I N S I D E

T H I S

I S S U E :

Sasquatch

Speakers

2

Volunteer! 2

Meet Brim

Smith

3

SMU Statue

Turns 100!

3

Retired

Teachers

Advocacy

6

L A C E Y MU S E UM

Museum Musings S P R I N G 2 0 1 9

SAVE THE

DATES!

Sasquatch

Revealed Exhibit,

May 31 through

August 31, Lacey

Museum and Lacey

City Hall

Sasquatch

Revealed

Opening Day

Event, Friday, May

31, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.,

Lacey Museum and

Lacey City Hall

Historic Neighbor-

hood Walking

Tour, Saturday,

June 29, 10 a.m.,

Lacey Museum

Sheler Leaves Legacy in Lacey Parks & Recreation Jim Sheler graduated from

Oregon State University

with a B.S. in recreational

administration. From there

he went on to be a park

supervisor in Corvallis, OR

and then parks & recreation

supervisor for the City of

Albany, Oregon.

In 1974 at age 27, he was

appointed Lacey parks &

recreation director with a

salary of $12,000. Highlights

of his career include the

development of Woodland

Creek Community Park,

along with the Community

Center and Senior Center,

Rainier Vista Park, Huntamer

Park and stage, and the

Regional Athletic Complex.

Not as visible, but just as

important to the Lacey

community, is the develop-

ment of robust recreation,

aquatic and cultural

programs, an impressive

array of community events,

and the Lacey Museum.

In 2010 he was honored

with the Washington Parks

and Recreation Distinguished

Service award for his

commitment and contribu-

tions to the field.

In his first month on the job

as Lacey’s first full-time parks

& recreation director, Sheler

said, “I would like to gain as

much park property as our

department can handle and

maintain.”

Mission accomplished, sir. In

his 35 years, Sheler’s depart-

ment went from 3 parks to a

dazzling 26 on 530 acres!

Many staff members he hired

still work for Lacey Parks &

Recreation and they have

nothing but high praise and

love for him. Sheler, for his

part, knew he could not

realize these goals on his

own. To his successor, Lori

Flemm. he wrote, “You are

inheriting a strong, profes-

sional staff that will help

make you shine. I know this

because they allowed me to

do my job and not worry

From top to bottom: Regional Athletic Com-

plex, Jim speaking at Rainier Vista dedication,

Huntamer Park stage, Senior Center

SHELER Continued, page 2

M U S E U M M U S I N G S

It takes a lot of people

helping to make our

programs a reality. We

couldn’t do it without our

stellar group of volunteers.

Would you like to join this

great group?

Contact Curator Erin

Quinn Valcho at

museum@ci.lacey.wa.us or

360-413-3557.

about whether they could

handle theirs. Obviously I

am very proud of the folks

and what the collective ‘we’

have accomplished.”

The community lost an in-

credible presence when Jim

passed away on April 13,

2019. He was loved by

many and will be missed by

all who knew him.

SHELER, CONTINUED

Spotlight on... Commissioner Brim Smith

Commendation Medal.

After his military career he worked for

the Washington State Department of

Transportation in several positions. He

supervised the travel analysis section

and edited the Annual Traffic Report.

His next position was developing

WSDOT’s mapping-grade Global Posi-

tion System training program. His last

15 years with WSDOT was as an

economist and editor of The Hybrid

Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Report.

In 1999, he graduated from Syracuse

University’s Master of Social Science

program, an interdisciplinary degree in

history, political science, and interna-

tional relations. He received his Ph.D.

from Gonzaga University in leadership

studies. His dissertation was on

celebrity politics. Dr. Smith has taught

history, business communications, and

managerial economics as an adjunct

professor. He has written extensively

on the life and work of the Anglo-

American writer P. G. Wodehouse

and is president of The Wodehouse

Society, a literary society with interna-

tional membership. He authored arti-

cles on Kurt Vonnegut, P. G. Wode-

house, and Slaughterhouse-Five for

the Encyclopedia of Prisoners of War

and Internment. He sings tenor with

Masterworks Choral Ensemble and

has sung several solos. He has been

on stage in two Olympia Musical

Theatre productions, The Fantas-

ticks! and She Loves Me.

Currently, Brim can be found work-

ing at the Visitor Center on the

Capitol Campus, giving guided tours

at the State Capitol and Governor’s

Mansion, or at the Lewis Army Mu-

seum at Joint Base Lewis McChord.

Most recently, he wrote their

Museum’s Docent Training Guide.

Having spent two careers in trans-

portation, Dr. Smith is especially

interested in the development of the

Lacey train depot reproduction.

Transportation networks are an

important factor in a region’s histo-

ry and the Lacey Train Station was

an important development in the

creation of this community.

Thank you for your service, Brim!

P A G E 3

Major Thomas Langston Reeves “Brim” Smith

enlisted in the U. S. Navy in 1976 as an aviation

structural mechanic. After one enlistment, he

returned to college and earned a Regular Army

commission in the Transportation Corps. Among

his many assignments were tours of duty in

Antarctica, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. He was

commander of the Transportation Company of the

Multinational Force and Observers, Sinai, Egypt.

