Some of you will recall the newsletter of February 10, 2023, the letter to the LHS Membership regarding the “Future of the Lacey Historical Society (LHS).” The actual existence of LHS was in total jeopardy. Since LHS is a non-profit organization, it must have “at least executive officers (President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary)” and it is also recommended to have eight Trustees to support them. We want to further explain, again, as was stated in the February newsletter, it was strictly a timing issue. President Lanny Weaver moved back to the East Coast to be with her family. Two of the other Board members, Vice President Bob Krier and Treasurer Susan Goff, all experienced challenging circumstances and unavoidable conflicts. Lastly, Susan Hartman, who has been Secretary and Editor for around 15 years is slowing down and said she would stay until Lanny Weaver left, which Lanny has done. Luckily, although she technically resigned from her position as Secretary, Susan Hartman is graciously willing to come to the Board of Trustee meetings, since we are all new at the same time. We are also very thrilled Mike Smith, another valuable resource, chose to remain as Trustee. We hope this new regime will continue with the enthusiasm and passion for Lacey as those before us presented.
As a new “Brigade” takes the helm for the Lacey Historical Society, we must sincerely thank the former “Brigade” for their years of dedication, hard work and heart.
LHS IS ALIVE AND WELL
New Board of Officers Left to right: Jon W. Halvorson, President; Robert Southwick, Vice President; John Dziedzic, Secretary; and Kendra Hensley, Treasurer
New Board of Trustees:
Peggy McHugo Nancy (Cunningham) Miller Monte Pascual
Mike Smith Robert Southwick John Turner
Paul Webb Judy Wilson Margie (Worden) Wyllie
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
COME AND GET TO KNOW US OVER COFFEE AND CAKE
Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 6:30 p.m.
Lacey Community Center
5729 Pacific Avenue SE Lacey WA
In addition to an opportunity to meet and talk with your new Trustees of the
Lacey Historical Society, highlighting this year’s Annual Meeting is a panel
discussion recalling some of the most important people, places, and events in
Lacey’s history, from the perspective of three people who were in a unique
position during those times: Former Mayors Karen Fraser, Graeme Sackrison, and
Jon Halvorson. You won’t want to miss it!
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Since this is our first newsletter of the new “Regime,” I am going to give you a background of
who the new “Regime” is that you will be meeting (besides their photos on the first page.)
After these backgrounds of the four Board Members and other Trustees, the next newsletters
will have other articles and biographies of other Lacey “neighbors,” many of whom have
helped in the shaping of Lacey.
President Jon W. Halvorson
Jon Halvorson came to Washington from a dairy farm in Wisconsin courtesy of the U. S. Air Force (1967 –
1972) stationed at McChord Air Force Base, Tacoma, and Royal Air Force Base, Chicksands, England. He
was Honorably Discharged in 1972. Jon has been married to his wife, Janet, for 57 years and they have one
daughter and two granddaughters. He has lived in Lacey since 1975.
Jon earned a BA Degree in Government and International Relations in June 1967 at Carleton College,
Northfield, MN. He earned his MA in Educational Psychology in 1971from Ball State University at RAF
Chicksands, England. He earned his Masters of Social Work from the University of Washington in March
1976. Jon retired as a Social Work Administrator for the Department of Social and Health Services after 27
years and was elected to serve on the Lacey City Council (1991 – 1999) and was Mayor of Lacey (1993 –
1996). Jon also served on a dozen different Non-Profit boards and public commissions, including the
American Legion Post 94, Thurston County MEDIC ONE Council, Lacey Chamber of Commerce, Olympia
Kiwanis Club, Community Youth Services, and the North Thurston Education Foundation.
Jon was named Thurston County Citizen of the Year (2003) and a Living Legend of Thurston County (2010).
Jon earned awards from many organizations including the Youth Services Volunteer of the Year, 2003,
National Kiwanis Hixson Fellow, 2004. He is currently a Financial Trustee for the Sons of Norway, Hovedstad
Lodge, Olympia (100% Scandinavian Ancestry with 88% Norwegian) and currently the President of the
Lacey Historical Society.
Below are short biographies of the rest of the Lacey Historical Society Trustees:
Trustee and Secretary John Dziedzic moved to Lacey with his parents, Gene and Shirley, and his six brothers and sisters, on Labor Day 1960. His mother was a long time Trustee and President of the Lacey Historical Society. John was a member of the last graduating class from the Old Lacey Grade School and attended Chinook and NTHS. After receiving a degree from WSU, he worked for the Washington State Employees Credit Union and Secretary of State Ralph Munro. After law school, he was a clerk for Supreme Court Justice Gerry Alexander, an Assistant Attorney General, a legal counsel for a Senate standing committee, and a hearings officer for the Department of Licensing. He and his wife, Shelley, are currently retired and live in Tumwater.
Trustee-nominee Larry Ganders came to Lacey in 1986 as the Western Washington Bureau Chief for the Tri-City Herald and McClatchy Newspapers based in Olympia. He continued to be located here for 28 years as assistant to the WSU President for Government Relations, serving under three Presidents. He left WSU in 2015 after supervising a statewide journalism internship program and working on a radio history museum for the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. He coordinated a UW-WSU capitol intern program in 2023 for the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. Before retirement in 2019, Larry was a sales specialist for Lacey Lowe’s. He is a board member and Vice President of Olympia-Lacey Centennial Station, the only all-volunteer station in the U.S., which has operated for 30 consecutive years. Larry headed a project to locate, preserve and display vintage photographs of Thurston County train stations. Since childhood, he has been an 0-Gauge Model Train collector and operator (GandersTrain.com). He also compiled extensive family history web pages, including SwissFamilyFraunfelder.com. He is married to Robin, who was the Admissions Director for Providence Mother Joseph for 28 years.
Trustee Susan Hartman has been a member of the Lacey Historical Society Board of Trustees since 2009, and was Secretary of the Board from 2017-2023. She was also the LHS Newsletter Editor for the past seven years. She was born at St. Peters Hospital and lived on the west side of town. She graduated from Tumwater High School. She attended Central Washington State College and graduated from both WSU and TESC with degrees in Gallery Management and Fine Arts. Susan retired after many years with different state agencies. This allowed her to volunteer in many aspects of the Arts. She loves to travel and has attended International Native American Arts & Crafts festivals and powwows. Although Susan’s family was from Northern Ireland, her grandmother met and married a U.S. Army Officer whose home was Olympia. It was there that Susan’s mother met and married her father who was a member of the Nisqually Indian Nation, born in Lacey and who attended the Lacey school system. Susan has an adopted granddaughter of Navajo descent who graduated high school with honors in 2023 and will attend college this fall on a scholarship.
Trustee and Treasurer Kendra Hensley moved to Thurston County in 1996 after accepting a position in Research & Planning with the Washington State Patrol. She earned a Project Management Certification from the University of Washington while working for the WSP and went on to manage information technology projects for numerous state agencies. She left work for the state in November 2019. Kendra is a proud member of the Leadership Thurston County class of 2005. She received a Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Sciences in 2022. She was asked to serve as Lacey Historical Society Treasurer in 2023. She and her husband, Monte, are retired and live in Lacey.
Trustee-nominee Denise (Fuchs) Keegan moved to Lacey in 1977 to complete her final years of undergraduate education at St. Martin’s University. Lacey Mayor Karen Fraser hired Denise in 1978 to begin gathering research about Lacey’s history—to collect oral histories and to help establish a city historical program. In that role, Denise spent hundreds of hours visiting with older residents – collecting oral history recordings, photos, and other historic materials for the city. She served on the first Lacey Historical Society Board and helped start the Lacey Historic Commission – serving as their Chair for several years. She worked closely with Shirley Dziedzic on the annual Historical Society’s tree and plant dedication programs. Denise earned her master’s degree in public administration from The Evergreen State College in 1997. Denise and her husband, Chris, have three grown children all of whom live nearby. Denise has stayed very active in community activities – most recently serving as the 2021 – 2022 Tumwater Rotary President.
Trustee-nominee Tim McGuire moved to Lacey from Snoqualmie, Washington in August 1967 to attend St. Martin’s College, and became a resident fireman (Volunteer) for the Lacey Fire Department. He continued as a volunteer for a total of 12 plus years. He graduated with a degree in accounting from St. Martin’s College in 1971, and then went to work for the City of Lacey in 1970. Tim has also volunteered for the Supervisory Committee for Twin Star Credit Union and Crime Stopper’s both for over 15 years. He is married to Terry, his wife of 53 years, and together they have two children with 7 grandchildren.
Trustee Peggy Witte McHugo moved from Sunnyside, WA to Littlerock, WA before she turned one. Her family then moved to Olympia in 1943, where she attended Washington School before graduating from Olympia High School in 1955. She met her future husband, Denny, while attending Western Washington College, and they were married in 1959. They lived in Olympia before moving to Lacey and she has been here ever since. Peggy and Denny were involved in several community service organizations, including the Lacey Historical Society, where Denny served as a Trustee for a few years. He retired after 35 years of teaching in 1994. And she retired in 1995 from US West after 37 years. Together they had 3 daughters and 3 grandchildren. When Peggy first heard about the situation with the Lacey Historical Society, she was interested in what their future plans might be – maybe she was thinking of her husband.
Trustee Nancy (Cunningham) Miller’s grandparents, Neal and Lillie Cunningham, and their 3 sons, arrived in Lacey (Union Mills) first in the late 1920s for a few years, and then permanently in 1936 after following most of Lillie’s (Tubbs) family to the area from Kansas. Nancy was born and raised in Lacey, attended North Thurston schools (Old Lacey, Mt. View, Lydia Hawk, Chinook and NTHS). She lived in Fairbanks, AK in the 70s, returned to Lacey for 10 years, spent 13 years in the Houston area before returning to Lacey for good in 2002. Her father was one of the founding members of what is Lacey Fire District #3, and her mother was instrumental in bringing a library to Lacey, now part of the Timberland system. Nancy’s parents both actively campaigned to incorporate Lacey and served in various capacities with LHS. Nancy has spent her adult life in accounting working for many years with local, regional and international accounting firms, specializing in small to medium Not-For-Profit organizations. An accurate record of Lacey’s history is important to her.
Trustee MONTE Pascual was born and raised in the Philippines. He immigrated to the US in December 1984. A month later, he enlisted in the US Army. He is a Desert Storm veteran and served in the Washington Air National Guard. He first visited Lacey in 1999 when his best friend moved here. He retired from the Federal Government as a computer specialist in January 2020. Monte’s hobbies include marathon running. He is currently ranked number one in Washington State with 782 marathons or longer. His motto is “Every run begins with a single step.”
Trustee-nominee Cynthia Pratt and her husband moved to Olympia from California in 1966 and bought their house in 1973 where they raised their daughter and son. She worked for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources for 27 years, retiring in 2008. She ran and won a seat on the Lacey City Council beginning in 2010. After three terms she retired from local government after serving as Deputy Mayor for 8 of those 12 years. The city announced her as their inaugural Poet Laureate at her retirement, in January 2022. She is active in Suffragette enactments around Thurston County.
Trustee and Vice President Robert Southwick’s grandfather, James A. Southwick, came to Lacey in 1904, and with his son, Glen W. Southwick, were resort proprietors. Grandfather James was also the Lacey School Board’s Superintendent. Robert attended Lacey schools, graduating from NTHS in 1961. At St. Martin’s he earned degrees in math and physics, and obtained a Master of Science in physics from Idaho State and attended graduate school at the University of Maryland and the University of Oregon. Robert has worked for the Westwood Baptist Church, South Puget Sound Community College, the Forest Service as a surveyor and fire fighter, and in the Headquarters office of the WSDOT Materials Laboratory, where he also studied programming, engineering, and networking. Robert is currently serving on the Boards of the Lacey Historical Society, and the Ruddell Pioneer Cemetery (for about 50 years.)
Trustee John Turner was born to Henry W. and Evelyn Turner. They purchased the Black Cat Nursery on Pacific Avenue in Lacey in 1945. Born and raised in the Lacey area, John began his public safety career in 1966 as a resident firefighter. After incorporation in 1966, the city formed a new police department and asked him to help recruit nine others for a volunteer police cadet program. John continued to pursue his police training, first at St. Martin’s, and then at WSU, where he graduated in 1971. Following graduation, John returned to Lacey and began a 14-year career with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. In 1985, he moved to Snohomish County to serve as Police Chief in three cities, as well as stints with the Federal Homeland Security Department and Washington State’s Office of the Attorney General. In 2010, he returned to Lacey with his wife, Margo, of 50 years. They have one daughter, Jennifer. John has served four governors on five boards and commissions, most notably as Chair of the Governor’s Clemency and Pardons Board. John has also been past President of the North Thurston Kiwanis club, and past chair of the Olympia-area Salvation Army.
Trustee Paul Webb was born at St. Peter’s hospital in Olympia and graduated from North Thurston High School. His distinguished 45-year fire-services career in western Washington included 38 years with the Lakewood Fire Department. He served two years as President of the Pierce County Fire Chiefs Association, and as President of the Clover Park Rotary Club where he remains an active member. He presently serves on the Board of the Sonrise Church of God, in Olympia.
Trustee Judy Wilson arrived in the Lacey area with her two sons in 1975. A building boom was underway. Her first job was at Providence St. Peter’s as a registered nurse. Within a year she began a career in real estate. Judy joined the League of Women Voters, was active in the Lacey Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Council. Judy and a friend purchased a Century 21 franchise and opened Century 21 Hometown Realty in Lacey. As a business owner she became more aware of the impact of government decisions on individuals. That interest led to her running for office. She served 8 years as a Thurston County Commissioner. Later, a 4-year term on the North Thurston School Board, and 9 years on the Lacey Fire District 3 Board. Judy took the opportunity to make a difference in how we grow as a community. After 48 years, she is proud to say Lacey is her home.
Trustee Margie (Worden) Wyllie’s grandparents, Alfred and Lora Gillis, came to Lacey around 1910 from Tennessee to join other relatives. Her grandfather worked in the Union Mill and her grandmother cooked and cleaned in the Union Mills Hotel and Union Mills office in the same building. Margie was born at St. Peter’s and resided in Tumwater until 1955. Then Cleo and Herb the Worden moved with Margie and her sister, Janis, to the “family compound” in Union Mills where her grandmother, aunt and uncle and many cousins resided. She rode the same school bus, with Dean Huntamer as driver, from first grade until graduating from NTHS. She worked for several state agencies and as a legal secretary for several private law firms after going to Clover Park in Tacoma. In 2007 she returned “home” to Lacey and graduated with honors from SPSCC at age 60. Margie married Gordon Wyllie, a retired Army Lt. Colonel. She has one son, Air Force Major Larry Dicks, a Intelligence specialist, who resides in Virginia. Margie has been a member of the Lacey Historical Society since around 2016 and is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and three other historic genealogic organizations.
Turner’s Market
Many of you in your 70s, and up, will remember Turner’s Market located on the corner of Lacey and Pacific Avenue. It was also known as the Turner’s Cash Market and Turner’s Town & Country Market. But prior to being a “Turner’s” anything, it was Alma and Gordon Foy’s “Stop n Shop” for ten years. In 1939 the building and “contents” were acquired by Margaret and Henry C. Turner. The Turner family also consisted of four children: Doug (the oldest), Don and Ron (twins), and daughter, Peggy. This market became a “family affair” when the kids were old enough to work.
The “contents” were groceries, feed, and seed. The building also housed the Lacey Post Office, which brought in needed revenue from rent. Turner’s Market was always known for their custom meats, and prompted them to offer store lockers (freezers) for rent, which turned out to be extremely popular.
In 1940, Annabelle Walsh, just 17 years old, started working at the Turner’s Market wherever needed, primarily as a checker. She also wrapped meat that Henry cut up. In 1943 Annabelle met Dick Webb who came directly from Pearl Harbor to Fort Lewis via the Army. They married in early 1944, just prior to the Army again shipping Dick out. Upon returning from France in 1946, Dick Webb became the Store Manager until 1952. As Store Manager, he saw potential for even more rental lockers. Soon a huge remodeling project was underway, adding 800 rented lockers! Besides more lockers, there was room to make the Turner’s Market into, at that time, a first-class market, with space for a vegetables and fruit section; cold cases for various self-serve meats and dairy; and an area for “soft goods,” which ran the gamut from bedding, clothing, and over the counter medicine. Of course, there was a “baby section.” And you cannot forget the candy section for the kids. I was very fortunate to recently meet three “kids” that grew up in the area and spent so much time in the Turner’s Market that they still remembered the layout of the store: Nancy Cunningham Miller, Paul Webb (yes, he’s Annabelle & Dick’s son), and John Turner (no, not THAT Turner—that’s another store.) They even drew me a diagram of where everything was located—the register, clothing, lockers, food, garden supplies, tools, paint, meat cutting area, the Post Office, and, of course, the candy counter.
In 1956, the Turners built a brick building next door for a “new” Lacey Post Office. It included space for a coin-operated laundromat. Three years later, the Turner’s Market was sold to John McGimpsey. McGimpsey was no novice in the grocery business as he owned the Lacey Food Center just a few blocks away and several others stores. At that time, Paul Webb, age 12, was still working at the old store he knew so well, sorting bottles to return to the proper vendor. As Paul got older, he was cleaning, stocking and performing general labor.. The Turners retained ownership of the building that housed the Post Office and laundromat until 1976. Thus, the Turner’s market was another “family affair” for the Webb Family.
There is yet another “family” connection in this story. Ron, one of the Turner twins, met and married Betty Jean (aka “Johnnie”) Morrow. “Johnnie” was the daughter of Elizabeth Gillis Morrow, a Postmistress at the Lacey Post Office, and my “Aunt Lizzy.” And another little side note, the other “Turner kid,” John Turner, as will be explained further in another newsletter, had been paid by my “Aunt Lizzy:” $2 a month to lock the Lacey Post Office each night. When the Post Office moved to the new location, John earned $10 a month. That was good money for an eleven-year-old boy!
Who can say that Lacey was not a close-knit place many years ago? And it has not been even touched on at this time how important the Turners were in helping get a Fire Department for the community—that story awaits a future newsletter.
NOW, like Paul Harvey… “The Rest of The Story.” Last week while looking for Gillis family photos in the Turner’s basement (remember Ron, one of the Turner twins who married my cousin Johnnie, the daughter of one of the Postmistresses). Besides great old photos, I found a LEASE between the Foys and the Turners, which was signed on August 31, 1939. It was for a term of one year ($65 a month) but could be, and was, extended, if mutually agreed upon in writing (at $75 a month). Also, with permission, the Lessees could physically modify the premises (remember the extra lockers around 1952?). I have no idea when the LEASE ended, but I do know the brick building across the street which housed the laundromat and the U.S. Post Office was built and owned by the Turners. (This shows the importance and value of family memorabilia AND explains why I could not find any record of an actual sale between the Foys and the Turners at the Auditors Office.)
By: Margie (Worden) Wyllie`
Behind the meat counter
Left to right back row: Dick Webb, Doug Turner, Ron Turner, Don Turner, and Henry C. Turner Left to right front row: Annabelle Webb & Margaret Turner
Back in the Day
There was once a soft-spoken hero in Lacey. Charismatic, he wasn’t. At only four feet eleven inches tall, he commanded respect from all who knew him. He could be seen in his late model Cadillac with large tail fins speeding through the community. I don’t believe he ever got a speeding ticket because every police officer knew who he was and his importance to the community. As young kids, when we saw him barely able to see over the steering wheel, we would often ask ourselves…” Is he sitting on a Seattle phone book?” However, it was alarming when we saw the Cadillac parked in a driveway of someone’s home. These were the days of Polio and other medical ailments. Doc Ehlers was our family physician. He was everyone’s family physician. Doc Ehlers treated my mother when she was dying of cancer, he treated my brother when he had hepatitis and my father when he had a herniated esophagus. “Doc,” as we commonly called him, usually made house calls between 7-9 p.m. If he didn’t show, this was reason to be concerned. It meant that probably another family was in crisis.
