ncore E Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Ferndale Record
A GUIDE TO A FULFILLING SENIOR LIFE IN WHATCOM COUNTY
Without volunteers (photo below), the Lynden Pioneer Museum couldn’t operate.......................................... p. C2 Memoir Crafters chronicles personal legacies ........................................ p. C6 Ferndale pair honored ............................... p. C8
A supplement of the Lynden Tribune and Ferndale Record
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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 18, 2013 | Ferndale Record
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Faithful volunteers help keep museum doors open Jim Mackin goes back to the very beginning of the Lynden Pioneer Museum in 1976; Bob, Anna Greta Boice have been at it for 34 years By Calvin Bratt editor@lyndentribune.com
The Lynden Pioneer Museum was established in the American bicentennial year of 1976 as Fred Polinder Sr. was also donating all his local collection of horse-drawn buggies to the city. (Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune)
See Why We’re Smiling
LYNDEN — When the most important thing about a museum in the winter might be just keeping the place open, a loyal group of docents becomes priceless. Curator Troy Luginbill knows exactly how important his list of 35 docents is for the Lynden Pioneer Museum. “If not for our volunteers, the museum simply couldn’t run, period,” he said last week. Luginbill has calculated their value, if paid at minimum wage, at over $300,000 per year. Docents, in museum lingo, are those who greet and welcome visitors, guide around to exhibits and interpret and answer questions as best they can. Between Luginbill and Tami Rylaarsdam, the general all-around office coordinator, all the three-hour slots for Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then to 4 p.m. get filled with volunteer docents. Serving in pairs, they do their shifts at the front counter of the big community museum at 217 Front St. Vera Todahl, who was doing her shift last Friday with Beth Pardee, said she “just walked in and started working” at about the same time Luginbill arrived 20 years ago. “Some of us have been working here a long, long time,” chimed in Murella
DeVries, who grew up in Lynden, spent decades away and then returned in retirement and found a place at the museum. DeVries has a natural a interest in the history of Lynden since her father, Peter Koert, worked as a bookkeeper “for years and years” for William Waples, head of the Lynden Department Store. When old ledgers of the famed store came into the museum’s keeping, DeVries marveled at “book after book” of entries in her father’s handwriting. She is a registrar for the museum, helping keep track of the 47,000 objects that are somewhere in the 28,000 square feet of floor space. College students swell the ranks of the volunteers in summer. Actually, about 100 are on the master volunteer list, especially if you count those who serve on the Board of Trustees and the Lynden Heritage Foundation Board for no pay. The Lynden museum board members right now are: president Clarence Zylstra, Fred Polinder Jr., Joel Robinson, Peg Riley, Wayne Lamphere, Randy Sager and Johannes Lisiecki. And the board needs one more member to be at eight.
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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 18, 2013 | Ferndale Record
ENCORE The foundation board members include: chair Dick Decima, Roger Elliott, Jerry Mason, Eric Bauer, Mike Lewis and Judi Van Beek. And Troy knows he too often forgets the contributions of his wife, Jerrie. “She volunteers a tremendous lot of hours,” he said. Col. Jim Mackin The “Col.” title is concocted since there are no colonels in the Navy, as Jim Mackin will tell you, and much more, whether it relates to his days on boats or his time at the very start of the Lynden Pioneer Museum. He is “the last of the originals,” he acknowledges, from the 1976 start of a place for the artifacts of Lynden. Curator Luginbill said Mackin is by far “the single largest collection donor to the museum,” with at least 4,000 items bearing his name. Jim Mackin has been hard at it for the museum across all those years, whether as a collector, tour guide, laborer, promoter, board member — and now still doing his docent shift from 1 to 4 p.m. each Thursday. He gives credit to George Young, just retired around 1980 from the U.S. Border Patrol, for building the interior structure of the museum into what it is today. First there was just a replica of a See Museum on C4
The museum absolutely depends on its many volunteers, said manager/curator Troy Luginbill, far left. The others, who all happened to be present at the front entrance last Friday morning, are from left, Rich Kayser, Vera Todahl, Murella DeVries and Beth Pardee. (Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune)
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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 18, 2013 | Ferndale Record
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Museum: Mackin still a tireless contributor Continued from C3
Jim Mackin has been a volunteer at the Lynden Pioneer Museum since its start in 1976. (Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune)
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pioneer kitchen, then a bedroom was added, then a full house and a barn. That was in the original western half of today’s building in what had been the town’s North Washington Implement Co. In the early 1980s the second half was added, and Young could start building his mock-up of early Front Street. “All the stuff that you see here was in George’s mind,” Mackin said. Some of the others involved with the fledgling museum at the time were Larry Van Egdom, Bob Latta and Jelte Visser. When money was short, it took a lot of determination just to keep the doors open. “I was here just about all the time,” he recalls. He remembers days spent trying to get dirty old items, such as a pot-bellied stove, into presentable condition. Now almost 80, Mackin is a tireless collector for the Lynden Pioneer Museum. That impulse goes with having been an auctioneer by trade, and knowing where good deals are to be found. Between the creative design and prolific collecting, the museum is typi-
