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PSARA Oral Histories Project: Gary Owens Return to Oral Histories Main Page Gary Owens Interview PSARA Advocate Archives September 2019 Page 5 Members Matter: PSARA’s Oral History Project An Interview with Garry Owens By Karen Richter and Angie Bartels PSARA’s Oral History project is underway. Our second interviewee was Garry Owens, PSARA member and longtime activist. His interview lasted about an hour and a half and is excerpted here. Where were you born? I was born in Seattle on October 31, 1944. My mother’s family was from Ellensburg, and they moved to Seattle during the Depression. Irony about her family -- her grandmother, her mother, as well as she all had their first kid at age 16. They were all young moms, which created closeness between them. My Dad’s family was from Louisiana, and they moved here when he was 19 for work. I never really knew him. The man I knew as my father was Sylvester Owens, who adopted me when I was one, so I have his name. I was an only child until I was 12. So the public library became my best friend. I could access information and books, sometimes 10 to 15 at a time. Words do matter, and it helped me be a critical reader. Where did you live and go to school? I was born in the International District and lived there until we had to move to Stadium Homes in Southeast Seattle, then to Rainier Vista, and I went to school there. My Mom taught me to read before I started school so I would have a head start. We moved to Beacon Hill when I was 12 and I got a new brother. Two years later, a sister. I finished high school and got drafted as soon as I graduated. This was the Vietnam era, and I didn’t want to go. I went to the Coast Guard Center and was inducted into service and was told I was being taken to Fort Ord, so when all the new privates turned left to be shipped out, I went right and went home. I ran into my Mom and told her everything went OK. Then a knock on the door and the military police came looking for Private Garry Wade Owens. I was handcuffed and sent to Fort Lawton. My sense of rebellion was alive and kicking. I got into a fight with a bunkmate who dumped cigarette ashes in my coffee. Monday morning I hitchhiked back to my godmother’s house in Seattle who turned me in. I was sent to Fort Lewis for a week then to Fort Ord. I was given a choice -- spend two years in service and be done with it or spend two years in military prison then do two more in active service. I did the two years in military service. I was sent to Fort Bragg and became a radio operator. During this time my Mom died. She was 37. After a month of bereavement leave, there was not enough time [in my required service] to deploy me to Nam so I always say my Mom saved my life. How did you become an activist? I went to school at Franklin High with Larry Gossett. He asked me to go to the University of Washington. I wasn’t sure. But one day while I was at the Coffee Corral, an English professor read some of my journal. Turned out he was an assistant dean at UW. He gave me his card and asked me to see him. I did, and he sent me to the enrollment office with some paperwork. The person there asked me if I wanted to be a fully matriculated student. I did, and then I was. While I was at UW I helped form the Black Student Union and helped start the Black Panthers with Larry. Crucial issues for us were health, children and poverty, and food. So many kids were going to school hungry. What could we do about it? We started a free breakfast program for kids, and we opened up several community clinics. We were the first Black Panther Party outside California. It wasn’t just about defiance with the police but about people’s needs, empty stomachs, health needs, and shaming larger institutions that caused these conditions. What contributions did the Black Panthers give us? Our clinics and free breakfast programs were some. We were not afraid to resist! That word is big even now. We had compassion for our community, and we still need to work on that, and we still need to talk more about human rights. We are not eachothers' enemies, not combatants. The system pits us against each other and makes money from it. We should be using our resources to make sure no one is left behind. How did you meet your wife, Cindy Domingo? I met Cindy at CAMP, the Central Area Motivation Program, headed by Larry Gossett. We both worked there. Cindy worked in the Minor Home Repair Program, and I was the Treasurer. We dated about four years, then we got married and had two kids. The rest is history. I’ve known her for 31 years. What keeps you involved and active at this point in your life? I believe we are all put here for a special reason. I know what I do well and what I don’t. I don’t want accolades. My grandmother had an apartment building filled with tenants, some who were alone. On holidays she would leave our table and go feed them. She wanted them to know that they were family too, not just tenants. She had a big heart and was kind to others. She knew who needed help. If she could do that I, could too. To be charitable you don’t have to ask permission. You just do it. How did you get involved with PSARA? That’s easy. I went to school with Robby Stern at UW. He was out there pushing it with the Students for a Democratic Society when I was with the Black Panthers. When he was President of PSARA he kept asking me to join the Board. For four years he kept asking me, and I couldn’t commit during those times. I retired after 25 years with the City of Seattle. I was on my way to a funeral when he asked me again, and I finally said yes. Glad I did. PSARA people have passion and a lot of good energy flow. It makes me feel good to go to meetings because it reminds me that age doesn’t matter. It’s not about how old we are, it’s that we care about ourselves. We don’t want to be dissed because we are older. If we don’t stand up, we get placed in a category – that we are obsolete and don’t matter. Age does matter. We are seniors, and we are here and know our contributions to society. Thank you, Garry. You inspire us, and we are very glad you belong to PSARA and serve on our Executive Board. Karen Richter is PSARA's Membership Co-VP. Angie Bartels and Garry Owens are PSARA members.

