December 11, 2019
Written by Becky Pierce

Sharon Friel has been a woman undeterred by challenges her entire life. In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting, she reached out to her community of friends to explore what could be done to prevent tragic events involving gun violence in the future. This is how she became one of the founding members of Grandmothers Against Gun Violence. She did not have a political background, but she did have a breadth of experience to draw from.

Sharon graduated from high school in Spokane in 1957. She just celebrated her 80th birthday this year! Her school counselor took note of her participation in multiple activities - editor of the newspaper and active in theater productions. When a recruiter from the University of Washington came to school, the counselor pulled Sharon from class to be sure she spoke to them. The UW had a robust Journalism Program that exposed the students to curriculum and experiences with TV, radio and newspaper work. Sharon looks back to the efforts of her counselor with much gratitude. It was a pivotal moment for her. The other decision that had great positive impact was joining a sorority at UW. Some of those lifelong friends were the women she reached out to for the genesis of GAGV. In 2011, she was one of 150 graduates of the UW School of Arts and Sciences who was presented the TIMELESS award.

During her senior year at UW, Sharon was an intern and then became an employee at Cappy Ricks and Associates Advertising. Her future husband, Dick Friel joined the firm where they were assigned to work on 2 accounts together. She left the agency to manage the press department for the Seattle World’s Fair. She was 19!

An example of her ingenuity involved the garbage elevator on the Space Needle. There were strict rules about no one cutting into the 2-hour line to ride to the top of the iconic structure. This wasn’t working for the multitude of the press corp. from all over the world who all wanted to visit the top of the Space Needle. Sharon noticed that there were 2 elevators and was informed that the 2nd elevator was used only for hauling garbage. She convinced those in charge that the garbage elevator should be made available for the press as well. She did convince them, with the condition that this should remain a secret. She has honored that request until now! It doesn’t surprise anyone who knows Sharon well, that she possesses this kind of persuasive powers.

Following the Fair, Sharon joined the Seattle Post Intelligencer as Emmet Watson’s assistant. By this time, Dick Friel had started his own advertising agency. He encouraged her to take the job at the PI. Dick and Sharon married in 1963 and have 2 sons - Rick and Chris. She always kept a hand in public relations and together with her husband, managed an international charity auctioneering business for 30 years, while raising their family. Dick passed away in 2010.

One of Sharon’s community passions is Seattle Children’s Hospital. She has served in multiple capacities including being Chair of the Guild Association, Vice Chair of the Hospital Board and continues to be a guild member. In 2001, Sharon and Dick were presented the prestigious Pennington Award, for their service to Seattle Children’s and the community. Sharon also served as the Chair of the Seattle Center Foundation in 1993.

Sharon is passionate about GAGV. She has drawn from her personal and professional experiences to facilitate the organization’s success. She has really appreciated learning about the legislative process even though it has been a huge learning curve. Sharon has been involved in all the trips to Olympia. She mentioned how gracious the Governor and Mrs Inslee have been to invite the GAGV representatives into the mansion for tea and cookies. They are very supportive of the group. Mrs Inslee is a GAGV member. Sharon has been a productive member of the Events Committee and assisted in the fund raising efforts. She has helped with securing venues for meetings and other special events. She can be counted on to be sure all the supplies needed for a successful function are available.

Sharon feels that the amazing people she’s had the privilege to work within and outside of the organization has truly been one of the great joys of her life - especially during this stage of her journey. She finished the interview by sharing that the tangible accomplishment of seeing sensible gun ownership legislation passed into law has been very rewarding. The best part of the experience has been the collaboration with and friendships made with this “fabulous” group of women.

Fun Facts
Idea of perfect happiness - A sunny day on Lopez Island with her family.
Talent she’d like to have - To be more technically proficient with computers, etc. (me too!)
Favorite movie - Breakfast at Tiffany’s (she and her husband fell in love on this date!)
Living person you most admire - Nancy Pelosi (oh yeah!)
Something people would be surprised to know - Sharon plays the piano by ear. (so jealous!)