Long-time Magnolia resident John Clauson grew up believing he was the son of an IBM salesman. In his soon-to be-released new book, he tells the story of how, in his mid-30’s, he finally learned the truth from his father: that for over forty years, being an IBM salesman was a cover. Wallace Clauson’s real job was with a clandestine branch of IBM that took orders from the Department of Defense, and was charged with ensuring America’s arsenal of nuclear weapons his their targets. When John retired, he decided to research and tell his father’s story, and the result is a gripping story. Come to Magnolia’s Bookstore to met the author and hear more about the story.
Beginning earlier this week, your trips between the Waterfront, Colman Dock, Westlake Center, and the downtown core have another option. Seattle Waterfront Connex is in a transit service testing phase between now and September. The initial trial is operated by the Emerald City Trolley in private-public partnership. Everyone is invited to try it for sightseeing or commuting.
The Seattle Waterfront Connex runs from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., 7 days per week. Morning schedule aligns with ferry sailings from Colman Dock. Afternoon schedule aligns with departures from Colman Dock. To track the arrival of your closest vehicle, download the app at translocrider(dot)com and select Seattle Waterfront Connect from the transit options.
Daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal passes are for sale.
Click the link to see the route and schedule. Waterfront Connex runs through downtown and the waterfront counterclockwise every 45 minutes for $3 per trip. The bus is free this week.
Sorry, no photos of the actual vehicles were on the Connex website.
Neighbors say a firework or “flare” sent aloft from Ella Bailey park started a fire in shrubbery adjacent to a Magnolia home at 24th Avenue West & Halladay Street Tuesday night. Local kids tell residents they saw the perpetrators shoot an incendiary from the park about 10 p.m. which traveled down hill in the direction of the fire.
When the blaze began, 77-year-old Ava Plechsmid was watching television. Then she smelled something. Looking out her upstairs window, she sees the flames.
“Oh my God! Oh my God, my house is on fire!” she screamed. “I was shaking,” she tells Magnolia Voice in an exclusive interview. Luckily only the shrubs caught fire. Seattle firefighters quickly extinguished the smokey blaze.
One neighbor across the street was equally worried because the wind and smoke was blowing her direction. The fact she has a cedar shake roof on her home did not slip her mind.
“It was blowing some embers onto my property,” she says. “The smoke was as high as you could see. I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. You could hardly see. It was a huge red ball of fire. What was going through my mind? Get the hell out of the house.”
Other neighbors tell Magnolia Voice the Fire Department had the blaze out, “in about 10 minutes.”
“Courage,” a tan chihuahua with a blue collar, is like a child to Vivian Alex. She’s been through tough times lately and can use the comfort. Along with her friend, Stacey Chapin-Boyd, they were returning to Olympia Thursday from some personal business in Everett. That’s when they decided to take in some sightseeing. Upon spotting Elliott Bay in all its grandeur, the two women ended up at the very south end of 28th Avenue West overlooking the marina.
“Right in front of us we saw the ferries and boats and we wanted some pictures,” remembers Chapin-Boyd in an exclusive interview with Magnolia Voice. “Suddenly Courage jumped out of the car,” and headed right toward the bluff.
“We heard some scratching and yelping,” she says. “We looked over the edge and couldn’t believe it.”
Courage had gone over the cliff. Turns out he had a badly broken leg.
Following a call to 911 and their referral to Animal Control, the women suddenly realize they were in trouble.
“Animal Control wasn’t set up for this kind of rescue,” says Chapin-Boyd. “Doesn’t the fire department rescue cats?”
Not today it seems. Not according to 911.
At this point, a crowd had formed, motivating a jogger to stop and give some life-saving information. She has friends who are rock climbers.
Right here in Magnolia is an indoor climbing gym called, Vertical World. Established in 1987, employees say it’s the nation’s oldest. Tyson Schoene works there.
“We got a call at the gym about a dog who had fallen over one of the cliffs on Magnolia at 28th and Galer,” says Schoene. “ Of course we offered to help. We rushed over there from our climbing gym and saw people standing together looking over the cliff. Sure enough a little chihuahua was down there. We never asked how this happened.”
Ropes and rocks come naturally for Schoene and his mates. They’re up and down mountains before breakfast.
“I was born and raised a climber. My parents were climbers. It was easy for us. We were right on time to make this happen,” he says. “The dog was important to them, like their baby. They were shaken.”
This part of the bluff is steep, a 70 degree angle, according to Schoene. Concrete-like material is poured over the face to help keep it together, and that’s where they found Courage.
“We set up an anchor and I rappelled down approximately 30-feet to him.” Schoene continued. “He was very quiet and welcoming to me. And sure enough his leg was broken very badly. Clean through. I held him for a while to help him feel comfortable with me.”
This isn’t the first time Schoene has held a Chihuahua.
“My wife and I have three of our own,” he says.
They used to have four of the little dogs, but one recently died. This rescue had special meaning.
Schoene placed the injured Courage into a bag they used for ropes.
“Then I put him in a backpack. I ascended the cliff with the rope and my ascender,” he recalls. “When I got to the top I pulled him out of the bag and returned him to his mom. She was very thankful.”
