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- Seattle Daily Times, Thursday, May 14, 1953
Pennies for Stanley
Pupils of Thomas School, near Kent, visited their schoolmate, Stanley Bassett, 8, who is recovering from poliomyelitis, in Children?s Orthopedic Hospital yesterday. They took with the $23.30 the school?s 186 pupils contributed to the hospital?s annual Penny Drive. Contributions were on a basis of one penny for each child?s age. Teachers and employees also contributed. Stanley, a second-grader, has been ill since October. He is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Bassett. Pupils making the presentation were, from left, Toni De Poe, sixth grade; Sharon Swanson, third grade; Stanley?s sister, Barbara; Gene Panida, first grade; Clara Opsahl, fifth grade; Anna Van Putten, second grade, and Jerita Elmendorf, fourth grade. The drive is scheduled to end this week.
Seattle Daily Times, Thursday, February 22, 1962
1962-Model ?Stanley Steamer?: A delegate from each room at Thomas School near Kent visited Stanley Bassett yesterday morning to give him $140 raised by the school children to buy a new wheel chair for the youth, ten years a polio victim.
The March of Dimes and Children?s Orthopedic Hospital will miss an annual contribution this year. But that does not mean the children of Thomas School near Kent have forgotten.
The children decided to see for themselves this time how their dimes, nickels and pennies could light up the face of a former schoolmate ? They colleted $140 to buy a wheel chair for Stanley Bassett, 17.
In October, 1952, Stanley, then a second-grader at Thomas School, was stricken with polio. Each year since, the school has made a March of Dimes or Orthopedic Hospital contribution in Stanley?s name.
For two weeks or more in that October, Mrs. Myrtle C. Curry, principal, had been concerned over the little boy?s lackadaisical work in school. Then one weekend he had all the symptoms of flu.
By Monday morning it was diagnosed as polio.
A full year in the hospital followed. He has had eight major operations in the intervening ten years.
Despite all the interruptions, Stanley has almost kept up his school work. He is a sophomore at Kent-Meridian High School.
The well-worn wheel chair has not been a prison for Stanley.
Mrs. Curry, serving her last year at the school after 32 years of work there, recalls the teachers pulling the wheel chair up and down the stairs, and how Stan rolled himself out to the playground to participate in normal activities.
The youth?s mother, Mrs. Kenneth Bassett, tells how her son ?drives? his chair on their 30 acre farm to shoot at ducks and to fish in the nearby Green River.
Mrs. Bassett, after nine years as her son?s chauffeur, has a measure of relief this year. Stanley?s friends drive him to school and on outings.
Stanley is studying vocational agriculture. He has one sheep as a project. Neighbors say he sometimes talks of one day taking over the family farm.
School, play, hunting and fishing have added many miles to the dilapidated old wheel chair. Mrs. Curry and the children of Thomas School, who never forget, decided it was time for a new ?Stanley Steamer?.
The sold popcorn, peanuts and cookies. They saved their dimes, nickels and pennies.
And yesterday a delegate from each room went out to the Bassett farm and gave Stanley the money for his new set of wheels.
The Daily Record, October 17, 2013
Stanley H. Bassett (Picture included)
Stanley H. Bassett long time resident of Ellensburg, Washington; serving more than 23 years on the city council, including two terms as Mayor and three years as Pro-tem, left us early on the morning of October 8th. He was 69 years old. Stan spent his last days in his beloved home surrounded by family, friends and the people he loved.
As well as being thoroughly involved in city and county government, Stan was the director of the Youth Services of Kittitas County. Here he worked with and changed the lives of many troubled children. He also worked for many years at Morgan Middle School. Because of his tireless and selfless work for the City and his staunch work as an advocate for youth, Stan was honored by having the Ellensburg Youth Community Center named the 'Stan Bassett Youth Center.' SBYC. At this time, the day of May 3rd was designated in perpetuity as "Stan Bassett Day."
Stan never lost an election and was voted several times as being the "Best Elected" official in Kittitas County. Amongst many awards, in 2011 Stan was named person of the year by the Ellensburg Daily Record.
Stan is survived by his sisters: Dianne C. Olson, Barbara L. Goodwin, Joanne M. Clark, his brother Michael K. Bassett and many beloved nieces and nephews.
He was a much loved and tremendously respected citizen and friend. He touched the lives of all who knew him. He brought smiles and good cheer to all. He devoted his entire life to building community and advocating for kids. A job well done, a life well lived. He will be missed.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, November 2nd at 1:00pm at Ellensburg High School, 1203 E. Capitol Ave. Ellensburg.