cally a big hit with those who come in, stroll around for several hours and then sign the guestbook. One of Mackin’s favorite comments is a variation of “The Smithsonian could take lessons here.” Also, people come to Lynden to see how to put together their own community museum. “One of the first things they ask for are the blueprints,” Mackin said. “I say we don’t have any blueprints. It’s all in the curator’s head.” Mackin’s second piece of advice about opening a museum is: “If you don’t intend to keep the doors open, don’t even start.” And that is good reason to have a faithful group of docents. Bob and Anna Greta Boice This Lynden couple has been involved with the museum from about 1979 on, just a few years after founding. It started with Anna Greta, an accountant, being the treasurer there, a role in which she continued “forever,” she said. She volunteered husband Bob, who is eight years her senior and was already retired from the Lynden Post Office. “I thought that would be a good job for him and he thought so too.” “We kid him, one of these days he is
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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 18, 2013 | Ferndale Record
going to be an old relic in the window,” Anna Greta added. They are now docents, but not together on the same day. This keeps them active in the community at their ages, 91 and 83, she said. Bob, a Lynden native, is able to say that his father and older brother helped prepare the site that is now City Park when it was first obtained in the 1920s. The Boices still live on the old family property on Drayton Street. For herself, Anna Greta came from Sweden to Lynden in 1950 to visit an aunt, expecting to stay only one year. Then she met Bob and they were married. Their highlight of being involved with the museum probably was the 1991 observance of Lynden’s centennial. They were on a committee that helped guide three days of historical celebration and when a reenactment of town founders Holden and Phoebe Judson needed actors, Bob played the role of Holden and Claire vg Thomas the role of Phoebe. “We’ve had a lot of fun down there (at the museum) and still do. It’s a terrific place to volunteer,” Anna Greta said.
Bob and Anna-Greta Boice got stylish for Lynden’s centennial celebration in 1991. (Courtesy photo)
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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 18, 2013 | Ferndale Record
Memoir Crafters chronicles personal legacies ‘The beauty is it is in their words, their voice’ By Tim Newcomb tim@lyndentribune.com
WHATCOM — Everyone has a story to tell, but sometimes getting that legacy into keepsake form proves too daunting. Pair that story with Sarah Geballe’s desire to craft a memoir and her Whatcom County business — Memoir Crafters — has caught on, especially with seniors. “Maybe they have kids or grandkids urging them, ‘please tell your stories because I want future generations to know about your life,’” she said. “Each story is unique and that is one of the things I like about it.” A member of the Association of Personal Historians — there are about 650 of them worldwide — Geballe turned her personal enjoyment of writing into a business in 2011. The transformation started with a memoir writing certificate class in Western Washington University’s continuing education program. Then, after a second class, she decided to explore memoir writing as a profession, finding out that one week after making her decision the association’s annual conference was in nearby Victoria, B.C. It was there that her interest was solidified. “I wondered if people would pay me to help them write their memoirs,” she said. “It is such a personal experience and one thing led to another.” While some personal historians focus on videos or audio recordings, Geballe takes hours of recorded interviews and transforms them into a manuscript. By adding in scanned images — everything from photographs to awards and keepsakes (love letters included!) — she works with a graphic designer to create a book full of text and visuals.
The process, which can produce a six-by-nine-inch book anywhere from 125 to 300 pages, starts with four to eight interview sessions, usually about two hours each. “I let them talk and they can talk in whatever order they want, just a stream of consciousness retelling the stories of their life,” she said. “Most people like talking about themselves.” Once Geballe transcribes the interviews, she creates a first draft of a manuscript. But the individual retains complete control, able to add in more stories, take some out and go back and forth with Geballe until satisfied. “The beauty is it is in their words, their voice,” she said. For those who don’t want to tackle the full memoir, the smaller “legacy letter” — which she also dubs an “ethical will” — project really serves as a “love letter” to share with people you care about, Geballe said. In that scenario, she will spend time with a person, focusing on the values they want to pass to others. “If a person tells me education is really important, I will try to flesh that out,” she said. “If they use humor as a way to cope, we use examples. It is not a full memoir, but we are capturing the essence of their core beliefs as well as hopes and dreams for the future.” She has also used this style to retell smaller legacies worth preserving for future generations, such as a recounting of a family’s adoption story. In that scenario, Geballe worked as an editor, but worked to get the project to a point where the family would have a cherished gift and heirloom. Geballe will host events throughout January connected to her work: • A two-Saturday event, on Jan. 11 and 18, in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Bellingham will run from 10 a.m. to noon each day to teach how to write
Sarah Geballe is a founding member of Memoir Crafters. (Courtesy photo) legacy letters. • On Wednesday, Jan. 22, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the Ferndale Public Library Geballe will instruct on crafting a mem-
oir. • On Saturday, Jan. 25, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in Fairhaven Public Library she will talk about crafting a memoir.