Lobby Day Training Page The Labor Council is 7 Blocks from the Labor Council at 906 Columbia Street SW Parking is tight around the State Capitol, options include: On street parking throughout Olympia, WA State Capital building Parking @ 1139 Washington St SE Olympia, WA. 4-5 blocks from the Labor Council. The South Diagonal and North Diagonal on the Capitol Campus has on street parking that fills up early in the morning.

PSARA Oral Histories Project: Thursten Muskelly Return to Oral Histories Main Page Thurston Muskelly Interview PSARA Advocate Archives November 2022 Page 9 Part I December 2022 Page 9 Part II “My Greatest Thing is Helping People” An Interview with Thurston Muskelly By Angie Bartels If you ask Thurston Muskelly what he likes to do most in the world, he’ll tell you it’s reaching out and helping others. He’s been doing this ever since childhood when he worked on the family farm. Thurston was born in Union, SC, in 1933, and grew up in Salisbury, NC. His mother, Eloise Robinson Muskelly, was an English teacher and taught middle school through college. She was full Cherokee, 6’6” tall and weighed 250 pounds. His father, Edward, was Native American, African American, Italian, and Caucasian, and 6’1” tall. He was an engineer for Southern Railway and ran Engine No. 34. He would be gone working a few days at a time so the Muskelly kids learned to take responsibility. At the age of 7, Thurston cared for the family’s 13 dairy cows and calves, feeding, milking, watering, and laying fresh straw for their beds. All the Muskelly children had chores to do “because my father pressed us into thinking that we help the family by doing these chores. And it was easy, but it was great responsibility.” When a cow or pig was slaughtered, Edward made sure that everyone in the community was given a share of the meat. “He believed in sharing, he just couldn't get around it. My mother would say, carry this piece of meat down to so-and-so. Everybody got a piece of joy.” Edward took Thurston to the railroad yard from the time he was quite young, where Thurston learned mechanics and how to fix the engines and other railroad equipment. Learning engineering came naturally to Thurston. Edward wept the day Thurston left for the US Navy in 1950. After boot camp, he was assigned to an aircraft carrier, the USS Albany. While serving in Pensacola, FL, Thurston met the love of his life, Joyce Williams. Joyce was working as a car hop at a BBQ joint, and he gently flirted with her. She talked with him, and soon Thurston was making frequent trips to the BBQ place to get his sandwiches and begin his courtship with Joyce. She was the eldest of five children and had the responsibility of raising her younger siblings. After a short while, they were married in 1954 in Lucedale, Mississippi, and made their home in Salisbury, NC, with his parents while Thurston served out his time in the Navy. Thurston had an accident on the ship where his arm was caught up in a winch. He received months of treatment but was permanently partially disabled. Upon discharge, he worked at the VA Hospital in Salisbury, NC. He and Joyce relocated to Youngstown, OH, upon the invitation of his uncle, who got him a job as a crane operator in a steel mill. “I was a part of the Steel Workers Union, and I worked off of the blast furnace. That's where you poured the ore into a furnace and the overrun went into a water well. The crane ran over the water well, and I would get that overrun ore that went into the water, lift it out, and put it in railroad cars. There were frequent national strikes, and one lasted six months.” In the meantime, Joyce visited her brother in Seattle, fell in love with the area, and told Thurston they should move there. Thurston was laid off at the time, so they came to Seattle in 1958. “After we got here, the family said they wanted me to work for Boeing, and I said no, I'm not going to work for Boeing because Boeing lays off too much. And I just come off a big layoff. So my brother-in-law took me to the US Public Health Service Hospital. And they only had one job available, which was a janitor's job. And I had to be a disabled veteran to get it. I was both. When I took the job, everybody laughed. With my resume and experience, I was overqualified. But I took the job because I had a wife and a young baby. I started off at $1.73 an hour. “ “There was an old German guy by the name of Mr. Monks. Monks came to me and said, ‘Thurston, if you stay here eight months, I’ll have an opening in engineering for you.' So I stayed there eight months and sure enough, I got a job in engineering with much higher pay. The job was repairman for blood pressure equipment, operating equipment, boiler room, all of this fell under engineering. They kept me in mechanics and I worked in that position for 25 years.” Thurston was instrumental in the formation of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1170 at the USPHSH in 1970. “The employees at the hospital felt that the union was not representing what the needs of the employees were to the hospital administration. A lot of folks encouraged me to run for president, but a friend told me, ‘Thurston you could be jeopardizing your job.’ So, I went home and talked to the wife, and she said, ‘Well, you can always find another job’. So, I ran for president, and I won." It was during this time that Thurston’s natural ability to win people’s trust, to represent them fairly, and to bring them together in solidarity fully bloomed. “My father taught me leadership and responsibility, and that’s why the workers at USPHSH wanted me to be the president. It was my first time being the chief spokesman for employees in the union. We had an exciting executive board! I had people who worked together really hard. There was no animosity or division in the union. We were very together on issues that concerned employees and employees’ education, safety on the job, promotions, etc. We worked with the administration and Dr. Willard Johnson, the outstanding new director of the hospital. “Willard was out of Texas, and he was a very humble and good man who understood human needs. Dr. Johnson understood the problems that the employees faced, and he took it to heart. The employees were not treated fairly at the hospital until they elected the AFGE as the union spokesman for the group. We represented professionals and non-professionals alike. In fact, one of the doctors that we represented was Jim McDermott. He went on to be a State Senator” Dr. Johnson also began to understand the needs of the community at large. “He called me into his office one day and said, ‘Thurston, I know that you’re in charge of the union here at the hospital and I want to ask you for your help.’ He discussed that he had been in a meeting with the free clinics, and he had 5% of his hospital budget that he could donate to health care for people who didn’t have health care and couldn’t afford it. He wanted to use the US Public Health Service Hospital as a back-up for X-rays, lab work and treating people who didn’t have money. I told him that I would help him. Dr. Johnson put me in touch with David Loud, Tommy Byers, and a whole lot more people. My job with Dr. Johnson and the group was to keep all of the people and groups informed, keep them up to date what was going on and how they could help to sustain this fight.” The fight was against the federal policy to get out of the business of directly providing health care. Twenty USPHS hospitals had been closed under Republican and Democratic administrations, and the Nixon administration wanted to close the 8 remaining USPHS hospitals. However, the question of how to provide the health care of the legislated beneficiaries of the system - merchant mariners, commercial fishers, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, military retirees and dependents – had not been resolved. Dr. Johnson, who opposed closure, interpreted an obscure regulation in the Public Health Service Act which allowed 5% of the hospital's budget to be used for care of special cases of rare diseases for medical education purposes. He used this 5% of his budget to provide care to uninsured free clinic patients, care that the clinics were unable to offer (i.e., lab, radiology, specialities, acute inpatient care, surgery) and declared them to be special study patients. Thus, the free clinics' patients became beneficiaries of the USPHS, giving the community at large a stake in the preservation of the USPHS Hospital. This led to the formation of the Public Health Care Coalition, the group that would lead the fight against closure. Thurston got to know numerous elected officials throughout his time working at USPHSH with the union and the health care coalition. “Senator Warren G. Magnuson, Maggie, is the greatest in my time, the greatest senator of all times. He had feeling, charisma, patience, and he could work with anyone. He was also head of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He figured that the employees at the hospital would go the extra mile for people who couldn’t afford health care. He set up a program called Upward Mobility which was funded by the federal government. Hospital employees would apply and the executive board would select individuals blindly, without knowing their names. Everyone was assigned a letter such as A, B, C, etc. These individuals would attend college or technical school to advance their education and career. Many