Guild members are stunned to learn of the sudden and tragic passing of Robert Ficken, one of the most productive and highly regarded Washington historians.
One of the original, active members of the Guild in its formative days, Bob was its first vice president. A student of Robert Burke, he had written on the history of forestry in the Northwest, including a biography of Mark Reed. In later years he produced much needed works on Washington’s territorial period and the earliest statehood decades. His biography of Wenatchee’s Rufus Woods was published in 1995. He received the Guild’s Pacific Northwest Historians Award in 1997.
Many of us have our personal recollections of Bob, and I must share mine. As Washington’s 1889 centennial of statehood approached, Bob and I – along with the University of Washington Press – were selected by the state’s Centennial Commission to produce a one volume history intended for the general reader. This collaboration was one of the richer experiences of my career. Neither of us had experienced co-writing previously, but we respected each other’s work. We passed tentative chapters back and forth, making suggestions and revisions in a productive manner, resulting in Washington: A Centennial History which was published in 1988.
In addition to the Guild, Bob served several terms on the Board of Trustees of the Washington State Historical Society during the early 2000s. Among other awards, he received the Society’s prestigious Robert Gray Medal in 2010 for the body of his work.
Bob had a vast knowledge of Washington and western history. He understood the broadest trends in our state’s history, but he could weave specific, individual aspects into the large picture. His invaluable contributions will influence and guide future students and historians.
Charles P. LeWarne