Reporter Staff
The Kent School Board on Wednesday night dedicated and named the gym at Panther Lake Elementary School the Isaac and Nellie Parmenter Gymnasium.
In 1906, Isaac Parmenter deeded an acre of his Springbrook/Panther Lake property to the Panther Lake School District, which later merged with the Kent School District, for a new school. The land served as the site of Panther Lake Elementary School until a new school opened in 2009.
A condition of the deed was that the land was only to be used for a school. When the old school building was vacated, district officials negotiated to purchase the land from the 44 identified heirs of Isaac Parmenter for $445,000. The district also agreed to dedicate the gym at the new school in Isaac and Nellie’s honor.
Board members, district officials, Panther Lake Elementary faculty, along with members of the Parmenter family and guests, gathered at the school for the dedication ceremony. Family members brought historical photos and documents to share, and Panther Lake Elementary students Alexis Easter and Joshua Nakamura read the history of the family donation which is etched on a commemorative plaque hung in the hallway leading to the gym.
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BELOW: Members of the Parmenter family attended the dedication of the Panther Lake Elementary gymnasium, which was named for the late Isaac and Nellie Parmenter. COURTESY PHOTO, Kent School District
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