The new entrance to Eastlake High will have a very familiar name.
The city of Sammamish approved a resolution Feb. 13, renaming the portion of 233rd Avenue Northeast between Northeast Eighth Street and the high school, Stan Chapin Way.
The recognition came two weeks after the popular school resource officer from Bothell died unexpectedly at his home.
“We wanted to find some way to honor him in addition to what had already been done,” Sammamish mayor Tom Odell said. “We felt that the new entrance to the high school was the perfect place because he was such a fixture to the school for so many years.”
Chapin, 61, was in his 12th year of working as a resource officer at Eastlake and Inglewood Junior High. He was approaching 40 years in the King County Sheriff’s Office.
The roadway will act as a second entrance to Eastlake, which currently only has one route in and out of the school on Northeast Fourth Street. The new entrance is part of the Lake Washington School District’s expansion of the high school.
According to Odell, there is also consideration of adding a monument to honor Chapin. He said one concept is placing a boulder with a dedicated plaque in the middle of a new roundabout on the soon-to-be renamed 233rd Avenue Northeast.
“The idea is, many years from now, when the memories have faded, we’ll still have something there,” he said.
“He was a unique man who made an impression on everyone he met. His presence on our street made me feel safe,” said Barb Thomas of the longtime Bothell resident.
Thomas, who lived next door to Chapin and his family for 25 years, anticipated and enjoyed his sense of humor. Whether he was outside washing his cars — sometimes late at night — gardening or running, he acknowledged everyone he met.
“He always had time for a wave or a few words, even to people he did not know well,” said Thomas, adding that he particularly kept his police car immaculate. “He had a gift that made us all feel like he had a special friendship with us. The number of lives he touched in that way was probably not something he was aware of.”
Over his career, Chapin also served as a patrol deputy, detective and member of the Seattle FBI’s Fugitive Apprehension Team. In December, the city named Chapin the Sammamish Police Department’s “Officer of the Year” for 2011.
“Stan was a remarkable man,” Sammamish Police Chief Nate Elledge said. “He really put his heart on the line for the students he helped and the community he served. His passing is a shock to all of us who valued his friendship and admired his professionalism.”
Chapin, who served in the U.S. Army Reserve for 23 years, was also an avid runner. He competed in track at Seattle University, won the 1974 Seattle marathon, and completed the Boston marathon in 1974, 1976 and 1977.
He is survived by his wife, Sue, and three children: Christopher, 27; Bethany, 22; and Scott, 17.
A public viewing for Chapin was held Feb. 5 at Acacia Funeral Home in Lake Forest Park. A public memorial service was held Feb. 7 at Saint Brendan Catholic Church in Bothell.
Andy Nystrom contributed to this story.
