Dingwall, Ewen C., 1913-1996

Managing director of the Century 21 Exposition (Seattle World's Fair) in 1962.

Ewen Dingwall was born in 1916 and graduated from the University of Washington in 1939. He spent his early career working for "good government" groups such as the Seattle Municipal League and the Washington Research Council, and was assistant to Seattle Mayor William Devin. When the state legislature created the Century 21 Exposition, Inc. in 1957, state and city leaders picked Dingwall to head the project. He was appointed Vice-President and Executive Director of the Seattle Civic Center Advisory Board. The 1962 Seattle World's Fair was dubbed "America's Space Age World's Fair," and though it was small compared to world's fairs of the past, was quite successful--unlike many world's fairs, it made a profit. It also provided a substantial boost to the local economy that extended beyond 1962. Dingwall left Seattle in 1964 to work as a consultant for a number of other expositions, but returned in the 70's and was temporary director of the Pacific Science Center for most of 1977. In 1982, when the Seattle Center went nearly $1 million into debt, the City Council fired the Seattle Center director and replaced him with Dingwall. Dingwall improved the Center's financial situation, but encountered criticism for hiring Disney to make plans to turn the Seattle Center into a sort of theme park. He resigned in 1988.