Annie Wright Seminary annual Field Day, May of 1935. Girls play Field Hockey behind the school. (filed with Argentum)

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Field hockey;

Annie Wright Seminary May Day activities, May 1, 1935. Processional, many girls in dresses, building in background and May Pole tied with ribbons in foreground. (filed with Argentum)

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1930-1940; May Day--Tacoma;

Annie Wright Seminary May Day activities, May 1, 1935. Processional, two rows of little girls in short dresses flanking Royal Court in long gowns and hats. School building in background. (filed with Argentum)

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1930-1940; May Day--Tacoma;

Annie Wright Seminary May Day activities, May 1, 1935. Little Girls in short dresses dancing on lawn. (filed with Argentum)

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1930-1940; May Day--Tacoma;

Annie Wright Seminary May Day activities, May 01, 1935. Barefoot girls in long dresses dancing on lawn. (filed with Argentum)

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1930-1940; May Day --Tacoma;

Annie Wright Seminary Field Day, also known as May Day, Mary 1, 1935. Girls playing Field Hockey. (filed with Argentum)

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Field hockey--Tacoma;Students--Tacoma--1930-1940;

The drive between the hedges at the Annie Wright Seminary. This road led downhill from Tacoma Ave. between the seminary grounds and the tennis court property. The seminary grounds were the location of the abduction of 9 year old George Weyerhaeuser on May 24, 1935. He was kidnapped near the tennis courts and whisked away in a waiting car. Between the time of his abduction on May 24th and his release on June 1st, he was held in two pre-dug pits prepared for his capture and in a rental house closet at 1509 W. 11th Ave. in Spokane. (T. Times 5/26/1935, pg. 1 plus succeeding months.)

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

Annie Wright Seminary Field Day. Field hockey game in progress. Commencement Bay and Browns Point in background.

Private schools--Tacoma; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Events--Tacoma; Field hockey--Tacoma; Students--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Annie Wright Seminary 1936 May Day activities. Queen Burdette Craig and her court on school steps. Photographer adjusting movie camera on tripod. (T. Times 5/18/1936, pg. 1)

Private Schools--Tacoma; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1930-1940; May Day--Tacoma; Students--Tacoma--1930-1940; Craig, Burdette;

Annie Wright Seminary May Day activities. Queen and court with procession of young girls approaching between two lines of students. Large crowd and school building in background. Caption: "May Day 1937 - The Annie Wright Seminary".

Private schools--Tacoma; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1930-1940; May Day--Tacoma; Students--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Annie Wright Seminary May Day 1940 activities. Mary Kent Hewitt, Queen, in bamboo chair with her Court in garden beside building. (filed with Argentum)

Private schools--Tacoma; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Holidays--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hewitt, Mary Kent; May Day--Tacoma; Rites & Ceremonies--Tacoma; Festivals--Tacoma;

Annie Wright Seminary, Art Gallery. Exhibit of still life paintings, flowers, etc. (filed with Argentum)

Painting; Private schools--Tacoma; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1930-1940;

Annie Wright Seminary annual doll bazaar. The Doll Bazaar, held in the Great Hall, is part of the girls' holiday mission work. The upper school designs the exhibits which are judged for beauty, originality and individuality. Special awards are given for best dressed and best character. Seven girls create a Southern plantation scene on a table top with dolls and painted backdrops. Mrs. Wilson was in charge. (T.Times 11/29/1938, pg. 9, 12/5/1938, p. 9)

Private schools--Tacoma; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Holidays--Tacoma; Dolls; Bazaars--Tacoma; Students--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Annie Wright Seminary opera leads. Ten girls in formal gowns on stage, with blocks lettered to spell out "LOVE" in foreground. (T. Times)

Private schools--Tacoma; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Operas & operettas--Tacoma; Students--Tacoma--1930-1940;

