Bachelor of Arts, Honors Chemistry, Cornell University
Byrd Lochtie was educated in Bergen County, New Jersey. She graduated as valedictorian from Ramsey High School, and from Cornell University where she earned life membership in Phi Beta Kappa and the Mortar Board.
Upon arriving in Humboldt County in the 1950's, Byrd began a long career of community volunteer work. Motivated by the many good things in this community, she felt an obligation to give something back. Her first contribution was the establishment of Girl Scouts in the community.
Byrd continuously did volunteer work in the classrooms of local schools, and she was elected to the Eureka City Schools board from 1980-1988. She saw a need for "in school libraries" so she began requesting funding in the schools, budget. Byrd earned the Celebrate Literacy Award in 1988 from Humboldt-Del Norte Reading Council for the successful establishment of libraries at each school site. She also earned recognition for support in staff development and curriculum work within the Eureka School District.
Byrd helped establish the first recycling center in Eureka, and served as its president. The charter was transferred to the Arcata Recycling Center and the center in Eureka was taken over by City Garbage.
Currently, Byrd works as a consultant to non-profit organizations. She is an active member of the League of Women Voters. She has been an member of the Humboldt Grand Jury. She has been honored as the Women of Achievement from the Eureka Quota Club. She was Beta Sigma Phi's Woman of the Year. And finally, she received the Thanks Badge from the Girl Scouts .
B.A., Connecticut College
Guggenheim Fellowship, 1981-82
Cecilia Holland has always loved to write. Since her first novel, The Firedrake, was published in 1966, she has written a new book approximately every 1 1/2 years. While her primary motivation has been her great enjoyment of doing so, she has also been motivated for financial reasons as the single mother of three daughters.
In trying to think of new plots, she has usually found that browsing through magazines helps to spark new ideas. Pillars of the Sky came to her after visiting Stone Henge, reading articles discussing its origin, and then combining these ideas with the King Arthur story. When creating characters, she has found that basing them on friends works best.
Each novel goes through many, many rewrites during its 1 1/2 year development. Thanks to the marvels of word processing, this part at least, is relatively painless. The actual work of writing is very difficult and getting harder every year. Two thirds of what is written on any book is usually erased. Her current project is a book about San Francisco's Barbary Coast and should be completed any day now.
Executive Director, Arcata Economic Development Corporation
B.S., State University of New York, Brockport
As Executive director of the Arcata Economic Development Corporation, Cindy Copple has helped to develop local businesses like Yakima, White Rose Design, and Kokotat through AEDC's small business loan program. Ever since she moved to Humboldt County in 1971, Cindy has been interested in cooperative endeavors. In fact, she first learned about such kinds of activities while in the Peace Corps in Honduras from 1968-1970.
Upon settling in Humboldt County, she became involved in helping to start the Arcata Coop and worked there from 1971 to 1978. After resting for 6 months, she became the Housing Officer of AEDC. Her greatest accomplishment while Housing Director was putting together a housing cooperative which opened in 1982, River Community Homes. It remains the only housing cooperative north of San Francisco.
In 1984, Cindy became the Executive Director of AEDC. Since then , she has worked hard to promote the small business loan program, and small business development through projects like the current incubator for food preparation businesses. Throughout her career in cooperative ventures, Cindy has remained committed to this idea because she believes that people should have control of their environment and that self-determination makes them much more successful.
Quilter
Dixie McBride lived in southern California until 15 years ago, when she and her husband moved to Humboldt County, seeking a quieter lifestyle. Inspired by her home and by Humboldt County in general, she began taking quilting classes two years after moving here. She entered her first competition, the Humboldt County Fair, in 1979, and has been in dozens of competitions since. In 1990, her quilt entitled "Peacocks" won Best of show at the American International Quilt festival in Houston, Texas. It was chosen from 248 quilts from around the globe.
