50 years ago in Expo history: There was good news and bad news on the fair construction front

The Washington State Pavilion exhibit hall construction for Expo ’74 was 20% ahead of schedule.

That was the good news. The bad news was that the “theater side” of the pavilion (the Opera House) was behind schedule because of unfortunate circumstances.

“We have two or three problems which have developed because of strikes,” the construction general manager said.

That raised a few eyebrows, because Expo officials had nailed down no-strike agreements with the construction unions. The general manager was quick to point out that he was not talking about strikes on the Spokane site, but in other factories around the country that were supplying items such as window gaskets.

The other unhappy news was that the pavilion site would have to remain locked up on weekends, instead of being open to visitors, because vandals had been walking off with valuable items. Two expensive loudspeakers disappeared, and some light fixtures were stolen even after they had been hung.

The general manager promised, however, that everything would be ready by May 1. That was cutting it close, since the dedication and inaugural concert was set for that day.

From 100 years ago: John O’Toole and Pat Ryan were awaiting transport to the state penitentiary at Walla Walla. Ryan was found guilty of being an accomplice to the murder of Peaceful Valley grocer Rudolph Schmid. A few days earlier, O’Toole had pleaded guilty to being the man who pulled the trigger. Both were given life sentences.