on a huge collection of city and county officials and friends who gathered at the dedication ceremony.
One of those friends, who wishes to remain anonymous, even donated $1.3 million to buy and help transform the property, which once belonged to William Grose, who owned and ran a hotel and restaurant in Pioneer Square during the 1880s.
Pro Parks Levy money, a matching grant and donations from individuals and companies helped complete the park, but it was the anonymous donation that really made the difference, according to Karen Daubert, executive director of the Seattle Parks Foundation. It was "the largest gift in the history of the parks system," she said.
A role model
Family friend Dr. Millie Russell, praised Harris' competence as both a scholar and a doctor who showed great compassion for his patients: "He was a friend who opened doors for associates. What a role model; what a hunk," Russell said, grinning.
King County Executive Ron Sims, a longtime friend and former patient, picked up on that when he said, "That's really the best-looking doctor I've ever had."
Lifelong friend Stimson Bullitt said the park would perpetuate the memory of an admired citizen, but he also waxed a bit nostalgic at the ceremony, which included entertainment by Rev. Pat Wright and the Total Experience Gospel Choir, the All-City Marching Band and the Adefu African Music and Dance Company.
"Over the past 65 years, Homer and I have had plenty of good times in parks," Bullitt said. "Now we are at the stage where we appreciate a park that has a bench."
Harris, 89, didn't speak. But his daughter, Heather Harris Felzenberg, joked that she felt like she was at the Academy Awards as she thanked a long, long list of people for their work on the park.
Felzenberg also choked up a bit when she mentioned that her mother had passed away recently. "She would have been thrilled to see the park today."[[In-content Ad]]
