This website is educational and not for profit. It presents personal remembrances and cherished images.

In 2020, a couple old friends decided to work on a collective memoir capturing their early lives in Olympia. Slowly, we asked others to join us in gathering stories and images that document the lessons we learned and events that changed our lives. Some of us grew up in Washington, others came from out of state. Many of us were drawn to Olympia by the 1971 founding of The Evergreen State College. Evergreen’s experimental approach to teaching and learning attracted faculty and students with new ideas about education who were eager to build a college from scratch. Some folks came for a fresh start in the Pacific Northwest, an area of boundless beauty and creative potential. Together we began to grow a community rooted in ideals of mutual responsibility, shared resources, and cooperation.

We created collective households with chosen families. We started organizations and businesses based on sustainability and equity. We made art and music and theater. We challenged the old norms. We protested against war, racism, sexism, homophobia, and environmental degradation. We sought social change and concrete ways to improve our community and our country. We hope others will find inspiration here to create their own days of change.