The Fircrest Kiwanis Club celebrated charter night with a September 15, 1955, banquet in the Winthrop Hotel's Crystal Ballroom. Dignitaries were seated at the head table and various speeches were given. A large flag is positioned behind the guest speakers, and the Kiwanis Club banner is also prominently displayed. 250 people from various Kiwanis clubs in the Tacoma area met to recognize the new club. The Fircrest Kiwanis already have 54 members. On the far left is Fred G. Rounds, district governor; Herbert Socolofsky, lt. gov., standing in light suit, was toastmaster. (TNT 9-14-55, A-10, TNT 9-16-55, A-11)

Fircrest Kiwanis Club (Fircrest); Rounds, Fred G., Socolofsky, Herbert; Flags--United States; Signs (Notices); Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Banners; Banquets--Tacoma--1950-1960;

A bartender waits for business at the bar discretely tucked away in the Winthrop Hotel's Sabre Room on November 2, 1955. A cheerful motto is painted on the bar's wall: "Happy to meet/Sorry to part/Happy to meet again"; the writer's name is Scotty. Two crossed swords on a paneled wall give the room its name. The unique Sabre Room was opened by Trader Vic in September, 1949. The popular dining room would reopen on November 15, 1955; completely redecorated, it still retained its Old World atmosphere. The menu was predominately Old English with plenty of beef. Photograph ordered by the Winthrop Hotel. (TNT 11-15-55, p. 6)

Dining rooms--Tacoma--1950-1960; Bars--Tacoma--1950-1960; Bartenders--Tacoma; Daggers & swords; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

Two crossed sabres decorate the appropriately named Sabre Room in the Winthrop Hotel in November, 1955. The decor appears Elizabethan with a predominance of wood, including wooden beams and simple chairs and tables. A touch of the modern appears with the presence of the room's chef in his open kitchen, just steps away from dining customers. The popular Sabre Room had been completely redecorated and was reopened on November 15, 1955. It retained its Old English atmosphere in the design by Arthur Morgan & Associates of Seattle. Newly added dishes were flaming shish kebab and Old English pastries. Photograph ordered by the Winthrop Hotel. (TNT 11-15-55, p. 6) TPL-8126

Dining rooms--Tacoma--1950-1960; Daggers & swords; Cooks; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

Five unidentified members of the Pacific Coast Division of the American Pulp & Paper Mill Superintendents Association performed a "space age" skit involving a hodgepodge of space visitors and robots at their annual conference held at the Hotel Winthrop, 773 Broadway, in December of 1955. Following panel and group discussions on sulphate pulping, sulphite pulping, and papermaking, the delegates ended their annual meeting with an informal banquet in the Crystal Ballroom and a dance in the Wedgewood Room. (Photograph ordered by American Pulp & Paper Mill Superintendents Association.) (TNT 12-4-55, B-11)

Theatrical productions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Costumes; Robots; Signs (Notices); American Pulp & Paper Mill Superintendents Association (Tacoma);

Pacific Telephone and Telegraph, a group of 13 men sit around a table at the Winthrop Hotel with bound notebooks in front of them. Back row, third from left, is Reno Odlin, President of Puget Sound Bank. Odlin was a member of the eight man Regional Advisory Board of business leaders mapping out new projects for the company. They proposed a $400,000 construction project for Tacoma. The project included new equipment for the Market and Proctor offices, an expansion program for the Waverly office and alteration of the downtown long distance facilities. Similar projects were proposed for Seattle, Bremerton, Sumner and Shelton. Seated in the center at the head of the table is Mark Sullivan, president of PT&T and standing at the far right is George M. Dean, vice president and general manager of the Washington-Idaho district of PT &T.(TNT 3/22/1956, pg. A-10)

Telephone companies--Tacoma; Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co. (Tacoma); Odlin, Reno, 1897-1979;

