Stimson Bullitt, at age 86. Tim Matsui photo.
The Lower Town Wall parcel has been named in honor of Stimson Bullit, a climber who died in 2009. About half of the money raised for the purchase of the Lower Town Wall was donated in his memory and this is fitting because “Stim” was very impressed with the Lower Town Wall at Index and climbed there into his eighties. Stim had taken up technical rock climbing at age 66 and was a frequent fixture at Washington crags for many years. He was enthusiastic about all things climbing and always a pleasure to meet at the crags.
Stimson Bullitt was a writer, lawyer, judge, broadcast executive, civil rights activist, outdoorsman, and philanthropist, in addition to being a climber. He spoke out against Japanese internment in 1942, he was the first major broadcaster to publicly oppose the Vietnam War in 1966, and he was proud to be on Nixon’s “enemies list” in 1971. Stim was also a business man; he created the Harbor Steps in downtown Seattle. He was pictured in a Patagonia add leading “Illusion dweller,” when he was over eighty years old. Click here to view picture.