Hazel Gjerde, a platinum blonde who performed as a can-can dancer at Steve's Gay '90s, poses in a chinchilla stole next to a new Lincoln Continental . Miss Gjerde was one of the models in a chinchilla fur fashion show held at Steve's in June of 1959. Four hundred members of the Gold Seal Chinchilla Association from the Northwest, Canada and as far east as Minnesota had gathered in Tacoma for their annual convention. Photograph ordered by the Gold Seal Chinchilla Association. (TNT 6/19/1959, pg. 25-article on convention)

Fur trade--Tacoma; Business enterprises--Tacoma; Gold Seal Chinchilla Enterprises (Tacoma); Fur garments; Women--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lincoln automobile; Gjerde, Hazel;

The bas relief at the front of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Parkland, ordered by the Olympian Stone Co. of Seattle. The original church at this site was "The Gray Church" built in 1907 and also named Trinity Lutheran. It was demolished in 1957 and this new church, designed by John Richards of Lea, Pearson and Richards, was dedicated in March of 1959. The relief over the door was designed by Pacific Lutheran College Art Professor George Roskos. The three ton sculpture illustrates the parable of the sower, how both seed and the word of God need fertile soil to take root and grow.

Trinity Lutheran Church (Parkland); Lutheran churches--Parkland; Bas-reliefs;

Home portrait of Mrs. Jennie Sexton with her nine children, including 2 sets of twins, and family members and friends on Mrs. Sexton's 80th birthday.

Sexton, Jennie--Family; Birthday parties--1950-1960; Families--1950-1960;

Temple Beth Israel; four young people with Rabbi Richard Rosenthal on June 11, 1959, after their completion of confirmation class.The young people are being welcomed into the congregation of Temple Beth Israel. Rabbi Rosenthal will accept their vows of faith and each will be presented with a certificate of confirmation and an inscribed prayer book. According to Jewish tradition, the revelation on Mount Sinai took place at this season- the festival of Shovuos. Reform Judaism had reintroduced the ceremony of confirmation. Participants were usually 16-18 years of age. Back row (l to r) Gary Donion, Rabbi Rosenthal, and Ronald Diamond. Seated (l to r) Marilyn Aqua and Leslie Apstein.

Confirmations--Tacoma--1950-1960; Judaism--Tacoma; Magen David; Temple Beth Israel Synagogue (Tacoma); Synagogues--Tacoma; Rosenthal, Richard; Rabbis--Tacoma; Donion, Gary; Diamond, Ronald; Aqua, Marilyn; Apstein, Leslie;

Warren McBreen and Nora Weiss at Mack's Candies and Bakery, 8518 South Tacoma Way, put the finishing touches on an enormous cake ordered for a Tacoma Sears Roebuck anniversary party held in June of 1959. The cake, which was 5 ft. across, and made in three tiers decorated with grapes and flowers made of frosting, had a big "34" on top. Mack's was owned by Ernest A. McBreen, who grew up in the Fern Hill area of Tacoma, and had been in the candy and bakery business for over 40 years. He died in September of 1966 at the age of 82. Photograph ordered by General Mills Inc. of Seattle.

Mack's Candies & Bakery (Tacoma); Sears, Roebuck & Co. (Tacoma); Cakes; Anniversaries;

This publicity picture of "The Interludes;" Roger Laybourn, left, and Don Allard, right, was ordered by Star-Hi Records in June 1959. The 18 year old Fircresters and graduates of Wilson High School were the latest Tacomans to place their hopes on a hit record. Their first recording "I Want You To Know" was released on the Star-Hi label throughout the west by their manager Russ Malray of Tacoma. The duo performed together locally as singers, accompanying themselves with guitar or piano, and also with their own combo. When playing as a rock and roll combo, the duo were joined by Steve Ward on the drums, Fred Stabert on the saxophone and Bert Anderson on the bass. The pair started performing together after the 5 voice vocal group they were part of broke up. Their combo played formal dances at Wilson HS and Hunt middle school. TPL-5691 (TNT 6/28/1959, pg C-14)

Rock groups--Tacoma--1950-1960; Music ensembles--Tacoma--1950-1960; Musicians--Tacoma--1950-1960; Singers--Tacoma--1950-1960; Laybourn, Roger; Allard, Don;

Publicity picture of "The Interludes," ordered by Star-Hi Records. The clean cut pair are listed in the Richards Studio records as Roger Laybourn, left, and Don Allard on the right. The 18 year old duo resided in Fircrest and were graduates of Wilson High School. Their first record "I Want You To Know" had been released in the west on the Star-Hi label by their manager Russ Malray of Tacoma. On the record, the duo was accompanied by the Ben Taravello Combo. When they played locally, the pair either sang and accompanied themselves on guitar and piano or performed with their own rock and roll combo. TPL-6571 (TNT 6/28/1959, pg. C-14)

