From our readers Vol. 30 Spring 2024
Dear Quaker friends,
We invite you to write about your experiences at Franklin, particularly how they shaped you and informed your life. Send to quakertimes@franklinalumni.net. We welcome your feedback, suggestions and ideas.
Mary Duryee, ‘67, Editor
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From our readers…..
To Quaker Times Editor:
Both my father, John James Chesnutt, and I, John Lindley Chesnutt, attended Franklin. He was in the class of 1918, and I was in the class of 1950. We both had the same teacher – Miss Rose Glass.
My sister, Ellen, was class of 1952 and brother, David, class of 1948.
My father did not graduate since he had to work to support his large family. We both became CPA’s in the State of Washington.
It is a great school.
John (Jack) Chesnutt, ‘50 December 18, 2023
My memory recalls that for two of the three years I attended Franklin from September 1972 to June 1975, Franklin was named the most “racially diverse” high school in America. While I cannot find the proof of that claim/source today, I would be willing to wager on it. Now almost fifty years later looking back on my days at Franklin, I could not have asked for a better experience in how it shaped me over my lifetime. It taught me how to better relate to everyone that I have crossed paths with during this period. I know it has made me a much better person with more compassion, understanding, and respect for ALL people no matter their background.
Living in the richness and diversity of the South Seattle area, I made many friends from various ethnicities while attending Franklin (several lifelong friendships). When visiting classmates’ homes, I got to experience firsthand and learn about diverse cultures, customs, holiday foods, religions, etc. I even learned some choice Chinese words from the mother of my friend while she chased us once with a wooden spoon. Inside and out, my three years at Franklin were such an invaluable education in so many ways beyond the textbooks. It taught me that no matter what we look like, our color, native tongue, socioeconomic level, religion, food preferences, etc., we are all just people trying to do the right thing for one another, our families, and community. It is a credo I have always tried to live by every day since I was a teen. The Franklin experience gave me this lifelong gift.
I was lucky that I got a head start to all this diversity exposure by being born and raised in Rainier Valley near Franklin. As a young person growing up, I did not know this was not the norm. My mother’s Italian grandparents came to “Garlic Gulch” around 1900. As a teen my parents shared with me some “grown-up” reality that some of my early Italian great-uncles/aunts experienced discrimination issues trying to get work, housing, and such. But I am proud to say that my parents were always friendly and welcoming to any friend of any background that I or any of my siblings ever brought home. While I cannot ask my parents today, I hope they made a conscious decision to raise their family with the five of us brothers and sisters in the richness of Rainier Valley.
During my life and work, I have been fortunate to visit areas of the US and foreign countries. But I always looked forward to returning to Seattle. It turns out, I and my wife, Nellie Fujii (also a 1975 Franklin graduate), have resided our entire lives within about a five-mile radius of Franklin. We would not have it any other way.
Finally, I would like to thank my Japanese-born mother-in-law for showing me how to properly appreciate all the subtleties of sushi, sashimi, and other great Japanese cuisine and sharing her Japanese culture with me over the years.
Go Quakers!Cappy Anderson, Class of 1975
December 2023