Remembering Don Tewkesbury 1932-2023

Don Tewkesbury, born April 28, 1932, in Seattle, was a multi-award-winning Washington state newsman. His thirty-six-year career included covering such memorable local events as the 1963 Columbus Day storm and the Beatles’ visit during the Seattle World’s Fair. He was alone manning the Seattle Post-Intelligencer city desk early Sunday, May 18, 1980, when Mount St. Helens erupted. He also interviewed legendary personalities such as astronaut Neil Armstrong, movie star Ginger Rogers, broadcaster Edward R. Murrow, and jockey Gary Stevens.

He attended Madrona and Emerson grade schools, and Franklin High School; he graduated from the University of Washington in 1954 as a journalism major. He was a charter member of the Franklin Alumni Association (1995) and served on the board of the association.

His first job was at a daily newspaper in Anacortes in 1958, where he wrote a column called Knotted Lines for the Anacortes American. He worked as a reporter and editor at the Renton Chronicle 1959-1962 (a weekly which closed in 1969); the Tacoma News Tribune 1962-1970, and the Post-Intelligencer from 1970 until he retired in 1994. Between 1962 and 1975 he won annual awards for news reporting, features articles, and humor columns, and an award from the Pacific Northwest Sigma Delta Chi professional journalism society for business reporting. Many of the articles he wrote his last year at the Post-Intelligencer focused on scams, credit problems, and unfair practices of businesses. (Based on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer archives.)

A descendent of the Seattle pioneer Colman family, he was a long-time member of the Pioneer Association of Washington State and belonged to the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild, the P-I Retirees Club, the Sierra Club, the Queen Anne Historical Society, and the Radio Enthusiasts of Puget Sound.

Don passed away peacefully on March 17, 2023, remaining ever diligent and informed of local and national news, with his humor intact. Survivors include his stepchildren, Jan Kaas, and Rob and Scott Shoemaker.

Remembrances may be made to Lifetime Learning Center, 6208 60th Ave. NE., Seattle 98115 or a charity of choice.