Wayne Starc lives in 1944.

[The impact of I-90] is very negative. I don't know, it seems disheartening.

Wayne stech has lived in the central and eastern regions since 1944. Wayne is one of the oldest residents in this area. He remembered that it was mainly a middle-class settlement, inhabited by Swedes, Germans and Norwegians. This is consistent with the immigration pattern when Spokane was established at the end of 19. Many early citizens were farmers of Nordic descent, who immigrated from the Midwest in the era of rapid expansion to the west after the Civil War. Wayne's earliest memories were concentrated in Grace Lutheran Church, which was one of the largest and most influential churches at that time. It established the "spear plan" (serving people through education, art and entertainment) to meet some needs after the I-90 was built (see interview 12, Claudia Holtz for details).

"KDSP" Unfortunately, Grace Luther finally became the victim of the problem they tried to solve. After the completion of the expressway, most church members live in the north, and they no longer support other churches that are more accessible. In1970s and1980s, the number of members has been steadily decreasing. By the mid-1990s, the congregation of Lutheran Grace Church was less than 65,438+000. Nevertheless, it continued to invest a lot of resources in the Spear Project, which was eventually extended to six other churches. Eventually, Grace was forced to close down in 2006, but its board members made every effort to ensure the long-term feasibility of its vision by donating office space and members' expertise. Although Speer had to cut back his activities, he continued to work in the service community he founded 50 years ago. Although the story of Grace Lutheran Church has a happy ending, it is still a symbol of the destructive influence of I-90 on the Middle East community. No organization, even the most sacred and longest-lived organization, can escape its influence.