EVERETT – Frank Foster has worn many hats in his lifetime.
Realtor. Athletic director and assistant principal at Kamiak High School. Mukilteo Chamber of Commerce guru. Coach.
These days, much of his considerable energy is geared toward the idea of a Snohomish County Sports Hall of Fame.
It’s an idea that’s gathering steam.
Foster has presented a rough outline to various city bigwigs, including Mayor Ray Stephanson and Everett Facilities District board member Karen Shaw, both of whom gave their blessings to the project, if not full funding from their savings accounts.
On Friday, though, came the first step of actually giving the project a visual presence.
Foster, Shaw, Everett Events Center general manager Kim Bedier and I scouted out what very well could be an ideal site for the project. Today, the Everett Silvertips Team Store at the Everett Events Center has an entrance approximately 24 feet wide and 11 feet high. A second, smaller entrance stands around the corner.
Foster, Shaw and Bedier were there to entertain and assess the possibility of the project, to get a realistic sense of what and where the Hall might be.
I was there because I think the idea is massively cool.
The plan, still in its infancy: Construct a wall where the large store entrance is. Hanging on the wall would be the scant beginnings of the Hall of Fame – perhaps plaques honoring the top 10 chosen ones, along with bios and memorabilia from each athlete’s career. Foster suggested the first 10 would come from the top of The Herald’s list of the top 50 sports figures in Snohomish County, published July 31, researched and written by Herald writer Scott M. Johnson.
“I think it would be a good start,” Foster said. “After initial discussions, I was kind of concerned that there wasn’t any space there.”
So – Earl Averill, Rosalynn Sumners, Chris Chandler, Anne Quast Sander, George Wilson, Earl Torgeson, Chris Henderson, Jo Metzger Levin, Curt Marsh and Jack Nichols – come on down.
The idea came to Foster through his work on the University of Washington Hall of Fame Room at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. An impressive display that uses all of its 5,000 square feet, Foster calls it “a Cadillac.”
By comparison, the Snohomish County Sports Hall of Fame might be a Miata. However, to fully honor the exceptional accomplishments of those deserving – and The Herald list showed so many who are – the 24-foot wall can only be the beginning. The possibilities are that additional space may extend along the left-hand wall from the team store or some other area within the EEC.
A good model may come from the Spokane Athletic Hall of Fame in Spokane, housed in the 10-year-old Spokane Arena.
Bedier said she would contact Spokane officials on a fact-finding mission that may include a rough idea of cost.
“What I would like to do is, after we get the information from Spokane, is to start talking to some potential sponsors,” Foster said.
Money for the project, Foster said, would come from private, local businesses, corporate contributions, designated tourism dollars and grants from city, county and state sources. The plan also calls for naming rights sold for a specified period of time with a renewal based on inflation, Foster said.
It’s an idea whose time has come. Certainly, we have many area athletes and coaches who deserve the recognition. Aside from those named above, Snohomish County has produced such names as Marv Harshman, Otto Olson, Jarred Rome, Larry Christenson, Milena Flores, Grady Sizemore, Kristen O’Neill, Kellie O’Neill Dalan, Brett McClure, Jim Lambright, Dennis Erickson, Mike Price, Jerry Jensen, Dick Erickson, Robert Shannon, Randy Couture, Jeff and Shane Pahukoa and many, many others.
Soon, the nation will know of Jon Brockman, Craig Chambers, Johnie Kirton, Kirsten Thompson and others.
A Hall of Fame, from my angle, seems way overdue.
“I think it will happen,” Foster said, “just because of who Snohomish County folks are.”
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