Submitted by:
Christine Anderson Kratz

In 1930, my 18 year old Dad got his first job as a "soda jerk" at the Davenport Hotel soda fountain. My 18 year old Mom was working her first job as captain of the Davenport's "candy counter girls." Love at first sight? Almost. Evelyn "Pete" Petersen thought Ed "Butch" Anderson was mighty handsome, but it was well known among the candy counter girls that he was the cherished only child of the head telephone operator at the Davenport, my grandmother, Margaret Anderson Genis. In the end, love conquered all. My Mom and Dad were married in 1931. The youngest of six Anderson kids, I'm "living proof" that the Davenport Hotel set the stage for many scenes played out in pre-WWII Spokane.

    My Grandmother, Margaret Genis, was lead switchboard operator at the Davenport from around 1925 until her retirement in the late 1950s. Her sister, Viola Rasmussen, handled the switchboard at the Spokane County Courthouse during the same period. It was family folklore that very little happened in Spokane during those years that "the sisters" didn't know about first and best!

    I can remember going downtown to visit "Marg" (no "Grandma" for her until we provided her with great-grandchildren!) at work. She'd take us back behind the velvet-curtained switchboard, and let us sit on one of the high-legged chairs. I'd watch as she'd pull the spaghetti thin cords, murmur "Operator" in her most sophisticated tone, and plug one after another into the network of connections before her. She'd take us for lunch or dinner to the elegant dining room, and urge us to order something besides our all-time favorite hamburgers. Despite her encouragement, we'd always order the hamburgers. She'd sigh and "tsk," and order something strange and delicious for herself.

    The Davenport was far more than just my Grandmother's place of employment. The friends she worked with there were lifelong friends. She would take me to the annual employee Christmas parties, and I have wonderful pictures of elegant men and women surrounded by their children and grandchildren. Louis Davenport was a family friend, and my Mom would wickedly poke a little fun at his trademark stutter. She'd tell us how Louis would come to the soda fountain and order his favorite "B...B...B...Boston C...C...C... Cooler," a half cantaloupe with a scoop of ice cream in the middle. (Please remember this was before political correctness, and during the same period when "K...K..K...Katie" was a top musical hit!) One of my Grandma's favorite coworkers was Hamilton "Ham" Jordan, a "little person" who was drafted to do the "Call For Phillip Morris" cigarette commercials.

    The Davenport Hotel, as my Grandmother lived it and loved it, was full of characters and adventure, a true "heart" of Spokane. She insisted that my sister's 1959 wedding reception take place in the grand and glorious Isabella Room. The photos depict the elegance of the white columned setting, and provide a fitting backdrop for the regal lady who ran the switchboard. Better known and far wealthier people may have stayed there, but the Davenport "belonged" to my Grandma, Margaret Genis. The grand lady and the Grand Hotel will always be joined in my memory. Thank you for restoring the grandeur.