started as LPN or RN and got higher degrees including PhD. A lot of them went from nursing assistants to LPNs. The federal government, Maggie, set up the program so that the employees would work their jobs during the day and go to school at night. I also lobbied in Congress to save the USPHSH and although we didn’t save it, we were able to have the building transferred in 1981 from the USPHS, to the Pacific Hospital Preservation and Development Authority, created by the City of Seattle. That was the year I retired.” Although Thurston retired from his job at USPHSH, he did not retreat from work in the community. “For 10 years I was president of the Leschi Community Council. The city gave us 2.4 million dollars to rehab parks, so I did Powell Barnett Park, Flo Ware Park, and Peppi’s Playground. I was also president of the Central Area Senior Center for 10 years where I worked with Will Parry. Will was one of my executive board members at Central Area Senior Center. He was a very outstanding man and did a remarkable job. He would tell you right quick that he didn’t have a lot of money to spend, but he was willing to give his time and efforts to a cause. He and his son raised over $5,000 for the Senior Center. He was very persistent and went after things that people needed. I was grateful to work with him on issues concerning seniors. “I also brought in the Seattle Girls School to Jackson and MLK. I convinced the Leschi Community Council that this is what we need. We wanted the young ladies to be competitive with the young men. In other words, if a man got a degree in mechanical engineering so could a young lady. She could stand as tall as he.” “I was also president of the Central Area Development Association, which helped seniors maintain their homes by painting, doing repair work, and yard maintenance. People on Social Security can’t afford to keep up their homes, so CADA helped with that.” Thurston held these three positions simultaneously. Thurston lost Joyce, his wife of 64 years, to cancer in 2019. “Joyce was an outstanding person and a wonderful wife. She was a lady that loved responsibility. She worked for Frederick and Nelson, in handbags, for 26 years. She didn't like to see children that couldn’t read and didn't know how to do math so she volunteered down at the school. She also volunteered at the Central Area Senior Center working in the kitchen and serving food to other seniors. She could get along with anyone. She could make you feel welcome when you thought that you were all alone. She always had a smile, and she was a real people's person. My greatest thing is helping people, seeing that they enjoy life as well as anybody. I really get disturbed when people in power can do something for others and don't do it. I don't like individuals that prey on others and feel that others are less than they are. I think everyone is entitled to justice and care. If people can’t afford to pay forward, they shouldn’t be mistreated, and they should receive good care. My greatest hope is that people will look upon others with love and peace, not hate, and that everyone will reach out and help someone. Angie Bartels is PSARA's membership VP. This is one in a series of interviews she's conducting with members of PSARA. Dr. Johnson also began to understand the needs of the community at large. “He called me into his office one day and said, ‘Thurston, I know that you’re in charge of the union here at the hospital and I want to ask you for your help.’ He discussed that he had been in a meeting with the free clinics, and he had 5% of his hospital budget that he could donate to health care for people who didn’t have health care and couldn’t afford it. He wanted to use the US Public Health Service Hospital as a back-up for X-rays, lab work and treating people who didn’t have money. I told him that I would help him. Dr. Johnson put me in touch with David Loud, Tommy Byers, and a whole lot more people. My job with Dr. Johnson and the group was to keep all of the people and groups informed, keep them up to date what was going on and how they could help to sustain this fight.” The fight was against the federal policy to get out of the business of directly providing health care. Twenty USPHS hospitals had been closed under Republican and Democratic administrations, and the Nixon administration wanted to close the 8 remaining USPHS hospitals. However, the question of how to provide the health care of the legislated beneficiaries of the system - merchant mariners, commercial fishers, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, military retirees and dependents – had not been resolved. Dr. Johnson, who opposed closure, interpreted an obscure regulation in the Public Health Service