Denise Crowe

Denise was born in Olympia and visited family often through years of living in Tacoma and Gig Harbor before returning to Olympia at eighteen. She attended The Evergreen State College and every Tropicana show that she could. She met Bret Lunsford through mutual friend Stella Marrs in the school’s student group offices, where she ran the Evergreen Expressive Arts Network, and Bret ran the Evergreen Political Information Center. They joined forces with Clay Zollars and Argon Steel to propose the concept of a cultural student organization operating in downtown Olympia that could showcase campus culture. The Greater Evergreen Students Community Cooperation Organization (GESCCO) art and music venue came to exist on the corner of 5th and Cherry for one academic year. Denise and Bret moved to Anacortes in 1988, where they continue to nurture community around art, music, history, and nature. Today, Denise is an Education Program Manager for the Samish Indian Nation.