Paul Dorpat was an unforgettable presence and an indefatigable chronicler of the local scene. He died May 27 but his puckish spirit will live...

Paul Dorpat was an unforgettable presence and an indefatigable chronicler of the local scene. He died May 27 but his puckish spirit will live on in his many books and in the vast photographic collection (more than 309,000 images) that he donated to the Seattle Public Library. Some years ago, I was persuaded to write a profile of Dorpat for HistoryLink, the online encyclopedia that he co-founded with his friends Walt Crowley and Marie McCaffrey. To prepare for that profile, I arranged a lunchtime interview with Paul in Wallingford, the neighborhood that he photographed on his daily “Wallingford Walks.” But if I expected to talk to Paul about his background, I was quickly disabused. Paul arrived  armed...

Paul Dorpat was an unforgettable presence and an indefatigable chronicler of the local scene. He died May 27 but his puckish spirit will live on in his many books and in the vast photographic collection (more than 309,000 images) that he donated to the Seattle Public Library. Some years ago, I was persuaded to write a profile of Dorpat for HistoryLink, the online encyclopedia that he co-founded with his friends Walt Crowley and Marie McCaffrey. To prepare for that profile, I arranged a lunchtime interview with Paul in Wallingford, the neighborhood that he photographed on his daily “Wallingford Walks.” But if I expected to talk to Paul about his background, I was quickly disabused. Paul arrived  armed...