May Day festivities, Annie Wright Seminary. The young girls in the front wear dark sweaters, white blouses and either dark skirts or pants. They appear to be dancing the hokey pokey or the bunny hop in front of the ivy covered walls. The piano accompanist can be seen behind the railing. The woman to the left leaning against the railing in the picture hat is possibly Headmistress Ruth Jenkins. (TNT 5/20/1956, pg. D-1)

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

Annie Wright Seminary, Junior class play for the yearbook "The Shield." The Juniors presented French playwright Jean Cocteau's version of Sophocles play "Antigone." In the play, a headstrong and young Antigone defies her uncle, the King, to bury the remains of her brother. The lead roles were played by Heather Spence and Dorthea Weiss. (TNT 2/10/1954, pg. 3, 1954 AWS yearbook The Shield)

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Private schools--Tacoma; Students--Tacoma--1950-1960; Costumes--Greece;

Queen Anne Cameron presided over traditional May Day ceremonies at Annie Wright Seminary on May 14, 1955. She is seated in the queen's chair decorated with blossoms while holding a golden scepter, symbol of her reign. Miss Cameron is the daughter of Harold W. Cameron and Mrs. Elford Cameron of Seattle. The queen's mother is also an alumna of Annie Wright. (TNT 5-22-55, D-7)

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Private schools--Tacoma; Cameron, Anne; May Day; Festivals--Tacoma--1950-1960; Students--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Organizers of the 1953 annual Founder's Day celebration at Annie Wright Seminary view portrait of school founder Bishop John Adams Paddock. On the left is JoAnn (Mrs. Rush E.) Stouffer, who is in charge of the annual event and on the right is Jeanne (Mrs. Robert L.) Chapman, president of the AWS alumnae board. Bishop Paddock is described as an educator, fighter and pioneer. Bishop Paddock came to the Washington Territory from a parish in Brooklyn, New York, in 1881. He founded the school three years later in 1884. (TNT 10/16/1953, pg. B-2)

Paintings; Chapman, Jeanne; Stouffer, JoAnn B.; Paddock, John Adams; Portraits; Vestments; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1950-1960;

The May Queen and her court. Queen Erin Lombard is surrounded by the 26 members of her senior class, maid of honor Marilyn Wotton, flag bearer Eleanor Walker, and numerous kindergarten attendants as she reigns over the 1953 May Day festivities. Positioned on the giant steps in front of ivy-covered halls of Annie Wright Seminary, Queen Erin is seated on a flower bedecked rattan chair, her long train cascading down in front of her. The entire school would be present to honor the May Queen as well as alumnae and friends. It would be the final farewell to the school before graduation for the senior class and queen. (TNT 5-3-53, D-2, TNT 5-17-53, D-1, The Shield yearbook, 1953, p. 45)

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Private schools--Tacoma; Festivals--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lombard, Erin; Wotton, Marilyn; Walker, Eleanor;

Although Annie Wright Seminary was a girls' school, little boys were allowed to attend the K-4 and K-5 classes. Here they participated with the girls in various pre-school and kindergarten activities like taking field trips to Point Defiance Zoo and riding the train to Olympia, building a creche for Christmas, marching in Easter and Halloween parades, and creating their own "made-up" dances and songs. The entire school would also participate in special events, such as the May Day festival, to honor the May Queen and her court. These 22 children were probably dressed to perform in a program of modern dance under the direction of Nancy Jane Bare. (The Shield yearbook, 1953, p. 31)

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Private schools--Tacoma; Group portraits; School children--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Each year Annie Wright Seminary held a Dads' Day to honor students' fathers. A variety of activities was planned which dads and their daughters could enjoy. A smiling father prepares to take on his daughter in a game of tennis on May 18, 1957. They are both clutching Wilson tennis rackets with wooden frames. The dad is dressed in shorts and rolled up shirt but his daughter still has on her school uniform. Photograph ordered by Annie Wright Seminary.

