Frank Sidney Hanawalt
November 3, 1921 - August 18, 2009
Obituary
A Memorial and Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, October 17th in the Quincy Jones Auditorium at Garfield High School, 400 23rd Avenue, Seattle, WA. The event begins at 1:00 p.m. Program from 1:00 – 2:00 and Refreshments and Reception 2:00 – 3:00. Please RSVP at Hanawalt.eventbrite.com
or call John Hanawalt at 206 852-9091. Please arrive early to find parking.
Hanawalt Family,
Thank you for sharing this wonderful man with generations of children in the Seattle Public Schools.
He was my principal at FRANKLIN High School and a great role model as I entered the education field.
He will be missed, but his legacy and integrity will live on!
QUAKERS Forever,
Cheryl
Frank, you were my mentor and my friend. You showed me how to authentically be a white ally in the struggle for racial justice. You taught me that it was possible to lead with compassion and integrity and how to do it. I owe you more than I can ever express. Thank you, dear friend.
Paul and I were 1960 Garfield graduates. As members of the Japanese American community, we appreciate Mr Hanawalt’s social “kimochi,” heartfelt concern.
He always had our highest respect as an educator and leader.
When I read about Mr. Hanawalt’s efforts to help during the 1942 U.S. Internment of Japanese Americans of the West Coast, I was very moved. Those of us Japanese, in the 1960 Garfield Graduating Class,were either born before, or during the Internment and were imprisoned without “due process of law.” The government officials of our city and state,and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, U.S. President, joined many others to speak out and act out against the Japanese Americans. We thank those, like Mr. Hanawalt, who had the courage and conscience to stand up for us. We eventually did receive an apology from the U.S. government for the injustice.
Thank you Mr. Hanawalt. You were a very special person. You stood up for your beliefs and we all benefited.
Sorry to hear of your heartbreak,He truly was a very good man.
Thank’s for the years Principal…Chris Chu Sr. Franklin High Class of “78” Sea. Wa.
As a member of the Franklin High School Class of 1976, and one of six kids with a single mother on welfare, I was a recipient of grants with the help of Principal Hanawalt for running shoes so that I could participate in the Cross Country and Track teams. It was just such a pair of shoes that I ran in to reach a 4:42 mile. I continued to enjoy his great smile after high school when I would run into him downtown.
He had a great heart and the world is a better place because of him.
Frank was always such a kind, gentle, respectful gentleman. It was a pleasure to have known him and to have worked with him personally and professionally for many years. He will be missed.
I’M HONORED TO HAVE KNOWN SUCH A GIANT OF A MAN AND TO LIVE THROUGH THE GLORIUS ERA OF HIS TENURE AT GARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL. AS A GARFIELD ALUM OF THE CLASS OF 68′ “THE GREATEST CLASS” AS PROCLAIMED BY MR. FRANK HANAWALT, I WOULD LIKE EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT WITHOUT MR. HANAWALT THE MANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND TRADITIONS THIS COMMUNITY ENJOYED WILL LIVE ON IN OUR MEMORIES. HE TOUCHED ALL OF OUR LIVES AS ONLY HE COULD WITH HIS SINCERE COMMITMENT TO EQUALITY & JUSTICE.
Grateful for over fifty years of wonderful memories
Neil and PAt
I remember Mr. Hanawalt from my Franklin High school days. A very nice man as I recall. Very sorry for your loss.
My deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Frank Hanawalt. He will be missed at Wayside UCC in Federal Way. We will always remember when he shared his Faith Journey with the congregation, telling us of his passion for justice and equality for all. He especially captivated us with stories of his friends in the Puyallup internment camp and his part in Martin Luther King, Jr’s visit to Seattle and Garfield High School. His intelligence, courage and quiet persistence will always be in my memories.
As one who spent a great deal of time in the Principal’s Office, I knew first hand what a great man Mr. Hanawalt is. He was kind, caring and he loved each student he met regardless of race, ethnicity or wealth. When the news reached me, I cried like a baby, because he had such an impact on my and my older brother’s life. My sympathy goes out to his family, especially John who was in school with me. I remember only the good times and hope that you will do the same. He is loved nationally. Garfield graduates are everywhere and regarded him as family. Joe Benton
Mr. Hanawalt was a shy, calm, gentle man who exhibited extraordinary warmth and courage in trying to embrace the changes that the era of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements brought to the Central Area and to Garfield. I will always remember his grace and generosity of spirit, and always be grateful for the community he tried to help us create. To David and the rest of the family, I can only offer sympathy for your pain now. I hope that you can take some comfort in knowing all the lives he and your mother touched.
Frank was the principal at Garfield during almost all of the 3 years I attended the school back in the mid-to-late 1960’s. He was a strong, compassionate leader at a time of political and social unrest – a rock that all of us in the school could depend upon. He proudly wore the purple and white colors through those years and maintained contact with us, the alumni group, during his retirement. On behalf of the Bridge family, I send our condolences to Frank’s family.
To the family of Frank Hanawalt. I send all of you my deepest love, respect and sympathy. “Mr. Hanawalt” will always be my Principal. A wonderful, kind and caring person who had a really profound affect on me as a student at Garfield High School and later when I worked with him on the staff at Franklin High School being a true Bulldog, he was able to make me feel right at home in the halls of the green and black. I, as well as my classmates at Garfield were all truly very fortunate to have “Mr. Hanawalt” as our guide, our leader and later I was blessed to have him as my mentor when I worked with him. We cross paths with many people in our lifetime. However, only a few leave a really lasting legacy. Truly “Mr. Hanawalt” was one of them. He was a great teacher of life and I learned from his enormous capacity and love for working with and for people, with his unlimited and unconditional compassion for the less fortunate, with his great patience, his grace, humilty and his really neat sense of humor. He will truly be missed by all.
Always,
John Yasutake,
Garfield High School
Class of 1966
My mother Jean Hundley taught at Garfield when Frank was principal. Our family got out first dog from the Hanawalt’s. A feisty, shorthaired red setter/lab mix we called, Mike.
On behalf of the Hundley family, please accept our deepest and most sincere sympathies.