If that name rings a bell, call yourself a young old timer in these parts pardner.

Andy is alive and pretty well for a man 88.

     Andy was born in a place with the unlikely name of Track's End Ranch,near Abilene, Kansas. When he was 16 he planned on being President of the United States. The first step? Becoming a member of his high school state champion debate team. 

      Andy and his wife Dorothy have three children and five grand kids. For many years they lived on Lake Burien. He and Dorothy are now taking life easy in retirement, living near Vancouver, Wash.

    Dorothy really fell for the former Naval officer at a USO dance during WW2 when she tripped while descending some stairs and crashed landed in Andy's arms at the bottom. She really fell for him.They have been marred for 65 years.

    He cut a wide swath in our local history after his Navy service as executive and commanding officer of a ship in the Pacific Theater.

     I met Andy in 1957 when he was the youngest state senator in the United States. He came into the office of the White Center News saying he had plans on running for U.S. Congress. His efforts were not enough. 

     He ran against Don Magnuson for Congress and lost. He knew Magnuson was vulnerable for some personal problems but refused to use that knowledge in the race for Congress.

      His plan to run for President of the United States hit a snag. He pressed on. 

    He held a number of public service jobs like manager of King County Airport, Highline Sewer District, Washington Children's Home Society, Director of Seattle office of FHA and director of HUD for all federal housing programs in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. He honed his golf game. As a boy Andrew Sterling Hess raised pigeons and sold them. As an adult he found a few pigeons at Glen Acres and Rainier golf courses. He got pretty good, often shooting in the 70's.

    He  also served as Democrat State Representative for 31st district for six years and State Senator of the 31st for 7 years.

     Andy was instrumental in getting the 1st Ave S. bridge built. He supported efforts to build Highline Community College. He was also a member of the Washington State Higher Education board for many years.

       Andy dropped his dream of the presidency to concentrate on learning the real estate business. Now,with some partners he owns and operates a number of mobile home parks in Vancouver Wa. and Oregon. Not bad for the kid from Abilene.

Jerry Robinson, now 91, is our publisher and can be reached at publisher@robinsonnews.com