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Private schools--Tacoma; Tennis players--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tennis rackets;

Although Annie Wright Seminary had been at this location, 827 Tacoma Ave. No., only since 1924; it was in the process of celebrating its Diamond Jubilee in October of 1958 when this picture was taken. The first class of 93 girls entered Annie Wright in the fall of 1884 in the school's first building at Tacoma & Division Avenues. Annie Wright experienced financial troubles due to decreased enrollment in the 1930's and increased expenses during the early part of WWII; the school was nearly forced to close in 1943. Headmistress Ruth Jenkins and the Board of Trustees were given 48 hours to raise enough money to pay the most outstanding debts. Friends, alumnae and students rallied to save the school. Annie Wright Seminary continued to expand with a new wing added in 1957. In 2002, the school had pupils from seven states and eight countries and was planning to add a 10.3 million three story addition. (The Shield:1959, TNT 9-30-02, B-1)

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

A classroom of bright eyed youngsters, students at the Annie Wright Seminary, smile for the camera on February 29, 1960. The eighteen girls and their teacher, Miss Hartwell, are doing a bit of light reading on this sunny morning. Classes were kept small at this private school with total enrollment approximately 300 and staff of 55. Holding the Alvin the Chipmunk doll is Nancy Bond at near right with Jamie May next to her. Blond Leilee Weyerhaeuser is seated behind Nancy. Other girls identified in the classroom were Jill Stone, Penny Rumbaugh, Mimi Wiborg and Ann Dickman. (Identification provided by a reader)

School children--Tacoma; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1960-1970; Private schools--Tacoma; Teachers--Tacoma--1960-1970; Bond, Nancy; May, Jamie;

The Rt. Rev. Stephen Fielding Bayne, Jr., gazes at a portrait of himself that is hung in the Great Hall of Annie Wright Seminary. The painting shows the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia with staff in hand. Bishop Bayne became the president of the Board of Trustees at Annie Wright in 1948. The painting was done by Jeanie M. Walkinshaw of Seattle; it was presented to the school by the 1957 graduating class. Bishop Bayne is wearing a purple cassock and pectoral cross. The pastoral staff he holds is a gift from Ruth Jenkins, headmistress of Annie Wright, in honor of the bishop's 10th anniversary as bishop of the diocese. Photograph ordered by Annie Wright Seminary. (TNT 6-16-57, D-14)

Bayne, Stephen Fielding; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1950-1960;

Annie Wright Seminary. Kindergarten classroom. Children, boys and girls, seated at tables and on floor in classroom furnished with piano and playhouse.

School children--Tacoma--1940-1950; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1940-1950;

Annie Wright Seminary Dance. The annual Freshman and Sophomore Formal, hosted by the freshman and sophomore class for the junior and senior class, is one of the main events of the school year. Students dancing under paper decorations suspended from ceiling. Members of orchestra in foreground. (TNT, 2/20/44, p. B-3).

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Ballroom dancing--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Annie Wright Seminary was in the middle of their 61st school year when this photograph was taken in March of 1946. Annie Wright was predominantly a private school for girls, but a few boys were allowed at the elementary school level. View of school children in their classroom working on arts and crafts, a teepee is visible in the background.

School children--Tacoma--1940-1950; Classrooms--Tacoma; Private schools--Tacoma--1940-1950; Children playing--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tipis--Tacoma; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1940-1950;

Annie Wright Seminary offered a variety of school classes and extracurricular activities. They had an exceptional drama department, speech programs, student council and many other options. Social events were regularly planned for the students. View of students practicing musical numbers, while gathered around a piano.

Uniforms; Pianos; Singers; Music ensembles--Tacoma; Private schools--Tacoma; Students--Tacoma--1940-1950; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1940-1950;

Annie Wright Seminary received full support from Tacoma community members in 1941 when they were experiencing financial hardships. View of nineteen students in their uniforms getting their picture taken on the Annie Wright grounds.

Uniforms; Students--Tacoma; Private schools--Tacoma; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1940-1950;