Speakers: ‘Tradition of Giving’ Has Boosted Chehalis Schools

The Chehalis School District has received $14 million in contributions through a “long tradition of giving” that spans back to the 1940s, and that tradition is still alive today. 

That was the message presented at the Chehalis Rotary meeting on Wednesday.

“The ripple effect that’s happening and the benefits that have already occurred in the kids in Chehalis is almost incalculable,” retired school principal Don Rash said during the presentation. “There are going to be benefits to those kids for the next 50 years … but also a tremendous benefit to the community.”

Rash, who served on the naming committee for the Mint City’s two new elementary schools, said the support the district has received from generous donors and patrons who continue to approve levies and bonds started with William F. and Blanch E. West.

The Wests had a long history of civic engagement. They purchased the St. Helen’s Hotel in 1904 and were later drawn to school activities in the 1940s. In 1942, the couple agreed to donate 18 acres on 16th Street for a future school.

At the time, Rash said, the land was located out of town. When a 1949 earthquake destroyed the high school, a new one was constructed on the donated property. Originally named Chehalis High School, it was renamed in 1957 to W.F. West High School in honor of West, who died in 1963. His wife, Blanch, died in 1969. A year later, the first W.F. and Blanch E. West Scholarships were awarded, igniting a tradition that would continue. 

Two years after those scholarships began, John and Zylpha Coffman established the John Freeman Coffman Scholarship in memory of their son, who was killed a year after his graduation.

“The tradition of giving, West started it for the schools and then the Coffmans really stepped in,” Rash said. 

Once the Chehalis Foundation was established in 2002, the tradition of giving was re-energized and formalized. Hundreds of people gave their financial support and launched numerous civic projects that included the Robert E. Lintott Alexander Park, and the Gail and Carolyn Shaw Aquatics Center later in 2014.

But the focus on the schools remained, as was evidenced by Ray and Mary Ingwersen, who became significant contributors to the school district through the Foundation the same year it opened.

The Ingwersens were from Southern California and had no children. They semi-retired in Chehalis, fell in love with the community and decided to give back to the schools.

Rash said the couple were interested in science, and so they made a contribution that began the molecular genetics program, the beginning of STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — classes at the high school. 

Rash said the molecular genetics program was the only one in the state at the time. 

When the Ingwersens died, they gave a $2.1 million endowment through their estate to keep the program they started alive. 

The Wests, Coffmans and Ingwersens began the tradition of investing in local schools, but that has since continued through the Foundation and other generous donors.

Rash spoke of Gail and Carolyn Shaw, who donated the properties the new schools will be located on. It was a significant donation, Rash said, making the bond amount considerably less than if the school district had to purchase land for the schools.

Then there are the other modern day donors, Jim Lintott, W.F. West class of 1982, and Orin Smith, class of 1960. The new elementary schools were named after Lintott and Smith for their significant and ongoing contributions to the district. 

“It’s great these guys are generous donors, but the most impressive thing is that with Jim and Orin, these two individuals say to kids from Chehalis that no matter your background, the sky’s your limit,” J. Vander Stoep, a local attorney and Chehalis Foundation member, said. 

He reflected on his experiences with both of the men. 

“Jim was the kind of talent that comes along in a community like this once in a generation,” Vander Stoep said. 

A special curriculum was established just for Lintott as he outpaced his fellow students and completed his required classes.

He later went on to Stanford University and earned two bachelor’s degrees in economics and political science. He then went to Stanford Law School, where he earned his master’s degree in applied economics and his juris doctorate with distinction. 

Lintott went on to co-found the Freedom Management Group based in Virginia, a company that helps its clients manage their wealth.

“He’s gone on in his career to do exceptionally well,” Vander Stoep said, adding that 10 years ago, Lintott and his wife decided they would donate half of their annual earnings. 

“As he’ll tell you, that doesn’t mean they are missing any meals, but they chose not to just build great wealth, they chose to give it away,” he said.

Lintott purchased the high school’s scanning electron microscope and has continued to donate through the Chehalis Foundation to help fund a number of the district's initiatives, including one that has the goal of ensuring 60 percent of high school graduates complete a college, community college or technical program. 

As for Smith, he was born in Ryderwood and moved to Chehalis prior to starting the first grade. His mother, Vernetta Smith, was the superintendent at Green Hill, while his father could not hold a job because he was an alcoholic, Vander Stoep said. 

The people in Chehalis took Smith under their wing, Vander Stoep said, a big reason Smith gives back to the community today. 

Smith went to Centralia College and then to the University of Washington, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration. He graduated in the top 50 from Harvard with a master’s degree in the business administration program. 

He was the state budget director under Govs. Dixie Lee Ray and Booth Gardner, and later worked his way up through the Starbucks Corp. to become president and CEO. He helped grow the chain from 45 stores to almost 10,000 in 33 countries. After he retired, he served on the board of directors for Disney and Nike.

“These two guys have had an extraordinary impact on our community,” Vander Stoep said. “They’ve given and they keep giving. I think it’s exactly right these schools are named for them.”

Vander Stoep said there is a connection between the Wests to the present day.

In a typical community in America, when it comes to public schools, many people say they pay their taxes and that is enough, Vander Stoep said. Donating to a public school is often a foreign concept, but not in Chehalis, he said. 

Chehalis has continued to pass levies and bonds, and has held high expectations for the school district, Rash said, leading to student success in the Chehalis School District. 

Giving back has been ingrained into many community members, the speakers said, and it doesn’t seem like it will stop anytime soon, only further propelling students and the community.

“There’s clearly a tradition of giving in Chehalis,” Rash said.