Bill Kombol Receives 2013 History Award

History of Enumclaw Index

Each year, the Enumclaw Plateau Historical Society holds a dinner to honor someone in the area who has made a significant contribution preserving our local history.  This year, the recipient was Bill Kombol.  Bill is the kid with the long hair pictured here in 1974.  Three years out of high school, you see him setting dynamite in the mine.  Today he is manager of Black Diamond-based Palmer Coking Coal, an 80-year-old local company.  Bill was raised in Enumclaw and graduated from EHS in 1971.  He and his wife Jennifer now live in Black Diamond.  (For more on Bill Kombol's family history in Enumclaw and its role with Palmer Coking Coal, see this Pierce County Journal article from 2003 and Generations of Tradition from the company's website.)

Ron Tyler, president of the Enumclaw Plateau Historical Society, opened the after-dinner program by honoring all the board members, volunteers, and docents of the society.  He then updated everyone on the transfer of the huge collection of photographs, artifacts, and papers that have just been transferred from the library to the museum.  Much of the collection was donated by the Schlotfeldt family in 1961. Some of these items were on display in Enumclaw's library before the move, but most were stored in various places.  It will take a year or two to catalog everything, but some of the treasures will be featured at a grand re-opening of the Historical Society Museum on May 18th and 19th.

Ron introduced honored guest Bill Kombol.  He thanked him for his many contributions and continued support of the museum and for taking an active role in preserving the Enumclaw history.  Vice President Patty Shepard then presented him with the society's 2013 History Award.  Several pictures of Bill are included in the accompanying photos.

Music from the 19th and 21st centuries provided entertainment.  First Ron told us about some antique music boxes and disc players (not CDs) from the late 1800s that he and Merilyn have collected over the years and demonstrated them for the audience.  Included in the collection were a children's metal disc player, a music box using paper rolls up to forty feet long, a children's calliope, a cob organ with thousands of metal pins, and a cylinder music box.

Then the musical group, Two Guys and a Girl, aka Keith, Paul and Mikaela, performed for us.  Paul and Keith played 6- and 12-string acoustic guitars, while Mikaela and Paul sang.  (Mikaela is the granddaughter of Ron and Merilyn.)

The evening concluded with an auction of desserts brought by attendees, with all proceeds going to the museum.  Many of the desserts never made it home, since people immediately began sharing what they had won with others at their tables.

The 2013 Enumclaw Plateau Historical Society Awards Dinner and Program was a memorable evening, giving attendees a chance to enjoy great food and music, socialize with others interested in our history, and honor Bill Kombol.  If you missed the event, be sure to put it on next year's calendar.  And don't forget the grand re-opening of the museum May 18th and 19th.

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ENUMCLAW CENTENNIAL BLOG SERIES

The Histories of Enumclaw

Introduction--Enumclaw:  The First 6020 Years

Early Enumclaw:  6000 Years Ago to the Mid-1800s

Early Enumclaw:  The First European Americans Arrive

          The Adventures of Allen Porter's Wagon

Enumclaw's Early Plateau Neighbors

           Schools and Districts

           Franklin

           Enumclaw's Railroads

Enumclaw Becomes a Town:  1879-1913

          Enumclaw Cooperatives

          Historic Houses In and Around Enumclaw

Incorporation through World War II:  Enumclaw from 1913-1945

          Logging and Lumber

          Enumclaw's Affair with Alcohol and Tobacco

          Tom Smith, Enumclaw Town Marshall

          Local Elders Know This History

Growth and Prosperity:  Enumclaw from 1945-2008

          History of the Garden

          120 Years of Churches in Enumclaw

          From Puncheon Roads to Scenic Byway

Recent Past to the Present:  Enumclaw from 2008-2013

          A History of Banking in Enumclaw

          Enumclaw News Over the Years

          Picnics, Parades, Fairs, and Festivals

          Bill Kombol Receives 2013 History Award

Enumclaw's Next Two Decades:  2013-2033

          The Limits of Growth

          Alternative Futures

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