With a winter storm fast approaching, it seemed even the elements were determined to keep Dick Beazell in town for at least another day or two.
Dozens of well-wishers stopped by George’s Restaurant for the Kirkland Downtown Association (KDA) director’s Dec. 12 farewell party, bidding farewell to a long-time civic booster who had done a great deal to maintain the vitality and image of the city’s downtown retailers.
Amongst the cheer and laughter, Mayor Jim Lauinger capped the event with a city proclamation, ordaining Beazell, 69, “King of Kirkland”.
“Dick’s the man!,” Lauinger said. “He’s been there, done that and has several t-shirts to prove it.”
A number of city officials, police officers and business owners also stopped by, all wearing buttons inscribed with “We (Heart) Dick,” a tongue-in-cheek reference that echoed the happy-go-lucky Beazell.
The Santa Monica, Calif. native originally got his start as a high school gym teacher before starting a restaurant career that spanned 35 years. After owning a number of restaurants in Texas, he and a business partner started making plans for Kirkland after a hectic visit to the bar at Anthony’s Homeport on a 1978 visit.
“It took us half-an-hour to get up there,” he said. “We got up there, looked out at the lake, saw what was going on and at that point in time, looked at each other and said, ‘We’re coming to Kirkland, Washington.”
It took them three years, but they bought the old J.C. Penny’s building and renovated it into one of Kirkland’s most popular restaurants, opening in 1982 as the Pelican’s Wharf. The restaurant was recently sold and reopened as the Lake Street Grill.
Wearing a trademark Hawaiian-print shirt with a festive Christmas theme, Beazell reflected on Kirkland’s growth and shared success of the City and Kirkland’s business community.
“Kirkland was a diamond in the rough,” he said. “We got the support from the Chamber of Commerce, the City of Kirkland. Al Locke was the City Manager at the time, and they welcomed us with open arms.”
Several partygoers reminisced over late-night plates of calamari and martinis at Beazell’s former restaurant, including The Grape Choice owners Larry Springer and Penny Sweet.
“He could almost see me coming through the front door and it was there by the time we sat down,” Springer said. The couple recounted his work for 17 years with the Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce, and several more spent at the Kirkland Downtown Association and its predecessor, Kirkland Downtown on the Lake.
“He’s been a friend, an inspiration,” said Sweet. “He’s just done so much for this town.”
A number of downtown merchant events, such as Kirkland Jazz Nights, a downtown trolley system, the old Crabfest are attributed to Beazell’s hand, as well as countless efforts to recruit more entrepreneurs and beautify the downtown corridor. Former downtown business executives Teddy Overleese and Karen Lightfeldt, Chamber executive Bill Vadino and downtown property owner Joe Castleberry were only a few of the many in the business community that attended the celebration.
Beazell’s next stop is his second home in Big Bear, Calif. where his brother’s family resides. KDA manager Julie Metteer will temporarily fill the position of Executive Director until the position is appointed next year.
