Spokane Shines When Pressure’S On

Thu., Sept. 7, 2000

By Paul Turner srpaulturner@gmail.com

Not everyone on the West Side makes fun of Spokane.

At least 74-year-old Seattle resident Dave Newton doesn’t.

Let’s let him tell the story.

“On the evening of Aug. 14, I had the misfortune of passing out on the street near the Space Needle,” he wrote. “I had the very good fortune of doing this in front of a nice lady from Spokane who was visiting Seattle.

“She helped me after the fall, which had knocked me out and caused a good laceration on the back of my head.

“From the information I was able to give her, she then found my wife who was a block away. From there it was to the emergency room for a three-day stay in the hospital. Except for the bump on the back of my head, I am doing well …

“Through all of this I did not get the name of the nice lady from Spokane. But if she reads this, I want to thank her very much for helping me. Once again it proves there are friendly and helpful people in this world.”

Newton, who lives not far from the University of Washington, is now monitoring his blood-pressure.

He said the mystery good Samaritan from Spokane was about 35 or 40 years old.

* Yeah, rite: A reader theorized that people around here intentionally misspell words on signs in the hopes of attracting more attention than would a correctly-spelled sign.

We’re not buying it.

* You had a good summer if … : You got to sleep in a screened-in porch almost every night. - Blake Yirak, 8

* Slice answers: A friend said his father still holds it against him that he was born while Don Larsen pitched his perfect game in the 1956 World Series.

Charmy Hobbs reported that her sister Judy enjoys reminding her that Charmy’s wedding in August of 1957 kept her from attending an Elvis concert here in Spokane.

Rose Dempsey remembered how a commitment to a Coeur d’Alene theater troupe kept her from seeing Neil Armstrong step onto the surface of the moon. “We (the cast) had a contract to perform, but I still can’t understand those people in the audience who chose to miss this incredible moment in history.”

All of which beat your Slice host’s story - bantam league hockey practice scheduled during the January afternoon that Super Bowl III aired in 1969.

* Today’s Slice question: If North Idaho and Eastern Washington decided to get married, what would be the No. 1 stipulation in the prenuptial agreement?

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