Rock groups--Tacoma--1950-1960; Music ensembles--Tacoma--1950-1960; Musicians--Tacoma--1950-1960; Singers--Tacoma--1950-1960; Laybourn, Roger; Allard, Don;

The Opera House at Steve' s Gay '90s Restaurant. The Opera House opened in 1956 and was the main entertainment venue at Steve's, where a full floor show was performed every Friday and Saturday night. Its crystal chandeliers came from the Seattle Opera House and its walls were adorned with photographs of the beautiful old homes of Tacoma. It was furnished with antiques gathered by owner Steve Pease at estate sales and auctions. In mid June of 1959, Steve's was celebrating its 10th anniversary with "continuous" entertainment Wednesday - Saturday. (TNT 6/16/1959, pg. 8-9)

Steve's Gay '90s (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Two children play outside on the swingset behind this view home designed by Miller Construction and located in Panorama Park. Large windows cover the rear of the home to take in the inspiring view of the Narrows Bridge. The home appears to be a split level, the address is unknown.

Houses--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Wall to wall windows are the focal point of this house in the Panorama Park addition, designed and built by Miller Construction. The soaring view of the Narrows Bridge almost fills the window space in this June of 1959 photograph.

Windows--Tacoma; Houses--Tacoma--1950-1960; Miller Construction Co. (Tacoma); Tacoma Narrows Bridge (Tacoma);

Large one story rambler built by Fitzpatrick-McIntyre at 6 Rustic Lane in Lakewood. This was the home of dentist Dr. Eugene Riggs. The home has an attached two car garage. The roofline is angled and the home has a composition roof. The house is painted dark with white, or light trim, and is nestled among the evergreen trees.

Riggs, Eugene--Homes & haunts; Houses--Lakewood--1950-1960; Fitzpatrick-McIntyre;

A copy of an old photograph ordered in May of 1959 by Eliza McCabe. The 1959 City Directory lists an Eliza C. (Mrs. Louis) McCabe at 2509 So. 56th.

John E. Wagoner, on the left, accepts a check for $2500 from George Stanfield, representative of the American Seating Co. The certificate and check were presented at the awards ceremony at The Islander at 11th & A St. Wagoner was the winner of a national teachers contest sponsored by the American Seating Co. Teachers from across the country completed the following sentence in 25 words or less; "Properly designed school furniture is important because..." In Wagoner's case, his reply was worth about $100 per word. His award coincided with his retirement from teaching after 30 years. Wagoner taught his last class at the Weyerhaeuser school the same day as the awards ceremony. He and his wife Jean lived in a trailer next to the three room school during the week and commuted to their Gig Harbor home on the weekends. He served as the school's principal as well as teaching several classes. Wagoner had worked as principal of the Gig Harbor Union High School in 1940 and 1941 and later served in Concrete and Randle. (TNT 5/30/1959, pg. 3)

Awards; Wagoner, John E.; Teachers--1950-1960; School principals--Gig Harbor;

A quartet of bathing beauties posed with a Uniflite boat and a trophy in the parking lot of the Villa Plaza shopping center in this photograph from May 1959. The sign on the step platform, that the young women are standing on, advertises the Villa Marina, a department of the Villa Bowl Sports Shop. Two of the women are: second from left, Sherry Lee Holmes, the 20 year old Miss Tacoma; and, to the right of Miss Holmes, possibly Marilyn Ganes, 18 year old Franklin Pierce student and Miss Washington candidate. The Foreman & Clark clothing store at 10315 Gravelly Lake Dr. SW can be seen in the background.

Motorboats--1950-1960; Bathing suits--1950-1960; Bathing beauties; Holmes, Sherry Lee;

Woman with rod & reel at the Point Defiance boathouse, ordered by UPI.

Fishing & hunting gear;

Jack Murphy (l) and Andy Garnes (r) posed in their Cheney Studs baseball uniforms, on May 16, 1959. The picture order by the Cheney Lumber Co. is labeled "Legion Studs Post 202 at Cheney Field." The Post 202 Legion Studs were District 4 champions in 1957 and 1958 and finished fourth in 1959. They were opening a 40 games schedule in May of 1959. The 16 man travelling squad was managed by Jack Murphy and coached by Andy Garnes. Mr. Murphy was a school teacher for Tacoma public schools and Mr. Garnes, an attorney in Tacoma. (TNT 5/29/1959, pg. 16) (Additional information provided by a reader)

Baseball players--Tacoma--1950-1960; Baseball--Tacoma--1950-1960; American Legion Tacoma Post No. 202 (Tacoma)--Baseball players; Garnes, Andy; Murphy, Jack;

Each year the students of Annie Wright Seminary held a May Day festival to welcome back the blooming life of spring to the cool and gray Northwest. The ceremony in 1959 was held on a bright, sunny May 9th with the air stirred by a stiff breeze. 1959 was a special year, the 75th anniversary of the founding of the school, which opened in 1884 with a class of 93 from Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. Since most of the upper class girls were directly involved in the pageant, the entertainment was usually provided by the lower and middle school classes. This group appears to be performing a folk dance, perhaps from the Netherlands. Some girls are dressed in full skirts with aprons and boxy bonnets, some are dressed as boys in knee length pants and vests.

