Powers was a force

There are so many things we should remember about Dorothy Powers. I have never known a person who was more interesting or witty in conversation. She was always a loyal friend. At the same time, she was a major actor, as a columnist and editorial writer, in Spokane’s progress through the last century.

One thing many people don’t know about Powers is that when an underground oil spill threatened to make the then-abandoned Davenport Hotel too dangerous a property for developers to take on, Powers insisted it be cleaned up. Others did too, but her name was so well known and her devotion to the welfare of Spokane so firmly established that she could not easily be written off.

Washington Water Power Co. (now Avista) executives made a concerted effort to persuade her. She said no dice. The oil was cleaned up.

Bill Stimson

Spokane