It is probable that the
pioneering contributions of his Father, Uncle and the rest of
the original landing party, for Rolland, may have at times felt
like a daunting legacy to uphold. But from his earliest
days Rolland was also very public minded.
From the records of the
Seattle YMCA:
"In 1876, Catherine
Maynard gathered a group of young Seattle pioneers including
Dexter Horton and Rolland Denny in her parlor to discuss
concerns over the future of their city. Out of that meeting
came a dream of a new YMCA organization which would build
strong kids, strong families and a strong community."
Also it must be noted that his
work in the banking, clay and coal industries were indispensable
to the growing city and region. The Denny-Renton Clay Company
was reportedly the world's largest producer of street paving
brick. The Denny family, by all accounts, were very
industrious and hard working folk.
On Nov 13th, 1911, a serious
effort to study and preserve Seattle history began at the 60th
Anniversary of the Alki Landing, and was heavily promoted by
Emily & Morgan Carkeek. They hosted a "Founders Day" ball
in their First HIll home, with guests arriving in Historic
Costumes, with Emily serving chowder from Puget Sound butter
clams.
This became an annual event
where guests would bring artifacts and documents of Seattle's
early history, and all of this lead to the establishment of the
Seattle Historical Society in 1914, with the ultimate dream of
establishing a museum for their growing collection of treasured
historic artifacts. But with Emily's death in 1926 this effort
languished, and Society members grew older. With the onset of
the depression, both funds and new members were in short supply.
Renewal of these efforts came
in the home, and person, of Rolland Denny. In 1935,
Lochkelden hosted the first "Founder's Day" celebration since
1926, with 84 year old Rolland cutting Seattle's birthday cake,
which sported 84 candles. After this the Society attracted fresh
new members and their collection continued to grow. Thus the
aged Rolland helped to shepherd this effort along through it's
most difficult days.
MOHAI would eventually be
established, and opened on Feb 13th, 1952, with Historical
Society President Guendolen Carkeek Plestcheef presiding,
honoring her parent's dream of a historic museum.
A more complete explanation of
this story can be found in the essay
here, thanks to the
HistoryLink.org website. Our version has been heavily
condensed to highlight the role of Rolland Denny and this part
of Lochkelden history.