Parts of this post are taken from my essay on HistoryLink.org about the 1978 King Tut Exhibit in Seattle.
Tut fever swept Seattle in 1978 when the exhibit Treasures of Tutankhamun landed in the
city. Sponsored by the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) and held on the grounds of the
Seattle Center, at the Flag Pavilion, it ran from July 15 until November,
displaying 55 artifacts from the tomb of the boy king. The immediate effect of
the show was a craze for all things Egyptian.
As Egyptomania goes, perhaps the exhibit can only be
compared to the excitement that greeted the discovery and unveiling of the
young pharaoh’s tomb in 1922. A fervor for Ancient Egypt swept through the
arts, fashion, interior design, and all things retail. The first week of the
exhibit was hailed as “Welcome to Tut Week” by the Downtown Seattle Development
Association, which organized special festivities at Westlake Mall.
Seattle’s perennial summer festival, Seafair, did not escape
the hoopla. The theme of the 1978 Torchlight Parade, August 4, was “A Salute to
King Tut.” The Rainier District’s float, the “Glory of Egypt,” took both the
King Neptune Trophy for best float and the special Golden Tutankhamun Award.
RAINIER VALLEY'S FLOAT KING
“Glory of Egypt” owed its design to Roger Ford, a graphic
designer and long-time resident of Rainier Beach. In fact, it was Ford who, as
a member of the Seafair planning committee, suggested the Tut theme for the
Seafair parade.
“Glory of Egypt” featured an ornate double-stairstep design inspired by
the pyramids of Egypt, numerous lotus blossoms, and both royalty and guards in
Egyptian garb. Performers “step-danced” on the float at parade stops. Photo by
Denis Law, the Denis Law Collection, Rainier Valley Historical Society.
Standard bearers carry symbols of Anubis, the jackel god. Photo by
Denis Law, the Denis Law Collection, Rainier Valley Historical Society.
The “Glory of Egypt” was the last Seafair float Ford
designed in a history of float-making dating back to 1953. In that year, the
float Ford designed on behalf of the Catholic Chancellor Club took the parade’s
highest honor, the King Neptune Award. That was just the beginning. Over the
decades, Ford’s whimsical and intricate floats were seen at Rainier Valley’s
Pow Wow festivals, as well as community celebrations from Shoreline to Tacoma. In
1961, Ford found time to design two floats, both of which took Seafair honors: “Japanese
Festival” was the float of the Japanese-American Citizens League; “An Old
Fashioned Valentine” represented the Rainier District Businessmen’s Association.
Ford’s floats during the early 1960s were something to
behold. Themes included “An Orchid Anniversary,” “Coronation Ball, and “The
Golden Years of P.T. Barnum,” a display that is said to have featured live lion
cubs in a cage. In 1963 Ford had the honor of designing a float for King
Neptune and the Seafair Queen themselves.
The float “An Old Fashioned Valentine” at the Festival of Floats,
Memorial Stadium, 1961. Photographer unknown, Roger Ford Scrapbook, Rainier
Valley Historical Society. Ford’s twin sons occupy the small boats.
Seafair was not the only venue for Ford’s talents. As a
commercial artist for Boeing, he was tasked with orchestrating many corporate
events and loaned out to stage several Armed Forces Spectaculars. The 1965
Spectacular at the Seattle Center Coliseum featured a gold float with a living
tableau of the famous flag-raising at Iwo Jima. In fact, Roger owed his initial
training to the army; just after WWII he served with Army Special Services in
Salzburg, Austria. “I was in charge of the Army’s theaters in the cultural
melting pot of the world. Talk about a wonderful experience!”[i]
Ford also provided his services pro bono
to stage Catholic Youth Organization’s Passion Plays.
Ford believes his floats combined earned at least 100
trophies for their appearances in various parades and community events.
Each float build involved hundreds of volunteer hours, masses of
materials, and the friendly cooperation of a local car lot or repair shop.
Here, the volunteers who worked on the “Glory of Egypt” pose on their
award-winning float. Photo by Denis Law, the Denis Law Collection, Rainier
Valley Historical Society.
For a number of years, the Rainier District did not have an
entry for the Seafair parades. Some heralded the 1978 entry as a chance to
redeem the reputation of a community which had suffered from years of economic
depression and civic neglect. The local Rainier Valley paper suggested that “A
beautiful float might not turn the City’s attitude around, but at least it
makes people realize there must be some people ‘down there’ with a sense of
neighborhood pride.”[ii]
n
Eleanor Boba
[i] John J. Reddin, “Faces of the City: Talented Roger Ford Does Beautiful Work,” Seattle Daily Times, May 7, 1965, p.2.
[ii]
Wenda Reed, “Rainier Float Takes Highest Honors,” undated article in Roger Ford
Scrapbook.
Other sources include the Roger Ford Scrapbook, Rainier
Valley Historical Society; the archives of the Seattle Times; Karen O’Brien; and HistoryLink.org: “Treasures of Tutankhamun opens at The
Seattle Center July 15, 1978” by Eleanor Boba.
