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Tag: John Spellman

Legacy Washington and WTBBL partner to make books available to a Broader Audience

Legacy Washington and WTBBL partner to make books available to a Broader Audience

Hundreds of audio books are produced in the studios of the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) Audio Book Production Department. These books, narrated by volunteers, are normally only available to WTBBL patrons and patrons of other National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped network libraries. But a collection of Legacy Washington titles produced in audio format by WTBBL is now available on the Washington Anytime Library platform for public libraries. These titles are published by, and…

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Lois and John Spellman
The remarkable, formidable Lois Spellman

The remarkable, formidable Lois Spellman

Former Washington State First Lady Lois Spellman died Thursday, January 25th, just days after the passing of her husband, former Washington State Governor John D. Spellman. Lois Elizabeth Murphy was born in 1927 in Havre, Montana. She and her husband prayed the Rosary together every night before bed for all 63 years of their marriage. They have six children and six grandchildren. Legacy Washington Chief Historian and Spellman biographer John Hughes remembers Lois in his book about the former governor: In…

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John Spellman
Remembering Governor Spellman

Remembering Governor Spellman

The Jan. 16 death of former Gov. John D. Spellman at 91 prompted personal reminiscences from several staffers in the Office of the Secretary of State who knew Spellman during and after his 1981-85 time in state office. State Archivist Steve Excell, who served as Gov. Spellman’s chief of staff, said in a television interview with KING-5 that Spellman had changed his life, as well as those of countless Washingtonians. “He was a true statesman,” Excell said. “He was a…

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Former Gov. John Spellman visits Capitol.
Former Gov. Spellman visits WA Capitol

Former Gov. Spellman visits WA Capitol

More than three decades after serving as Washington’s governor, John Spellman returned to Olympia to tour the Governor’s Mansion and Capitol and meet with current Gov. Jay Inslee. Before seeing the governor, 90-year-old Spellman, along with two of his sons, a grandson and a granddaughter, stopped by our office to meet with staff, including two alumni from Spellman’s gubernatorial staff – State Archivist Steve Excell, who served as Spellman’s chief of staff, and Patrick McDonald, who was an intern and…

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Need a holiday gift? Buy a book from the Legacy Project!

Need a holiday gift? Buy a book from the Legacy Project!

Looking for holiday gift ideas? Give the gift of a well-written book! Thanks to the Washington State Legacy Project, we can all learn about some very influential Washingtonians. The subjects of these biographies and oral histories include statewide officeholders, congressional leaders, judges and other remarkable citizens. Many of these subjects, in the face of controversy and the most challenging circumstances, refused to give up and inspired change. There are plenty of biographies to choose from, no matter what your interest…

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From Archives: Our governors `do solemnly swear’

From Archives: Our governors `do solemnly swear’

If you’ve watched a governor or other statewide elected official being sworn in during the first week of a legislative session, you’ve noticed that the Supreme Court justice reads the oath as he or she swears in that official, and then both of them sign that document.  Then it’s on to the next official and justice, and so on. But what happens to the oath of office documents afterward? They eventually wind up with the State Archives for safekeeping. In…

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Hot off the press: New book on Governor John Spellman

Hot off the press: New book on Governor John Spellman

A new book about former Washington’s last Republican governor,  “John Spellman: Politics Never Broke His Heart,” is being launched by The Legacy Project  in the  Office of the Secretary of State. The author is Legacy Project’s chief historian, John C. Hughes, a former editor and publisher for the Aberdeen Daily World. He’s no stranger to storytelling; this is Hughes’ seventh book he has penned since accepting his position in 2008.  Among his other projects were biographies of U.S. Senator Slade…

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