AS REMEMBERED BY:  PAT LALLY
Documented by Nancy Hettich, September 2010

In the early 1950s a man named Dick Conner was a manufacturer of women's clothes and decided to go into the land development business.  At that time his daughter Pat moved to California, married a man named Ted Valdez, and they returned to the Bellevue area.  In about 1952 Conner 'suggested' to George Bell, a local builder of homes, that Bell needed a partner - and the Bell and Valdez partnership was begun.

Between 1952 and 1954 Conner had started development in downtown Bellevue and Bell and Valdez built many of the homes.  Following that, Bell and Valdez built half of the homes on Conner property - the Eastgate community in Bellevue.  The other half of the homes was built by George Rowley, who went on to develop much of the city of Issaquah.  Later Conner purchased 1,000 acres from Modern Home Builders and Bell and Valdez built all the homes on the land, which became known as Lake Hills.

At that time I was working for WORK, a company owned by Bell and Valdez, which built the streets and installed all utilities for Lake Hills and Eastgate.  Conner asked me to assess a piece of property that was for sale, with purchase in mind.  I found my way to what is now Tam O'Shanter via a county road (the only access), which is now NE 10th Street, through Brettonwood, already begun.

Following my assessment, I told Conner he already had enough money and to forget the project as the area was partly swamp.  George Bell then bought the land and began the Quadrant Company, acting as developer and builder.  A road was built up NE 13th Street and onto 180th NE far enough to accommodate the building of approximately eight model homes.  Soon right of way was obtained on NE 15th Street up from Lake Sammamish by offering TOS membership to the few homes on what is now 185th NE.

By the 1965-1966 period the road around what is now the golf course (Tam O'Shanter Circle) was completed, allowing the sale of lots around the course.  At that time the entire property was covered by tall trees and brush.

In 1964 Ted Valdez split with George Bell and moved to Hawaii.  By 1965 Valdez continued that business in Hawaii but also renewed building interests in Bellevue.  He built at least one house in Tam O'Shanter in 1966 - which is my house.

In the mid-60s, the ditch which begins at the fifth green and ends around the third hole was excavated to drain the golf course.  Around 1970 the ditch was dug deeper (a backhoe was hired) and the ponds were formed.  Much of the work on the golf course was done by work parties organized by Jeff Singer, Art Perry and Larry Collins, all very active TOS members.  Art Perry bought the first trees to line the fairways, beginning on hole #2, and they were planted by TOS volunteers.  These member work parties were part of many volunteer projects to follow.