An Eighth Grader's Diary From The 1985 Seattle Strike
A page from Phyllis Fletcher's diary from 1985.
Courtesy of Phyllis Fletcher
The last Seattle teacher strike was in 1985. Gasoline was $1.20 a gallon. Careless Whisper by Wham topped the charts. And little Phyllis Fletcher was writing in her diary.
“All I do is watch TV and talk on the phone,” she wrote. “I’ll gain 20 pounds in my thighs if school doesn’t start soon.”
When school does finally start again, on Monday Sept. 30, she plans her outfit: “I’m so nervous. I’m so excited. I can’t wait. I’m going to wear my black stretch pants, big shirt with colored dots and maybe a black belt.”
Listen to Fletcher, now managing editor of Northwest News Network, read from her diary from that time.
