From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff

Reports that the FBI is investigating a “creditable” D.B. Cooper lead have the news outlets and blogosphere buzzing.  Here’s just one such story from the Seattle Times.  News sites are relying on information from the niece of the suspect (and upcoming authoress), who identifies him as her uncle Lynn Doyle (L.D.) Cooper, who passed away ten years ago.

WSL librarian Kathryn did some digging in several of the genealogy resources we have linked to, and found additional information about the fascinating L.D. Cooper.  Using the Department of Veterans Affairs burial database, she found he is buried in Pilot Butte military cemetery in Oregon.  The database also indicates he was in the Navy and served in Korea.  Pictures of his gravestone are listed in Find a Grave.

Further clues await the amateur sleuth with access to Ancestrylibrary (available for free to visitors of the State Library).  Is that his wedding certificate in Reno, NV?  Is that him pictured in a US Navy Cruise book from 1949?  No doubt the FBI is hot on the trail.

Until we find out more, feel free to check out the many previously published books on D.B. Cooper, including “D.B. : A Novel” by Elwood Reid, recently reviewed by Northwest librarian Sean.  There’s lots of good reading material out there for those who want a refresher on this iconic Washington story.  These books and more are available at the State Library or your local public library!

From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff

The Washington state Letters About Literature awards ceremony took place on Friday, May 6 in the office of the Secretary of State in Olympia.  Secretary Sam Reed and State Librarian Rand Simmons presented awards to the three state champions who read their letters.  You may view or purchase a copy of the entire ceremony at TVW, Washington’s public affairs television network.

McKenna Conlin, a sixth grader at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in Kirkland, is the Level 1 champion. She won $125 from the State Library and a $50 gift card from Target.  McKenna wrote her letter to Sherman Alexie about his book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

John Kang, an eleventh grader at Lakeside School in Seattle, is the Level 3 champion.  John won $125 from the State Library and a $50 gift card from Target.  John wrote his letter to Mary Paik Lee about her book Quiet Odyssey:  A Pioneer Korean Woman in America.

And Abby Bateman, a seventh grader at Snoqualmie Middle School in Snoqualmie, is the Level 2 state champion.  She won $125 from the State Library, a $150 gift card from Target, and was also selected as one of four honor awards in the national Letters About Literature contest!  As a national honor winner, Abby received a $1,000 Reading Promotion grant, which she has given to the Mount Si High School Library.  Abby wrote her letter to Katherine Paterson about her book Bridge to Terabithia.

This is the fourth time in six years that Washington has had a national award in Letters About Literature!  The Washington State Library would like to thank all the students, judges, and staff who participated this year (3376 student letters were received in Washington alone) and we look forward to more reading and writing next year.

To find out more about this year’s contest, check out our website.

From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff

Over 3300 letters from Washington state were submitted for this year’s Letters About Literature contest, and the Washington State Library is proud to announce the 173 Semi-Finalists, 14 Honorable Mentions, and 3 Champions for 2011!  A list of all those who are honored is on our website.  Continuing on to the national contest in Washington DC are the Washington state champions:

McKenna Conlin, a sixth grader at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in Kirkland, competing in Level 1, who wrote her letter to Sherman Alexie about his book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian;

Abby Bateman, a seventh grader at Snoqualmie Middle School in Snoqualmie, competing in Level 2, who wrote her letter to Katherine Paterson about her book Bridge to Terabithia;

John Kang, an eleventh grader at Lakeside School in Seattle, competing in Level 3, who wrote his letter to Mary Paik Lee about her book Quiet Odyssey:  A Pioneer Korean Woman in America.

Congratulations to McKenna, Abby, and John!  Thank you to all the students, teachers, and families who participated in Washington’s Letters About Literature program, as well as our hardworking judges.  Washington has a legacy of letters placing at the national level, so stay tuned!

From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff

After some serious consideration, the Public Services staff has come to the decision that it is time to put an official end our blog.  Unfortunately we just don’t have time to update it any longer, and we hate to have old and outdated posts out there cluttering up our website and confusing our patrons.  And while it’s apparent that the blog format served our purposes for a number of years, we now have better and more efficient ways of posting new information on our website for you.

We remain very proud of what we accomplished with our blog, which the Communications folks at WSDOT say was the first government blog for the State of Washington!  Our efforts were also profiled in a number of library publications and training seminars, including 5 Weeks to a Social Library.  In the three years since we started our “little blog that could”, the technology and culture surrounding government blogging has changed tremendously, and we like to think we maybe had a little something to do with that.

Our staff will make “guest appearances” on the other Washington State Library blogs currently available, and as always we are available for your questions about Washington State history, government, culture, and genealogy at [email protected].

