Page 12 - 10550 Echoes in time
P. 12
Picture courtesy of John W. Smith
(Margaret Smith and Gov. Rosellini in 1965)
Smith moved the Clerk’s Office from old school to the first days of modern
technology, and consistently made decisions that helped with expansion. She
worked hand in hand with the Superior Courts as their workload increased
dramatically with the population boom. Politically savvy and known as a
straight shooter, she served as a delegate to the Democratic National
Conventions for both Kennedy and Johnson. Her reputation as honest and
straightforward led to a long-time friendship with then-governor, Albert
Rossellini, who shared Smith’s vision of technology, as evidenced by his
bringing the 1962 World’s Fair to Seattle.
Shoeboxes to Computers
Some young men with political aspirations are born into families with law
school as a prerequisite, but few, quite by accident, found their calling like
Bob Freudenstein did. In the psychedelic era of the Strawberry Alarm Clock
playing on the radio, Freudenstein found himself working as a shoes salesman
in his late 20s. When Kitsap County Commissioner Bill Mahan called him
about the vacant County Clerk position, the job of Clerk looked pretty good
from his perspective.
