Archives West Finding Aid

Harold Emery Maltby was born in 1878 to Charles D. and Luciana Brown Maltby in Minnesota. He was one of the Seattle founders of Western Hotels chain, later to become Westin Hotels. He married Ester Stark in 1906 in Lynden, Washington, and they moved to Seattle later that year. They often entertained aboard their cruiser, Merrilie. Mr. Maltby died August 27, 1960 in Seattle.

Esther Stark was born about 1881 in the White River Valley near Auburn, Washington to James Rice and Elisabeth Lydia Stark, who settled in the area in 1864. Esther attended the College of Puget Sound and later taught school in Lynden, Washington, where she married Harold Maltby. After moving to Seattle, Mrs. Maltby was a leader in many local organizations. She was a charter member of the Daughters of Pioneers of Washington and a founding member of the Women's City Club, serving on its board of directors over twenty-five years. She organized the Decouvrir Club for young married people in 1929. She held leadership positions in many other organizations, including chapter AC of the R.E.O. Sisterhood, the Traveler's Aid Society, the Seattle Sorosis Club, Seattle's Park Board, and the Northwest Conservation league. She was president of the Seattle Federation of Women's clubs (SFWC) from 1922-1924, and president of the Washington State Federation of Women's Clubs (WSFWC) 1925-1927. Preservation of forests was a top priority for Esther, and she worked with Weyerhaeuser and the State Park Commission toward that goal, raising funds to purchase a 63-acre virgin forest in the Cascades from the Snoqualmie Lumber company. Later this protected land was sold to acquire a 612-acre Federation Forest along the White. Esther served as Director of the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) from 1928-1930. She was on the board of the Travelers Aid Society (TAS) starting in 1931, and was re-elected as the president of the TAS in 1940. She was honored by the Seattle Federation of Women's Clubs as "Woman of Accomplishment" in 1958. Esther died June 15, 1960.