Best of '09: People

This round-up celebrates only the best--check out everything that captured our attention this year

Best live tribute to a super fan
Ed McMichael spent nearly 20 years entertaining lines of game-goers outside Seattle’s sporting events with his brass buddy, “Tubby” the tuba. When he died last November due to injuries incurred after he was jumped by a group of teenagers, the city fell silent. Acknowledging the iconic Tuba Man, six of his friends and fellow tuba players gathered at Safeco Field last April to open the Mariners home season dressed in matching jerseys with the words “Tuba Man” and the number 1. They said their final goodbye by playing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

Best show of library loyalty
Last December, in a wacky attempt to breed excitement over the Seattle Public Library’s new passport program, marathon runner Sam Thompson attempted to run to, and get his passport stamped at, all 27 Seattle branches in one day. Unfortunately, the record-breaking snowfall proved a deterrent, but Thompson managed 11 stamps and covered about 50 miles before the libraries were forced to close early. We applaud his spirit and hope he picks up another cause next year.

Best 40th birthday party
There were no black balloons or armbands at Ian Saunders’ 40th birthday party in August. The Capitol Hill resident and ad agency creative director celebrated the start of his fourth decade in gastronomic high style with a six-hour, 40-course (!) meal consumed by a couple of dozen guests. Dishes included the Georges Blanc Egg Cup, a complicated and time-consuming concoction involving hardboiled eggs, and a coconut lemon grass rice pudding. “Everyone seemed to say, ‘I will never forget this night,’” says Saunders, who cooked the meal with two friends. But the big question is: What’s the project’s book potential, à la the Julie & Julia project? Saunders is exploring that prospect as he plots his next “extreme cooking” challenge.

Best display of helping hands
Remember those stories about the good old days, when fires were fought with bucket brigades? When Wallingford’s iconic Tweedy and Popp ACE Hardware store decided to relocate from a storefront on 45th Avenue to space in the Wallingford Center across the street, it invited the neighborhood to help out. And on March 28, about 100 local residents lined up, bucket-brigade style, and moved hardware and more from one side of the street to the other—no fire involved.

Favorite local crusader
Jody Hall pays as much to insure her Cupcake Royale employees each year as she does in rent for her four stores—combined. Outraged by health care’s impact on small-business owners like herself, Hall began campaigning for a public option by testifying before lawmakers in Olympia, speaking at health care rallies and, this year, winning a seat at the White House’s roundtable discussion on health care reform (where she left Cupcake Royale T-shirts for the Obama girls).

Coolest college admissions
When 40 Seattle minority students started their freshman year at college last September, it was the culmination of a dream that began in 2002—and not just for the students. They’re the first graduates of the Rainier Scholars (2100 24th Ave. S, Suite 210; 206.407.2111) program, a private nonprofit organization founded by Bob Hurlbut for talented low-income minority students. By augmenting regular school classes with additional academic preparation, including Saturday and summer classes and other support, the program aims to keep talented kids on the college track. We’re guessing Hurlbut is pleased with the result: All 40 were accepted to four-year colleges, including prestigious schools such as Williams, Dartmouth and Occidental.

By: Kate Calamusa, Brangien Davis, Karen Johnson, Deanna Duff, Rachel Hart, Allison Austin Scheff, Lei Ann Shiramizu and Virginia Smyth
With: Amelia Apfel, Madeline Boardman, Thea Chard, Amy Minor and Jacquie Perez