Jennifer Crooks

Contributor at SouthSoundTalk

Contributor at Thurston Talk

Featured in: Favicon

southsoundtalk.com Favicon

thurstontalk.com Favicon

whatcomtalk.com Favicon

ifiberonenewsradio.com Favicon

graysharbortalk.com

Articles

Governor Albert Mead: A Legacy From Whatcom County

3 days ago | whatcomtalk.com | Jennifer Crooks

Albert Mead was Washington’s fifth governor and lived in Whatcom County. Serving from 1905 to 1909, the Bellingham lawyer and former Blaine mayor was a reformer. Many of the laws he advocated for continue to make Washington a better place today. Albert Edward Mead was born on December 14, 1861, in Manhattan, Kansas, to William Banks Mead (1833-1911) and Harriet Carlton Mead (1828-1867). Mead’s mother died in childbirth when he was six. Baby Hattie survived only four months.
East Tacoma’s Salishan Neighborhood Began as a World War II Housing Project

1 week ago | southsoundtalk.com | Jennifer Crooks

World War II brought an unprecedented housing crisis to Tacoma as thousands of workers flocked to the city to work in defense industries, especially the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation’s shipyards. Workers and their families needed somewhere to live. To help house them, the Tacoma Housing Authority built Salishan in East Tacoma, the city’s first racially integrated neighborhood. Salishan can trace its roots back to the Great Depression.
Arleen Webb Crooks Helped Make Olympia a Better Place

1 week ago | thurstontalk.com | Jennifer Crooks

Arleen Crooks came to Olympia with her family in 1958. The wife of a forester and mother of two, my grandmother dedicated her life to making her adopted home a better place. Arleen Marie Webb was born May 3, 1923, to William John Webb (1895-1963) and Nancy Hamilton Webb (1900-1980) in Canfield, Ohio. She had two brothers, Marshall (1921-1986) and Wayne (1925-2000). Her father was a World War I veteran and her mother a retired teacher.
Grays Harbor History: Early Auto Racer Joe Thomas

3 weeks ago | graysharbortalk.com | Jennifer Crooks

Car racing was an exciting new sport in early 20th Century America. Drivers were celebrated as heroes. Joe Thomas, born in Grays Harbor County, was one of them. Joseph “Joe” Henry Thomas was born August 2, 1890 to Charles (1864-1924) and Emma Wilks Thomas (1864-1943) in Grays Harbor County. He had one sibling, Grace Evelyn Thomas Oman (1895-1971). Their parents immigrated from the United Kingdom in 1888.
Tacoma's Story in the Fight Against Polio

1 month ago | southsoundtalk.com | Jennifer Crooks

Polio was a terrifying annual visitor to the Pacific Northwest in the early to mid-20th century. While most cases were mild, others could result in temporary (or permanent) paralysis or even death. Tacoma and Pierce County joined the national fight to prevent, treat, and eventually defeat polio. An ancient disease, poliomyelitis (“polio”), also known as infantile paralysis, became widespread and severe only in the early 20th century.
‘Postmarked Washington’ Sheds Light on Grays Harbor History

1 month ago | graysharbortalk.com | Jennifer Crooks

The Washington State Library offers many resources to researchers. One of their newest digital projects is “Postmarked Washington,” an interactive postal history of Washington. It offers a window into Grays Harbor County community history through its post offices. “Postmarked Washington” was created by Guy Reed Ramsey (1894-1980). A forester, “he was first and foremost a post office paraphernalia collector,” says Mary Schaff, northwest librarian who led the project.
Flower Power: Bill Herdman, Stadium High School’s English Gardener

1 month ago | southsoundtalk.com | Jennifer Crooks

In the early twentieth century, Stadium High School’s grounds were among the best in the region. The stunning gardens were thanks to Bill Herdman, an immigrant English gardener in charge of grounds keeping for the Tacoma School District. Thomas William Herdman was born on June 22, 1871, to Henry (1827-1898) and Sarah Carr Herdman (1834-1905) at Hexham in Northumberland. He usually went by William or Bill. The youngest of four children, his father worked as a cartman, agricultural laborer and farmer.
Olympia History: Remembering the Daylight Bakery

1 month ago | thurstontalk.com | Jennifer Crooks

At the turn of the 20th century most people bought their bread every day or made it themselves. Bakeries promoted themselves as the modern and scientific replacement for home baking. The Daylight Bakery was one of the most successful bakeries in Olympia early history. In 1919 Capital City Creamery’s Frank R. Klumb decided to open a new bakery at 307 East Fourth Avenue, next to the Rex Theater. Naming it the Daylight Bakery, he hired William Shuntz as manager. Doors opened on Friday, July 18.
“Postmarked Washington” Sheds Light on Whatcom County History

1 month ago | whatcomtalk.com | Jennifer Crooks

The Washington State Library offers many resources to researchers. One of their newest digital projects is “Postmarked Washington,” an interactive postal history of Washington. It provides a window into Whatcom County community history through its post offices. “Postmarked Washington” was created by Guy Reed Ramsey (1894-1980). A forester, “he was first and foremost a post office paraphernalia collector,” says Mary Schaff, Northwest Librarian who led the project.
People in Public Service: Cassandra Messegee Brown, Thurston County Superintendent of Schools

2 months ago | thurstontalk.com | Jennifer Crooks

Before the mid-20th century, Washington voters elected county school superintendents to oversee schools. These officials enforced school regulations, organized records, held annual continuing education for teachers, appointed district directors, mediated inter-district conflicts, and oversaw teacher and student examinations. Cassandra Messegee Brown was the third woman to hold this office in Thurston County.