Our Founders: Fred H. and Mary S. Dore

Fred H. Dore

Politics and the law were his birthright.  His grandfather moved from Boston to practice law in Seattle during the early 1900s. Both his dad and uncle were attorneys with the latter being Seattle's mayor during the Depression.

Life as a youth on Seattle’s Capitol Hill was not easy.  At the tender age of 6, Fred lost his father.  One year later, Fred contracted polio and remained in a body cast for over a year. Sustaining injury to his lungs, Fred was determined to achieve as much as possible during his lifetime.

A 1943 O’Dea High School graduate, he completed his undergraduate degree from Seattle College in three years (now known as Seattle University). He continued on to Georgetown University where he earned a Juris Doctorate and a Masters in Foreign Services.

Fred practiced law in Seattle and was elected in 1953 to the Washington House of Representatives and then to the state Senate. He later sat as a judge on the Washington State Court of Appeals. In 1980, Fred was elected to the state Supreme Court for twelve years, the last two years as the court’s chief justice.

Seattle University recognized him as Alumnus of the Year in 1989.

Mary Shuham Dore

"Mary was a disturber of the peace, and she was always right," said Dr. Abe Bergman, a noted Seattle pediatrician. "She was more important to SIDS than anyone in the world. Her doggedness helped people realize they did not kill their children. That's what triggered the whole research movement, not by doctors but by lay people like Mary. With her compassionate heart, she was the single most important person in the field." He said through Mary’s work and state money, Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center set up the largest SIDS research project in the world.

Mary was active in many organizations, including the Irish Heritage Club, Seattle University, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Sacred Heart Church, where she worked in the grief ministry. In 2004, Mary was the recipient of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Alumni Achievement Award. She received the 2007 Sally Rodgers Award for Lifelong Achievement from Whitman College.