Seattle icon Walt Crowley passed away unexpectedly today [times, p-i]. If you’ve read a newspaper or watched the local news you probably know all about it. The blogging we do here at Metblogs, over at Seattlest, and the many other various Seattle-centric sites is spurned by a real affection for this city and region. But as much as we love it here (and love to hate the inevitable annoyances) Walt Crowley loved it more. He was a passionate champion and a proud historian of our city and his loss is a large one. Fortunately, his legacy was secure long ago and the many people he touched will not soon forget him.

One of Crowley’s many achievements was the creation of HistoryLink which has become an invaluable resource for our state’s history. Please take the time to visit the memorial page set up in his honor. If you feel so moved, perhaps you can even throw a couple dollars their way in his memory.