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Michael Redman: loyal, loving
Thursday, August 16, 2001
Michael Redman was funny, smart, outspoken, warm, gregarious and larger than life, say those who knew him well. But most of all, he was loyal.
Mr. Redman, former executive secretary of the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys and a former prosecuting attorney of San Juan County, died Sunday at 59 of pancreatic cancer while visiting family in Sandy, Ore.
"Loyalty was his greatest trait, " said King County Prosecuting Attorney Norm Maleng, a friend and colleague for years. Noting that Mr. Redman's military experience in Vietnam "shaped who he was, " Maleng said: "He was definitely the guy you wanted in your foxhole when the action started."
The action during Mr. Redman's years with the prosecuting attorneys association 1977 to 1994 involved often-controversial issues surrounding proposed state laws. As an Olympia lobbyist for the prosecutors' organization, he influenced legislation related to state sentencing guidelines, domestic violence, drunken driving and many other criminal-justice issues.
"He was a prosecutor's prosecutor smart, funny and completely dedicated to the prosecutor's mission" of improving the criminal-justice system, Maleng said.
Though not everyone agreed with each of his stands, Mr. Redman's passion and principle drew respect, several said. Throughout, he remained intensely loyal to the prosecutors he represented and, by extension, to the state's people said another longtime friend, Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney Dave McEachran.
Mr. Redman's loyalty was evident even during his youth in Seattle's Mount Baker neighborhood. His younger brother Eric, now a Seattle lawyer, recalls that when he was about 8, he was bitten by a neighborhood dog. Mr. Redman, who was then about 15, was so incensed that he chased down the dog and bit it back.
"How many people would bite a dog for you?" the still-admiring Eric said.
Mr. Redman was born Dec. 17, 1941, in Washington, D.C, and spent most of his childhood in Mount Baker, where his family moved after World War II. His attorney father, M. Chander Redman, was active in local Democratic politics. His mother, Marjorie Redman, was a civic activist who took on such causes as the cleanup of Puget Sound.
Their influence rubbed off. "Mike stuck to the family values, " taking an active role in public issues, Eric Redman said.
Mr. Redman graduated from Franklin High School in 1959 and in 1963 from Yale University. In 1988, he was featured in the nationally televised special "Halftime, " which traced the lives of five members of the Yale class of 1963.
He volunteered for the Army and served in Vietnam, an experience that affected him deeply, friends and family say. When he returned home and encountered widespread disrespect for veterans of the war, he was troubled by what he considered disloyalty to men who had given much.
Mr. Redman attended the University of Washington School of Law and began his law practice at the firm then known as Foster Pepper Riviera. He also lectured at the UW law school.
After moving to San Juan Island as a partner in the Greer & Redman law firm, he also served as an assistant county prosecutor and in 1974 was elected prosecutor for San Juan County.
He moved to Olympia in 1977 as executive secretary of the prosecuting attorneys association, a post he held through 1994, when he took early retirement.
For several years Mr. Redman sold deferred compensation plans for county employees, then was named executive director of the Washington Council on Crime and Delinquency, from which he retired last year.
After retirement, he taught criminal justice at Bellevue Community College and worked with elementary-school children as a substitute teacher in the Kitsap County public schools.
Mr. Redman loved sailing and was a skilled bridge player. He met his wife, Linda, while they were playing bridge at the home of mutual friends. Though Mr. Redman was best known for his public life, his wife would like people to remember him for something else: "He was a wonderful dad to Loren (Thompson), " her son from a previous marriage.
He also is survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
A private family service was held earlier this week. A public service will be scheduled in the fall. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Compassion in Dying of Washington, P.O. Box 61369, Seattle, WA 98121.
Roxanna Frost, a stylish and spirited friend, dies at 44
Sunday, September 02, 2001
The phrase comes up again and again when people talk about Roxanna Frost: She had class.
That quality infused her life as a corporate manager at Microsoft, as a supporter of the arts and charities and as a friend, many said.
Ms. Frost died Aug. 15 of breast cancer at 44. She is remembered as a woman of style, spirit, leadership gifts and generosity.
