Friends of St. Edward State Park dedicate interpretive seminary signs

Friends of St. Edward State Park far and near, old and young, gathered Sept. 9 to honor Kenmore's ladies of history, Betty Watson and Jo Ann Evans, and to dedicate three interpretive signs, honoring the people who made St. Edward's Seminary a place worthy of the National Register of Historic Places.

By Special to the Reporter • September 20, 2011 3:59 pm
Artist Betty Watson displays one of the St. Edward's Seminary interpretive signs.
Artist Betty Watson displays one of the St. Edward's Seminary interpretive signs.

Friends of St. Edward State Park far and near, old and young, gathered Sept. 9 to honor Kenmore’s ladies of history, Betty Watson and Jo Ann Evans, and to dedicate three interpretive signs, honoring the people who made St. Edward’s Seminary a place worthy of the National Register of Historic Places.

Rev. Michael Ryan, dean of St. James Cathedral, told history buffs and park advocates tales of arriving in 1955, a 14-year-old with much energy — and of the French Sulpicians who organized a lifestyle of hard work and a classical education. Father Ryan later attended the St. Thomas Seminary where he received his bachelor’s degree and remembered well the dedication of that seminary, now Bastyr University.

Also in attendance also were Kenmore and Kirkland City Councilmembers, state Sen. Maralyn Chase, officers of the Kenmore and Kirkland historical societies and activists, Bastyr President Dr. Dan Church and archdiocese archivist Seth Dalby.