Kalez, Jay J., 1895-1982

Spokane author.

Born into a pioneer family in 1895, newspaper man and historical buff Jay J. Kalez has been an ardent student of Spokane history since his youth. He served in the Navy in World War I, graduated from the University of Washington, and later began a career as a newspaperman and freelance writer of mystery, detective, and adventure stories. During the Great Depression Kalez was personnel director for the Spokane district of the Works Progress Administration. In addition, his work required that he become deeply involved with the District Federal Historical records and the Writers and Newspapers Indexing projects. He was also connected with several historical projects sponsored by Washington State University during this period. Familiarity with these historical projects of the Depression years added another dimension to Kalez's dual roles as civil servant and writer. For a time he served on the editorial staff of the Spokesman-Review and the Spokane Daily Chronicle. In 1965 Jay J. Kalez retired from U.S. Corps of Engineers. However, he continued freelance writing and has written many feature stories retelling the unique history of Spokane and eastern Washington from the viewpoint of a native resident.

Jay Kalez was a freelance writer in Spokane. He wrote stories about World War II based on his experiences in the U.S. Navy, and later expanded his topics to include stories about crime, athletics, air combat, and cowboys. These “pulp” magazine stories led to more factual essays about the West that were published in “western” magazines.

To earn a living, however, Kalez held several different jobs, including that of a personnel officer for the Spokane office of the Works Progress Administration, administrative officer for the Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho office of the Office of Price Administration, and for the Liaison Branch of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Jay J. Kalez was born in Spokane on August 5th, 1895, the son of Martin J. Kalez who in 1889 founded the Rockaway Cafe, a long-time local restaurant. While attending Lewis and Clark High School, Kalez operated a Liberty Lake summer resort owned by his father. After graduation, he spent a year as a salesman for the Spokane wholesale crockery company, M. Seller and Company. In 9117, Kalez entered the University of Washington as a pre-medical student, but left to enter the U.S. Navy before the completion of his freshmen year. After serving overseas, he was discharged in 1921, and went into business with his father, acting as manager and part owner of the Rockaway Cafe. Kalez also managed some of his fathers mining interests in Wallace, Idaho, as well as operating a small sawmill near Liberty Lake. In 1924, he completed a two-year correspondence accounting course, and later devised a system of restaurant accounting which he used in his fathers caf. This impressed the United States Restaurant Association enough to hire Kalez to write a series of monthly articles on efficiency for their publication, The American Restaurant Magazine.

From 1926 through 1930, Kalez lived in the New York City areas, where he did staff and freelance writing for various national magazines such as Field and Stream, Argosy, True Detective, and numerous pulp magazines. During that time, Kalez had over 500 articles and stories published. The Great Depression made it difficult to find free-lance magazine work, so in 1930 Kalez moved back to Spokane. There, he wrote feature articles for some local newspapers, and worked as a U.S. Naval Intelligence Officer for the Spokane region. Kalez also took several Civil Service examinations, which in 1935 resulted in his appointment as district personnel officer for the Eastern Washington office of the Works Progress Administration.

In 1942-43, Kalez took leave from his government position to do public relations work for the national War Scrap Iron Drive, as well as a local drive by the Spokesman-Review which gathered books to send overseas to servicemen. In 1943, Kalez transferred to the Office of Price Administration, where he served as director of the Spokane District, covering all of Eastern Washington. Later, from 1946 until it ceased to exist in 1947, he directed the Spokane office of the Department of Agricultures Sugar Rationing Board. After its closure, although Kalez might have accepted a transfer to another area, he chose to stay in Spokane and wait for another job opening. In the meantime, he worked as Northwest Editor of the Spokane Daily Chronicle, as well as teaching a night school course at Lewis and Clark High School, entitled Writing for Pleasure and Profit.

In December 1948, Kalez accept an assignment in San Francisco with the Public Housing Administration. In February 1949, he was transferred to Seattle, and that June back to Spokane. There, he became a lease and occupancy agent for the Public Housing Administration. In early 1951, he accepted the position of district executive officer of the Office of Price Stabilization, and that December was promoted acting director upon the resignation of the agencys former head. The promotion was later made permanent, and he kept it until the agency went out of existence in 1953. That year, he transferred to Walla Walla, where he headed the technical liaison office of the Army Corps of Engineers. There, Kalez handled news releases, articles, and public relations for the Corps Walla Walla District Office.

Kalez retired in August 1965 and moved back to Spokane. He later wrote numerous historical articles for local newspapers as well as three books, Saga of a Western Town ... (1972), This Town of Ours ... (1973), and Harnessed Waters ... (1976).