Darsie Beck's Childhood Memories of Vashon Island

New Betty MacDonald Fan Club Honour Member Darsie Beck gave us the permission to share a special gift with you, his childhood memories of Vashon Island. It's so beautifully written. Thanks A Million, dear Darsie for this very special Betty MacDonald Birthday gift!

Wolfgang Hampel, author of the Betty MacDonald Biography and winner of the first Betty MacDonald Memorial Award told us that he was a great fan of Darsie Beck's artwork. Wolfgang Hampel interviewed Darsie Beck and we hope to publish the interview during this year.

Childhood memories of Vashon Island 1943-53

Copyright by Darsie Beck

I've always been fascinated by the ferry boats that serve the island and Olympic Peninsula communities of Puget Sound. I feel particularly fortunate to have spent my first ten years and the last thirty years here on Vashon Island and the in between years living in water front homes near the Fauntleroy ferry dock and on the north end of Mercer Island near the old ferry landing that once served that island community.

I have many fond memories of the ferry boats but one in particular remains as clear to me today as when it occurred many years ago.

At the time I was born, my parents lived with my grandparents in a small house on Judkins street just east of 23rd, a few blocks south of the Lake Washington floating bridge tunnels. This area, at the time, was the northern most end of what was called, "Garlic Gulch", the original Italian community in Seattle. With a new baby in the house things got pretty crowded and before long my parents moved to Vashon Island where they purchased their first home on the bluff above Dolphin Point on the north end of the island. My mother's sister Betty MacDonald, her husband Don and her two daughters Anne and Joan had moved to the island a couple years before prompting my parents to follow their lead to this island community.

In the 1940's as now, we reached the island by ferry boat. I can't tell you what that first ferry ride was like in the fall of 1943 or which boat we rode on but I do know, the boats were privately operated by Puget Sound Navigation (PSN), doing business as the Black Ball Line.
Black Ball provided service between Vashon Island, Harper (on the Olympic Peninsula) and Fauntleroy (West Seattle). During the 1940's the wooden ferries Vashon and Kehloken and the steel electric Quinault saw regular service on this run. The Quinault carried 100 cars compared to the 45 car capacity of the smaller wooden ferries and was considered a super ferry at the time. Most of the ferries flying the Black Ball burgee were former San Francisco Bay boats purchased by PSN after the completion of the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges.

In early 1948, a proposed rate increase by PSN resulted in Vashon Island suspending its service contract with Black Ball. Undeterred by Vashon's action, Black Ball continued service between Harper and Fauntleroy and to Vashon on an "as needed only" basis. With the help of sympathetic state and local government agencies Vashon began developing its own ferry service utilizing former Lake Washington and Tacoma boats out of service since the opening of the Lake Washington floating bridge and the Tacoma Narrows bridge. The Lincoln, Washington, City of Tacoma and Crosline became the backbone of the new fleet.

My first ferry boat recollection is from the summer of 1948. I was five years old, my mother was pregnant with my sister, and we were sitting in the family car on the Vashon ferry dock on a very foggy July morning waiting for the boat to Fauntleroy to take my mother to the hospital.
The fog had created a stillness over the dock broken every few minutes by the sounding of fog horns and the occasional car driving on and off the wood planked ferry dock. Soon I heard the sound of an approaching ferry, its engines reversing, its prop wash splashing noisily between the pilings, the shrill screech of the ferries wood side rails rubbing against creosote dolphins and apron wing walls as the boat nudged itself into the slip. Chains clattered as deck hands removed car barriers in preparation of off loading. I don't remember which of the old ferries landed at the Vashon dock that foggy morning but I do remember, once our car was loaded onto the boat, sitting on the car deck, looking out the port into the fog when suddenly out of the mist a large ferry appeared. Its propellers furiously reversing, deck hands and passengers on both boats bracing for an impending collision. My eyes grew big and my body grew tense as the huge ferry cleared the fog revealing her black hull, white superstructure and the black ball painted near the top of her red stack. It was the Quinault, Puget Sound's first super ferry heading directly for our boat. The prop wash of the huge ferry was buffeting the side of our boat, causing it to rock back and forth in its slip. The Quinault was now within a car's length of our boat when its forward motion finally came to rest and her reversing action began to move the boat out of harms way. As stealthy as she had appeared, she now disappeared back into the fog sending a collective and audible sigh of relief through passengers and crew of both boats.

