I propose the new park in Everett be named “Emma Yule Park” after the city’s first school teacher. Emma Yule was critical in pioneering the vital social institution of Everett schools. 125 years later, her impact remains.
Everett has the names of early founders: Colby, Rockefeller, Hewitt, Hoyt, Wetmore, Oakes, Lombard, all men, and few who visited our city. Yule arrived in Everett in 1891 — the first teacher in Everett. During her tenure, the student body grew from 26 in 1891 to 1,032 in 1900.
She became principal in 1892 for less than six months before the board replaced her with a man. Elected superintendent in 1897, she asked for a salary increase, was rejected, and a man was voted for her job. So she left Everett in 1900, formed a school in Juneau, Alaska, taught in Japan, and was a college professor in the Philippines.
Though let down here by the patriarchal society of those times, she made Evergreen Cemetery her final resting place when she died in Los Angeles in 1939. Her estate helped women’s education at the University of Washington.
This year, a woman was elected as Everett’s mayor. The #MeToo movement gave a voice to thousands of women. It’s the perfect time to name a park for a woman.
There is no better way to celebrate our 125th. The location of the park — next to the YMCA — with its programs and mission for youth, also honors Emma Yule’s lasting contribution to the city of Everett and its young people.
Deb Fox
Everett
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