“Tyson and his crew were fantastic,” says Chapin-Boyd. “He helped us find a vet and a hospital. They went above and beyond all expectations. They’ve been such a blessing. Makes me want to become a rock climber.”
After surgery, Courage is recovering. He made the trip home from the veterinarian yesterday.
“Everyone’s fingers are crossed. He’s been such a trooper through all of this,” Chapin-Boyd says. “Thank you to everyone. Vivian and I are so appreciative.”
When Schoene was asked what he thought after experiencing all of this, his answer was short.
“Super cool.”
Tyson Schoene wants to acknowledge his co-workers who were also on-hand for the rescue: KJ Maxwell, Lauren Rojas, and Brian Luft.
Vertical World is located at 2330 West Commodore Way. They have indoor rock climbing classes for adults and youth.
Thanks to a Magnolia Voice reader for the tip. Photographs courtesy of Vertical World.
Supply dips sharply with schools out, donors on vacation.
Fireworks, hot dogs, parades, families, history, American heroes – these are the memories of every Fourth of July. This year, add blood donation! What better way to help your community than by helping fellow Americans depending on blood to survive?
“Donating blood takes only an hour of your time, and has the potential to save up to three lives,” notes James P. AuBuchon, MD, president and CEO of Bloodworks.
Summer is a challenging time for maintaining the local blood supply, with schools and colleges on break, and donors on vacation. “We’re already at the point where inventories of the most-needed blood types are nearing critical levels – meaning we have only a two or three day supply,” AuBuchon said.
All 12 Bloodworks donor centers will be open on Tuesday July 4th for whole blood donations and apheresis collections (platelet, plasma and double red cell). Donors can schedule an appointment at any Bloodworks donor center by going online at schedule.bloodworksnw.org or by calling 1-800-398-7888. People can also can check online at bloodworksnw.org to find dates and times of mobile drives close to where they live or work.
The need for blood is continuous throughout summer to support patients having surgeries, organ transplants and cancer treatment. It takes about 800 donors a day to maintain a sufficient supply for more than 90 hospitals served by Bloodworks in Washington, Oregon and Alaska.
“To avoid a summer crunch, we’re asking people who haven’t donated recently to celebrate the 4th by giving blood, or by scheduling an appointment during the next two weeks,” AuBuchon said.
There is a special need for O blood type, platelets, and AB plasma – but all donors are welcome.
The following is a letter from a career military officer and Magnolia resident to the Seattle Public Schools:
The purpose of this communications is to provide Seattle Public Schools with specific information related to Harvey Hall, Leisy USAR Center and surrounding out-buildings, as a potential site for a new Seattle High School.
I am a retired Army Officer and Federal DOD Army Civilian Employee who worked in Harvey Hall and Leisy USAR Center between 1973 and 2000. I would like to convey to you as a former Army Officer Instructor; Enlisted Instructor; Finance Officer; Operations Officer; Administrator; Logistics Supply Officer and Facility Manager, my impression of these facilities as a potential site for a proposed high school.
During my twenty-seven years using these facilities, our Army Engineer staff and Facility Management Team spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for maintenance, repair and upgrading facilities on a annual basis. Structural electric and communications were constantly upgraded with the latest technology including fiber optic cable installed throughout the facilities. Our federal budget provided us with sufficient funds to exceed all federal, state, county and city code requirements including environmental and HAZMAT. Over two dozen Engineer staff performed all aspects of planning and contract implementation. We often used civilian contractors to perform highly technical building modifications, alterations, repairs, and special projects.
Facilities as of 2000, included updated classroom-ready areas, gym, cafeteria, conference rooms, vault, huge parking areas and multiple outbuildings for specialty education. Faculty lounge, counseling areas, library and other functions of a fully operational high school were all in place. Five separate parking lots provide ample room for staff and student parking.
From 2000 to 2017, I have no knowledge of vandalism or other similar destruction. However, these facilities, as of 2000, were impressive and would be a real asset to the Seattle School District meeting many of the criteria for infrastructure without the burden of large capital funding for buildings, property purchase, and renovation.
After listening to the Seattle Housing Authority on June 19 & 21 present their desire to provide homeless housing based on the Mayor’s vision, it seemed clear to many of us who live here that the Seattle Housing Authority has an intransigent, single-minded vision of building homeless housing, irrespective of the cost or effects to our community.
Secondly, the Seattle Housing Authority, while taking input from the community, is clearly unimpressed by the outpouring of support for a new High School at Fort Lawton.
Finally, the Seattle Housing Authority, Mayor and his Spouse in the Seattle Parks Department have an interest in selecting one option only for this site….and it isn’t a High School.
As a Seattle home owner, former elementary school teacher, taxpayer, army officer and federal employee, this is not how city government is supposed to be managed. When the community says, “We want a new High School for our sons and daughters in Queen Anne and Magnolia,” city employees should listen. We do not want a homeless center as part of an even larger Mayor’s vision of a “make-it-up-as-you-go along” agenda.
My bottom line is a request that you take a look at these former Army facilities and see for yourself this property is a turn-key, state-of-the-art complex that can support the Seattle School District. Having worked for nearly three decades in these buildings, I can assure you that a new Seattle High School could not find a nicer, more convenient location for our students.