The Quinualt, now considered a medium sized boat compared to today's super ferries, still ply's the waters of Puget Sound and still holds a place in my childhood memories as the most enormous boat ever seen by a five year old.

Linde Lund created the Betty MacDonald, Monica Sone and Wolfgang Hampel Blogs
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Betty MacDonald Interviews on CD and DVD

http://bettymacdonaldfanclub.blogspot.com/2009/06/betty-macdonald-fan-club-items-comments.html
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You can find more info about our Betty MacDonald projects and events in the future.

Wolfgang Hampel, author of the Betty MacDonald Biography and winner of the first Betty MacDonald Memorial Award founded Betty MacDonald Fan Club and Society in 1983. We are the largest Betty MacDonald Fan Club in the world - with members in 23 countries. Join our wonderful international Betty MacDonald Community!
We have tons of fun!

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Darsie Beck Artist and writer of Your Essential Nature - A Practical Guide to Greater Creativity and Spiritual Harmony - nephew of authors Betty MacDonald and Mary Bard - Honour Member of Betty MacDonald Society and Fan Club
http://darsiebeck.blogspot.com/

Wolfgang Hampel Founder of Betty MacDonald Fan Club and Betty MacDonald Society
http://wolfganghampel.blogspot.com/

Monica Sone First Betty MacDonald Fan Club Honour Member

Hello this is Martine,

We have wonderful news!

Monica Sone, author of Nisei Daughter and Betty MacDonald's wonderful friend, described as Kimi in Betty MacDonald's The Plague and I, is the first Honour Member of Betty MacDonald Fan Club and Society. You will receive many more info in our next Betty MacDonald Fan Club Newsletter.

Wolfgang Hampel - author of the Betty MacDonald Biography and winner of the first Betty MacDonald Memorial Award - wrote about Monica Sone:

Monica Sone has fans all over the world. She wrote Nisei Daughter and many authors adore her book for example David Guterson, author of Snow falling on Cedars. We got so many comments from our international fans. They learned so much after reading Nisei Daughter.To us it's one of the most important books we've ever read.

Thanks A Million dear Monica Sone in the name of your many fans for writing this fascinating autobiography. It's so important to know history and to learn from the past. We can understand everything much better because of your book Nisei Daughter.

Monica, you are so very bright, brave, wise, witty and you have the most beautiful voice ever just the way our beloved Betty MacDonald described you as Kimi in The Plague and I. Nobody wants to be ill and stay in a hospital but with you I bet it would be like in paradise.

Monica, I just love and enjoy our phone calls so much. To me it's such a gift.

Lots of love and kisses and hugs and many greetings to you and your family especially to Susan, because she does a great job and every time I talk to you you sound younger and younger.
You are a miracle, a genius but very human and warm!

Remain strong and healthy, please, dear Monica!

Many hugs and greetings from Master Peter to great Lady Monica!

The world needs wonderful personalities like you so much.

Thanks A Million for your outstanding friendship!

We are with you and your family and friends in our thoughts.

All our love
Wolfgang, Angelika and Peter -
your old Wolf and your many fans worldwide

Wolfgang Hampel
Founder of Betty MacDonald Fan Club and Betty MacDonald Society
http://wolfganghampel.blogspot.com/

Dear Monica Sone,

What can I say after such a statement?

Wolfgang Hampel did it well, didn't he?

Dear Monica Sone, we all adore your writing skills and your brilliant personality.

