I don’t.
I don’t talk about me. (laughs)
(piano music)
If you've ever met or worked
with Seattle Center Director Robert Nellams, you know, he rarely uses “I” statements.
And Nell’s that type of guy, Nell’s not going to, he's humble.
Robert is not a look at me, look at me kind of person.
And every opportunity that he has, he uplifts the work of his team.
I love to be out in the public realm
telling people about
what all the things our staff are doing,
all the things our partners are doing, all the things that we collectively are doing.
Even in his office, it's what you don't see that speaks to his character,
his humility, his awards and accolades sit largely out of view.
- He's happy just making it happen,
and not being
someone that wants credit for it.
I would like to see him get more praise for the stuff he's done but,
that's just me, I’m Mom. (Laughs)
Robert, his mom, and his younger sister grew up in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood.
His father passed away before he turned two, but he was far from being alone.
There was my grandfather,
my great aunt, two great uncles
two, two aunts
an uncle,
my great grandmother,
and us.
And we were all in basically a four bedroom house.
If you needed something to eat, they fed you.
If you needed some advice or whatever, they tried to counsel you.
And for me, that was the beginnings of seeing what community could and should be.
- Over time, just like anyone who's grown up in the Seattle area can attest
so many of life's memories and moments happen at the center.
- (Robert Nellams) I was five when I came to the World's Fair.
- And the rides were there.
You know, the games,
you go to your football games there,
you graduated there.
I had seen James Brown there.
I had gone to
hockey games there.
I had seen boxing there, I had gone through a whole bunch of stuff.
It’s like all these special moments took place at Seattle Center.
- Robert went on to graduate from Central Washington University with a degree in accounting.
He then started working for the City of Seattle's Business Administration Division,
feeling somewhat self-conscious about not being a certified public accountant.
He decided to take the exam.
He passed, but achieving that goal made him think more about his future
and a truer sense of purpose and identity started to emerge.
I got hit with a wave, and that wave was, Are you sure this is what you want to do?
And I couldn't
articulate it to a lot of people, but I knew deep inside of me that, that answer was no.
It just so happened that
within a few months I got a call from Virginia Anderson from Seattle Center.
- I think it was the third interview, and he was a little cranky.
And I just asked him, What's going on?
Like you seem
angry that you're still part of this process.
- I don't want this to be an affirmative action thing or anything like that.
She took it as you arrogant S.O.B..
I told Robert,
I can't afford to put someone here who cannot succeed.
Robert took the job of Seattle Center, director of Patron Services in 1996,
and it didn't take long for him to realize he was home.
So the first day Robert came to work and I said, Well, I'd like you to take the day.
And this is the last day of our Summer Arts Academy.
And I walked over to the performance and I stood in the doorway and I watched.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
You have kids from all over King County, but they were all together.
There were people who were in wheelchairs and people were cheering them on.
And in the front row there was a bunch of donors they’re crying their eyes out.
And I'm sitting there going, This is exactly the kinds of things that I want to do.
And so, that told me I was in the right place.
And from
that point forward, I just tried to make sure that I was worthy of being in the right place.
- He became deputy director in 1998 and was promoted to Seattle Center Director in 2006.
His desire has always been to run the center as a community gathering place.
- I have tried to create that same kind of place that I was raised in.
Everybody should feel like they belong here and there's nothing
better than to be in a place where you feel comfortable
(bell ringing)
because if you can feel that, then you can let yourself out.
You can be your best self.
- You know all the black folks in the city who are in lead positions.
It was comforting.
- He wants to hear what you have to say, and that's empowering to speak your truth, right?
To have a leader that says, I want to hear what you have to say.
- He's in a leadership role, which makes a difference.
He's not on the bottom. He's on the top.
And then look what he's accomplished for this city.
- The thing I'm most proud of
is the Seattle King County Clinic
It is one of the best things we do.
I volunteered
and I always was in the intake because I always wanted to be able to look people in the eye
and tell them that they not only deserve this, but we were grateful to give it to them.
- And now after 40 years of public service, Robert Nellams is ready
to retire.
(emotional piano music)
- For me,
it's been a joyous ride
and I couldn't I couldn't be happier with how it has turned out.
One can argue his legacy will not be one specific thing,
but instead in everything and everyone that continues to work at the Seattle Center.
The best thing that I could tell people is that the environment that we created, we created.
I didn't create this environment.
We created this environment. The environment stays.
As long as that continues,
it will remain a vibrant place.
(light switch clicks)
(emotional music)
(door closes)
(emotional music ends)