Thanks for your readership over the years.  It’s been a heck of a ride.

From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff

It seems that in Olympia Saint Patrick’s Day has always been a day to celebrate regardless of age, nationality, or the limits of personal living quarters.  Three cases in point:

1) 1912: Miss Beatrice Kearney hosted her own St. Patrick’s Day affair for several of her young friends. She apparently did a wonderful job, since the party was reported in the Olympia Record. Pretty impressive considering that, according to census records, Miss Beatrice would have been about 9 years old at the time.

2) 1909: It may have been meant as a joke, but Senator Hans H. Fatland of Pierce County nevertheless went along with a resolution in his name declaring St. Patrick’s Day a legal holiday. His good humor is notable since he was Norwegian by birth.

3) 1922: Accused liquor seller, and possible “jointist,” Pat Kelly suggested to the court that he should get a more lenient sentence since he had spent his St. Patrick’s Day in jail and was unable to celebrate as befitted his Irish heritage. The court was seemingly not impressed with this argument, fining him $250 and sentencing him to 60 more days of jail.

In case you’re wondering, a “jointist” was a term used during Prohibition to describe a keeper of an illegal drinking saloon, or “joint.”

The staff of the Washington State Library has compiled a list of helpful online resources for those currently affected by the recent downturn of the economy.  For links to unemployment information, job and retraining resources, and federal economic stimulus programs, click here!

From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff

In order to honor National Poetry Month, the Washington State Library is excited to announce that we will be hosting our state’s first poet laureate, Samuel Green, for an evening event on April 9, 2009, at 6:30 pm.

Sam Green is a native of Washington and currently resides on Waldron Island. He has authored numerous poetry collections, has been a visiting poet and instructor for several Washington and northwest universities and colleges, and has been the editor of Brooding Heron Press for the past 30 years. Mr. Green’s poetry collection The Grace of Necessity won the 2008 Washington State Book Award in Poetry.

Please join us for this celebration of poetry in the main reading room on the second floor of the library. Doors open at 6:00 pm, and seating is limited and available on a first come basis.

For more information about this upcoming program, please contact Library Events at (360) 704-5269 or [email protected]

From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff

In honor of African-American History Month, we would like to highlight some African American genealogical resources specific to Washington State and the Pacific Northwest that can be found here at the Washington State Library, as well as online.

For starters, we have an outstanding collection of Washington historical and current newspapers on microfilm and online, including several African-American newspapers. You can see a list of the African-American newspapers here, as well as other titles that may help you learn more about African-American family history.  [ed. note: see also Laura’s comment on our previous post.]

And keep in mind you can always search our catalog to check for resources on African-American genealogy or anything else related to Washington family history, local and state government questions.

Beyond our walls, there are some really great free online resources about African-Americans in the Pacific Northwest. Here are some websites that we find especially interesting:

Through Open Eyes: 95 Years of Roslyn’s Black Mining History by the Ellensburg Public Library
The page includes a history of the Roslyn community and its mining industry, a pictorial database, and historical newspaper excerpts that describe mining accidents.

National Parks Service: African Americans at Fort Vancouver
The page has links to articles such as “African-Americans and the Hudson Bay Company” and “Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Vancouver.”

BlackPast: An Online reference guide to African American history by Quintard Taylor (Scott and Dorothy Bullitt Professor of American History, University of Washington Seattle)
From Quintard Taylor’s introduction to the website: “This 3,000 page site is dedicated to providing reference materials to the general public on African American history in the United States and on the history of people of African ancestry around the world.” Of particular interest is the “African-Americans in the West” page.

African American Coal Miner Information Center by Tim Pinnick
The page includes a database of African-American miners, lists of coal mining camps and towns by state, and lists of suggested reading for further research.

Just in time to catch the end of Black History Month, African Americans in the Pacific Northwest:  A Select Bibliography, is now available on the Washington State Library’s website.  This annotated bibliography of recent titles and websites contains materials on a variety of people and issues involving African Americans in Washington and the Pacific Northwest.

Questions?  Comments?  Suggestions?  Let us know!

Attention Washington students!  Have you entered this year’s Letters About Literature contest yet?  The deadline is fast approaching!  All entries must be postmarked by this Saturday, December 6, 2008 in order to be considered.  Entries for Letters About Literature 2008-2009 should be addressed to:

Letters About Literature
Competition Level (indicate level 1, 2, or 3)
PO Box 609
Dallas, PA 18612

Participation Guidelines and additional information about this contest can be found on the Washington State Library’s website.  Last year, Washington student McKenzie Dent won one of the national prizes – let’s see if Washington can do it again!

Questions about this program?  Contact Shirley at [email protected].