I'd like to say thank you so much for writing this very important work of literature because I among others had no idea about this dark part of history.

Therefore Nisei Daughter is so important and after reading it nobody will ever forget it.

Thank you so much!

Regards,

Linde Lund

Linde Lund created the Betty MacDonald, Monica Sone and Wolfgang Hampel Blogs
http://www.blogger.com/profile/15388942569315864610

Monica Sone wrote to Wolfgang Hampel:

Dear Wolfgang,

Thank you so much for the many articles you passed on to me.

I became giddy from all the compliments. And, also, I cannot get over the feeling that the Monica Sone people talk about is not really me. People are extravagantly kind. One has to be careful or my head will explode.

But, Wolfgang, you were very sweet writing your article. I like it very much. Isn't it wonderful that we are such good friends, although we never met. If we had met in person, we would have riotous, good time & never stopped talking.

I will send a message to Linde Lund to thank her.

A kiss to master Peter on his cheek !

And lots of love to all of you.

Monica

Interview with Monica Sone - author of Nisei Daughter
http://rhankins.blogspot.com/2008/10/daughter-with-author-monica-sone_16.html

Monica Sone
http://monicasone.blogspot.com/

Monica Sone Society
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Happy Birthday, Monica Sone
http://blog.densho.org/2009/09/happy-birthday-monica-sone.html

Linde Lund created the Betty MacDonald, Monica Sone and Wolfgang Hampel Blogs
http://www.blogger.com/profile/15388942569315864610

Betty MacDonald and Alison Bard Burnett Interviews on CD and DVD

http://bettymacdonaldfanclub.blogspot.com/2009/06/betty-macdonald-fan-club-items-comments.html
http://bettymacdonaldfanclub.blogspot.com/2009/07/betty-macdonald-fan-club-items.html
http://bettymacdonaldfanclub.blogspot.com/2009/07/betty-macdonald-interviews-on-cddvd_17.html

Betty MacDonald Community
http://bettymacdonaldcommunity.blogspot.com/

You can find more info about our Betty MacDonald projects and events in the future.

Wolfgang Hampel, author of the Betty MacDonald Biography and winner of the first Betty MacDonald Memorial Award founded Betty MacDonald Fan Club and Society in 1983. We are the largest Betty MacDonald Fan Club in the world - with members in 23 countries. Join our wonderful international Betty MacDonald Community!
We have tons of fun!

Betty MacDonald - Fan Club of Betty MacDonald and Society of Betty MacDonald
http://bettymacdonald.blogspot.com/

Betty MacDonald Fan Club
http://bettymacdonaldfanclub.blogspot.com/

Betty MacDonald Forum
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Betty MacDonald Society
http://bettymacdonaldsociety.blogspot.com/

Mary Bard Society
http://marybardsociety.blogspot.com/

Nancy and Plum Fan Club
http://nancyandplumfanclub.blogspot.com/

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Fan Club
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Wolfgang Hampel Founder of Betty MacDonald Fan Club and Betty MacDonald Society
http://wolfganghampel.blogspot.com/

Alison Bard Burnett passed away

Hello this is Martine,

We are very sad.

Betty MacDonald's brilliant sister Alison Bard Burnett passed away.

That's what Wolfgang Hampel - Founder of Betty MacDonald Fan Club - wrote about his experiences with unique Alison Bard Burnett.

Alison Bard Burnett
(June 25, 1920 - December 23, 2009)

I met Alison Bard Burnett in Seattle and we had such a great time. She told the most interesting and very funny treasure stories about her family especially her famous sisters Betty MacDonald and Mary Bard.

We visited all the places, the house in the University District, Roosevelt High School and the house in Laurelhurst where Alison was born 6 months after her father Darsie Bard died.

I won't ever forget it because it was such a wonderful experience to meet this great lady! How we drove with Alison's VW through Seattle. She was full of life and so very, very witty!

Thanks A Million dear Alison! You are always in my heart!!

