Humanities Washington Honors Northeast Washington Leaders

Humanities Washington is proud to present the 2010 award to Dick Watts of Roslyn/Sammamish for individual achievement. The Award, given each year in memory of Heather C. Frank of Yakima, recognizes an individual or organization whose time and talents enlarge the meaning of the humanities in our lives.

Roslyn Cemetery Commission's Dick Watts Dick Watts

Humanities Washington has awarded Richard ”Dick“ Watts, Chair of the Roslyn Cemetery Commission, the 2010 Humanities Washington Award celebrating achievement in the public humanities. Watts received the award for his work to restore, protect, and promote the importance of Roslyn's historic cemeteries.

”The Roslyn cemeteries contain 26 separate cemeteries, most representing distinct nationalities and ethnic groups,“ Watts said. ”At one time, Roslyn is said to have been the most international community in Washington. It is the cemeteries—and the hundreds of people returning on Memorial Day and All Souls Day to recognize their ancestry, the Lithuanians, Croatians, Italians and others celebrating their special ethnic heritage days—that bring this legacy alive.“

Roslyn's cemeteries are a visible reminder of the diverse mix of settlers who made the town a thriving community after coal was discovered in 1886. As the mines tapped out by the mid-1900s, the cemeteries became a forgotten treasure. Watts, who has spent countless hours taking care of the cemeteries' grounds (and rallied a core of volunteers to do the same), has inspired a renewed community commitment to the cemeteries by developing a five-year plan to protect the historic sites.

”By preserving the past that lies in these cemeteries, we preserve important reminders of Washington's history so that future generations have a way to learn and look with pride at those who came before them,“ Watts said.

The Humanities Washington Award is given annuallly to an individual or organization who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in the humanities. The award is given each year in memory of Heather C. Frank of Yakima who was a dedicated and articulate supporter of the humanities during her lifetime.

Read more about Dick Watts and the Roslyn cemeteries on our news page.

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