Sue Kienast
Volunteer 55 Yrs.
Prominent Dynamic Bothell Historian & Preservationist
Influential Tireless Local Grassroots Community Organizer
A passion for Bothell's history was sparked when Sue Kienast and her family arrived in Bothell in 1970. A visit to the Bothell Historical Museum to learn about the history of their old house led to her providing tours of her historic home. A few years later, she became president of the Bothell Historical Museum Society, a title she held for nearly 40 years. As a museum docent, Kienast loved telling people about Bothell's history and spent many hours as a tour guide for Northshore School District classes. In 1992, she nominated the museum to the local and national registers of historic landmarks. Kienast co-authored Bothell's first comprehensive history book and was heavily involved in two other books on the history of the city. In 1973, she co-founded the Northshore Alternative Program, known as NAP. The choice educational enrichment program that is now known as PACE, or Parents Active in Coopertive Education, currently operates in three Northshore elementary schools. She co-created the influential grassroots organization SAVE, or Save a Valuable Environment, in 1974, to protect the local environment. Kienast served on the Bothell City Council for a four-year term beginning in 1980. She was appointed a founding member of the Bothell Landmark Preservation Board in 1987 and served as its chair. Kienast played a major role in the city's early landmark preservation and saved at least three historic structures. In 2010, Kienast recommended McMenamins to the City Council as a candidate for renovating the Anderson School in downtown Bothell. Kienast dedicated her life to the preservation and protection of Bothell's history and remains a fierce advocate.