The Radio Voice of the Washington State Capitol

 

 

 

In 1961, my twin brother and I were living with my father in an apartment near Meydenbauer Bay in Bellevue, Washington.  My father had a job where he would make a weekly radio report on the activities of the Washington State legislature and Governor's office to the people of the state.  Because of the length of the commute, he rented a room in Olympia, the state capitol, and spent Monday through Friday there, leaving my brother and me alone.  We were responsible 13 year old boys, and we were capable of feeding ourselves and attending our 8th grade classes at Bellevue Junior High School (the mall was later built on top of it).

One week my dad took my brother and me with him, and we hung around the legislature as my father interviewed senators and representatives and otherwise ferreted out the noteworthy. 


 From my Kodak Brownie Starflash camera.

 People often mispronounced then Governor Rosellini's name as  ROZellini, and so to make things easier, he would hand out small silk roses to help people remember that his name was pronounced ROSE-ellini.  When the governor handed one to my father, my dad said  "Thanks for the roz". They became friends immediately.,

On our way home on Friday,  my father dropped off the tape with his recorded report at a local radio station, and it would be broadcast from stations across the state.