For the Reporter
The Russell Road Sports Complex officially was renamed Hogan Park at Russell Road on Saturday in honor of former mayor Isabel Hogan who was a champion of parks, recreation and the arts while in office.
The City Council approved the change earlier this month to honor the long service and legacy of its first female mayor who served from 1970 to 1986.
“I’m overwhelmed,” Hogan told the crowd at a morning renaming celebration in the park. “I appreciate this great honor. Thank you all.”
A number of dignitaries, including Mayor Suzette Cooke; spoke in praise of the 93-year-old Hogan.
“Providing public spaces for the entire community to enjoy was a top priority for Mayor Hogan,” said Jeff Watling, Kent’s Parks Recreation and Community Services director. “Naming this park after her, one that is visited by kids of all ages, is a tremendous way to honor and thank her for her years of service and support for parks.”
A “Hogan Park” archway sign will be erected at the triplex fields entrance.
The 30.4-acre sports complex, with lighted baseball/softball fields, picnic facilities, walking trails and play equipment, hosts approximately 2,500 sporting events each year.
Hogan (inset photo) was appointed to the Kent City Council on April 7, 1969 to fill a vacancy following the resignation of M.L. (Duffy) Armstrong. Hogan ran for, and was elected mayor the same year. At the time, the job paid $600 month.
Cooke said the inspiration for naming a park to honor Hogan came from Alex Jones, a Kent resident who retired from Kent Parks operations.
“Alex experienced first-hand how Mayor Hogan valued park spaces and the people who maintained them,” Cooke said.
“When I came to work for the city in 1975 as the director of the Kent Senior Center, I quickly came to respect Mayor Hogan for being both a no-nonsense business person, and a woman who always dressed properly with a hat. She bridged the role of ‘Mother Mayor’ with the political acumen of Margaret Thatcher,” Cooke said.
According to former councilmember Judy Woods, who now serves as president of the Kent Parks Foundation, Hogan represented the “gold standard” of public service.
“Her inspired leadership was visionary, strong and collaborative. The ‘good’ of the community was foremost in her mind at all times, and woe be to those who didn’t share that value! She was a wonderful role model for those who followed in her ‘wake’. It was a privilege and pleasure to serve with her. Naming a park in her honor is an appropriate recognition of her exemplary service to our community,” Woods said.
Prior to her election, Hogan graduated from the Columbus Hospital of Nursing in Seattle and worked at Renton Hospital, now the site of McClendon’s Hardware on Rainier Avenue.
She was a member of the Kent Orthopedic and St. John’s Guilds, served on the Scenic Hill Elementary PTA and Kent Park Board Commission, and was elected to the Board of Directors at the Kent School District.
As mayor, she represented Kent on numerous organizations including the Metro Council, Puget Sound Council of Governments, King-Snohomish Manpower Consortium, Central-Puget Sound Economic Development District, Suburban Mayor’s Association and many others.
Hogan is a 62-year resident of Kent’s Scenic Hill neighborhood. She had six children with her late husband, Dr. James Hogan.
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