The birth of Bellevue, WA incorporated in 1953, Melvin V. Love

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Terry

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In 1953 Melvin Love of Bellevue and Ken Day of Clyde Hill carpooled to Olympia to incorporate their cities. The day was March 31 1953. Ken day was mayor of Clyde Hill and Melvin Love became Bellevue's second mayor just a bit later. The incorporation was the result of many nights of public meetings to hammer out what the city was to become.

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The city of Bellevue is now in session

4/9/1953
This photo of Bellevue's new council was taken at it's first official meeting a week ago Tuesday at the home of Charles Bovee. From left to right are Ken Cole, attorney for the city, and Councilmen Melvin Love, Phil Bessor, Geroge Kardong, Mayor Bovee, Thomas Dann, Alden Hanson and Albert Prince.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattl...pByoSfRdodGM0C0wkejBCz3cNhMl243heuNP5oxv-aNLg

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HIS HONOR - Kenneth W. Day, mayor of Clyde Hill in 1953
The first mayor of a brand new town, Clyde Hill, on the East side of Lake Washington. Community voted to in corporate, chose Day as chief executive.

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Robert Reid, chamber president, Al Thompson, school board president, Pete Dailey from Look Magazine, Ben Lewis from Riverside, California (another winner) and mayor Melvin Love.

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From 110th Ave in Bellevue 2019

http://www.shannonlove.com/bellevue_nightlife1.htm

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Terry

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Judge Melvin V. Love
1916-1990
Community Visionary

Melvin Love first bought property in Bellevue in 1945, moving to Enatai in 1952.
After serving in WWII in Patton's Third Army, he graduated from the University of
Washington Law School. His first private law practice in Bellevue was housed in a
log cabin on Main Street. Even in the early 1950's, Judge Love believed that there
would be a large population growth on the Eastside. He joined a group dedicated to
ensuring that Bellevue did not become a "strip city" like Federal Way. He worked
nights on his own time, detailing his vision of Bellevue, with the idea that they should
build for tomorrow, not just for today. As a member of the first City Council in
Bellevue, Melvin Love went to Olympia in 1953 and paid the $15 fee out of his own
pocket to incorporate the City of Bellevue. He was elected the first full term mayor
of Bellevue in 1954 and was its mayor when Bellevue was named an "All-American
City" in 1956. During his tenure, the City Council adopted the original plan that
established the layout of downtown Bellevue as we see it today.

Among his many community activities, Judge Love volunteered with the PTA,
fought for more parks, helped create Youth Eastside Services, and supported Boy
Scouts, Little League, and the public library. Judge Love served on the Puget Sound
Regional Planning Council for ten years and as its chair for five years, advocating for
clean air and water, sewers, and a bridge across Lake Washington.

Judge Love's vision reached beyond Bellevue. At a State Convention of the Grange,
the problem of getting additional ferry service to the Olympic Peninsula was being
discussed. Mr. Love had seen and been impressed by the bridges of San Francisco, so
he made a motion to build bridges instead of adding ferries. It was the first time
bridges had been considered. They adopted the motion and the Hood Canal Bridge was built.

In the words of his daughter, Trinda Love, Judge Melvin Love "was a hands-on, hard-
working, dedicated and loving visionary who greatly shaped the Bellevue that we live in today.
The proof of that is all around us.
 

Terry

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In the video, it's my father speaking. My daughter Amy was doing a school report and was interviewing him. I had the cassette tapes and digitized the audio from them.
The baby in the video was me in 1952.

My father did buy and sell a lot of land. Much of it in Bellevue. My parents used to own the land that Bellefield Business Park was built on. They gave an easement to the city for what became 112th Ave SE. They are adding rapid transit to that now. It was already four lanes with a divider, now it will have a rail line to go with it.
At one point, 125 acres in Redmond. I can't even begin to list all the properties my parents owned. Some they would have for short periods of time.
And yes, he said,

"Well, you always sell too soon, but then that's how it goes."

I don't know how he did it, many weekend drives were to scope out properties they were interesting in.
 
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