All my love to you and your wonderful family!

Wolfgang Hampel Founder Betty MacDonald Fan Club

http://www.meaningfulfunerals.net/fh/obituaries/tributes.cfm?o_id=481053&fh_id=10534&s_id=96341EBBE12B1C4CA7A005DBE127FF73

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/vashon/vib/obituaries

Burnett, Alison Bard Wednesday, 23 Dec 2009
Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber Vashon-Maury Island, WA

Alison Bard Burnett born June 25, 1920 at the family home in Laurelhurst, Washington and passed away December 23rd at Vashon Community Care Center where she had resided for the past four years.
Alison, her first husband Frank Sugia and their infant son Darsie moved to Vashon in 1943 following her sister Betty MacDonald’s move to the Island the previous year. Sugia and Alison divorced following the birth of their second son Bard in 1945. Alison married Bernard Beck in 1946 and their daughter Alison was born in 1948. The family moved to Mercer Island in the late 1950s where Alison began a long career in real-estate sales. In the mid 1960s Alison divorced Beck and in the early 1970’s married William Burnett. They resided in Kailua Kona, Hawaii, Scottsdale, Arizona and Kirkland, Washington where Burnett died in 1978 of pancreatic cancer. Alison joined the Ballard office of Windermere real estate in the mid 1980s and was later part of an effort to bring Windermere Real Estate to Vashon Island.
Alison loved to entertain, was a passionate gardener, fabulous cook, talented decorator, and a gifted writer. She loved music, especially jazz, and was a wonderful dancer. She loved dogs and was a fierce champion of fairness. She will be best remembered for her warmth, generosity and infectious laughter.
Alison is survived by her children Darsie, Bard and Alison, six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
The family wishes to thank Providence Mt. St. Vincent and especially the Skilled Nursing Staff at Vashon Community Care Center for their wonderful loving care of Alison.
A private memorial service for Alison will be held in the spring.


Linde Lund created the Betty MacDonald, Monica Sone and Wolfgang Hampel Blogs
http://www.blogger.com/profile/15388942569315864610

Betty MacDonald and Alison Bard Burnett Interviews on CD and DVD

http://bettymacdonaldfanclub.blogspot.com/2009/06/betty-macdonald-fan-club-items-comments.html
http://bettymacdonaldfanclub.blogspot.com/2009/07/betty-macdonald-fan-club-items.html
http://bettymacdonaldfanclub.blogspot.com/2009/07/betty-macdonald-interviews-on-cddvd_17.html

Betty MacDonald Community
http://bettymacdonaldcommunity.blogspot.com/

You can find more info about our Betty MacDonald projects and events in the future.

Wolfgang Hampel, author of the Betty MacDonald Biography and winner of the first Betty MacDonald Memorial Award founded Betty MacDonald Fan Club and Society in 1983. We are the largest Betty MacDonald Fan Club in the world - with members in 23 countries. Join our wonderful international Betty MacDonald Community!
We have tons of fun!

Betty MacDonald - Fan Club of Betty MacDonald and Society of Betty MacDonald
http://bettymacdonald.blogspot.com/

Betty MacDonald Fan Club
http://bettymacdonaldfanclub.blogspot.com/

Betty MacDonald Forum
http://bettymacdonaldforum.blogspot.com/

Betty MacDonald Society
http://bettymacdonaldsociety.blogspot.com/

Mary Bard Society
http://marybardsociety.blogspot.com/

Nancy and Plum Fan Club
http://nancyandplumfanclub.blogspot.com/

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Fan Club
http://pigglewigglefanclub.blogspot.com/

Monica Sone
http://monicasone.blogspot.com/

Monica Sone Society
http://monicasonesociety.blogspot.com/

Monica Sone Fan Club
http://monicasonefanclub.blogspot.com/

Wolfgang Hampel Founder of Betty MacDonald Fan Club and Betty MacDonald Society
http://wolfganghampel.blogspot.com/