Associated General Contractors, convention. Over 100 contractors from all parts of the Northwest attended the first annual convention of the Pacific Northwest Branch of the Associated General Contractors of America February 3-4, 1955 at the Winthrop Hotel. The two day sessions included discussions on problems related to general contractors and the various local, municipal, state and federal agencies from whom they perform work as well as that performed for architects and engineers. The Northwest branch was composed of chapters in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska, a total of over 600 members, that performed most of the commercial and industrial construction in these areas, including dams, bridges and highways. James W. Purvis, President of the Tacoma Chapter, served as convention chairman. (TNT 2/3/1955, pg. 1)

Associated General Contractors, Tacoma Chapter (Tacoma); Meetings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

St. Regis Paper Co.- dinner meeting. Kenneth D. Lozier, vice president in charge of promotion and advertising, points out the importance of "awareness of opportunity" and "selling all the way through" as factors in the rapid growth of all five divisions of the St. Regis Paper Co. during a dinner speech to the Sales Executive Club of Tacoma at the Winthrop Hotel. Paper production was the fifth largest industry in the American economy. The Tacoma plant manufactured kraft, pulp, paper and board and multiwall paper bags. Other Northwest plants were located at Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Leandro and Emeryville, Ca. Tacoma pioneered the utilization of wood chips, formerly a waste product of sawmills, in the production of pulp. St. Regis was in the forefront in selling the use of paper as a wrapping product for food and dairy. (TNT 2/8/1955, pg.7)

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lozier, Kenneth D.; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

Clinton S. Reynolds (left), new president of Tacoma Chamber of Commerce, presents outgoing president Charles M. Fogg (center) with a framed check for $1.00, his salary for his tenure as 1954 Chamber President. Looking on at the right is Tom Collins, Kansas City banker and humorist and featured speaker for the event. The presentation was the highlight of the 70th annual Chamber dinner in the Crystal Ballroom of the Winthrop Hotel. A standing room only crowd of 435 attended the event. (TNT 1/20/1955, pg. 1 & A-5)

Tacoma Chamber of Commerce (Tacoma); Fogg, Charles M.; Checks; Collins, Tom; Reynolds, Clinton S.;

ca. 1955. The Winthrop Hotel, circa 1955. The hotel, designed by W.L. Stoddard, architect, and Roland Borhek, associate architect, had its grand opening on 5/16/1925. The hotel was named in a Tacoma Ledger newspaper contest. The winning name was submitted by George L. Dickson. It was named after explorer and writer Theodore Winthrop, author of "The Canoe and the Saddle," which helped popularize the Northwest. The building was eleven stories and 110 feet high. In 1973, it was converted into apartments. In 1955, it was home to the Sabre Room and the Daffodil Room.

Hotels--Tacoma--1950-1960; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

Ben Perham smilingly shows off the watch he was given at the annual banquet of the Pacific Northwest Conference of Savings & Loans Associations held on May 24, 1954. Mr. Perham was the former chairman of the Board of Directors of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco; the watch was presented to him by Gerrit VanderEnde for his sixteen years of service to the federal institution. Mr. Perham now is the president of a food distributing company in Yakima. View of Ben Perham on left and Gerrit VanderEnde on right, Mr. VanderEnde is the president of Pacific First Federal Savings & Loan in Tacoma. (TNT 5-23-54, C-16, TNT 5-25-54, p. 11)

Awards; Clocks & watches; Perham, Ben; VanderEnde, Gerrit;

Dr. R. Franklin Thompson, president of the College of Puget Sound, was the featured speaker at the annual banquet of the Pacific Northwest Conference Savings & Loan Associations on May 24, 1954. His speech was entitled "Prelude to a New Age." At the head table in the Winthrop Hotel's Crystal Ballroom with Dr. Thompson were Mr. and Mrs. Ben Perham, Mr. and Mrs. Gerrit VanderEnde, and Mr. and Mrs. J. Alston Adams. More than 150 delegates and wives attended the two day savings & loan conference. (TNT 5-23-54, C-16, TNT 5-25-54, p. 11)