"Roxanna exemplified class and dignity, " said Tom Cohen, a Microsoft manager who had worked under Ms. Frost. Over 13 years, her positions at Microsoft included group manager for leadership development, general manager of the employee-services division and, most recently, director of the company's Frankfurt International eBook Awards Foundation.
Ms. Frost was keenly interested in people, from top managers to a janitor with whom she had long conversations. "She taught me to value everyone, " said Marie Shiflet, formerly Ms. Frost's executive assistant and project manager.
"She was so classy, " Shiflet added. "She wrote 10 to 15 letters every day that I worked for her" letters that expressed thanks, concern or interest in someone's personal situation. Ms. Frost's long tenure at Microsoft brought considerable financial rewards, which she shared. Once, she learned that an acquaintance had a debilitating disease and couldn't afford treatment.
"Very quietly, without request, she sent the person enough money to save his life, " said Katherine Adams, a close friend.
Ms. Frost's generosity extended to many local charities, including cancer organizations and the Seattle Men's Chorus, for which she held fund-raising parties at her Capitol Hill home.
"She was a famous hostess, " Eric Lane Barnes, the chorus' assistant artistic director, said. "She always had the best of everything: the best wine, the best food" and lots of interesting people, he said.
Ms. Frost's support of the chorus reflected her love of the arts, especially music. But Barnes said she also believed the chorus which includes many members who are gay played an important role in helping build a sense of community between gays and heterosexuals.
Ms. Frost also served on the boards of Leadership Tomorrow and Mentor Health Northwest.
Born and raised near Columbus, Ohio, Ms. Frost learned to hold her own among three brothers, said one of them, Scott Frost of Atlanta.
She earned a degree in art history from Kent State University in Ohio and a master's degree in library and information science from the University of Washington. She worked as an information specialist for Price Waterhouse from 1983 to 1988 before joining Microsoft.
She was twice married
and divorced.
Adams said Ms. Frost was an exceptional friend: "There are countless examples of friends who were over the edge, needing a break, and Roxanna would show up with a gift certificate to a spa or tickets to Arizona, " for a stay at her second home, near Scottsdale.
When cancer forced Ms. Frost to leave Microsoft earlier this year, friends altered their schedules to help her through the illness. Survivors include Ms. Frost's parents, Mary Jane and Jack Frost of Columbus, and brothers, Scott, Jack and Joel Frost.
A memorial tribute was held Wednesday at Microsoft. A private memorial gathering is planned for mid-September.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Seattle Men's Chorus, P.O. Box 20146, Seattle, WA 98102-1146; the Swedish Foundation/Swedish Cancer Institute, 747 Broadway, Seattle, WA 98122-4307; or the Roxanna Frost Quality of Life Fund/Group Health Community Foundation, 1730 Minor Ave., Suite 1500, Seattle, WA 98101.
Herbert Mutschler ran county libraries
Thursday, September 06, 2001
Herbert Mutschler didn't want people to think of libraries as a place only to read or take out books. Libraries, he thought, should be community centers.
As director of the King County Library System for 26 years, he wanted his libraries and their collections to grow. He added films, music tapes, books on tape and videos to the shelves. He initiated a book-by-mail system and computerized the card-catalog system.
He also worked on two bond initiatives that raised $73 million and allowed him to make improvements and expand the system from about 25 branch libraries to nearly 40.
Mr. Mutschler died Friday (Aug. 31) at Mission Healthcare at Bellevue after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 81 and had been a resident of Bellevue for 38 years.
His passion for libraries extended beyond the office. When he returned from vacations, he often brought back pictures of other libraries to show his staff. Even after he retired in 1989, he would visit branches of the county library system just to talk to people.
Mr. Mutschler was Mr. Library, said Jeanne Thorsen, director of the King County Library System Foundation.
"It's just hard to imagine libraries without Herb, " Thorsen said. "... He was consummate, just totally dedicated to libraries."
Born in Eureka, S.D. on Nov. 28, 1919, Mr. Mutschler served as a captain in the Army during World War II and the Korean War before pursuing a career as a librarian. He had wanted to be a history professor, said his wife, Lucille, also a former librarian, but a Cleveland librarian told him librarianship was a rising field for men.
It was the right profession for Mr. Mutschler. He relished the challenge of running a library system, she said.
"He just loved meeting people and loved planning buildings, " his wife said.
