Florence was born in Seattle to William A.H. and Catherine Philo, two immigrants from England. She grew up in Seattle, attending seven different schools as her family moved frequently. Before she met Ralph, she attended school with his niece Charlotte and they became lifelong friends.
Bill Hamel, born Oct. 18, 1936, passed away Oct. 5, 2010 in Ellensburg, Wash., while traveling to Arizona. He was born in Plattsburgh, N.Y. and moved to Orcas Island with his wife in 1985. He came to the Pacific Northwest through his employment with Boeing.
Here’s what Pat O’Day’s phone machine message might sound like soon. “This is Pat O’Day, thanks for calling. If you’re interested in real estate, press 1. If you feel like your life is spinning out of control, press 2. If you’re interested in a low-fat club sandwich, a sunrise melt or a $5 footlong for lunch, press 3.” O’Day — real estate agent, pitchman for Schick Shadel Hospital, and rock radio pioneer — is considering branching into food.
Life Care Center of the San Juan Islands invites islanders to join them for some holiday-themed events. On Oct. 12, 3:30 p.m., join Life Care Center residents and the Friday Harbor High School S Club for some pumpkin decorating. Friday Harbor MarketPlace donated the pumpkins.
A killer whale died at SeaWorld Orlando on Oct. 4, the third killer whale death at a SeaWorld marine park in four months.
Someone needs to buy Aaron D’Errico a lottery ticket. He meets Michael Madsen on the set of “Free Willy,” and the actor-poet writes about him in “The Crooked Prince.” He meets his idol, Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee, and a woman in a Catwoman outfit takes him in her arms when he hyperventilates. His latest adventure: The aspiring illustrator’s design placed third in voter balloting and eighth in judges’ balloting in the logo contest for the Stan Lee Foundation. That’s right — he placed in the top 10 twice.
San Juan County voters will do themselves a great favor if they return Rich Peterson to the County Council. Rich has served four years as a council member with integrity and common sense. His performance in a difficult and demanding position has always been to try and find the best policies and results for the population in general rather than for special interests or political gain.
We find a recent letter to the editor from Mr. Dehlendorf rather troubling. In charging Mr. Peterson with the accusation that he “ignored the wishes of island voters,” he is not correct. Concerning the Land Bank issue, Councilman Peterson paid attention to the people who were worried about the permissive wording in the easement that could have resulted in a loss of more than $400,000 that the Land Bank was going to pay for it. He represented concerns from many residents that the easement document was too loosely phrased to guarantee protection for the taxpayers, and he had a responsibility to make a sound decision for us.
The Friday Harbor Wolverines boys tennis team has prevailed two of the last three outings, with wins against South Whidbey and Lake Stevens and Coupeville continuing to be the toughest hurdle on the courts.
The Friday Harbor Wolverines volleyball team fell 3-1 in its only regular-season bout against Division 1A regional rival Meridian, Oct. 2 in Turnbull Gym. The Wolverines clinched a game midway through the match to keep their hopes of an upset alive, but the Trojans, who improved to 4-2, rallied to seal the victory in four games. With the loss, the Wolverines dropped their fourth consecutive match and fell to 1-3 in Northwest 1A/2B League play and 1-5 overall.
Like thousands of other Nisei sent to internment camps during World War II, Roy Matsumoto was American-born and eager to prove his loyalty to his country. The White House estimates 6,000 Nisei — or Japanese Americans born here to immigrant parents — served in battle in the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the Military Intelligence Service. Matsumoto and others in the MIS “intercepted radio transmissions, translated enemy documents, interrogated enemy prisoners of war, volunteered for reconnaissance and covert intelligence missions, and persuaded enemy combatants to surrender.”
Two-time San Juan Island Quest Adventure Race winner John Pachuta came up short this year. Kirkland resident Peteris Ledins finished the Sept. 25 race in 4 hours 8 minutes to win the 2010 title. Course Producer/Manager Brent Molsberry included kayaking, mountain biking, orienteering, trekking, and a couple of “special” tasks for the competitors this year. Special tasks included bike polo and standup paddleboard.
Run Ladies Run, the women-only running group, is sponsoring a half-marathon Oct. 17. At 13.1 miles, the half-marathon is roughly twice the distance of the group’s first event, a 10K run/walk that drew 123 participants on a drizzly day in March.
