Former Walla Walla Community Leader Phelps Gose

Phelps Gose had an amazing life, he was a war veteran, a Spokane deputy prosecutor, a  criminal lawyer, a crusader for social justice, and a Walla Walla County Superior Court judge.
 Gose was a friend of our family and occasionally did important legal work for my father and his Walla Walla business.
He was an active Democrat in Walla Walla.  I remember him as quiet and bookish.  He was a member of a law firm that was so distinguished, that he and his senior partners all ran against each other when a superior court judgeship became vacant.  Although Gose was the temporary choice to fill the vacancy, he would go on to lose in the primary to partners Bill Tugman and Yancey Reser.  Reser ultimately would win the position.
My lasting memory of Mr. Gose goes back 40 some years.  At the time, WSU's football team would play it's big games at Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane.  Gose invited my dad and I along with his son and one of his friends to watch the game in Spokane.  We stopped for lunch at the Ridpath, one of Spokane's two signature hotels. The other being The Davenport.  Gose's family, I believe,  owned the Ridpath. I remember  the 5 of us getting VIP treatment because Phelps was with us.
Gose had retired to his wife's native Hawaii. He died on November 12th.

Stuart Evey Dies

A broadcasting pioneer with somewhat local connections has died.  Stuart Evey, a board member of Getty Oil and a personal assistant to one of J. Paul Getty's son, was 84. 
Evey was instrumental in the founding of ESPN, the first 24 hours cable sports network.  Although he was not well known, he appeared prominently  in "Those Guys Have All The Fun: Inside The World Of ESPN"
Evey, apparently put up the money to get the idea started, then was forced out just before the network really made it's impact, something from which he may not have recovered.  In the book, Evey was portrayed as a cranky, almost  tyrannical person.
Evey lived in Spokane which was where he died.

More Spokane

We were only in Spokane for a couple of days, but had so much fun, it generated at least 4 blog posts. My cousin took this picture of me going down the slide at the Red Lion Hotel swimming pool.  This was Saturday afternoon, right after getting out of the convention.  Refreshments are served poolside.

The Vietnam War Memorial--Spokane

While walking through Riverfront Park in Spokane, I came across a beautiful statue.  It was the Vietnam War Memorial dedicated to the soldiers from the area who lost their lives in the conflict.

Barers Go To State Democratic Convention In Spokane

We drove to Spokane last weekend to attend the Washington State Democratic Convention.  My cousin and her husband were also visiting Spokane and under the original plan, we would have dinner with them and then attend some hospitality suites.
What we did not plan for, was a massive road construction project on I-90 (top picture). It took us an unbelievable hour and a half to go a mere 30 miles into the city.  Even as Seattle area residents, we are not accustomed to such long traffic delays.
We stayed at the Red Lion At The Park, our room over looked the beautiful Riverfront Park where Expo 74 was held (middle picture). 
The next morning, a breakfast was held with speakers like Attorney General Bob Ferguson and State Senator Andy Billig spoke.
The Convention feature Governor Jay Inslee (bottom picture) as well as a number of local community leaders.  After a lunch with some of my former 5th District Democratic leaders at Clinkerdaggers at the Flour Mill.  We returned to the convention to begin working on the platform.

Gonzaga Sits In Top Spot

The Gonzaga Bulldogs from Spokane Washington are sitting in the top spot in College Basketball.  It is rare that a powerhouse sports program emerges from our state, let alone from the less populated Eastern Washington.  This is the first time in it's history that the school has had the number 1 ranking.  In this crazy year of upsets, it is hard to predict how long the ranking will last.  The Zags will play in the West Coast Conference Tournament tonight against Loyola Marymount.

Spokane Chosen For '08 Democratic State Convention

Delegates attending the Washington Democratic State Central Committee meeting in Bellingham have chosen Spokane for their state convention over King County. I believe that this is a smart move, the party has been pushing lately to win voters from across the "Cascade Curtain". To turn down Spokane's bid in favor of Seattle would work against everything in that plan. To King County, quit picking on the little Spokane and go after the National Convention.
Incidentally, Spokane has a brand new convention center, the National Figure Skating Championship has already been held there.