Besides making prize-winning quilts, Dixie repairs, restores, and collects antique quilts. This spring, she will attend classes to become a certified judge of quilting. Her quilts have been featured in many national magazines, including Country Living, Quilting Today, and Traditional Quiltworks.
After someone described her as a "whimsical folk artist", she felt she had been given the freedom to express herself by mixing traditional quilt patterns and her own ideas. She conducts workshops, writes for quilting magazines, and presents seminars on various aspects of quilting.
B.S. University of California, Los Angeles
General Elementary Credential
Harriet's testimony of her love of nature and our area are her books about the redwoods, and Frosty, A Raccoon to Remember, Bahamas, The Steer Who Survived the 1964 Flood, and Indomitable, The Only Salmon Who Could--And Did. She has a book in progress at this date. Harriet says, "All my life I have been fascinated by true stories of animals and humans who overcome monstrous odds and have gone on to survive and triumph." A former teacher, park ranger, and commercial artist, she is a valuable community resource. She is also interested in city affairs, working toward developing middle class, middle income housing for senior citizens.
Harriet was hooked on teaching after visiting her first classroom. She taught for thirty-five years. She was the first woman park ranger working in California state parks. She did this for twenty summers. During World War II she taught first aid to civil defense workers, literacy to segregated black troops, was commander of the Women's Ambulance Corp in her area, and worked on a civil patrol boat on the California coast. After the war she developed and taught a junior high school course on California and wrote "Redwoods", a teaching unit for elementary grades, for the California Redwood Association. Harriet feels that a happy childhood and wonderful opportunities led to a happy life.
B.A., Acting, Carnegie-Mellon University
M.A., Directing, Humboldt State University
In her desire to perpetuate theater arts and education, Jane Hill has worked and taught in theater for thirty-five years. she is a playwright, performer, and director.
She is the current director for the Dell, Arte School of Physical Theatre as well as its co-founder. Jane moved to this area in 1973 to do theater work in a concentrated way, and to be part of the community. The arts are a resource for the community, and they express the interests and needs of a community. Arts also express the ideas of the community so an involvement in the community keeps one in touch. This motivation and desire to be an active productive member of the community is Jane's reason for living here.
Jane has taught theater arts, acting and directing at the College of the Redwoods, Humboldt State University, U.C. Berkeley, the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, and most recently at Dell, Arte located in Blue Lake.
Jane earned Best Actress from Ferndale Repertory Theatre twice. She serves as a member in the Association for theater in Higher education. She was nominated for Woman of the year by the Humboldt County Commission on the Status of Women. She is a member of Actors Equity Association Women in Theatre and will be a citizen delegate to the Soviet Union this spring. She is also the President of the Blue Lake Chamber of Commerce.
Jane has written a musical about mothers and daughters entitled "Nothing Less Than Love" based on actual interviews with thirty-five women. Her one woman show entitle "Getting It, deals with issues of aging.
B.A. Social Service, Humboldt State University
Jean Olson devotes her time and energy to many community organizations, but early in her volunteer career, her three young sons directed a great deal of her energy to the Boy Scouts of America. She has been a registered scouter since 1967, and in that time she has helped organize the district level Scoutorama, she has coordinated public relations for the Redwood Area council--the governing body for Humboldt and Del Norte scouting activities, and she has just begun her second term as President of the Redwood Area Council.
Presently, Jean and her husband, Larry, are candidates for the American Cancer Society's Ambassador of the Decade award. The funding goal for this project is $100,000, and these funds will be designated for the Saint Joseph Hospital's linear accelerator.
Jean and her husband received the 1990 State of California Volunteers of the Year Award, and although this was a complete surprise to Jean, with her involvement in Boy Scouts, the American Cancer Society, the Humboldt County Board of Education, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission, the Public Health Department's Dental Disease Prevention Advisory Board and the well Baby Clinic, as well as the United Way, it should be no surprise to anyone else!
