A Promising Life Cut Short
A former University of Washington student and educator passes away due to kidney disease.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
David Chapman received word that his brother, Harrison Olmstead Chapman, had died at his home. Harrison was a young man of ambitious spirit, who in 1885 received one of the appointments to a free scholarship in the University of Washington. In 1886 he graduated from the business course, but he returned a year later to continue his studies. He finished the pedagogical course and graduated from the University of Washington with the degree of Bachelor of Science. He attempted to move his studies further, but ill health compelled him to leave school. He became stronger after a few months' rest and accepted the position of superintendent of the school at Moshee. Again he was compelled to leave, and returned to Seattle. He passed away due to disease of the kidneys.
“He was a young man of ambitious spirit, and possessed such a noble disposition that won for him friends wherever he went.”
In an era before antibiotics or modern medicine, the loss of young people to chronic illness was a frequent and tragic aspect of community life. Chapman's story highlights the central role the early University of Washington played for students of his time.
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