Fremont Trail renamed Gloria’s Path for community activist Gloria Bryce

Photo by Herb Bryne

"I’ve always felt that every citizen needs to contribute to where they live."

By Shari Winstead

On Monday, January 9, the Shoreline City Council unanimously voted to change the name of what was formerly known as the Fremont Trail to Gloria’s Path.

The pathway is a widely-used, beautiful, and valuable asset to the neighborhood that serves as a link between the Interurban Trail and the Boeing Creek Trail. It connects the 16300 and 16000 blocks of Fremont Place North.

The trail was renamed in honor of Gloria Bryce, who was the driving force behind the clearing and redesign of this area. Gloria and her husband Herb Bryce live in the condominiums facing this trail, and frequently saw untoward activities in this hidden area of overgrown brush.

While the City’s Parks Department took care of the clearing, the Bryces and their neighbors turned the space into a park of sorts, but mostly a safe path for kids to walk to school and others to enjoy the natural beauty and tranquility.

Much of the maintenance work for the pathway has been provided at the Bryce’s personal cost and effort, although Parks Maintenance staff and other members of the community have also provided resources to maintain the path.

Many of their neighbors are instrumental in helping keep the path maintained and beautified, including the kids, who, through this process are learning how good it feels to take ownership of your neighborhood.

Courtesy City of Shoreline

In 2006, the Highland Terrace Neighborhood Association participated with the City’s Public Works Department to clear the overgrown two-block area in the City’s right-of-way at Fremont Place N and N 161st Street and install a pathway.

Building the pathway was the 2006 community service project of the Public Works Department. Later that year, the Neighborhood Association received a $4,500 Mini-Grant from the City to finish removing invasive species, and plant native species. The Kruckeberg Botanical Garden in Shoreline was also instrumental in providing native species.

Photo by Herb Bryce

The Fremont Trail project created an open, inviting, pedestrian-friendly link between the Interurban Trail and the Boeing Creek Trail. Herb and Gloria Bryce and other neighbors “adopted” the right-of-way, and committed to picking up and disposing of litter and garbage and mowing the grassy section of right-of-way.

The Bryces have lived in Shoreline for a number of years, and the community has benefited greatly from their tireless service beyond the creation and maintenance of the pathway. In fact, it has been said that Gloria and Herb’s fingerprints are all over the City.

Besides serving on the original committee to form the City of Shoreline, Gloria served as a member of the City’s 2008 Community Priorities / Long-Range Financial Planning Citizens Advisory Committee. She was also a Board member of the Shoreline Historical Museum.

Herb Bryce was honored by the City in 2005 with a Shoreline Star Award and was the Grand Marshal for the Celebrate Shoreline Parade that same year. He also served on the City’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Board. Beyond his work with the City, Mr. Bryce has been an advocate of the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce as well as dedicating himself to the Shoreline School District with over 14 years of elected service on the Shoreline School Board. Both Herb and Gloria have served on the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council.

After the Council voted to rename the trail, Gloria remarked:

“I am very honored and humbled. Ever since I served on the original committee to make Shoreline a City, my heart has been in Shoreline. 

"I’ve always felt that every citizen needs to contribute to where they live, and when this opportunity presented itself, it was meant for me to be a cheerleader with the neighbors and have them come out and help.

"And although I may not be here to maintain it in the future, I want to assure you that we have made arrangements for its care for another 20 years. I am very honored to have this trail named for me.”