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Private schools--Tacoma; Festivals--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The plant formerly occupied by the Tacoma Sash & Door Co. on the Tideflats was destroyed by a $400,000, 2 hour fire on May 9, 1959. The building had been abandoned by the previous company and was now occupied by 8 smaller businesses, including Nordlund & Silva Boat Co., Educators Manufacturing, Nu Life Fertilizer, City Millwork, General Hardwood Co. and Thunderbird Water Ski Co. All of the businesses suffered extensive losses, most were insured to some extent. The fire was started by an oil burner and tank that were installed without the Fire Department's knowledge. Three-fourths of the sprinkler system had been turned off a few days before the fire due to its leakage on desks stored in the plant by Educators Manufacturing. Firefighters kept the flames from spreading to surrounding plants. (TNT 5/9/1959, pg. 1; 5/10/1959, pg. 1, TNT 5/19/1959, pg. 3)

Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Sash & Door Co. (Tacoma);

The 1959 Annie Wright Seminary May Day Queen was Cynthia Reid Fanshawe of Billings, Montana. She was crowned on a bright and sunny May 9th in 1959 in ceremonies performed on the lawn of the campus. Cynthia, also known as "Fanny," was a talented artist and musician. She belonged to the drama club Masque and sang with the choir. She was remembered in the yearbook as being enthusiastic, considerate and a good sport. She served as president of the athletic association S.A.C. (yearbook "The Shield" 1959, TNT 5/17/1959, pg. D-7))

Fanshawe, Cynthia; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Private schools--Tacoma; Festivals--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Tacoma firemen bravely try to contain the blaze at the buildings formerly occupied by the Tacoma Sash & Door Co. on the Tideflats. Over 21 firemen were treated on the scene for smoke inhalation, exhaustion and acid burns. The fire was fought by sixteen companies aided by a fireboat and off duty fireman. The fire did over $400,000 in damage to the structure and the inventories of the eight small businesses that occupied the buildings. (TNT 5/9/1959, pg. 1 & 5/10/1959, pg. 1)

Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Sash & Door Co. (Tacoma);

Firemen pause in the fight against the raging fire that destroyed the plant formerly occupied by the Tacoma Sash & Door Co. Firemen from 16 companies answered the call that came at around 11:30a.m. on May 9, 1959 to fight the fire on the Tideflats. Firemen battled the blaze for more than two hours before containing it. The building, which was occupied by eight small businesses, was totally destroyed. (TNT 5/9/1959, pg. 1 & 5/10/1959, pg. 1)

Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Sash & Door Co. (Tacoma);

The Annie Wright May Day Queen's train bearers smile winsomely at the camera. They are, left to right, Jean Buttorff and Nancy McGoldrick. Every year the students of Annie Wright Seminary celebrated the arrival of spring to the gray Northwest with the May Day festivities. A senior was chosen to rule over the festivities, with the younger girls as attendants. Lower school (primary) girls were chosen to serve as heralds, train bearers, flower girls, scepter bearers, crown bearers and pages.

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Private schools--Tacoma; Festivals--Tacoma--1950-1960; Buttorff, Jean; McGoldrick, Nancy;

The raging fire at the old Tacoma Sash & Door Co. plant broke out in a building where several people employed by Nordlund & Silva Boat Co. were working on small pleasure boats. All individuals escaped without injury. However, in the two hour fight to contain the blaze, 21 fireman were overcome by smoke or exhaustion or suffered acid burns. The flames at time shot to an estimated 150 feet in height, fed by the mahogany, school desks and fertilizer stored at the plant. (TNT 5/9/1959, pg. 1, 5/10/1959, pg. 1)

Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Sash & Door Co. (Tacoma);

Firefighters from 16 companies fought for two hours to subdue the blazes consuming the plant that formerly housed the Tacoma Sash & Door Co. At times the flames reached an estimated 150 feet in height and a brisk 50 mph wind blew sparks into the firemen's eyes and damaged roof tops of surrounding businesses. The heat was so intense that workers at the Buffelen plant 100 feet away could not stand to be outside. After the fire was subdued, 3 chimneys of the original structure were all that was left standing. (TNT 5/9/1959, pg. 1 & 5/10/1959, pg. 1)

Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Sash & Door Co. (Tacoma);

Every year, the student body and faculty of Annie Wright Seminary welcomed back spring with a May Day Festival. A senior girl was chosen to reign over the festivities as Queen, with other upper class girls as the court. Lower school (primary) girls acted as attendants. The girls pictured here in their May Day regalia on May 9, 1959 are, left to right, Muffet Gilfin, scepter bearer; Joan Anderson, herald; Terry Weyerhaeuser, crown bearer; Sally Dimant, page; Belinda McLean, flower girl and Rita Smith, flower girl. (yearbook "The Shield" 1959, TNT 5/7/1959, pg. D-7) )

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Private schools--Tacoma; School children--Tacoma--1950-1960; Festivals--Tacoma--1950-1960; Gilfin, Muffet; Anderson, Joan; Weyerhaeuser, Terry; Dimant, Sally; Smith, Rita; McLean, Belinda;

This is the aftermath of a spectacular fire that broke out on May 9, 1959, on the Tideflats at the plant for the Tacoma Sash & Door Co. The fire, the year's most spectacular, completely destroyed the plant and the equipment and materials of the eight smaller companies that occupied the building. The financial loss in the fire was estimated at $400, 000. Sixteen fire companies aided by a fireboat and off duty firemen battled the blazes, whipped up by a 50 mph southwesterly wind, to keep them from spreading to other volatile industries, such as Buffelen Woodworking, the tanks at Reichhold Chemical and the Rock Wool Co. (TNT 5/9/1959, pg. 1-article & alternate photograph & 5/10/1959, pg 1 & alternate photograph)

Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Sash & Door Co. (Tacoma);

Firemen fight bravely to subdue the flames at the old Tacoma Sash & Door Co. plant on the Tideflats. Fire broke out at approximately 11 a.m. on May 9, 1959 and raged for over 2 hours, sending sparks flying far enough to start a brush fire on a Northeast Tacoma hillside across the Hylebos Waterway. Firemen from 16 companies responded to the blaze and Fire Chief Fisk sent out a call for all off duty firemen to respond as well. At stake were the surrounding factories and plants, Buffelen Woodworking, Acme, Reichhold Chemical, Justus Co. and Rock Wool Co. All of these companies worked with highly flammable materials, but sustained only light fire damage. Completely lost were the materials and stored inventories of the eight companies occupying the sash and door plant. Ironically, the buildings were for sale. (TNT 5/9/1959, pg. 1; 5/10/1959, pg. 1)

Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Sash & Door Co. (Tacoma);

Black smoke billows from the tremendous fire that is consuming the former home of the Tacoma Sash & Door Co. on May 9, 1959. The fire was reported at about 11:30 a.m. by a foreman at Reichhold Chemicals who saw flames shooting from the windows of the building. The chemical tanks at Reichhold stood about 100 yards from the blaze, but luckily the wind was blowing in the opposite direction. The heat, however, was so intense that most Reichhold employees had to stay indoors. Reichhold suffered only minor damage to a power plant in the fire. (TNT 5/9/1959, pg. 1 & 5/10/1959, pg. 1)

Reichhold Chemicals, Inc. (Tacoma); Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Sash & Door Co. (Tacoma);

Mary Bridge Hospital, possibly a radiology lab. The technician is adjusting an X-ray machine. This was formerly the hydrotherapy room at Mary Bridge. All of the equipment in the hospital was specially designed for its pint sized patients, ranging from birth to age 14. Since its opening in 1955, the hospital had become overcrowded and rooms, such as the playroom, were taken over as wards due to the need for more beds. Here the hydrotherapy room has been converted to a much needed x-ray lab. A massive fund raising drive was underway to support enlargement of Mary Bridge and improvements at Tacoma General.

Mary Bridge Children's Hospital (Tacoma); Hospitals--Tacoma--1950-1960; Radiography;

Three nurses are shown pushing juvenile beds and cribs through a corridor, at Mary Bridge Hospital in this photograph from May of 1959. The hospital, which opened in March of 1955, treated patients from birth to age 14 and served all of southwest Washington. When built, the hospital contained only 40 beds; it was built with the third floor unfinished to allow for future expansion. By 1959 the hospital was constantly overcrowded. A constant shifting of beds was neccessary to meet the needs of the children. Some infectious cases required isolation and boys and girls were always segregated. The hospital contained no single rooms; it had 10 two bed rooms and four 5 bed rooms. In 1959, plans were being made and funds raised to complete the third floor and to build an extension, adding 60 beds for a total of 100. (TNT 5/3/1959, pg. A-14, TNT 5/13/1959, pg. B-9)

Mary Bridge Children's Hospital (Tacoma);