Donations may be made in Stan's name to: The Youth Services of Kittitas County, 213 West 3rd Ave. Ellensburg, WA 98926.
Daily Record, Ellensburg, Washington, Friday, May 3, 2019
Stan Bassett: Friends, co-workers reminisce about civid leader on his day
Stan Bassett was many things to many people.
Bassett, who died in 2013 at age 69 served on the Ellensburg City Council for 23 years, the longest term in the city's history. While on the council he worked on acquiring land for both the youth center and Rotary Park. He also played a part in the construction of the city's skateboard park. He was also mayor twice. A graduate of Central Washington University, he began his longtime position as director for Kittitas County Youth Services in 1986. Bassett also worked in the lunchroom at Morgan Middle for 20 years.
Bassett was a polio survivor and as a result was confined to a wheelchair since age 6. A concrete wheelchair honors his legacy in front of the youth center that is also named after him in 2010. At the naming event, the city also declared May 3 Stan Bassett Day in honor of his service to the community.
In reflecting on Bassett's legacy, Mayor Bruce Tabb said Bassett was often a voice for others who may not be heard.
"He absolutely deeply cared for all people in the community," he said. "I think it was in that context he also saw himself as an advocate for accessibility, and not just physical accessibility but for really ensuring that people with a variety of abilities were able to engage in whatever they chose to engage in within the community."
Tabb said he still runs into people who interacted with Bassett at the youth center. Most of them being adults now, he said they have specific memories of him, sometimes having to do with his sense of humor.
"Some of the worst jokes in the world," he said. "That's what he brought to him. He brought that sense of humor and the ability to see each one of those kids that came through youth services as an individual and as a person of value. They came away from that with a feeling of being valued."
City of Ellensburg Youth Programs Coordinator David Hurn began working with Bassett while volunteering with youth services in the early 2000s. Now that he runs the youth center named after Bassett, Hurn said he applies a lot of the concepts that were passed down to him from Stan. One of those concepts involves discipline. Hurn said Bassett always tried to refrain from traditional discipline, and instead tried to find the root cause of the problem.
"Stan always had this policy of let's work with the kiddos, let's try to figure out what we have going on," he said. "Always was willing to give them a chance. I think that was the thing that stuck most with me is how much time and effort Stan put into working with the kiddos and giving them a chance."
Hurn saw this positive approach reflected in the large number of people who would return in their adult years to visit with Bassett. He said a handful of those people attended his memorial service in 2013.
"It was a rough moment, but it was great to see them remembering Stan and remembering the impact he had on them," he said.
Hurn was in attendance for the youth center naming ceremony, which he said was planned to surprise Bassett.
"They staged a whole travelling city council meeting to some of the city buildings, under the guise that they could cover it up, have him, his family and others here," he said. "Have them experience it firsthand, which was pretty awesome."
Bassett's family attended the service, hiding in an upper part of the youth center until he realized what was going on. Hurn said Bassett was clearly moved by the event.
"He was pretty much in tears," he said. "He began tearing up more as his family was coming down."
Hurn said the element of Bassett's legacy that stuck most with him was the idea that every kid needs a chance to succeed in life, and that concept still influences his way of operating.
"Do your best to make people's lives better," he said. "Stan was definitely a nurturer. He nurtured a lot of our professional careers. He had a very lasting impact."
John Perrie said he first met Bassett while serving together on the city council. He said their places on the dais were reflective of their political positions, with Perrie sitting on the right and Bassett on the left.
"Typical of Stan he said, 'That depends which way you're facing,'" he said.
DIFFERENCES BUT STILL FRIENDS
Despite having different political standpoints, Perrie said he found it remarkable that they both could defend their positions during meetings and then talk as friends after the meeting.
"There was none of the animosity and games that seem so prevalent now," he said. "I think Stan would be uncomfortable in the political world today."
When Bassett was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2003 and couldn't afford health insurance, Perrie set up an account that people could donate to help with medical bills. He said the response was remarkable not only in magnitude of donations but also the sources.
"The major contributions that came into that fund to help him were from people who had opposite political views," he said. "The one that amazed me was that the local Republican Party donated to his fund."
Going together with his Bassett's sense of humor, Perrie said he had one thing that specifically irritated him.
"He didn't like people that didn't pick up after their dogs," he said. "He was in his wheelchair all time and he says, 'You know, I've got to eat with these hands!'"
Perrie said he felt like the mark Bassett made most on the community was not political in nature.
"People just plain liked him," he said. "Just being Stan was the most important thing he did."
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Bassett Family Association Database
1944 - 2013 (69 years)