​Magnolia Historical Society

The Magnolia Historical Society Board’s Historic Person of the Year Award is given to those who have made unique and outstanding contributions to the MHS mission or to Magnolia’s history. A plaque honoring award recipients hangs in the Magnolia Branch of The Seattle Public Library.

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2002: Les Cowen was the president of the Magnolia Community Club (MCC, now Magnolia Community Council) who first suggested a book of Magnolia history be created for the 1976 bicentennial of the United States. Under his direction, Magnolian Aleua Frare was selected to create a small volume of interesting, anecdotal history about Magnolia titled Magnolia: Yesterday and Today. Les’s vision and Frare’s book inspired the hardcover Magnolia history books. Because of Les, much subsequent first-person and academically-researched history has been written about Magnolia. Les was also instrumental in the establishment of Magnolians writing about Magnolia. 

  

2003: Lady Willie Forbus was a transplant from Mississippi to Magnolia. She was the first woman lawyer in Seattle, the first woman to represent Magnolia’s district in the state senate, and the first woman president of the MCC. She was a powerhouse leader in Magnolia’s formative years. As a lawyer, she often represented clients who could not get representation due to financial situations, or whose chances of winning were not ideal. Forbus passed away in 1993; this award was given posthumously. 

  

2004: Hal Will was the first to volunteer to write for the newest iterations of the Magnolia books. He was an avid historian and excellent writer. Hal suggested including aerial maps in the books, and he and his wife Shirley financed the aerial map inserts for all three print Magnolia history books. Hal’s contributions as a researcher, writer, photographer, indexer, and volunteer were outstanding; his work (personal memoir and researched articles like “Magnolia’s Wooden Trestles“ in Book I and “Early Railroad Days“ in Book II) set the standard for other volunteers. He was a founding member of MHS. 

  

2005: Joan Santucci wrote a well-researched history of Magnolia Village, served as a superb peer editor, and was influential early in the society’s formation. Joan was a founding member and board member and helped with the bylaws. She later served as president of the MHS. Joan passed away in 2004 and her award was presented posthumously. 

  

2006: Robert (Bob) Kildall was an early Discovery Park advocate serving with activists like Judge Donald Voorhees and Tom Wimmer to ensure Fort Lawton would become Discovery Park. He spent his lifetime doing work to defend the Parks Master Plan to ensure the park remained an open space “of quiet and tranquility.“ He wrote “History of Discovery Park“ in Book I and “How Magnolia Got Its Name“ in Book II. He was, with Roger Thompson, an instigator for creating Commodore Park. He served on the Seattle Park Board and spearheaded the 50th anniversary celebration of the Ballard Locks in 1967. Bob was a founding member of MHS. 

  

2009: Mimi Sheridan was a researcher and preservationist of Seattle history. She wrote many nominations for historical buildings and served as a consultant to MHS on numerous historical topics. Mimi served on the board for many years, including the one that commissioned John Leglar, a Magnolian at the time, to create a 10th anniversary sculpture for Magnolia Village. Mimi gave several history presentations at MHS annual meetings. She worked on the historic preservation of the Home for Crippled Children, the nomination failing by one vote. Her historical expertise was a great resource for the society. 

  

2016: Dale Forbus Hogle wrote memoir, and the outstanding researched story about the archeological dig on Magnolia for Book II—an important chapter about the findings that established that Native Americans resided at West Point Beach 5,000 years ago. A lifelong Magnolian and daughter of Lady Willie Forbus, she is a constant resource of Magnolia history. Dale served as a longtime board member, helping with the MHS writing workshops and events like outreach at the Magnolia Farmers Market. She was the MHS newsletter editor for several years. Dale was on the board that commissioned the 10th anniversary sculpture for the Village. Now in her mid-nineties, she still is a reservoir of Magnolia history.

  

2018: Monica Wooton developed the writing process for the Magnolia books. She was a founding member of MHS and its first president. She served as project manager, content editor, peer editor, photographer, and writer for every iteration of the print books and worked closely with graphic artist Paul Langland on all the print book designs. Monica has worked with nearly 120 Magnolian authors in the process, countless archivists, nearly all MHS Board members, and many Magnolia organizations and events as a historical consultant—particularly for the 50th anniversary of Discovery Park, Korean War medaling at the Army Reserve, landmark nomination for the Home for Crippled Children, and closing ceremony of the Army Reserve. She also served to help create the Historic District Guidelines for Fort Lawton. She worked in local schools teaching history, designed the MHS memoir writing workshops, and helped plan many MHS events and book launches. She was a historical columnist for the Magnolia News and Magnolia Voice blog. She was on the board that created the 10th anniversary sculpture for the Village. Monica spearheaded the creation of the free, online Book IV and now serves as an occasional consultant for the MHS board. 

  

2020: Dee St. George became involved as the grant manager for Book II and began serving on the board at that time. She continued to serve as grant manager for Book III. Dee is one of the longest-running board members and is the 2026 society president. She has created many of the MHS event posters and has worked on many of the book launch events. She also serves as treasurer for the society and has worked on the newsletter in the early to mid-2020s. Dee worked to get the Magnolia books into Kindle format. She worked on the 50th anniversary of Discovery Park and the closing ceremonies of the Army Reserve. 

  

2025: Joint awardees Paul Dorpat and Charles Payton provided inspiration, resources, and cheerleading for the teams and books. Without them, the books would simply not have been done. And, because of them, the writers became a true chorus of voices—compatriots consulting maps, finding archival photos, and peer editing each other’s work into what became a tradition of beautiful, coffee-table style books of wonderful neighborhood history and archival images. 

  

Paul Dorpat, columnist and local historian, was a fountain of information and a generous source for many archival photos. He presented several historical programs for MHS pro bono and wrote several columns about the books. He was the official photographer for the book teams’ photos outside the Magnolia library. 

  

Charles Payton was Heritage Lead and Community Museum Advisor at 4 Culture/King County Cultural Resources. He provided connections to archives, suggestions for finding historical information, and personal consultation on making the books and creating the society. His enthusiasm for local history and the Magnolia books kept the writers moving forward and the standards high. His guidance in forming a historical society made MHS possible.

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