One day while working patrol, I smashed my finger in my police cruiser. The pain was excruciating, but I had just started my shift and there was no one who could relieve me. When I was able, I hurried as fast as I could (without lights and sirens) to “Doc’s” Office located next to the Davison’s Pharmacy near the intersection of Pacific and Sleater Kinney. When I got there, he saw I was in great pain. So, he interrupted his current patient load, grabbed an alcohol lamp and paper clip, and began heating the paper clip until it became red hot. Before I could ask what he was going to do, blood came spurting out, and the pressure was relieved and the pain was gone. He was my hero that day.
Another time while on duty for the Sheriff’s Office, I received a radio call that my then 77-year-old father had been taken to the hospital with extremely low blood pressure. Doc was there and prepared me for what he thought was the inevitable. This time Doc got it wrong. Dad lived another 10 years.
I know there are many Doc Ehler stories out there. If you would care to share, you may contact me at [email protected].
John H. Turner
Lacey Grammar School Facts
“The Lacey Time Line” presented some of this information about the Lacey Grammar School (later referred to as the Old Lacey Grade School), which many of our parents, and even some of us, attended there at some point. The Lacey Grammar School was located on the corner of Pacific and Carpenter and built in 1913 on land acquired from the Fleetwood family. The school was built at a cost of $8,000, according to the “Morning Olympian of July 25, 1913,” which described it as “entirely modern, with four rooms and a basement.” The Fleetwood family, who sold the property is still a very active and familiar name in Lacey. In 1968 the “Lacey Grammar School” aka Old Lacey School was used for administrative purposes and demolished 8 years later. It was replaced with a Safeway Store, which has an informational Memorial of sorts about the school, on the side of the building facing Carpenter Road.
I feel extremely fortunate to have several of my mother’s (Cleo Gillis Worden) Lacey Grammar School Annuals, starting in 1925. There are SO MANY old names that I recognize of students, alumni and teachers named in it (many of which I am related): Brooks, Horn, Huntamer, Radcliff, Walsh, Gillis, Yates, Mesplay, Southwick, Petty, Hicks, Manley, Day, Daily and Minor. I’m sure many of you will recognize many more last names from “way back when.”
Remember “Class Wills?” Well, they were “alive and well” also, back in 1925 and I’ll type excerpts of some of
them:
“I, Sam Petty, do will to Fred Daily my ability to study.”
“I, Chester Southwick, do will to Frieda Sauerwein my ability to draw cartoons.” “I, John Roper, do will to Agnes Walsh, my good looks.”
“I, Helen Kramer, do will to Margaret Reinhardt, Albert Hangee.”
“I, Bjarne Nelson, do will to Harry Wanschers my ability to be president of my class.”
“I, Mildred Mesplay, do will to May Gillis my ability to play ball.”
“I, Lillian Mitchell, do will to Claire Keiffer and Viola Micalson my ability to make biscuits.”
“I, Ludvig Peterson, do will to Helen Huntamer my ability to get on the honor roll.”
(Signed by the Class of 1925) Witnesses,
MILDRED MESPLAY,
LILLIAN MITCHEL,
BJARNE NELSON
Advertisers: G. L. Foy, Jeffers Studio, Gottfeld’s, Union Lumber and Shingle Co., Mills Funeral Parlors, Mottmans,
East Side Trading Co., Talcott Bros., Camp Travis, Log Cabin Camp, L. C. Huntamer, Southwick’s Lakes, Bowen & Lepper,
Capital City Forging Works, Olympia Motors Dodge Brothers, Lacey Garage, Wray & Wray, Lasher’s Pharmacy
Resurrected by: Margie Worden Wyllie
Lacey Historical