Origin
A well-loved urban legend has it that a shabbily-dressed man mistreated by an uppity clerk returns the next day to buy out the establishment for the sheer pleasure of firing the ill-mannered service person. It’s a tale that strikes a chord in all of us who hasn’t indulged in exactly this fantasy when confronted by a snooty salesman whose manner implies we’re not good enough to be in his store, let alone have him bother to wait upon us? Moments like that make each of us want to reveal ourselves as millionaires in disguise, if only to turn the tables on the superior-acting one.
Martha “Marty” McLaren, a past West Seattle/South Park representative on the
Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors, has died. Ms. McLaren, a Puget Ridge resident, was 76 years old. She was a longtime educator and community advocate, but her highest-profile role was that of board member. She won election in 2011 by unseating incumbent
Steve Sundquist and then four years later was unseated herself by current board member
Leslie Harris. We talked with Ms. McLaren after her election in 2011; she spoke of her teaching career following her involvement with advocacy as a PTA leader while her children were in school. More details on her life are in her obituary, which we’ve just received: