I never get tired of just wandering through the photos and caption in the Northwest Room at the Tacoma Public Library. Not only is this picture both timeless and timely but the caption is priceless. Here it is as written by someone at the Library, not Arthur Miller:
“In May of 1943, Frederick E. Sexton of the Internal Revenue Service modeled his modern new green eyeshade, his first in twenty years, purchased to celebrate his move to new office quarters in the Washington Building. Twenty eight years ago, he had reported to the second floor of the Federal building to fill a temporary position working with the new income tax. The year was 1915 and extra help was needed to work with the new experimental tax. The tax rate at that time was 1 % of income. That “temporary” position extended to 28 years, during which time he never moved off the second floor of the Federal building. Mr. Sexton began as a clerk and has risen to the Chief of the Assessment and Control section and an assistant Comptroller.”
tacoma history 