Yurok Educator and Basket Weaver
Born and raised on the Klamath river, Jessie Exline first learned about basket weaving and the Yurok language from neighboring older women for whom she and her brothers used to do chores. Since then she has gone on to make almost every type of basket known to the tribe, except for a baby's basket. As a basket weaver, she has enjoyed sharing her skills with her family and friends. Now, however, it is becoming difficult to find the proper kinds of materials for making the baskets due to a lack of burning off the prairies.
As an instructor of Yurok language and culture, Jessie has taught at McKinleyville High School since 1974. Averaging approximately 15 students for the two periods a day which she teaches, she has shared her knowledge with others. In attempting to do this, she has written Yurok Indian Language Words and, in cooperation with The Center for Community Development at Humboldt State University, has published four editions. She is currently on a fifth, and final edition, in which she plans to add Indian names of places on the river and the names of people.
Eminence Certificate Instructor, College of the Redwoods
Joy Sundberg is a Yurok Indian who was born on the Klamath River. She lives on her tribes, aboriginal territory in Trinidad. Because Indian legend, lore, and history were an extremely important part of her background, Joy has a strong sense of heritage and desire to protect all Indian heritage. And following in her parents, activist role, Joy too, is very involved with the Indian Rights Association.
Joy started teaching the cultures of the Northwest Indians in elementary classrooms while her children were in school. She went on to teach in nearly every school in the six northern counties. She has taught Cultures of the Northwest Indians at College of the Redwoods, and she has lectured at Humboldt State University. As part of the Festival of American Folklife, Joy lectured at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. between 1974-76. She coordinated the cultural program and presentation of program at the Far Western Festivities in San Francisco, and used this program in the inaugrual festivities for President Jimmy Carter. Her efforts secured the state historical marker at the village of Tsuari in Trinidad, and her energy helped to rebuild the village of Sumig in Partricks Point State Park.
Joy devotes time to the American Graduate program in Albuquerque, New Mexico, The United Indian Council, and the Lutheran Ministries for Native Americans. She has been recognized by the Inter Tribal Council of California, Inc., for loyal and devoted support, the California Rural Indian Board, Inc., and the Luna Wessel Leadership Award for "making Indian self determination a reality", and improving the quality of life and the spiritual and physical health of the nation's Indians.
Long Beach State Humboldt State University Judy Hodgson started her college education in Long Beach and finished it at HSU, majoring in journalism and minoring in economics. After graduation, she managed the Arcata Chamber of Commerce. When her youngest child was almost 2, she went to work for the Arcata Union as its government reporter. She became the editor of the Union in 1983, a job from which she was fired in 1988. (She sued for wrongful discharge and won.) After being fired in 1988, she could not find a journalism job so she went back to school to take business courses. She was "shocked" at losing her job, and her ignorance of financial and business matters. She never thought she would work in journalism in Humboldt County again.
She and 2 other women formed Adworks, and advertising agency. Judy wrote some ad copy and managed the business. When the Northcoast Journal was started by someone else, she knew that that sort of serious journalism was really her dream. When the Journal went up for sale, the 2 Adwork partners bought it and turned it into its current magazine format.
Judy and her husband also own Fieldbrook Winery, a "hobby which got out of control." They had always enjoyed making fruit wines, and made their first grape wine in 1969. In 1976, they began wine making as a business, and Judy has always been involved in it to some degree. In the last 2 years, the facilities-rental portion of the business has "exploded," so many weddings and fund-raisers are held there each month.
Humboldt State University
University of Vienna
Julie Fulkerson was born in Arcata and has lived in Humboldt County most of her life. After a varied education, she started Options in 70's. Options was a family counseling service and job search training program. Her store, Plaza Design, which opened in 1982, grew out of the job search portion of Option. She began the store both to provide retail jobs and to give local artisans a chance to market their products.
