LUMMI ISLAND COMMUNITY CLUB
N E W S L E T T E R
December 1969
POT LUCK DINNER MEETING ‑ WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10 ‑ 6:45 P.M. ‑ GRANGE HALL
THE PROGRAM WILL BE PRESENTED BY DICK POOLE, A MARINE BIOLOGIST WHO IS DIRECTOR OF THE LOCAL OCEANOGRAPHIC LABORATORY AND WE UNDERSTAND HE IS PREPARING AN EXCEEDINGLY INTERESTING ILLUSTRATED LECTURE.
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SPECIAL NOTICE: As a community service the post office will be open Tuesday evening, December 9th, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM for those of you who cannot mail all of your Christmas goodies during the day. Jerry has also been opening the post office at 7:45 A.M. every day for the convenience of the commuter types. He stresses the fact that since there is only one dispatch per day on the 3 PM ferry, it would help if you all could get your packages and mail to him by 2:30 PM or 11:30 A.M. on Saturday. And PLEASE use your return address and zip code.
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At our last meeting in October Samuel Leathers, an accomplished scuba diver, presented a very interesting and informative program with colored slides he had taken under water in and around Lummi Island. He showed and explained the many types of sea life existing in this area. And it was amazing to see this outstanding display of an aquatic world most of us never realized was just a doorstep away. Mr. Leathers was very well versed in the biological and geological aspects of his subject and this made his discourse extremely worthwhile and quite rewarding.
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A NOTE TO ALL ISLANDERS: Remember to take enough festive type vitamins to enable you to make with a non abstemious type carousal come New Years Eve. This annual whingding is a must for all the islanders who feel compelled to celebrate the fleeting of time. Never could understand, though, if these affairs are so meaningful how come practically everyone gets smashed to the point of unconsciousness . . tsk tsk. Must be something they want to forget, like Vietnam, taxes, matrimony, ferry fares.
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The WOE DEPARTMENT turned a bit hectic and almost tragic since last we met, what with Dennis Lintz’ serious auto accident and Mrs. Nolte, Mae Clifton and John Christensen all being hospitalized with various ailments. Apparently they are all well on the road to recovery except Dennis who is having considerable difficulty staying with it as he is kept more or less under sedation. For awhile it was touch and go with him. As this letter goes to press we just learned of Cap Beaman’s hospitalization and operation yesterday for a serious malady that apparently has been bothering him for some time. We all wish him well and hope the medics can correct the ailment satisfactorily.
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The club answered KING‑TV’s inquiry into the island’s progress made under the University of Washington Bureau of Community Development. They had expressed an interest in a possible documentary of the Bureau’s activities, but it is doubtful that the island program has any particular interest to them since we apparently did not fit nor follow the accepted pattern established for problem type communities.
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At the January general meeting several knowledgeable persons from the technical and government fields will attempt to conduct a seminar type discussion on the island water situation and the various possibilities or mechanics of acquiring an adequate supply. This is possibly the most important problem facing the entire island at the present time and its solution will determine the future of this community. Your property will be affected one way or another. Apparently there are some 4000 or so parcels of privately owned tracts on this island.
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It has been brought to our attention that some of the hippie types infesting the local scene are imports from other states and are being supported through the Washington State Welfare Program. This knowledge is causing ever increasing rumblings amongst the natives and it would appear that a confrontation with those responsible is about due.
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Was going to write a commentary on the lack of voters at the last election but this mass apathy for our democratic system causes my pen to spew forth nothing but unprintable denunciations of the species called mankind – and besides I’ve been much too busy polishing my own halo.
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Don’t forget the Community Club elections are customarily held in January and the board is considering an innovation in that august body for the coming year. This will be discussed at the next meeting.
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The Island military types all report that their activities are still classified under unprintable adjectives, that is all except Buddy Granger who is too busy being admiralized at Annapolis to give with any noticeable gripes. Come to think of it, though, he probably is being conditioned to be the butt of them. Jim Miller was sent to Saigon as a representative of his group in northern Vietnam to attend a seminar workshop on photo lab techniques. He is now back in Phu Bie and along with the rest of the base is becoming increasingly irritated with a change in officer personnel to regular army brass. Guess they are reinitiating the customary old army line discipline and it doesn’t appear to set too well with the modern army kids. Jim’s time in Vietnam will be up January 20. Mike Ellingboe is still in Fort Lewis. Norma is living in Parkland just off the base. Mike is due for a discharge in August. Steve Smith succumbed to Uncle’s beckoning hand recently and is now stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas where he is training in the missile program. Mr. Bringhoff’s grandson is out of school by request of the armed forces, and is now headed for a few years of military life instead of continuing work on his master’s degree.
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A COUPLE OF UNEXPLAINED HAPPENINGS RECENTLY:
a. Gobs of exterior decorations such as signs, streamers, billboards, etc., etc., and etc. graced the Earl Grangers’ little love nest upon their return from a hunting trip. Guess they managed to clear away the mess in a day or so and as yet the culprits have not been positively identified = as nobody saw nuttin nohow.
b. The baptism of Spellman’s car which showed up one morning resting peacefully in a placid pool up to the floorboards across from Tripp’s Marina. Most agreed it was an engineering feat of steermanship possibly caused by either concentration on wild geese, wild ducks or a wild mini skirt we think. Understand other reasons have been expressed though.
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PEOPLE DOINGS Jackie Gaines has been trying to introduce the cherubs in the local school to a bit of Spanish as her contribution to a community service project. She hopes to acquire a permanent position as a foreign language instructor elsewhere. …..Mrs. Melcher reports that since the family and friends keep descending upon her for holidays and the like in droves, she is going to rename the place “Holiday Inn and
Out.”…….Les Shanahan is sprouting wings and has hopes of ascending the heights at the controls of a helicopter. As of now he has about 30 hours of flying time according to his helpmate, but she didn’t say on what??…….Understand Charlie Baker is going to give the academic world a boost by enrolling at Everett Junior College and might possibly room with Bob Morse from the island……Jeanie Granger’s gift shop is well stocked for the holidays and we understand she has the trinket for your Aunt Maggie or some other hard to please relative or friend ……Acquiring Bob Aiston’s pen and ink etchings on greeting cards has become a must for anyone that sees them. Guess now that he’s married he don’t need his etchings any more? … .Flo Konecke’s art work is also available to the discerning clientele …..Jerry Anderson, our local postmaster, is a retiring soul when it comes to plugging his qualifications and appointments, judging from the teenie weenie sign he has on the post office bulletin board proclaiming his role as the island’s one and only notary public. Guess he needs a publicity man.
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Due to considerable comment about these newsletters being looked upon as the product of an island publishing house rather than as a fringe benefit of membership in the club, we will try a new idea for several months and send the newsletters out to the local people on a patron basis instead of addressing them to individual families. We like to think the annual dues are paid in because of interest in our organization. These dues are used to defray all expenses including the cost of the newsletter. More on this subject and a report from our treasurer in the January issue. But don’t forget, in addition to the interest evidenced by payment of dues, equally important is your attendance at meetings.
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Will wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS now but will wish you a HAPPY NEW YEAR in person at the party. And see you on December 10th. Your scribe for
Gus Johnson,‑ President