Mr. Mutschler won honors during his tenure in King County, including the Washington Library Association President's Award and the Washington Outstanding Public Official award. He also was named a founding member of the county library foundation.
But his staff was his pride and joy, Lucille Mutschler said. "People were the best part of his work, " she said.
After Mr. Mutschler retired, he still committed himself to local libraries, serving on the board for the Bellevue Regional Library and on the Newport Way Library's Friends of the Library in Bellevue. He also served on a Kiwanis Club board.
"Everyone just equates libraries with Herb, " Thorsen said. "That was just so evident. He left quite a legacy when he retired ... and he will be truly missed in the library community."
Mr. Mutschler's survivors include a daughter, Linda Wray of Seattle; two grandchildren; a brother, Clarence of Watertown, S.D.; and a sister, Ione Koerner of Eureka, S.D.
Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. Sept. 15 at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Bellevue, 3030 Bellevue Way N.E. A reception will follow.
Lisa Blau taught love of reading
Saturday, September 08, 2001
Lisa Blau believed that books could expand children's minds by taking them anywhere in the world. So it was of critical importance to her that teachers do an excellent job teaching children to read.
Her methods were so popular that soon educators around the country were asking her to come share her techniques. Mrs. Blau died Aug. 31 after battling cancer for several years. She was 47.
A native of Orinda, Calif., Mrs. Blau began her career teaching elementary school in Covina, Calif. She spent 10 years developing creative ways to help young children learn to read and sharing her ideas with other teachers, said her husband, Len Blau.
Mrs. Blau's methods were "practical, ready-to-use ideas, " he said.
In the late 1980s, she and her husband launched a company called One From the Heart, through which Mrs. Blau gave seminars around the country and wrote instructional books for teachers. She also recommended children's books appropriate to specific age groups and suggested activities that would help get children excited about the material they were reading.
She wrote books that dealt with an array of educational topics, from teaching phonics to using literature in science classes.
One of her most popular innovations was to adapt plays from children's books, so that young reading students could act out the parts.
When she moved to Bellevue in 1991, Mrs. Blau quit teaching and made her consulting business a full-time job.
Mrs. Blau received numerous honors for her work with literacy, including the Celebrate Literacy Award, granted by the International Reading Association, in 1994. She was often a featured speaker for teachers' conferences and reading associations. She also appeared on Educational Television Network programs on teaching literature in the classroom.
She was an adjunct professor at Seattle Pacific University and Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Blau's survivors include her children, Dan and Michaela, both of Bellevue; her sister, Michele Costa-Lukis of London; and her brother, Ross Costa of Laguna Niguel, Calif.
There will be a memorial service at 3 p.m. today at Unity Church, 16330 N.E. Fourth St., Bellevue.
Remembrances may be made to the Bellevue Schools Foundation, in care of the Lisa Blau Literacy Foundation, P.O. Box 40644, Bellevue, WA 98015.
Phil Albert Duryee loved boating in Northwest waters
Monday, September 10, 2001
At one time, Phil Duryee's technical handiwork with radio communication was commonplace on everything from airplanes to taxi cabs. But the man who built a career with communication equipment was happiest working on boats.
The co-founder of Seattle communications company Ratelco built his first boat before he was a teenager, moved on to racing sailboats and, later in life, spent much of his time with his family and friends boating Northwest waters.
"We'd just go sailing, any place we could go where there weren't other people, " said his wife, Sylvia.
Philip Albert Duryee died Wednesday (Sept. 5) at Covenant Shores retirement home on Mercer Island of complications from Alzheimer's disease. He was 82.
Born in Everett, Mr. Duryee developed early his lifelong passion for boating. He was 12 when he built his first boat, recalled his wife. But he had to sell it because his family had little money during the Depression. After graduating from high school, a back problem prevented Mr. Duryee from enlisting in the armed services.
Instead, he applied his aptitude for electronics by going to work for Boeing. In his early 20s, Mr. Duryee tested airborne-communications systems before moving to Cleveland to work for Fisher Aircraft. In 1941, he moved back to the Seattle area and met Jack Rottler. Together, they started Radio Telephone Service Co., which Mr. Duryee later shortened to Ratelco.
