Hazel, Plow Maker
The German name Pflugmacher derives from a trade.
It means plow maker.
A plow, of course, is a tool used to break ground so that seeds may be sewn.
Hazel Pflugmacher life is a story about a woman who not only broke ground and planted seeds, but who built the plow she used.
If ever a surname was a poetic allusion to a person, Pflugmacher was it for Hazel.
In 1919, near the end of the War to End All Wars, Hazel Hammett, age 14, daughter of early pioneers, decided she needed a high school education. She left her home and family on the Key Peninsula, moved to Tacoma and went to work to support herself.
After graduating from Lincoln High in 1924, she earned a teaching certificate and began her teaching career. She taught in various schools while living with her family which had moved to Tacoma. In 1930, she moved to Bellingham to work herself through the 2-year teacher’s college there (later known as Western Washington University). She returned to Pierce County and began teaching again. In the summers, she worked on her BA degree at the University of Washington and later earned a master’s degree from the University of Puget Sound.
Hazel met and married Carl in 1933, but because of policies that married women were not allowed to be teachers, she kept her marriage secret until her husband, Carl, finished his schooling. Her first job in the Tacoma District was at Bryant Elementary in 1934, the first elementary school built in the newly minted state of Washington. It was opened in 1891 (the same year as our church was founded).
In 1947, responding to a teachers shortage, Hazel went back to work, doing a two year stint at Washington Elementary.
In 1949, she became one of the District’s first female principals.
Over the next quarter century she served in that capacity at Hawthorne, Manitou, Wainwright and Jefferson, even after the tragic loss of Carl in 1960.
Hazel started attending Trinity in the 1930s (then First United Presbyterian) and stuck with us even in the thin years when we were down to 25 parishioners.
If she had done nothing else with her life but to start the Trinity Afterschool Program (TAP…our reading program that continues to serve Bryant students), she would have left her mark as no other in this neighborhood. But as an active member of her church and community, Hazel was recognized by the School District, by the City and by the host of children whose lives she touched.
But then came Bryant Favorite, owner of Cascade Masonry.
While doing some minor repair work on the bell tower in the late 1990’s with Bob Reynolds, Brian noticed a picture of Hazel in the lobby. He explained that Hazel was his Aunt, although he had little to no contact with her since he was young. Brian was impressed with what Bob told him about Hazel. He began thinking about how he could help keep the church from falling apart.
When his mother passed Brian ran across Hazel’s obituary and once again was amazed at what she had accomplished. Brian had been thinking more about stopping by the church but had yet to do it when he saw the scaffolding go up this year. He figured he’d better stop by and see if we had a mason contractor, and if he could help.
Mountain Construction explained that we had some bids that were very high and we could not currently afford the needed masonry repairs. Brian decided it was time to give back a little and help make the church last another 100 years. He offered his company’s services at cost, a significant savings that could be met with some cost savings on the other construction work.
Hazel passed in 2003. And yet, the seeds keep sprouting.
Hazel passed in 2003. And yet, the seeds keep sprouting. It will be exciting to see how the seeds we are planting today will flourish in the future.
Support the work Hazel helped begin so many years ago by donating to the Bryant Neighborhood Center.