Meetings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Public speaking--Tacoma--1950-1960; Thompson, R. Franklin, 1908-1999; Perham, Ben; VanderEnde, Gerrit; Adams, J. Alston;

Elevated view of Tacoma's downtown and industrial area. Photographs taken on September 2, 1954, from Room 716 of the Winthrop Hotel show a cluster of downtown Tacoma businesses, the 11th Street Bridge, and a portion of the industrial area in the distance. Tacoma Savings & Loan, the Tacoma Hotel, Lincolnshire Hotel and Security Building (formerly Provident Building) can be clearly seen. Smokestacks billow as Tacoma's lumber and chemical mills operate with full staff. Large billboards, placed on the rooftop of the Lincolnshire Hotel, provide advertising information for consumers interested in liquor, fruit and electrical equipment.

Billboards--Tacoma--1950-1960; Security Building (Tacoma); Lincolnshire Hotel (Tacoma); Tacoma Savings & Loan Association (Tacoma); Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma); Bridges--Tacoma--1950-1960;

On August 13, 1954, Tacoma Mayor Harold Tollefson (second from left) presented Air Force General T. Alan Bennett and his wife with a special proclamation declaring them "Tacoma Citizens in Absentia." The Bennett family was being transferred to Fairbanks and Tacoma would sorely miss them. Because the Bennetts were the sort of "neighborly, friendly type of people" Tacoma wanted as residents, the proclamation urged their speedy return. This photograph was taken at the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce offices in the Winthrop Hotel.

Tollefson, Harold M., 1908-1985; Mayors--Tacoma--1950-1960; Bennett, T. Alan; Bennett, T. Alan--Family; Generals--United States; Proclamations;

Elevated view of Tacoma's downtown and industrial area. Smoke from various lumber and chemical companies in Tacoma's industrial area blends into the sky. Busy plants meant employment for thousands of local residents. The Tacoma Hotel and Tacoma Savings & Loan can also be spotted on the left of this September 2, 1954, photograph, taken from the seventh floor of the Winthrop Hotel.

Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Savings & Loan Association (Tacoma); Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma);

Tuxedoed men and ladies dressed in evening gowns posed for this October, 1954, group portrait. The group, including Mr. and Mrs. T.G. Calbreath, Mr. and Mrs. L. Evert Landon and Judge and Mrs. Bertil E. Johnson who were surrounding the wicker table, were members of the Comus Club attending the "Moonlight Magic" dance on October 16, 1954. The glittering crescent moon on the backdrop is framed by several potted trees. The dance was held in the Wedgwood Room of the Winthrop Hotel.

Group portraits; Comus Club (Tacoma); Calbreath, T.G.; Landon, L. Evert; Johnson, Bertil E.; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

Employees of the Washington Hospital Service enjoyed a tasty luncheon at the Winthrop Hotel on September 23, 1954. The business apparently handled Blue Cross plans and was located in Seattle at 2121 Third Avenue. View of luncheon tables with employees; some have on name tags.

Washington Hospital Service (Seattle)--Employees; Banquets--Tacoma--1950-1960; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

The splendid chandeliers and sconces of the Winthrop Hotel provided an elegant setting for the Capital District, Washington Federation of Garden Clubs' show on December 6, 1954. A Christmas motif was evident; the majority of arrangements on display were small tabletop decorations. A few tall firs were added to complete the tableau. This may have been an annual event sponsored by the federation.

Washington State Federation of Garden Clubs (Tacoma); Flower shows--Tacoma--1950-1960; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

Boat show at Hotel Winthrop. The first major Tacoma Boat Show in several years was held the week of August 17-22, 1948 in the lobby of the Hotel Winthrop. Western Boatbuilding displayed their Torpedo Flyer speed boat, and Pleasurecraft brought a fully rigged sailing dingy with a 19-foot mast. There were several models of boats on display including a cabin cruser built by Western Boat along with Chinese sampans and junks.

Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Boats; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Western Boat Building Co. (Tacoma); Exhibitions--Tacoma--1940-1950; Motorboats--Tacoma; Sailboats--Tacoma; Models;

American Institute Banking held their annual one day Northwest Regional Officers Conference, delegates from Oregon, Washington and Idaho attended the meeting at the Winthrop Hotel. American Institute of Banking's guest of honor was Herbert C. Bryant, Vice President and Manager of New York's Times Square branch of Washington Mutual Savings Bank. View of AIB members enjoying cocktails, dinner and dancing at the Hotel Winthrop (T.N.T., 8/1/48, p. A-2).

Meetings--Tacoma; Delegations--Tacoma; Banquets--Tacoma; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); American Institute of Banking (Tacoma);

Exhibit in Crystal Ballroom, Hotel Winthrop, Bemis Bag Company, S.L. Young. Six men are shown with a display from Bemis Brothers Bag Company. The display includes several types of bags for different types of animal feed: rabbit, dog and calf meal. There are sample bags of flour from Centennial, Fisher's, and Crown companies. They have a panel showing a kitty in a Bemis Bag and they have cotton feed sacks. Their central display shows a revolving board with photographs of their different processes.

Crystal Ballroom (Tacoma); Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Bemis Bag Co. (Tacoma); Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1940-1950; Bags; Business enterprises--Tacoma--1940-1950;

California Governor Earl Warren, Republican Vice-Presidential candidate and future Supreme Court Chief Justice, Mrs. Warren, and the Warren children Dorothy, Virginia, Nina Elizabeth, and Bobby, during a campaign appearence in Tacoma. Four of the Warren children accompanied their parents on a whirlwind tour of the Pacific Northwest. Hundreds of women had lined up as much as an hour before to meet the Warrens at a Republican reception. The reception was held in the Hotel Winthrop prior to Governor Warren's address at the State Armory. (TNT 10-15-48, p 1) ALBUM 2.

Political elections--Tacoma--1940-1950; Warren, Earl, 1891-1974; Governors; Warren, Earl--Family; Warren, Nina; Warren, Dorothy; Warren, Virginia; Warren, Nina Elizabeth; Warren, Robert;

Ellensburg Drill Team taken in Junior Ballroom, Hotel Winthrop, Mrs. L.B. Smith. Twenty-two women wearing matching floor-length gowns and nineteen men wearing white shirts and ties pose with four American flags.

Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1940-1950; Drill teams; Women--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Carstens Packing Company was hosting a meeting for meat cutters at the Winthrop Hotel's Crystal Ballroom. View of unidentified business men and meat cutters standing behind the demonstration table, a Toledo scale, meat, Carstens advertising posters, knives, and other meat cutting tools are displayed on the table.

Meetings--Tacoma; Business people--Tacoma--1940-1950; Meat industry--Tacoma; Meat; Meat cutting--Tacoma; Scales; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Signs (Notices); Advertisements--Tacoma; Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma);

The Tacoma Times was about to begin publishing a Sunday edition of the Times, it would begin on December 5, 1948. The Tacoma Sunday Times would be the first newspaper on the Pacific Coast to present its readers with the world famous "Parade" magazine. Left to right view of George R. Skaugset, Business Manager of the Tacoma Times Publications, Paul Busselle, Editor of the Tacoma Times daily and Sunday editions, and Frank W. Power, Publisher and President of the Tacoma Times Publishing Company (T. Times, 12/2/48, p. 19).

