Jean was raised in Seattle's Rainier Valley and graduated from Franklin High School in 1948. She attended the University of Washington for a little more than a year and began her career in the insurance industry. In 1962, Jean opened the doors at Jean VelDyke Realty Inc. on Rainier Avenue, where she could remain close to and serve the community she loved and cared for very much.
Read MoreReflections from: Jeff Abolofia (’67); Geri Alhadeff (’67); Steve Ticeson (’67); Mary Duryee, (’67)
At the age of 70, Ron Mamiya died on May 26, 2019, surrounded by his family. He stayed strong, hopeful, and positive throughout his battle with prostate cancer, even up until the last days.Born in 1949 to Yoshi and George Mamiya, Ron was the eldest of 3 sons. He was born and raised in Seattle. Ron grew up on Beacon Hill, attended Franklin High School, University of Washington, and Gonzaga University, where he earned his law degree in 1976. Ron went into private practice in Seattle and was appointed as a Municipal Court Judge in 1980. He served as a judge until his retirement in 2010. He also served on several appointed commissions for 20+ years in Seattle.
At Franklin he was Senior class President, and a member of the Bel Canto choir, touring Europe with the choir in 1966.
Read MorePro golf was still segregated when he won
Wright was a standout golfer and basketball player when he attended high school in Seattle, as well as at Western Washington University. He was in his senior year of college when he entered the USGA Amateur Public Links Championship. After his groundbreaking victory there, Wright had a dream of playing golf professionally, but it wasn’t an easy road for a Black man at a time when the PGA’s bylaw still included a “Caucasians only” clause. He played in PGA Tour events beginning in 1960, but he was unable to gain any sponsors, and full-time professional play was an unsustainable path in this segregated era. Wright played in a handful of other PGA Tour events over the years while working as a teacher and a car salesman, and he later became a teaching pro at the California golf course the Lakes at El Segundo.
Read MoreOnly 20% of Scott VanderWey’s students request enrollment his in Wood Shop class but his focus on community and family in the shop becomes contagious and by the end of the semester almost 100% report that they loved the class.
Read MoreEach year, the FAA&F awards five $2,000 Scholarships established from an endowment. However, with over forty (40) outstanding applications to consider, awarding just five scholarships seemed like an impossible task. Fortunately, with contributions from Alumni Board, Committee Members, and caring Quaker alumni, we are able to announce thirteen $2,000 Scholarship Awardees. I cannot help but parody the saying, “A rising endowment raises all scholarships.” The additional eight allocations will help change a life.
Read MoreCharles Parker comes from a multi-generation Franklin family with deep roots in South Seattle, though he graduated from Ingraham High School in north Seattle, the result of a period of busing in Seattle (1972 – 1999). He says, “I grew up in the Seattle system and it failed me.
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