Act which allowed 5% of the hospital's budget to be used for care of special cases of rare diseases for medical education purposes. He used this 5% of his budget to provide care to uninsured free clinic patients, care that the clinics were unable to offer (i.e., lab, radiology, specialities, acute inpatient care, surgery) and declared them to be special study patients. Thus, the free clinics' patients became beneficiaries of the USPHS, giving the community at large a stake in the preservation of the USPHS Hospital. This led to the formation of the Public Health Care Coalition, the group that would lead the fight against closure. Thurston got to know numerous elected officials throughout his time working at USPHSH with the union and the health care coalition. “Senator Warren G. Magnuson, Maggie, is the greatest in my time, the greatest senator of all times. He had feeling, charisma, patience, and he could work with anyone. He was also head of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He figured that the employees at the hospital would go the extra mile for people who couldn’t afford health care. He set up a program called Upward Mobility which was funded by the federal government. Hospital employees would apply and the executive board would select individuals blindly, without knowing their names. Everyone was assigned a letter such as A, B, C, etc. These individuals would attend college or technical school to advance their education and career. Many started as LPN or RN and got higher degrees including PhD. A lot of them went from nursing assistants to LPNs. The federal government, Maggie, set up the program so that the employees would work their jobs during the day and go to school at night. I also lobbied in Congress to save the USPHSH and although we didn’t save it, we were able to have the building transferred in 1981 from the USPHS, to the Pacific Hospital Preservation and Development Authority, created by the City of Seattle. That was the year I retired.” Although Thurston retired from his job at USPHSH, he did not retreat from work in the community. “For 10 years I was president of the Leschi Community Council. The city gave us 2.4 million dollars to rehab parks, so I did Powell Barnett Park, Flo Ware Park, and Peppi’s Playground. I was also president of the Central Area Senior Center for 10 years where I worked with Will Parry. Will was one of my executive board members at Central Area Senior Center. He was a very outstanding man and did a remarkable job. He would tell you right quick that he didn’t have a lot of money to spend, but he was willing to give his time and efforts to a cause. He and his son raised over $5,000 for the Senior Center. He was very persistent and went after things that people needed. I was grateful to work with him on issues concerning seniors. “I also brought in the Seattle Girls School to Jackson and MLK. I convinced the Leschi Community Council that this is what we need. We wanted the young ladies to be competitive with the young men. In other words, if a man got a degree in mechanical engineering so could a young lady. She could stand as tall as he.” “I was also president of the Central Area Development Association, which helped seniors maintain their homes by painting, doing repair work, and yard maintenance. People on Social Security can’t afford to keep up their homes, so CADA helped with that.” Thurston held these three positions simultaneously. Thurston lost Joyce, his wife of 64 years, to cancer in 2019. “Joyce was an outstanding person and a wonderful wife. She was a lady that loved responsibility. She worked for Frederick and Nelson, in handbags, for 26 years. She didn't like to see children that couldn’t read and didn't know how to do math so she volunteered down at the school. She also volunteered at the Central Area Senior Center working in the kitchen and serving food to other seniors. She could get along with anyone. She could make you feel welcome when you thought that you were all alone. She always had a smile, and she was a real people's person. My greatest thing is helping people, seeing that they enjoy life as well as anybody. I really get disturbed when people in power can do something for others and don't do it. I don't like individuals that prey on others and feel that others are less than they are. I think everyone is entitled to justice and care. If people can’t afford to pay forward, they shouldn’t be mistreated, and they should receive good care. My greatest hope is that people will look upon others with love and peace, not hate, and that everyone will reach out and help someone. Angie Bartels is PSARA's membership VP. This is one in a series of interviews she's conducting with members of PSARA.

