Terri Jeane McPharlin-Harper

I met Terri in Seattle in late 1975. She was my neighbor across the hall in the far-less-than-luxurious $60-a-month Armory Apartments on Western Avenue (which we called the Steam Heat Apartments because the Steam Heat sign was bigger). She was always a bright light for me with her amazing smile, humor, and generous heart. I remember we both got telephones (land lines, of course) the same day and we stood in our open doorways looking at each other and talking on our new phones, laughing at the absurdity of that crazy moment. We had little money with our low-paying part-time jobs, and when we had breaks in our daily schedules, we would often nurse coffees for hours in the magical IHOP in lower Queen Anne. There we witnessed how people could be transformed when we glanced back at their booth. First they would be a family with two kids, and when we looked again, they’d become two old women chatting about the menu. We’d imagine that it was possible to enter the IHOP in Seattle, have a meal, and then run the risk of emerging from an IHOP in a completely different city. We used that as an excuse to linger, as we weren’t ready to leave Seattle. I was going through some old boxes today and found a few of Terri’s letters, one from Texas and three from Michigan, and thought I’d try to find her again. I have a couple of her cast-off pots with me still and wanted to tease her about the Cheesecake pot she’d promised me years ago… I’d sent her a puppet I’d made (named Titania) back in the mid-80’s and hope maybe she’s been passed on to her kids. Terri was a good person and a delightful friend I’ve held in my heart these many years. She is a blessing to my life in spite of our short time in Seattle. If any of her family want the letters, perhaps the folks hosting this page can give you my email address.