His last assignment was with the military

intelligence brigade at Fort Lewis, Washington,

retiring from the Army in 1998. His awards include

five Meritorious Service Medals, the Joint Service

Commendation Medal, and the Army

Saint Martin’s Sacred Heart of Jesus Sculpture Turns 100

The sculpture that adorns the grand

staircase in front of Old Main on Abbey

Way was donated by a group of men who

attended the first Knights of Columbus

Laymen’s Retreat in Washington on the

Saint Martin’s College campus in July of

1918.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is one of the

most popular images of Jesus, meant to

portray the image of God’s love through

the pierced heart of His Son.

The sculpture was created by the German-

American stone artisan and sculptor, Carl

Biber (sometimes misidentified as Charles

or Clarence), who was a partner in Carrier

& Biber, an artificial stone

manufacturer in Tacoma. The stone block

from which the statue was carved was

created from a mixture of marble dust and

cement, a technique that Biber brought

with him from Germany.

People watching marveled at the artistry of

the sculptor as indicated in the 1919 Saint

Martin’s publication, the Martian, “The very

stone seemed to come to life at the will of

the artist and as we stood with reverent

awe and devotion we saw before us the

truly wonderful image of Christ Himself.”

Biber’s handiwork can be seen in Wash-

ington, Oregon and Idaho in decorative

elements of structures like Bellarmine

Preparatory School and the Masonic

Temple in Tacoma. Other religious

sculptures can be seen in his Stations

of the Cross at the Benedictine

Monastery of St. Gertrude in Idaho.

Courtesy Saint Martin’s University

PLEASE NOTE: The Lacey Museum will be closed until May 18th as we prepare for a new

exhibit. Please be sure to confirm museum hours at our website: laceymuseum.org.

Lacey Museum

829 Lacey Street SE

Lacey, WA 98503

Open Thursday & Friday 11 am-3 pm

Saturday 10 am - 4 pm

FREE Admission

Phone: 360-438-0209

E-mail: museum@ci.lacey.wa.us

www.laceymuseum.org

Our Mission

The Museum enriches our community and engages

visitors by sharing vibrant stories of the past

through the preservation and celebration of Lacey

and the South Sound region’s cultural heritage.

On September 18, 1954, a small group of

women met at Olympia High School to

organize an Olympia and Thurston County Chapter of the Retired Teach-

ers’ Association. The first president was

Mabel Fox. Their goals were to promote the

social and educational welfare of retired

teachers, keep their interest in education alive,

take an active part in civic affairs, and make an

organized effort to secure and maintain

suitable homes for retired teachers.

The early meetings of the group were held on

the third Saturday of each month, usually

excluding the holidays and summer months,

except for the occasional summer picnic.

Their meeting locations varied and included

Olympia High School, the Olympia

Community Center, the Coach House of the

State Capitol Museum, the Courthouse, res-

taurants, and even members’ homes when a

public location could not be found. When

necessary, members were asked to bring their

own sack lunch.

The group grew and by 1956, there were 26

members reported. Early issues of concern

included insurance, pension, legislation, health

care and community service.

By the early 1960s, membership attendance

had dwindled; sometimes there were not even

enough members to hold a meeting. Historian

Ruby Dingee attributed the decline to the loss

of early leaders Mabel Foxwell and Fannie

Johnson with no replacement leadership to

Museum Staff Contacts

Erin Quinn Valcho

Museum Curator

360-413-3557

equinnva@ci.lacey.wa.us

Sarah Thirtyacre

Alan Tyler

Roemello Chavez,

Youth Commissioner

follow them. The group considered joining

forces with another unit nearby. The

breaking point came in April 1964 when the

nominating committee had no candidate for

president.

Later that year, a meeting attended by the

state association president and 22 members

was held to discuss the group’s

reorganization. It was reborn under a new

name (Olympia was dropped), a new presi-

dent (June Ramaker), a new constitution,

and the institution of membership year-

books. Meetings were held mostly at local

restaurants on the 3rd Friday of the month.

Ruth Ball, a resident of Panorama City,

introduced the idea of meeting at Panorama

by hosting in her home in January 1965. By

the end of that year, 50 or more members

attended each meeting. Men also began to

join and take active part in the group. By

1967, there were 13 men out of 88

members. Another turning point occurred in

January 1966, the first time the group met at

the Panorama restaurant.

The first male president to run the

organization was Herman Miller, who served

from 1967-1970. Under his leadership,

Panorama’s restaurant became the

designated meeting place as it is today.

On July 28, 1997 an endowment fund was

established to provide small grants to

teachers in Thurston County to enhance

learning in their classrooms.

President Karen Keller presents

River Ridge teacher Denny

Gradoville with a mini-grant, 2017

In 2002, their name changed to Thurston

County School Retirees’ Association

(TCSRA) to be more inclusive. By 2005,

there were 623 members—one of the

largest in the state. Over the years five

members have become state presidents.

Only the Seattle unit has provided more

presidents from their organization.

As of 2018, the ranks of TCSRA have

swollen to nearly 800 members and they

serve all retired and active school

employees. TCSRA has donated their

organizational archives to the Lacey

Museum. We are proud to be their

historical custodians. These records are

open to the public.

Marisa Merkel

Museum Educator

360-438-0209

mmerkel@ci.lacey.wa.us

Erich Ebel, Chair

Kimberly Goetz, Vice Chair

Jeff Crane

Seth Huff

Thomas Smith

Lacey Historical Commissioners

65 Years of Advocating for Retired Teachers