Our first encounter with Willie McIntrye was during our first career and scholarship fair, Rising Tide, in February 2022. A shy young man with his head bowed approached our table. He was wearing overalls and covered with paint. Asked about the paint, he explained he was “free-handing” a mural in the Kingmakers room. Intrigued, we traveled upstairs and were rewarded with our first view of Willie’s incredible art. We all wanted to get to know this quiet, talented young man better. Not long after, Willie and his story and art would be shared with FAAF board and committee members.

Rod is probably best remembered by his FHS ’67 classmates for his sense of humor and shooting the basketball. Following his fragmented time at UW, finally getting degrees in English (Writing) and Sociology, he settled in near North Seattle. He spent many years coaching kids, starting with his own, and adults in basketball and baseball. In fact, he has been an assistant coach/video coordinator/advance scout with Franklin boys’ basketball for more than ten years. Some of us had him pegged as an athlete. It came as some surprise then, when Rod produced his latest paintings at our 2018 class reunion picnic. They were bold experiments in color, labeled with curious names like Sunrise on Enceladus or Then There Was a Moth.

We have huge ambitions for the future of our scholarship funds and school support funds, and we need your help. Some of these big ambitions include increasing our endowment so that every graduating student who applies for a scholarship receives one. Supporting the athletics department by purchasing uniforms more frequently than every three years. Adding a family resource center with a food pantry for families in need of an extra lift. Supporting the school community by paying for an additional full-time  teacher each year. We need your support to make that possible.

I began my teaching career twenty years ago at Highline High School where I taught English and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) for eleven years. After graduating from the UW's Danforth Educational Leadership Program, I served as assistant principal at Juanita High School in the Lake Washington School District for four years. In 2018, I came to SPS where I served as an assistant principal at Chief Sealth International High School until this year.

Your Alumni Association sponsored a new event—an opportunity for Franklin alumni to visit our Alma Mater—featuring a tour of the school, local food trucks from El Gran Taco and Catfish Corner, and DJ Kun Luv providing the music. The tour was an important part of the day, including the renovated Rick Nagel Mock Trial room on the third floor.

As Franklin High School students, we were fortunate to experience the multicultural wonderland that filled the school's classrooms. The diversity was not only unique within the school but also mirrored the vibrant tapestry of Rainier Valley itself. Let's take a ride on the way-back machine and travel through time to explore the valley's demographic progression.

Dodging traffic, watching for pedestrians and bikers, and stopping at too many stoplights while admiring the Mt. Rainier view, can make a trip down Rainier Avenue perilous and not leave us time to think about the geology of the area. What formed the valley over the millennia?

The Scholarship Committee continues to expand the recognition of a variety of nontraditional “ships”: resiliency-ships, recognize our students who in spite of their many, many challenges are moving forward; thank-god-I-made-it-ships, for those students often overwhelmed by life who exhibit trust that their tomorrow will be better; affirmation-ships, acknowledging students who are doing everything right and who just need a win; and, of course, our legacy scholarships, honoring academic excellence that flourishes at Franklin.

Don Tewkesbury, born April 28, 1932, in Seattle, was a multi-award-winning Washington state newsman. His thirty-six-year career included covering such memorable local events as the 1963 Columbus Day storm and the Beatles’ visit during the Seattle World’s Fair. He was alone manning the Seattle Post-Intelligencer city desk early Sunday, May 18, 1980, when Mount St. Helens erupted. He also interviewed legendary personalities such as astronaut Neil Armstrong, movie star Ginger Rogers, broadcaster Edward R. Murrow, and jockey Gary Stevens.

I am happy to announce that our third annual Rising Tide Scholarship & Vocational Fair will be from Tuesday, October 23rd through Thursday, October 26th.