John "Jack" Donald Edwards

Jack Edwards was born in Seattle, WA. to "illegal" immigrants. He was a proud Boy Scout where his love of the outdoors, hiking and climbing was born. He married Lisle Hoover and had five children, all who survive him, four grandsons and three great grandchildren. He was a Local 86 Union Iron Worker for over 35 years, participating in the construction of many buildings, bridges and towers from California to Alaska. Although he is best known for being a connector on the Space Needle, he was proudest of The Yukon River Bridge project outside of Fairbanks. On this project he worked with his father Jack Sr. and his brother Matt. After his long career as an iron worker he became a real estate appraiser and opened his own business. His passion for climbing and the outdoors never faltered and continued well into his 80's. He climbed Mt. Rainier 18 times as well as climbing Mt. Kenya, Matterhorn, Mt. Blanc, Jungfrau and countless others. He was a man of insatiable curiosity and had many interests. He read German poetry in German, was a student of ancient history and WW2, loved opera and did beautiful calligraphy. In midlife, he married Patricia Carlson. They enjoyed many adventured during their 44 years together and traveled extensively. Although they traveled the world, both said the week they spent hiking across the Olympic Mountains was their best vacation. He was an extraordinary man, loved by many, and will be greatly missed. 

Crossing Generations: Personal Narrative

What experience helped you see how people of different generations can influence one another?

My great grandpa, Jack Edwards, also known as Gramps, over the years throughout many meetups and holidays has indirectly taught me that whatever you want to do in life you can achieve by hard work and effort. For example, Gramps built the Space Needle and even put the top pointy thing (spire) on it which is very cool and he fought dangers, injuries, and illnesses which shows if you try hard enough you can achieve anything. One day Gramps took me and my family to the Space Needle to look at the history of how it was constructed, which I was really amazed by. 

"Wow, how did you work up the courage to do that?"

"I kind of just didn't think about it," Gramps chuckled.

"When you were up on the top of the Space Needle, was it windy?" I asked. 

"It was very windy," he said.

"I asked as I pointed at a picture on the wall "and is that you in that picture?"

"Oh yeah, I remember that day, it was raining cats and dogs," Gramps laughed. 

When we got to the top I took a moment to appreciate Gramps' work and dedication to building because on the way up I saw a picture of him underneath a massive steel pillar that was supported by a few straps. I asked what it looked like standing under the pillar and he said, "It was terrifying!" 

And so we made our way down to ground level and I said to him, "You have put so much work into things other than the Space Needle, like your boat that you've been working on these past months."

I asked, "When we get home, can you show me your boat?"

"Yes, and try not to touch the boat because the clear coat is still drying."

"I'll try not to touch it, and how long has this project been going for?"

"Two years of hard work and a lot of time and sanding'" he said.

After I got back from the Space Needle I was thinking about how Gramps had built one of the most iconic buildings in Seattle and wondered if I could one day do the same and be cool like him. Standing there in his sawdust and varnish smelling garage looking at what his rough hands had created, I realized that Gramps wasn't special because he built famous things-- he was special because he never gave up, never stopped trying, and maybe one day I could be like that too if I tried hard enough like Gramps. 

In the following days and still now I think about Gramps sitting at his kitchen table exhausted from a long days work forcing himself to read blueprints of the Space Needle. When I'm at baseball sweating in the humid air and my muscles are screaming in pain from conditioning, I think of how Gramps was 605 feet in the air with an aching back because he refused to miss his moment. 

Now every time I face something hard, I think about Gramps and how he showed me that nothing is impossible if you try hard enough and stay committed to the thing you are trying to achieve.