Seattle’s Hall of Fame
The innovators and trailblazers who put Seattle on the map
By Linda Morgan, Tim Appelo, Robin Avni, Alison Krupnick, Jasmine Moir, Jennifer McCullum and John Levesque October 31, 2016
This article originally appeared in the November 2016 issue of Seattle magazine.
Photographed on September 7, 2016, in the Olympic Suite at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. Over the years, the 1924 hotel has hosted multiple presidents (including two visits by FDR) and celebrities (from Bing Crosby to Elvis), many of whom have called the suite home.
Every city possesses its own, unique spirit—its zeitgeist. It’s what makes a metropolis move, defines its identity and propels it forward. We owe much of ours to our city’s shapers—those leaders, trendsetters and trailblazers who, over the past 50 years, have transformed the town in extraordinary ways. In honor of Seattle magazine’s 50th anniversary, we’re spotlighting some of these innovators—all nominated by our panel of experts (below). Our list started out much longer and was culled after many hours of debate.
The people on these pages—living legends who have made a major contribution during the past five decades—are influential in their own right, but are also just a representative cross section of the many talented visionaries, big thinkers and risk-takers who have shaped our city into the remarkable place it is.
Food and Beverage // Beauty // Music // Arts and Culture // Books
Philanthropy // Sports // Transportation // Architecture //Technology and Business
Urban Spaces // Commercial Development // Outdoors and Environment
Activism/Social Justice // Civic Discourse and Community Leaders // Civil Rights // Cannabis
Politics // History/Preservation // Media/Journalism
Education // Health Care // Research/Medicine/Science
>> Ed. Note: In 2003, we ran a similar story. Click here to read “City Shapers.” <<
Most Influential Advisory Panel 2016
As part of Seattle magazine’s 50th anniversary celebration, we created an advisory panel and invited members to nominate some of the most influential Seattleites from the past 50 years. During a series of meetings, these individuals helped to vet the candidates via some intense and lively debate.
Joni Balter, multimedia journalist and host of Civic Cocktail
Kenan Block, owner, Kenan Block/Media & Communications
Rita Brogan, founder, PRR Inc.
John Cook, cofounder, GeekWire
C.R. Douglas, political analyst, Q13 Fox News
Rebecca Hughes, senior media consultant, Group Health Research Institute
Naomi Ishisaka, journalist and photographer
James Keblas, founder, City Inspired
Alison Krupnick, Seattle-based writer
Diane Mapes, writer/editor, Fred Hutch News Service, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Marie McCaffrey, executive director and cofounder, HistoryLink.org
Mary McWilliams, former executive director, Washington Health Alliance
Steve Scher, part-time instructor at the University of Washington and former host of the KUOW-FM Weekday program
From Seattle and Seattle Business magazines:
Rachel Hart, Virginia Smyth, Linda Morgan, Jennifer McCullum, Jim Demetre, Jessica Yadegaran, Knute Berger, Leslie Helm and John Levesque
Project coordinator: Mandolin Brassaw
Follow Us
Holiday Hunt in Pioneer Square
A daily ornament drop turns December into a neighborhood-wide scavenger hunt.
The holidays tend to bring out the kid in all of us. And if opening presents and eating too many treats weren’t enough, there’s also a scavenger hunt in Seattle’s oldest neighborhood. Pioneer Square’s Holiday Ornament Scavenger Hunt has returned for its third year. Twenty-five handblown glass ornaments—all made at Glasshouse Studio—are hidden across 25…
Chit-Chat Kids
Phone a friend.
Twenty years ago, before everyone walked around with a device in their pocket, kids used to call each other on a landline—often tethered to the kitchen in their home. It was a simpler time, when parents didn’t have to worry (nearly as much) about a potential predator contacting their child. Nowadays, things are different, which…
A Plate for Pickleball
The design celebrates the state’s official sport. Additional plates are on the way.
Washington served up a new license plate last week, honoring the state sport of pickleball. In the works for three years, it’s the second of seven specialty plates to hit the market since getting approved by lawmakers earlier this year. “We’re thrilled to see our efforts become reality,” says Kate Van Gent, vice president of…
Seattle-Based Agency Brings Real Voices to NBC’s New Campaign
DNA&STONE built the project around candid conversations to understand what audiences want from reporting.
“I turned off news altogether. I want to be able to form my own opinions. Just tell the truth.” These lines open NBC News’ new national campaign, a 60-second ad that drifts over forests, farms, neighborhoods, and cityscapes while Americans talk about how worn out they feel by the news. The landscape carries the conversation…