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Clerk 07/30/2015
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AN ORDINANCE renaming Lakewood Park in honor of Dick Thurnau, to recognize his service, dedication and profound influence in the White Center community.
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STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. Dick Thurnau was born on February 17, 1925, in Pingree Grove, Illinois.
2. Dick graduated from Seattle's Edison Technical Institute and served in the U.S. Army in the South Pacific from 1943 to 1946.
3. Dick married Helen Grisham on April 25, 1946, and the two traveled by train from Illinois to Seattle on their honeymoon to start a new life together.
4. Dick lived in the Lakewood park neighborhood for more than four decades and raised four children there - Cheri, Kathleen, Marvin and Terry - who, in their youth, leafleted the neighborhood for park-based events organized by their Dad. The family now includes eight grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
5. Dick was employed by Mack Trucks for thirty years, working his way up to Manager of Service Engineering for the Mack Western Division in Hayward, California, before retiring in 1980 and returning to his home near Lakewood park.
6. Dick was an expert woodworker and master mechanic and generously used both talents to benefit family and friends; Dick has been a friend, mentor and "car go to guy" in the White Center community for many.
7. Dick formed Friends of Hicklin Lake with the help of his partner, Marcia Wollam, advocating to clean up the lake water and petitioning successfully to rename the lake to properly honor original settler Leonard Hicklin.
8. The Friends of Hicklin Lake also welcomed the Technology Access Foundation as a creative addition to the park and a great way for future generations to prepare themselves for successful careers.
9. Our community owes Dick a debt of gratitude for his local volunteer work and his service to our country in World War II.
10. Dick established a lasting legacy of support and advocacy for Hicklin lake...

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