The company started out as a two-way-radio repair shop servicing the communication equipment of taxicab companies. As it grew, Ratelco serviced television antennas and built equipment paving the way for communication devices now considered industry standards. Mr. Duryee's patents include one for a battery charger for antennas in remote locations.
Even as Ratelco grew, Mr. Duryee always found time for his love of boating. He met his future wife racing International-14 sailboats; the two married
on April 30, 1954.
With several other boaters, he later designed and built a 50-foot powerboat, the "PS, " short for "postscript." Even after he stopped racing, Mr. Duryee stayed involved in the sport. The "PS" often served as a committee boat for Puget Sound races. He also was a president of the North Pacific Marine Radio Council, which served as intermediary between mariners and the federal government.
Mr. Duryee served as chairman of Seafair and was active in both the Seattle Yacht Club and the Corinthian Yacht Club. He also served in the Auxiliary Coast Guard, a volunteer branch for civilians, where he helped in numerous rescues.
Besides his wife, Mr. Duryee is survived by daughter Cornelia Duryee Moore of Seattle; son Schuyler Duryee of Nashville; and four grandchildren.
A memorial service is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 14 at 12:30 p.m. at University Congregational United Church of Christ, 4516 16th Ave. NE in Seattle. A reception will follow at the Seattle Yacht Club, 1807 East Hamlin St.
Remembrances may be sent to: The Sailing Foundation, P.O. Box 4213, Tumwater, WA 98501, or The Alzheimer's Foundation, P.O. Box 64421, St. Paul, MN 55164.
Jack' Olson, 'a visionary'
Wednesday, September 12, 2001
From becoming a World War II pilot to producing paintings of life in space that are displayed in the Smithsonian Institution, John J. "Jack" Olson lived a life that far exceeded the accomplishments of most humans.
"He was a visionary. He was a writer. He was a fine artist, " said his wife, Georgia. "He was a true Renaissance man, way ahead of his time."
Mr. Olson died Aug. 28 in his Normandy Park home of complications from cancer, which he had battled since 1985. He was 78.
Mr. Olson was born Oct. 24, 1922, in Bottineau, N.D. He went to high school there, attended the University of North Dakota, graduated from the Minneapolis School of Art and Design, and later received a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from what is now Central Washington University.
He served in the Army Air Forces in World War II as an instructor and pilot, surviving a midair collision in a B-24. Though the four-engine plane lost half of a wing, he was able to land it with no casualties.
After leaving the Army as a first lieutenant, Mr. Olson joined Brown & Bigelow, which makes promotional gifts for companies. While at Brown & Bigelow, he received 120 mechanical and design patents.
After going to work for Boeing in 1958, Mr. Olson worked on projects ranging from designs for a jetfoil to concepts that paralleled the later design of the Hubble Space Telescope and a mass-transit system in Morgantown, W.Va. He took medical retirement in 1985.
One of his most widely recognized activities involved producing visionary illustrations of space exploration, and 21 of his space paintings are on display at the Smithsonian.
In a 1984 Seattle Times article, Mr. Olson's skills as a preliminary-design engineer were described by his boss in Boeing space systems.
"Jack could take the sorriest of crude concepts, and when he got through painting it, it looked like we'd spent five years doing detailed design, " Gordon Woodcock said. "He's a lot more than an artist. He's an inventor and an engineer, a natural design talent."
But Mr. Olson's proudest achievement, according to his wife, "was getting his wings as a pilot. His next proudest achievement was getting his diamond badge from the Soaring Society of America, " which entailed flying a glider through a highly challenging series of courses to show increasing competency.
He also was a skilled photographer and held a master-photographer certification from the Photographic Society of America.
Besides his wife of 40 years, Mr. Olson is survived by four sons, John Olson and Robert Olson, both of Seattle, Thomas Weinerth of British Columbia and Robert "Kip" Malaska of Tacoma; and a daughter, Julia Weinerth Sischo of Seattle.
A fifth son, Michael Weinerth, died in 1997. Mr. Olson also is survived by five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Sept. 23 at University Unitarian Church, 6556 35th Ave. N.E., Seattle.
In lieu of flowers, remembrances are suggested to the Highline Hospice, 12844 Military Road S., Tukwila, WA 98168.
