Kit Spier

Christopher “Kit” Spier, 83, died at his home on April 15, due to complications from A.L.S.

Spier was an Emmy and Peabody award-winning television producer. Born in Seattle on March 17, 1926, he served in the Tenth Mountain Division in Italy during World War II. He and his soon-to-be wife, Patricia Ryan, graduated from the University of Washington School of Drama.

He became a producer-director at Seattle’s KING-TV in 1953. While at KING, he produced and directed documentaries that won regional and national awards and often sparked social or governmental change. Spier’s production Lost Cargo, a 90-minute documentary that exposed corruption at the Port of Seattle, led to wide-reaching reforms there. He also directed and produced renowned programs in the history of early local TV broadcasting such as Wunda Wunda and Stan Boreson’s King’s Klubhouse.

In 1967, Kit worked at NBC International in Caracas, Venezuela, before becoming executive producer at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles. Ever a pioneer, Kit founded and ran a television station, KFTY Channel 50, in Santa Rosa, Calif., before moving back to Seattle to work as a producer, writer, and manager for Boeing’s Motion Picture and TV Productions.

A long-time Bainbridge Island community leader, Spier served for 25 years as District No. 7 Sewer Commissioner. He led the effort to transform its outdated treatment system into the state-of-the-art plant at Fort Ward that continues to win environmental awards.

He also helped launch and develop Bainbridge Island Broadcasting (now BITV), an award-winning public access television station.

Kit was an avid sailor and boatman for most of his life. When he wasn’t boating himself, he was often reading sea stories and naval histories. A fine craftsman and always working on a project, he also used his free time to write novels and other works, build furniture, two boats, and one of his Seattle homes.

Spier was the son of two respected pioneers in the field of anthropology, Erna Gunther and Leslie Spier. Dr. Gunther headed the Department of Anthropology at the University of Washington for many years and was the director of what is now the Burke Museum on the UW campus.

He is survived by his wife Patricia, his son Peter Spier, his daughter Susan (Rick) Matteson, and grandchildren Caitlin and Sean Matteson. His brother, Robert Spier lives in Missouri.

There will be no memorial service, at his request, but in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the UW Burke Museum’s Erna Gunther Endowment.