Your letters: December 2017

FROM THE EDITOR: It didn’t surprise me that we received so many letters about the passing of our U-District neighbor Bill Hardwick—everyone loves his family’s fabulous hardware store, where every shelf holds a new surprise. Like this thread gauge that goes for $6.50. (Photo: Quinn Russell Brown)

Hardwick’s in our heart

RIP Bill and long live Hardwick’s. I bet there is a much longer story (or book) that could be told about this remarkable family and their businesses.

-Nancy Lou-Pol, Columns Online

My teachers in college told me to shop there. I am so glad I listened. So sorry and sad that it will fall victim to the greed of the real estate market. Please talk to 4 culture.org.

-Allison Agostinelli. Columns Online

Hardwick’s is my favorite hardware store. Bill got me started with decent woodworking tools back in 1995 when I started carving flutes. RIP Bill.

-Dave Clemmer, Columns Online

Hardwick’s is my favorite store in all of Seattle. It’s not only carpenters and boat builders who patronize the store. It’s anyone who has something to fix.

-Elle, Columns Online

Many days wandering the skinny aisle looking in glass cases wanting one of almost everything

-Sue Nugent, Columns Online

In the inland

As an alumna who has lived in Spokane since 1998, I enjoyed your article about the
Inlander. This weekly newspaper has been an important voice for arts, entertainment and current issues and events, paying attention to matters that might well be ignored or minimized by The Spokesman-Review. I used to buy a subscription for my late mother, who liked to read about new places to visit for food and recreation when she came up with my father from Richland to visit. My only regret is the Inlander’s decision to not endorse political candidates.

-Marian Hennings, ’78, Spokane

Our Fred Beckey

The history of Washington (and Canadian) mountaineering is incomplete without acknowledging the contribution our own Fred Beckey, ’49, made to its geological, human and climbing history. The University’s Northwest Collection would be diminished without Fred’s original research.

-Rainer Burgdorfer, ’81, Newcastle

Editor’s Note: Beckey, an alum of the Foster School, died Oct. 30 at the age of 94. He published many books about climbing, his first being “Climber’s Guide to the Cascade and Olympic Mountains.”

Sacred sanctuary

In reading your paean to libraries, I was reminded of a piece titled “Inside a Library” that is part of Elie Wiesel’s book, “From the Kingdom of Memory.” He writes: “If the school is a temple, then the library is its sanctuary.”

-Barbara Schlotfeldt, ’96, Tacoma

Transplant tribute

I received my donated kidney two years ago after losing both of my kidneys in 2014. Even though I did not get my kidney transplant through UW Medicine, UW doctors assisted with my transplant at Virginia Mason and Group Health. I was on dialysis from 7 to 11 a.m. three days a week. Your story brought back good and bad memories of having to go through the process of being placed on the transplant waiting list. I met some very nice and helpful people during my dialysis.
I still bring snacks to the Kaiser dialysis clinic.

-Gilberto Hedges-Blanquez, ’83, Seattle

A caring human being

Aside from my father, Bill Cole had more influence upon my life than any other man. I was fortunate to have many superb teachers at Stadium High School in Tacoma and at the UW, where I enrolled to “follow my trumpet teacher.” Although I switched from music education to political science and then went on to law school, I continued to be influenced by Bill’s example of living virtually every day of my life—as a trial lawyer, a mentor to others (including nephews and grandchildren) and as a human being. I think often of Bill’s influence as a loving, caring human being who also happened to be one of the best trumpet players and conductors in the United States. How lucky we are—those of us who came “under the wing” of this angel in Gabriel’s trumpet section!

-Steve Moen, ’63, Columns Online

Owl awe

Thank you, Paul Bannick, for your work photographing owls and sharing the wonders in our midst. Discovery Park is a wonderful oasis in our urban setting. We evolved in nature and this is where we can reconnect to ourselves and our communities. We are so lucky to have this resource in our collective “backyard.”

-Wende J. Wood, ’75, Columns Online

Very impressed with his photography and work he has been doing to educate others about the owls.

-Barbara Retelle, Facebook

How cool! I had no idea. Love my owls 🙂

-Ellen Ferguson, Facebook

These photos are amazing 🙂 Thank you for recording their lives!

-Tessa Cook, Columns Online

Chaucer champion

Some of my most memorable classes were those taught by Roger Sale. He taught me how to enjoy reading Chaucer!

-Dorothy Boyle, Facebook

I was in the upward bound program in 1971, and Roger Sale and Ralph Hayes were truly memorable teachers. Thanks.

-John Sheperd, Facebook.com