Reading--Tacoma; Business people--Tacoma--1940-1950; Newspapers--Tacoma; Men--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1940-1950; Newspaper industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Journalism--Tacoma; Tacoma Times Publishing Co. (Tacoma);

The Tacoma Orthopedic Association's Tahoma Guild was having their third consecutive annual Wishing Candle fundraiser. The money raised would go towards the building of the future children's hospital; eight candles were placed in popular Tacoma restaurants. View of Winthrop Hotel employees: restaurant waitresses, hotel clerks and restaurant hostesses, lighting a Wishing Candle from the Tacoma Orthopedic Association's Tahoma Guild (T.N.T., 12/3/48, p. 10).

Restaurant workers--Tacoma; Hotel employees--Tacoma; Hotels--Tacoma; Lighting--Tacoma; Candles; Fund raising--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Orthopedic Association (Tacoma); Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

Laura Lee and Lanna Lee, the twin daughters of Ward and Betty Allen, celebrated their second birthday on November 27, 1948. This photograph makes it look like they skipped cake and had turkey instead. Cook Ivan Talbot, head chef at the Winthrop Hotel, holds up a 25-pound Thanksgiving turkey for their inspection. The Winthrop was known for its excellent Thanksgiving dinners, and many Tacomans elected to eat out for the holiday. (T. Times, 11/25/48, p. 1).

Thanksgiving Day; Thanksgiving cookery; Twins; Allen, Laura Lee; Allen, Lanna Lee; Children eating & drinking--Tacoma; Talbot, Ivan; Cooks; Turkeys; Holidays--Tacoma; Gratitude; Celebrations--Tacoma; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

Meat packers from Carstens packing Company gathered together for a meeting at the Winthrop Hotel's Crystal Ballroom. New meat cutting techniques, demonstrations, and new machinery were displayed and discussed. View of meat cutters listening to a presentation on meat cutting, an unidentified man is holding up meat products; a Toledo scale, knives and meat are on the tables.

Meetings--Tacoma; Business people--Tacoma--1940-1950; Meat industry--Tacoma; Meat; Meat cutting--Tacoma; Scales; Demonstrations--Tacoma; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma);

Dinner honoring 25 year men. Standard Brands, Inc., Mr. George Adams. Veteran employees of Standard Brands, Inc., were honored at a dinner held at the Hotel Winthrop November 8, 1948, for the 25 employees in the Pacific Northwest who had been with the company 25 years or more. The dinner was held in the Army/Navy Room at the Hotel Winthrop. Names listed in the newspaper. (TNT, 11/9/1948, p.19; T.Times, 11/9/1948, p.8)

Standard Brands, Inc. (Tacoma)--Employees; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Group portraits; Banquets--Tacoma--1940-1950; Events--Tacoma--1940-1950;

The Club of Hearts held their 16th annual Christmas dance in the Crystal Ballroom of the Winthrop Hotel, 773 Broadway, in December of 1948. Four of the "Tacoma Belles" who attended the holiday ball were: (l to r) Shirley Larson, Patricia Perella, Marjie Joy Miller and Rosemary Tollefson. Miss Tollefson and Miss Miller were home from Stephens College for winter break. Marjie Joy Miller embarked in the 1950's on a film and stage career as Marjie Millar. (T. Times, 1/2/49, p. 13).

Balls (Parties)--Tacoma--1940-1950; Ball dresses; Evening gowns--Tacoma; Christmas--Tacoma; Club of Hearts (Tacoma); Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Miller, Marjie Joy; Millar, Marjie; Tollefson, Rosemary; Larson, Shirley; Perella, Patricia;

The Club of Heart's officers would be greeting guests at their 16th annual Christmas dance; dancing would be from 9:00 P.M. until 1:00 A.M. in the Winthrop Hotel's Crystal Ballroom. View of two unidentified couples and a Club of Hearts member at the annual Christmas dance at the Winthrop Hotel's Crystal Ballroom (T.N.T., 12/19/48, p. D-5).

Balls (Parties)--Tacoma--1940-1950; Ball dresses; Evening gowns--Tacoma; Christmas--Tacoma; Couples--Tacoma; Club of Hearts (Tacoma); Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);