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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 18, 2013 | Ferndale Record
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Senior tours lure, from Vancouver to Palm Springs Other getaways coming up: Oregon Coast, Seattle Flower Show WHATCOM — These are upcoming offerings from the Whatcom Senior Tour Program, a nonprofit service of the Whatcom Council on Aging, open to all. To sign up for any trip, call 733-4030 and press # then 47015, or stop by 315 Halleck St., Bellingham. Native Culture Anthropology Museum, Vancouver, B.C., Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014 Tour Vancouver’s Museum of Anthropology, which houses and displays over 40,000 Native American artifacts from all over the world on the campus of the University of British Columbia. See collections from Asia, North America, Africa, South and Central America, the Pacific Islands and B.C. native pieces. Be amazed at the details of the wood carvings of Kwakwaka’wakw
totem poles, canoes and hand-crafted masks. Learn the history of ancient and mysterious artifacts, like the Nuu-channulth club. See a variety of cultural folk adornments, ancient tools and weapons. Trip includes motorcoach, no-host lunch, admission and escort. To sign up, call 733-4030 press # then 47015 or stop by 315 Halleck St., Bellingham. Vancouver High Tea Cruise and Historic Cathedral Tour, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014 Tour by coach from Bellingham to Vancouver, B.C., and embark on a yacht cruise, take in the city skyline and view architectural marvels. It’s a traditional afternoon High Tea Cruise on the waters of English Bay. Toast the town seated inside the parlor. Enjoy a selection of assorted teas, sandwiches, pastries and fresh strawberries with Devonshire cream. After cruising, be delivered by coach to the grand halls of the cathedrals to see their stained glass window designs and Gothic style
of stone and wood architecture. Opening Day of Northwest Flower and Garden Show, Seattle, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014 This extraordinary show in the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle has more than six acres of magical flower-filled display gardens to inspire you. It also includes seminars with garden experts who you can learn from and more than 300 well-known exhibitors in the garden marketplace. A cooking demo uses home-grown produce and cast iron to bring out unique flavors. The trip departs from Bellingham at 9 a.m. and returns at 5 p.m. Final payment of $66 is due by Jan. 23, with an additional $10 fee for non-members of Whatcom senior centers. Palm Springs, Calif., Getaway March 11 – 14, 2014 It’s a getaway to the warm oasis desert city of Palm Springs. Be guided through natural land-
marks and listen to tales of movie stars who left their mark. At the Living Desert, see the unique desert animal and plant collections. Get close to the world’s largest collections of World War II airplanes. Enjoy the Palm Springs Follies’ Broadway dance performances of the '30s and '40s. Witness the art museum’s varied collection including Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol. Take free time to do as much or as little as you like. Stormwatch Oregon Coast, March 1720, 2014 Catch the rugged beauty of the towns along the breath-taking Oregon coastline. Relax at the Shilo Inn Seaside Oceanfront Resort and hear and see the mighty waves pounding along the sandy shores. Visit the beautifully presented Maritime Museum in Astoria to learn all about the science and history of the seas. Get a full tour at the Tillamook cheese factory and see how distinctive cheeses are made. Watch the Pacific from seaside boardwalks.
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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 18, 2013 | Ferndale Record
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Ferndale woman, daughter honored for being good samaritans Pair broke up public beating scene in May By Mark Reimers news@ferndalerecord.com
FERNDALE — A Ferndale woman and her daughter were honored Dec. 5 by the Mount Baker Red Cross chapter for their lifesaving efforts this year. Marlene Rials and her daughter Sherry earned the award due to an incident in May, when the pair broke up the beating of a young boy on Douglas Road. The incident was detailed in the May 8 issue of the Ferndale Record after Sherry called the newspaper to brag about her 73-year-old mother standing up to the perpetrators. “My mom, she looks soft and gentle,” Sherry said proudly at the time. “You would never know she had that kind of fierceness.” Marlene Rials has lived in Ferndale for just over five years and was being visited by her daughter for a fun day around Mothers Day when the two happened upon the sight of several young men beating a preteen boy just outside Grant’s Burgers on Douglas Road. Both noticed there were people standing around and drivers ignoring the situation as they pulled to a stop and Marlene hopped out first and began yelling at the men to stop. Two backed away and one turned around to tell her that the boy tried to break into his house, to which Marlene told him he should have called the police. After the heat of the moment, neither woman was certain what they should do, since the victim fled from the scene with a friend. They initially drove around looking for him. After the pair were announced as Real Heroes award recipients, Sherry told the Bellingham Herald she regrets
Marlene Rials and her daughter Sherry were honored by the Mount Baker Red Cross chapter for potentially lifesaving efforts back in May. (File photo) not calling the police afterward, even though she had very few details to share. However, she said, she is hopeful their experience can be an example to others.
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“You can do something — even if you’re female, even if you’re 70,” Sherry said. “At least you stand and bear witness.”
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