Issaquah’s Veterans Day ceremony honors locals’ service
November 6, 2012
Due to its growing popularity, the service that the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3436 hosts honoring local services members will be in a new location this year.
David Waggoner, of the Issaquah VFW, figures the Issaquah Valley Senior Center will be large enough to house the 60 to 70 expected attendees. All residents are invited, regardless of whether they’ve served in the military.
120 years of Issaquah
April 24, 2012
Click on the image to view the full-size timeline.
1892
- Issaquah is founded as Gilman. The city is named for railroad baron Daniel Hunt Gilman.
1893
- The postmaster called for mail sent to Gilman to be addressed to Olney, Wash., to avoid confusion between Gilman and Gilmer, another city in the state.
1895
- Townsfolk start calling the frontier town Issaquah, or “the sound of water birds” in the language of the American Indians native to the region.
1899
- State lawmakers approve official name change from Gilman to Issaquah.
Unlock the Issaquah History Museums’ secrets
February 21, 2012
Issaquah History Museums Executive Director Erica Maniez leans against a historic road sign at the Gilman Town Hall Museum. By Greg Farrar
Find hidden treasures from the past in the city’s unofficial ‘attic’
There are 8,359. And counting.
That’s how many artifacts, including 3-D objects and an array of documents, make up the Issaquah History Museums’ collection.
With 7,111 photos to complement the collection, there’s no better place to get a sense of what makes Issaquah, well, Issaquah.
Among the items are rare finds — an unusual Native American trading knife buried beneath the floor of an Issaquah business or a logger’s skidding cone made right here by the town blacksmith.
Some are specific to this area, such as an early 1900s billboard — discovered later facedown in a ditch — advertising the latest and greatest in Issaquah merchants, medical care and goods.
But while each item lays claim to its own history and back story, every artifact weaves into a fabric that tells a story of who we are as a community, how we came to be and even where we’re going in the future.
Read more
Still living the adventure after 70 years
July 5, 2011
Issaquah couple celebrates anniversary milestone
At age 94, Ralph Upton has moved 29 times and has been married to his wife for 70 years.
Mary Upton (left) and her husband Ralph share the story of the early decades of their 70 years together. By Greg Farrar
“I think that my dad is unbelievable, an eternal optimist,” his daughter, Beth Upton said. “He has grit.”
Her mother balances the equation.
“Dad was the extrovert and adventurer, but Mom kept the home fires burning,” Beth said. “She kept things calm and paid attention to the details to make things work.”
Both were born before World War I ended, and their faith and adaptability have propelled them through the years.
Off the Press
May 31, 2011
Veterans have earned their place of honor
I had tears in my eyes Memorial Day as about 200 people gathered at Hillside Cemetery to honor and remember veterans.
Kathleen R. Merrill Press editor
I’ve always thought that veterans got short shrift in some respects. But on this day, those who are living, those who have passed away and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice were the focus of young and old. Thank you to everyone who turned out.
I loved seeing the people, again young and old, who have served or are serving their country, lined up in front of the crowd. It always touches my heart especially to see the men and women who served in Vietnam and World War II standing up there, saluting the flag or standing at attention.
I hope you saw our second annual section — Lest We Forget — in last week’s paper. We are continuing to collect photos of and information about people from our community who have served in all branches of the armed forces.
Off the Press
May 24, 2011
Here’s to those who help us remember
Sometimes we all need a little reminder. Thank goodness we have people like Dave Waggoner in the Issaquah community.
Bob Taylor Press sports editor
Waggoner, a quartermaster in the Issaquah Veterans of Foreign Wars post, once left a small U.S. flag at the office so I would always remember Memorial Day. The flag still flies above my desk.
Each year, Waggoner, members of the VFW post and local Boy Scouts plant flags and/or crosses on the graves of former veterans at Hillside Cemetery for Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Waggoner makes sure these former vets are remembered.
Waggoner expressed a concern in an April Issaquah Press story that people are forgetting U.S. veterans. With Memorial Day coming up, none of us should forget veterans, especially those in our family.
I do a roll call every Memorial Day, setting aside some time to remember the veterans in my family.
The Issaquah Press honors local veterans in special section
May 10, 2011
For the second consecutive year, in its Memorial Day issue, The Issaquah Press will publish profiles of Issaquah men and women who served in the U.S. armed forces.
Issaquah residents who would like to honor a family member or friend in the newspaper who was not in last year’s edition can download a form from the website, or pick up a form at The Issaquah Press’ office in downtown Issaquah.
Email photos to editor@isspress.com or mail them to The Issaquah Press to be scanned by May 18.
There is no cost to submit a profile.
Honor a veteran for Memorial Day
May 3, 2011
For the second year, The Issaquah Press will publish profiles of Issaquah men and women who served in the U.S. armed forces in a May 25 Memorial Day section.
To be included or honor a friend, download a form from the newspaper’s website, or pick up a form at office.
Email photos to editor@isspress.com or mail them to The Issaquah Press to be scanned by May 18. There is no cost to submit a profile.
Last year, The Press honored 87 Issaquah veterans, including 19 who were killed in wartime — two in World War I, 13 in World War II and four in Vietnam.
The Memorial Day section is a remembrance of those who served the U.S. during times of war and peace.
The help the VFW sponsor the section, send a check payable to The Press.
Download a form or visit The Issaquah Press office at 45 Front St. S. by May 18.
Honor veterans in Memorial Day section
April 12, 2011
Dave Waggoner said he is worried that people are forgetting about U.S. veterans.
He recalled a phrase — selective disengagement — that journalist Bob Woodward had used.
“He said people across the United States selectively disengage from war, whether it be Afghanistan or Iraq or Korea or Vietnam or World War II,” said Waggoner, quartermaster with the Issaquah Veterans of Foreign Wars post.
When society selectively disengages from wars, it loses focus on the people who fight them and their experiences.
“The cost of war is people, and the people of Issaquah paid that price for their service,” Waggoner said.
The Issaquah Press is working to reverse that trend. For the second consecutive year, in its Memorial Day issue, The Press will publish profiles of Issaquah men and women who served in the U.S. armed forces.
Veterans’ advocate recounts horrors, camaraderie of service in Vietnam
November 16, 2010
Jerry Pearson grew up in Issaquah, working at Pickering Farm and serving — in his joking manner — as the 1964 vice president of the Associated Student Body his senior year at Issaquah High School.
Many knew him as the class clown, the student who ran a stop sign and tried to hide his car from police behind a farm’s giant pile of manure in then-rural Issaquah.
After high school, the steps he took next eventually took him to Vietnam, changing his views of himself and of his world. Read more