Julie served on the Arcata City Council from 1980 until 1988, and was mayor from 1984-86. During her tenure, many outstanding projects were undertaken in Arcata, including a new library, the establishment of the Arcata Foundation, community access television, municipal pay equity, affordable cooperative housing, and the expansion and enhancement of the wetlands.
On 1990 Julie was elected to the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors. She says that both the best and worst thing about the job is the "complexity of issues." She feels it's the best because of the challenge of learning about the interlinking functions of county government, and the worst because the problems exceed the financial resources available.
Kate Krebs was born into a pioneer California family in Ventura County. She moved to Humboldt County in 1972 to attend Humboldt State University. She now lives in Fieldbrook with her 10-year old son.
Kate entered the waste management field when she started working at the Arcata Community Recycling center in 1976 as a bookkeeper. She also worked for Net Energy, a non-profit organization which trained people in alternative energy systems installations increasing her knowledge of ways to maintain a desirable environment in Humboldt County.
In 1979 the Recycling Center separated from its parent organization, starting with a budget of $50,000. Kate became director of the center in 1983, and since has presided over much of its tenfold growth to the present $500,000 budget.
Kate has made extensive contributions to Humboldt County through her service in other waste management organizations. She helped design recycling policies for all of Humboldt County. She served on the Arcata Waste Water Task Force and the Humboldt County Solid Waste Advisory Committee, and she chaired the Humboldt County recycling and Waste Reduction Committee which succeeded in getting Measure C passed, making recycling a top priority in the county. She is currently chairing Californians Against Waste, a 40,000 member statewide organization, and she is also serving on the governing board of the Arcata Economic Development Corporation. Kate also served on the 939 Task Force which is responsible for seeing that the state goal of reducing waste by twenty-five percent is met by 1993.
B.A., Holy Names College, Oakland, California
Elementary Credential, Holy Names College
M.M., Holly Names College
Born and raised in the East Bay, Kathe Lyth started her teaching career at Convent of the Sacred Heart in San Francisco in 1972. In 1974 Kathe received a Ford Grant to study the Kodaly system of music at the Lizst Academy in Budapest, Hungary. After returning, she taught music at Holy Names College and on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona, where she developed a bilingual music curriculum. Upon moving to Humboldt County with her husband, Kathe taught music at College of the Redwoods and several elementary schools.
Since coming to Humboldt County, Kathe has done much to enhance the cultural life of the community. In 1978 she started the Redwood Coast Children's Chorus with six children. She has built the Chorus into a unit involving 75-80 children, organized into five performance levels. In addition to numerous local concerts, the Chorus has performed in Oregon, southern California, the U.S.S.R., and Romania. One result of the U.S.S.R. tour was the initiation of a "friendship school" relationship between School 264 in Kiev and Jacoby Creek School in Bayside where Kathe is currently teaching.
Kathe has had a significant impact on the quality of music education on the northcoast. She has conducted workshops for teachers throughout the northcoast area, and she wrote the music portion of M.A.D.D., a locally developed arts curriculum.
R.N., San Diego County Hospital
B.S., Nursing, Humboldt State University
M.A., Education and Counseling, Humboldt State University
Lil Stodder left Morenci, Arizona, at age 18 to attend nursing school in San Diego and then returned to Tucson for two years as an Army nurse. After marriage, she followed her husband to many jobs around the country before coming to Humboldt County. While working for a degree at Humboldt State, Lil was recruited to teach health at Arcata High School. She continued to teach and counsel for the Arcata High School District for twenty-one years. In 1976, now single, Lil took a sabbatical leave to study alternative schools, and ended in Arizona working with disturbed adolescents, running a family counseling center, and developing a runway crisis shelter.
Since returning to Humboldt County, Lil has done much to help its trouble young people redirect their lives. She left teaching and began working for the Arcata Police Department as a counselor for Youth and Family Services Unit to keep at-risk kids out of the juvenile justice system. She still serves in that capacity part-time. With two friends, Lil founded Benamor, a non-profit agency which worked through any northcoast schools to keep severely disturbed youths at home and out of state institutions. She served on the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Commission; has been active on the Humboldt County Substance Abuse Advisory Council, and helped develop the very successful Humboldt County Teen Court, and still serves on its advisory council.
