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Baby born aboard the ferry Quinault on January 20, 1968.

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On January 20, 1968, Kristel Dyan Kishen is born aboard the ferry Quinault on its way from Vashon Island to Seattle. After the blessed event, mother, father, and daughter are doing fine.

Kristel's mother, Mrs. Eugene Kishen, went into labor during the wee hours of the morning in their home on Vashon Island. Mr. Kishen, pastor of Vashon Island's First Baptist Church, called Washington State Ferries requesting an emergency run to Seattle, hoping to have the baby delivered at Doctors Hospital.

Baby on Board

Just as the ferry left the slip, baby Kristel couldn't wait. Mr. Kishen acted as midwife as his wife gave birth in the back seat of their small car at 4:55 a.m. Mrs. Kishen's parents, Mr. And Mrs. Roy Hutsell met the threesome at the Fauntleroy ferry terminal and escorted them to the hospital, where the healthy baby was weighed in at nine pounds.

At the time, Washington State Ferries charged $25 for emergency runs. Mrs. Kishen considered this a bargain, stating that it, "hardly paid for the salary of one man."

Sources:
"Ferry Was Very Good Birthplace," The Seattle Times January 22, 1968, p. 7; "Baby Wouldn't Wait for Ferry," Seattle Post-Intelligencer January 22, 1968, p. 1.

By Alan J. Stein, March 03, 2001

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