Seattle’s 42nd Annual MLK Celebration: We Rise Against Project 2025 Seattle’s MLK Jr. Organizing Coalition invites PSARA members to Seattle’s 42nd Annual MLK Day Celebration. The election underscores the need to mobilize against broad and sustained assaults on human and civil rights under the incoming administration, as outlined in Project 2025. We expect a robust turnout for the Career and Opportunity Fair, Community Workshop Series, rally, and march on January 20, and the community discussions taking place in the preceding week. The day begins with the MLK Career and Opportunity Fair, where job seekers take steps toward exciting career opportunities and meaningful connections. Over 50 vendors include companies ready to hire, apprenticeship programs, and organizations focused on career exploration. Attendees can polish their resumes with coaching, attend career workshops, or simply explore opportunities. We’re creating an inclusive, welcoming space with multilingual support and accommodations for all attendees, plus snacks and hospitality. The Fair kicks off at 8 a.m. on January 20 at Garfield High School. We’ll build pathways to success while honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy of equity and economic justice. This year’s MLK Community Workshop Series builds bridges between movements and communities to build solidarity and resist threats to democracy and justice. We’ll offer 15 workshops on the morning of MLK Day (January 20 from 9:15 - 10:40 a.m.) at Garfield High School. We’ll also host standalone workshops on Thursday, January 16 and Saturday, January 18 to support deeper presentations and community discussions on critical topics. Workshop information will be posted on the MLK Coalition website. Please look for detailed information on the site starting in early January, and be sure to check back for any changes and additions. A printed workshop brochure will be available on site at Garfield. Our Monday workshops will focus on strategies and resources for effective movement building. Among the offerings are: Choosing Your Cause Well-Being for Activists Support for Immigrant Justice While the Movement Is Under Threat Keeping Us Safe in Seattle’s Surveillance City Creating Community-Centered Housing and Economic Systems Climate Justice Panel: People of Color on the Frontlines Strategies for Countering Right-Wing Movements Building Solidarity in Opposition to Project 2025 Healing Together: A Community Event for Violence Prevention Cultural Reconnection: Return to the African Homeland Building Support for African American Reparations Reclaiming Education: BIPOC Youth Leading the Way to Transformation For the past two years, we’ve piloted more extended community discussions on urgent community issues in the week preceding MLK Day. This year, we’ll hold two. JR to 25 : We Cannot Turn Back centers on the state’s troubling juvenile rehabilitation plan, including new facility construction, which doesn’t address the paucity of therapeutic services and staff’s inability to control violence at its facilities. Sponsored by Team Child and Kids Are Kids, the event begins at 5:30 with a community meal followed by discussion from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. The event takes place at Washington Hall on Thursday, January 16. A community discussion on youth gun violence will be held on Saturday, January 18 from 1 - 3 p.m. at the Northwest African American Museum. Please join community leaders, activists, and families as we learn about causes and dynamics of youth gun violence, who perpetrates it, how we are affected by it, and strategies to mobilize against it. The event will be followed by a community meal at 3 p.m. and a program organized by the MLK Coalition’s Young Leaders program at 4 p.m. Following the Monday morning workshops, the rally will begin at 11 a.m. in the Garfield gym. Our focus this year will be on Project 2025 and youth gun violence. We will honor the legacy of the late Dr. Maxine Mimms, the visionary founder of the Evergreen State College’s Tacoma campus. The Reverend Dr. Kelle Brown will be among our speakers. The march will leave Garfield High School at 12:30 p.m. Please dress warmly and come with your signs, banners, bullhorns, and whatever else you need to make your presence visible and powerful. Please check the MLK Coalition website for final details on transportation, food, and other details. This is the time to stand in solidarity for our rights! Let’s flex our political muscle. Please join us, and bring 10 of your friends and allies.