It has been nearly four months since our friend Tim St. Clair died and some of us are just getting to grips with the fact this genuinely wonderful human being has passed.

This writer has not been though a day without thinking about Tim, usually saying, "Where is Tim? He would know the answer to this question."

When we need to know the backgound for a story, Tim knew because he had made West Seattle his home for 20 years. This editor always deferred to Tim's encyclopaedic memory of the place. When he wrote, he often added a "big word" because, he would grin, "it makes people think when they have to look it up."

Behind his desk stand five file cabinet in which he kept clipping and information about almost every story he had researched and written about since the 1980s. If he did not know something at the outset of a question, he knew where to go to find the answer.

It is political season once again, and we are reminded that no candidate for office was too obscure to be interviewed. Last summer when he was enjoying what he knew would likely be his last on this earth, he still wanted to interview all the candidates, something he was unable to do, but the though remained

On June 11, Tim's dear friend Rinda Hayes wrote a piece we printed that told of his interest in educating people in Kenya. Hayes has established the Tim St. Clair scholarship fund under the umbrella of Koins for Kenya-Samburu. We support this wholeheartedly and hope you will contact Rinda at, Koins for Kenya Samburu, 5314 Tualata Court, Lake Oswego, Oregon 97035. Koins for Kenya is a 501 (c) 3 organization administered exclusively by volunteers. You can reach Rinda at rindah@koinsforkenya.org and see www.koinsforkenya.org.

But we believe strongly that Tim should be memorialized right in the place he loved so much. This newspaper would like to work toward finding a city park to name after Tim.

What about the pocket park the Alaska Junction folks are working to establish at Alaska and 42nd? That stands at the center of West Seattle as Tim stood at its center for so many years.

If not there, where? Come join us in finding a memorial right here to keep the memory of a very special person alive. He loved every blade of grass here, he wrote about it with care and concern. Let us remember this man.

- Jack Mayne

A jail in our midst?

The city has to build a jail and two of the potential sites are in our area. Some say the sites are in South Park, others say Highland Park, still others say White Center. Actually it is not "in" any of them, but that is really an insignificant point not worthy of angst.

What is a concern is that a city jail with misdemeanants will be close by. Some will react harshly and claim never in my backyard. Well it has to go someplace as the Admiral Community Council said. Let's be calm and watch and listen.

What seems strange to us is that Americans are always seeking jail time for more and more crimes, and want longer and longer sentences. But we never want the jail nearby. Maybe Mars?

The jail must be built in Seattle because the county is booting out all but felony criminals from their jails. Higher costs and lower tax income is the stated reason.

We are not making any recommendations at this point, but we do rather think next to the regional fire training center might be a good spot, and rather out of the way of residential areas. But we think it is the time for facts to be considered and then a decision can be made with calm reason.

- Jack Mayne