Challenge Yourself: Make Your Own Job

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We all knew how to do this as kids. Even once we started in school, there were summer vacations, and most of us -- at least the lucky ones -- played and did our chores without needing much direction. However, as we matured, the thoughts of jobs, careers, supporting ourselves, beginning families, created a structure that for many, left little feeling of creativity and freedom. In truth, the decisions we made in the past steered us to this moment, reading this post!

Charter Members

Forty years ago, folks in the south King County area, tired of driving across the lake, took the courageous step of creating the South King County Genealogical Society. Some of these wonderful people are still with us: 

• William L. Adams, Judith Dempsey Aeschliman, Margaret Oakley Alder, Lillian Wanamaker Anderson, Clemence Rhea Baker, John Baker, Mary Kitchell Baker, Elva Barber, Patsy Barber, Marilyn Bell, Peggy Bentz, CarolLe Stratton Berry, Laura Anderson Billy, Patricia Bristow, Elizabeth Graber Borgner, Francis Bosshart, Waneta King Bosshart, June Wilson Branch, Gerald L. Burke, Marcella Seright Burkett, Norma Kibby Burroughs, Robert A. Butler, Clarice Doerner Bryan, Jacqueline Walling Cadle, Constance Artz Cain, Arlene Clark Carley, W. Ray Carley, Frank E. Carnahan, Sharon Poulsen Carnahan, Helen Roberts Carpenter, Jackie Glen Cedarholm, Virginia Roberts Chubb, Lois Knadle Clapper, Susan Coles, Joyce Schroeder Cornelius, Doris Arkills Cornell, Janice Porter Cornell, Ina Randall Cornell, Beverly Marks Cotter, James M. Cotter, Janet Wilkie Crowley, William J. Crowley, Ardice Bennett Cunningham, James A. Cunningham, Barbara Kern Devine, Lois Brin Diemert, Frances Love Dills, Fred Dills, Jean Boughton Doering, Lawrence Dome, Patricia Beagle Dome, Melissa Nash Donner, Marilyn Kemp Dorval, Patricia Lanway Dowling, Braxton M. Dunn, Klara Haty Dunn, Lois Piper Ebbert, Jack Edwards, Betty Morris Falk, Kathleen Field, Grayce Peterson Fremow, Robert L. Fremow, Clella Fox Galbreath, Margaret Leach Ganung, Elaine Ebbert Gauthier, Harriet Havener, Greenfield, Florence Woodward Grillo, Donna Burkert Grothaus, Sarah Harding, Doris Harris, Daniel L. Healy, Karen Furman Healy, Margaret Woods Heller, Donald Henderson, Ruth Walter Henderson, Barbara Stokey Heutchy, Nancy Hamblin Hill, Virginia Williams Hill, Geneice Wilson Hoag, Maurice L. Hoag, Vivian Drake Howe, Sammie Dudley Hudlicky, Katherine Fugate Huhn, Gaetano Iodice, Louise Owens-Fortier Iodice, Judith Ivanovich, Ivan Jacobs, Flora Rollins Janke, Wesley F. Janke, Anne Jensen, James H. Johanneck, Maryann Heiling Johanneck, Audrey Lamb Johnson, Roma Leaming Judge, Anita Huntley Jump, Mary Raybeck Kilbourn, Lola Hinman Kimmel, Athella Thompson King, Shirley Plattor King, Sharon Martin Kline, Alexis Alexander Kolb, Rebel L. Kreklow, Carol Wigen Krull, Alice Kubisky, Beverly Schalow Lagasca, Margaret Parslow Larson, Melvin E. Lee, Mariette B. Lee, Grace Mooney Lee, Dorothy Wilson Legge, Helen McGreer Lewis, H. Donald Linehan, Margaret Hofling Linehan, Colleen Young Linzi, Emma Heustis Livermore, Marlene Frostad Lundin, Clara Jacobson MacPherson, Marian Hoge Mackenzie, Janice Eberly Maguire, Echo Coats Mallery, Louise Jones Manning, Roberta Crisp Morley, Patricia Huse Marshall, Eugene M. Mason, Ina Hardman Mason, Beatrice Whaley Mathewson, Maxine Greggs Maulsby, Helen McConnell, Iris McDaniel McCrabb, Violet Ranne McElhinney, Anna Otteman Meltvedt, Hilda Hemmingson Meryhew, Arliene Kammeyer Miller, Phyllis Pahl Mitchell, Margaret Curtis Moen, Alice Graden Montgomery, Betty Herr Moore, Donald Morisch, James Mulkins, Edna Kreutz Murtishaw, Fred Murtishaw, Betty McAlexander Myette, Mary Riddle Nation, Francis Near, Shelagh Walters Near, Betty Hawkins Neilson, Clarissa Wedeking Nelson, Patricia Schnyder Niederkorn, Deborah Oskam-Davis, John C. Palstring, Barbara Matthes Parker, Julia Wennersten Patterson, Bernice Graber Paull, Edna Rowan Peak, Mary Penberthy, Judy Knopp Pepper, Donald L. Perkins, Joyce Hart Perkins, Veronica Peterson, Freda Swayne Peterson, Helen Cushman Peterson, Gladys Isdell Plemmons, Catherine Byrnes Ploegman, Jeanette Gray Price, Myrtle Green Prohaska, Mary Riffey Propst, Willis Propst, Sue Kane Quigley, Mable Peck Rayback, Vivian Marick Richardson, Carmen Phelan Rock, Ardeth Allden Rollwagon, Richard Ryan, Margaret Overton Salais, Richard Salais, Carole Bierman Sayers, Gayle Eastman Schnell, Geraldine Rawls Scott, Glenn I. Scott, Richard H. Sell, Theodore S. Sholdra, Kathleen Hargiss Sidwell, Marcia Hoag Smith, Doris Thompson Smith, Ina Curless Sparks, Erma Chapman Swift, Joan Koppenheffer Thorson, Jean Richards Timmermeister, Ruth Diehl Toland, Elsie Sandberg Trautloff, Henry I. Trautloff, Donna Kennedy Tucker, Donna Kisner Turrelli, Madge Lee Vashoe, Milton B. Vaught, Ruby Gilderhus Vaught, James Walters, R. Maxine Leitzinger Walters, Maureen White, Shirley Whitehead Wiese, Sheila Wilson, Claire Lookhart Wood, Sandra Blye Woodworth, Barbara Workman, Roberta J. Yates.

• 
  

I find this list to be simply amazing. Think of what genealogy was in those days. It was all on paper, and research was done in your family, libraries, courthouses and archives only. If you could not visit, you wrote to them for copies, and enclosed cash, a check or coupons/punch cards, or hired a local researcher.

40-Year History of Volunteering

Our Charter Members were the folks who walked the local cemeteries and created the books that our society still sells, and even began projects to clean up or save some cemeteries facing destruction. Some of these people read old microfilmed records to create indexes, some of which became part of the Washington State Digital Archives, as well as books we published. This work continues, by the way, by volunteers: https://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/StaticContent/volunteers.

https://digitalarchives.wa.gov/ - screenshot 27 January 2024

We have 40 year history of people who volunteered to be on the board of directors, ran for office, ran the elections, wrote and published the newsletters, wrote and kept the bylaws up-to-date, organized and ran meetings, kept track of memberships and monies, arranged for publications to be written, edited, printed, sold and shipped to buyers, organized workshops, work parties, seminars and other special events, greeted visitors, tended to our growing book collection, worked in local Family History Centers as they were called then, worked with local churches, cemetery boards, genealogy and historical societies and museums, organized regional genealogy conventions, gave talks, speeches and lectures and arranged for speakers to our own meetings, kept minutes of meetings -- work done, faithfully until this day.

Legacy

What a wonderful legacy they have left to us! All before personal computers, email, the internet, the web, social media and the rest of this new era we're living in. What remains is our love of history and our place in it, and our "purpose shall be educational in character and devoted exclusively to furthering genealogical research and interest in family and local history." - Bylaws, 2019.

Challenge

So, how do YOU want to be part of this work? We need people who live close to all the local libraries, museums and historical societies to contact those in charge and ask if they can bring in some of our brochures to be offered to visitors for free, and then to check in monthly to see if they need replacements. If you can do this small job, please write to Outreach@skcgs.org.

Are you interested in having in-person meetings again? So are we; however we need someone to volunteer to find a venue and be in charge of running the in-person part of the meeting. Another volunteer will be needed to test and monitor the Zoom interface; we have many remote Members now, so our meetings must always be available virtually. Write to President@skcgs.org to volunteer and we'll put together a plan.

Would you like to become part of the Board? Right now, we need a new Outreach team leader, and elections for Vice President and Secretary happen in May. Write to your Member at Large, MaryLynn Strickland: m.strickland@skcgs.org to volunteer.

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Valorie Zimmerman