Free and fun: E-biography of trailblazer Jennifer Dunn

February 11, 2010

The price is right – like, zero – and the storyline is darned interesting. The oral-history folks at The Legacy Project have just e-published the ninth in a series about fascinating folks who have made a difference in Washington. The late Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn is the subject of the latest biography.

Family and friends of Dunn's gathered in Bellevue Tuesday night for a sentimental ceremony rolling out the new e-publication. Guests ranged from high school classmates and GOP officials she worked with as state party chair, to former Sen. Slade Gorton and Rep. Dave Reichert. Dunn was recalled as a classy lady who broke glass ceilings as the first woman leader of her state party, as the highest ranking woman in Congress at the time, and as an advocate for civil rights for women in Africa and Iraq.

Secretary of State Sam Reed, a longtime friend who hosted the event in Dunn's old 8th Congressional District, said Dunn left an indelible mark on both Washingtons and served as a role model with her insistence on civility and respect. Her family, including her husband Keith Thomson and her sons Reagan and Bryant, remembered her as a warm and loving mother and wife, and a wise friend and counselor to many.The full biography, including family photos and other features, is online. Author is Trova Heffernan, director of The Legacy Project, which is part of the planned Washington State Heritage Center.

� (Dunn's family members pictured at the Tuesday event) Previous oral histories have covered the first minority and female Supreme Court Justices Charles Z. Smith and Carolyn Dimmick, pioneering journalist Adele Ferguson, Justice Robert Utter, astronaut Bonnie Dunbar, Nirvana rocker and voting-rights advocate Krist Novoselic, civil rights pioneer Lillian Walker, and former First Lady and civic activist Nancy Evans. Oral histories are in the works for former Governor Booth Gardner, Senator Gorton and tribal leader Billy Frank.
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