Remembering others at MI Pediatrics

Thanks to reporter Joseph Livarchik and the Reporter for the article in the March 4 issue regarding Mercer Island Pediatrics. Thanks also to Drs. Janice and Jack Woolley for hosting the reunion of 60 years of Mercer Island Pediatrics personnel. In addition to those named and pictured I must recognize others.

The late Dr. Philip G. Deane, a veteran of the World War II Tenth Mountain Division Italian campaign, joined me in practice in the third year and for the next 30 years. In retirement, he then served in third world countries with his wife, Lola.

My wife, Sarah, was supportive of the practice and, without fanfare, contributed to the community at the Mercer Island Youth and Family Services, the Children’s Hospital telephone directory and in other ways.

Lola Deane was a community activist, helped establish neighborhood parks and the MI Community Fund and is fittingly remembered at the “Deane’s Children’s Park.”

Dr. William Merritt joined the practice for 10 years and longtime Island resident Dr. William Jaquette joined for the last years of his career.

In addition, patients will remember receptionist Betty Morgan, nurses Franny Davis and Frances Peterson, and Jane of all trades the late Ellen Lindblad, Lou Jones and others.

Medical school offered no practice management courses and we were dependent on Islander Edwin Wong, C.P.A. and later, H. Court Carter, C.P.A. There were others worthy of memory also.

Alfred L. Skinner, M.D.

The Deanes provided care and a park for youth

The story “A Dynasty of Care for Young Patients, brought back many memories associated with our children’s wonderful medical care during those early years at the pediatric clinic . However, one significant omission must be rectified. Along with Dr. Skinner, Dr. Philip Deane, was also present during the very beginning. His wife, Lola Deane, was their nurse. The Deanes were responsible for the Childrens’ Park on Island Crest Way. Lola also helped start the Mercer Island bookstore. Phil was highly respected and hopefully remembered for his thoughtful care.

Joan and Werner Samson

Good Samaritans

I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to two gentlemen who assisted me when I fell and sustained a cut above my eye at 9 a.m., Tuesday, March 17, in the QFC parking lot. I greatly appreciated their concern and believe that they truly fit the title of “Good Samaritans.”

Jack M. Reiter, M.D.

Transportation package: more waste and pollution

Lately I’ve heard too much about the “need” for Washington to pass a “transportation package.” If any detail is provided, and often it is not, it is only about expanding roads, but not how we pay for them. We should be hearing about the drawbacks, and the reality that these projects will just increase sprawl as more people move to the areas connected by the new roads. By the time the roads are done, paradoxically, none of us will ever spend any less time sitting in our cars.

Every morning I walk my daughter to elementary school in Bellevue. In less than half a mile, we may pass a hundred cars and I can smell the exhaust from them all. Then I breathe more vehicle fumes just walking from the bus stop to my office in Seattle.

Instead of talking about cleaning up the air, we are talking about expanding roads. We need to do better, and we can.

The current state legislative transportation proposal is wasteful and unfair. It raises the gas tax, and because that won’t cover the costs of a pet project for every district, it dips into taxpayer money that was supposed to be budgeted for other things.

The most egregious is diverting funds that voters mandated would go to toxic and environmental clean-up under the Model Toxic Control Act.

They also plan to dip into sales tax revenue from the state’s general fund.  And maintenance?  Even though we sorely need more of it, the proposed budget covers very little while creating more future maintenance needs.

Our taxes have already paid for studies which show clearly that when you build more roads, traffic actually gets worse.  But our state government refuses to learn these lessons and we are turning our beautiful forested Pacific Northwest into the next L.A.

We really only have a traffic problem at rush hour.  So, we should stop building new roads and instead create more express bus routes, priority traffic signals for buses, and work on serious transit plans.

If we create a good and fast transit option, enough people will use it that the rest of us will have room to drive our cars, and we can all stop wasting money on expensive roads that won’t help us.

Kristen Bryan

Bellevue