Arthur Gravrock, longtime educator, dies at 95
The son of Norwegian immigrants, Mr. Gravrock escaped the lumber mills of his youth, becoming one of the first in his family to attend college. He became a teacher and elementary-school principal fondly remembered by his former students.
"I still run into people all over the place who remember him," said Mr. Gravrock's younger son, Bill Gravrock of Medina.
Mr. Gravrock, a longtime resident of Clyde Hill, died Thursday (May 9) at the Evergreen Vista Convalescent Center in Kirkland. He was a month shy of his 96th birthday.
Born in Everett, Mr. Gravrock was the third of seven children of Arnt and Karen Gravrock. His father was a millwright and his mother a homemaker. As a young man, Mr. Gravrock dropped out of Everett High School for a couple of years to work in the mills to help support the family. After he graduated in 1927, he spent a year working in a veneer plant — a job he feared he'd have for the rest of his life, his son said.
"But one of his buddies at the plant said, 'Hey, you were always good at football,' " and persuaded Mr. Gravrock, who had been a high-school football star, to apply for a scholarship, Bill Gravrock said.
Mr. Gravrock landed a spot at Bellingham Normal School, a teachers college that eventually became Western Washington University. But the athletic scholarship he won was also a working scholarship, "so he had to do all kinds of janitorial work on campus," sweeping dorms and doing other odd jobs, his son said.
At his first football practice in Bellingham, Mr. Gravrock dislocated his shoulder. Unable to play football, he turned to baseball and track. A center fielder and javelin thrower, he earned two varsity letters in each sport. Later, he became a season-ticket holder who attended Huskies football games in Seattle for 60 years.
While studying in Bellingham, Mr. Gravrock met Margaret Hubler, who became his first wife. A year after the couple married in 1934, Mr. Gravrock earned an education degree from the University of Washington. He went on to teach in Adna and Toledo in Lewis County, and in Everett.
From 1937 to 1941, he taught at James Monroe Elementary School in Seattle, then became principal at Fauntleroy Elementary School. He was principal at two other schools before he was hired at Fairview Elementary School in Seattle, where he worked for 25 years until retiring in 1971. The school closed in 1978.
"Even as a principal, he took part-time jobs to help supplement his income," Bill Gravrock said of his father, who also worked as a house painter and a Sears salesman. "He had an incredible work ethic that was one of the most remarkable things about him."
After his wife died in 1976, Mr. Gravrock got back in touch with his high-school sweetheart, Anne Burklund, who was a recent widow. The couple were married for 14 years until her death in 1990.
A devoutly religious man, Mr. Gravrock was active in Christian outreach and belonged to a number of Seattle-area social clubs, his son said. "He just liked to share his faith with others."
Mr. Gravrock is also survived by his son David Gravrock of Bellevue; his brother, Howard Gravrock of Red Wing, Minn.; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
A memorial service was held yesterday. Memorials can be made to Cross of Christ Lutheran Church for Outreach, 411 156th Ave. N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007.
Sara Jean Green can be reached at 206-515-5654 or sgreen@seattletimes.com.