PACIFIC NORTHWEST HISTORIANS GUILD
NORTHWEST HISTORIAN Newsletter
Members’ Activities
November, 2003
Peter Blecha :
PNW Guild member Peter Blecha’s study of music censorship, Taboo Tunes,
Banned Bands & Censored Songs, is set for publication by Backbeat Books of
San Francisco in the early-spring of 2004. Blecha, the longtime local music
historian, columnist with the Rocket Magazine, Contributing Editor to
HistoryLink.org, and former Senior Curator at Seattle’s Experience Music Project,
explores the socio-political causes behind censorship campaigns and documents
the repression of various forms of music on a global scale. The bulk of Taboo
Tunes, however, focuses on incidents in America and features numerous
episodes from Pacific Northwest history including our Jazz Age dance bans (and
court trials), the infamous “dirty lyrics” scandal and subsequent FBI investigation
(1964-1966) of the Kingsmen’s hit “Louie Louie,” and the corporate censoring of
the fourth album by Grunge Rock icons, Nirvana.
Junius Rochester:
Last September 24 I gave a talk about my Trolley book to the Queen Anne
Historical Society.
The Garfield High School (Seattle) Alumni Association recently voted me into
their Hall of Fame. That honor was partly for long-ago activities and sports in
school (I was an all-city high hurdle champion), but also for my writing, speaking
and history work. The school is 85 years old and 64 people are listed in the Hall
of Fame. The Hall of Famer chosen just before me is Grammy Award winner
Quincy Jones, whose autobiography (Q) I discuss in my book, The Last Electric
Trolley. (I should add that our own Rich Berner was also chosen for the Garfield
Hall of Fame at the same time as my induction.)
Currently I am working on a history of the 90-year-old Lighthouse for the Blind,
Inc., on Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, Seattle. -- Almost simultaneously Seattle
artist Bill Ingham and I are preparing a Lewis & Clark "sketchbook" covering the
Corps' journey from the Rockies to the Columbia River mouth. Bill is doing
original black and white drawings of physical sites the Corps "probably" saw; I
am writing "before and after" essays about those sites.
Sunday, 2 November I will give (gave?) a talk at Seattle's historic First Methodist
Church in downtown Seattle. My subject is (was?) the year of the church's
founding: 1853. I am (was?) the lead-off speaker for a series of three talks
summing up the church's history before it is torn down and rebuilt.
On November 13 I give (gave?) a Lewis & Clark talk at the Haggin Museum,
Stockton, CA, to which members of the Haggin, the Jedediah Smith Society, and
the San Joaquin County Historical Society have been (were?) invited. That busy
event will be (was?) followed by 10 days "working" vacation on Monterey Bay
with Joanne.
Regards, Junius
Doris Pieroth :
WSU Press announces the recent publication of The Hutton Settlement: A Home for One
Man’s Family A book launch was recently held at the Hutton Settlement north of
Spokane WA.
WSU Press writes, “The Hutton Settlement is a remarkable embodiment of
philanthropy, altruism, and stewardship. L.W. Hutton built and endowed his home for
children, orphaned or otherwise in need of a secure shelter, with wealth gleaned from
the silver of Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene mining district.
“Herein is a chronicle of that unique venture, beginning with the story of Levi
Hutton, his rise to riches, and the construction of the home’s impressive buildings and
pastoral campus. It reflects eighty years of change in the theory and practice of child care
and is based on the Settlement’s official records as well as press accounts and
interviews.”
Chuck LeWarne:
Washington State, by Chuck LeWarne, a history designed for secondary school students,
has been issued in a 3rd edition this summer. Although the general format is similar to
previous editions, first appearing in 1986, the
content has been completely revised. Added topics include Kennewick Man, Gov. Gary
Locke, multi-ethnic population groups, the effects of September
eleven, and an expanded section on Microsoft. There are newly selected photographs
and graphics, and population and economic figures have been updated. The familiar
cover featuring WPA murals from the Suzzallo Library at the University
of Washington is highlighted by a bright red spine. The book is published by the U of W
Press.