Lil now finds her own therapy doing hands-on construction work with her son at Stodder Properties, Inc.
Bachelor of Science, University of California, Davis
Mid Westfall, first and foremost, is a champion of education. A thirty-four year involvement with the Parent Teacher Association, from the local to state level, and her Honorary Life Membership and Continuing Service Award from PTA, only begin to tell of her commitment to education and to the community.
Her efforts to educate and enrich our community include: eight years on the Library Construction Advisory Committee, President of the College of the Redwoods Foundation League 1989-90, Member of the Humboldt Decent Council, nineteen years as a Humboldt Sponsor, member of the Philanthropic Education Organization, member of the YES committee to establish a University of California campus in Humboldt County, and the 1990 Special Projects Chair for College of the Redwoods student scholarships...just to name a few. And to think, it all started during World War II when someone asked her to collect for the Red cross. She thought, "They want me? Oh, that will be fun!" That sense of fun, compassion, and responsibility to the community, continue to be undaunted.
B.S. University of Utah
Sylvia Jutila is currently the Executive Director of the American Cancer Society of Humboldt and Del Norte Unit. She has been a staff member for four years, and a past volunteer for eighteen years. She loves what the Cancer Society can do on a local level with work, education, and service. She feels it is a privilege to serve people. She was instrumental in the passage of non-smoking ordinances for the cities of Eureka, Arcata, Fortuna, Blue Lake and Humboldt County buildings she has worked hard to make low cost mammogram screenings available to the community.
Sylvia is the other of five children. Her personal goal is to make the world a little better place. Her community involvement is an ongoing thing. She has opened her home to numerous American and foreign students, held leadership and teaching positions in her church, served many years on the Rohnerville District Board of Trustees, and she is a member of the College of the Redwoods Foundation League. Four years ago, Sylvia and her husband were actively involved with the successful "Voyager Project." Her contribution was cooking for the crew and volunteers on a desert camp.
Sylvia considers the things she does a valuable learning experiences that enrich her life.
B.A., University of California, Berkeley
M.S., Education, University of Idaho
Violet Shulsen is a living example for us all. At age ninety she was recently honored by Friends of the Library as a charter member, fund-raiser, and supporter. She is active in the Humboldt Teacher's Association, attends the Delta Kappa Gamma Society, and enjoys working with former students and people of all ages on improving the quality of life through education.
Teaching was what Violet enjoyed most. She was a Fortuna High School teacher for thirty-eight years. She was head of the English Department, taught English, French, and worked in the library for seven years. She helped plan library remodeling, including a classroom situation for teaching students how to use the library. After retiring, Violet traveled extensively. Of special interest to her were educational trips to Russia and China where she learned more about other educational systems.
Violet is a caring person mentally and physically active, and forever young in spirit.
Artistic Director, Redwood Concert Ballet
Director, The Dancer's Studio
Virginia, a Humboldt County native, left Eureka when she was 18 years old to pursue an education in dance. She returned to Eureka five years later to take over Betty Merriweather's School of Ballet, or what is now known as The Dancer's Studio.
Virginia's dance experience is vast. From Cannes to New York and then to the San Francisco Conservatory for Ballet, she has studied, taught, toured, and choreographed ballet. It is with this energy that Virginia created the Redwood Concert Ballet, Humboldt County's non-profit ballet company for which she is the Artistic Director. For eighteen years the community has been enriched by the annual Redwood Concert Ballet's production of The Nutcracker.
Her love of dance, her strong desire to transfer that love to her students, and her own need for professional growth, motivate her to bring quality ballet and dance to our community.
*This version was prepared much later than the original exhibit, and therefore, the photographs were unavailable. JF 1995
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