The Inimitable Adele Ferguson: Bremerton's Legendary Columnist

by John C. Hughes

You can't do justice to Adele Ferguson's laugh with only one adjective. It's earthy, infectious and punctuated with delight. Although it has been 50 years since she becames the first woman to invade the old boy's club that was the Capitol press corps at Olympia, WA, her blue eyes are still mischievous. In her time, the Bremerton columnist was feared and loathed, respected and courted. Her column appeared in newspapers across the state. While her daily paper penetration has declined...she's now being cussed and discussed on-line. And, for the record, her name is A-dell. Ralph Munro, former Secretary of State says, Adele is the only legitimate tsunami to ever hit the state capitol. Elected officials would rush to the one news stand that carried the Bremerton Sun...to see who she had drowned in her column this week...Adele knew how to hit and hit hard. Longtime Seattle Times political writer,Dick Larsen observes, She has the most marvelous skill in getting to the guts of an issue...She's so blunt. She's no-nonsense. It's beautiful. She makes it hell on those who slip below the level of her expectation. She's a tough political street guy. One of 10 children born during the Depression, Adele has been writing all her life. Her imagination was the main entertainment for the impoverished family. When circumstances brought her to Bremerton, WA at the beginning of World War II, she began writing articles for the shipyard paper. She soon became the women's and feature's editor and her career as a newspaperwoman took off. Her fearlessness and precision eventually led to her assignment as the first woman in the State Capitol's press corps. The rest is history. This biography/ oral history recounts Adele's fascinating and very funny story as told to fellow newspaper man, author John Hughes and includes some of Adele's legendary columns...and equally legendary fruitcake recipe.

196 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2011

About the author

A lifelong resident of Grays Harbor on Washington State's Pacific coast, John C. Hughes has written widely about Northwest history. While attending the University of Puget Sound in the 1960's he found a mentor and friend in Northwest historian Murray Morgan. An Air Force veteran, Hughes also attended the University of Maryland, with a major in English Literature. He joined The Daily World in Aberdeen as a reporter and photographer in 1966 and moved through the chairs to managing editor 10 years later. Hughes became the newspaper's editor and publisher in 2003. He received the "Distinguished Service to Journalism" award of the Western Washington Chapter of the Society of Professional Jouranlists in 2004. He also received a C.B. Blethen Memorial Award for distinguished investigative reporting. Hughes is a trustee of the Washington State Historical Society and former president of Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington.