Kay Bullitt

Katharine Bullitt (née Muller; February 22, 1925 – August 22, 2021) was an American education reformer, civil rights activist, and philanthropist. Bullitt was instrumental in attempts to desegregate Seattle's public schools.

Early life and education Katharine Bullitt was born in 1925 in Boston and was raised in Arlington, Massachusetts, the daughter of Marion Churchill and William Augustus Muller. Her mother had a long career as dean of women at Colorado College before marrying in her late 30s and having three daughters. Kay was the middle child between Marion ("Barney") and Margaret ("Margie"). Bullitt attended Shady Hill School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Bullitt's interest in civic projects began early and focused on education and peace. She attended Radcliffe College, which both her mother and sister had attended. While in college, Bullitt worked in a community center in Cambridge which primarily served African-American children.

After college, Bullitt taught at the Shady Hill School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which she had attended as a child. At first, Bullitt said that the camp was "self-serving", as she had three older (step-)children and three under six, all with different interests.

Wawona and other civic projects In 1963, after reading an article in the local paper about the Wawona, an historic schooner, Bullitt began efforts to save and restore the ship. The 165 foot-long ship was launched in 1897 and was initially used to haul lumber up and down the Pacific coast. In the seventies, Bullitt helped found a savings and loan bank for women, called Sound Savings & Loan. Bullitt helped restore Pioneer Square. Speakers included Louis Harris, David Brower, Dr. Jonas Salk, Dr. John E. Mack, Richard Wall Lyman, and Archibald Cox. The event finished with a speech by Cox at the Seattle Kingdome and with an attendance of 10,000– 20,000 people.

Personal life In 1954, Bullitt was introduced by friends in liberal Seattle political circles to Charles Stimson Bullitt, son of Dorothy Bullitt, the founder of King Broadcasting Company. Two weeks later he proposed marriage to her, and she accepted. Their marriage lasted for 25 years, ending in divorce in 1979.

In addition to her step-children, Ashley, Fred Nemo, and Jill, Kay and Stim had three more children: Dorothy, Benjamin (who preceded her in death), and Margaret.

1125 Harvard Avenue East

Shortly before his marriage to Kay (his second, her first), Stimson Bullitt had acquired the property at 1125 Harvard Avenue East. The property had once been home to businessman, philanthropist and art collector Horace Chapin Henry. His sons donated the land to the city of Seattle for a library; the city demolished the house and swapped the land for a different parcel, and sold the land to Prentice Bloedel (son of Julius Bloedel), who lived in a mansion on the property immediately north. Bloedel sold the land (nearly two acres) to Stimson Bullitt on the condition that only one house could be built their in Prentice Bloedel's lifetime.

The house the couple had built was quite atypical for what was soon to become the Harvard-Belmont Landmark District. Designed by modern architect Fred Bassetti, it is a relatively simple A-frame, sometimes characterized as a "ski lodge."

Every year for 60 years, on Wednesday evenings in July, Bullitt hosted a picnic for family and friends at her Capitol Hill home. Bullitt, with her late former husband, Stimson Bullitt, donated the property to the city to be a park after her death.