Squalicum Harbor Fishermen's Memorial
Dedication Ceremony
May 31, 1999
Transcribed by Jerri Williams
Conclusion & Thank You Speaker: Tina Schwindt
Tom Glenn: And now you get the chance to meet the chairperson of the Squalicum Harbor Fishermen’s Memorial Committee Tina Schwindt. Tina…. [applause]
Tina Schwindt:
Good afternoon. I have only one page.
I am so happy that this monument is finally here. And within my happiness I feel a great deal of appreciation. I see many faces of people that have helped with this project in so many ways.
From printing the program you are holding to working a shift at a festival to procuring and donating these flowers, there were many people involved. And that’s what has made this project so very special. That it is a community project. It was also supported by many financial and in-kind contributions.
You will notice on your program that we have listed all the contributors of a $1000 or more. However, there were hundreds of other people that have contributed to this project. And I thank you all.
Again it gave us that great feeling of community support.
This project was also supported by two very important organizations – the Whatcom Maritime Historical Society offered to be the administrative shell for the committee. And I don’t think they realized how long this project would take.
We owe them so much. I hope the fisherman of Whatcom County will return the favor by supporting their maritime museum in Old Town. And by joining this worthy organization. We have membership forms available for you at the entrance.
And the Port of Bellingham has always provided our committee with a nice room to meet in. The Harbor Master’s office has been very helpful in having nominations forms and brochures available to the public.
This project has spanned the hiring of two Port Harbor Masters - John Sibold and Reed Gillig.
We have never been turned down from them when we’d needed help.
And when the Miss Lindsay went down, we only needed to call the Harbor Master. And he was ready. He offered them everything they needed from his staff, to awning, to chairs. He was there.
And I thank the Port for understanding how important this project is to a working waterfront.
Now there were a few people who gave an enormous amount of time and energies that I would like to recognize at this time.
As Dr Fairbanks mentioned, the clay model for this statue was sculpted in a web locker down here at Squalicum Harbor – Web Locker 301.
When I asked my next-door neighbor, Gene Vitalich, to allow us to turn his locker into an artist studio, he didn’t even have to think about it. In fact, he didn’t even have to ask his locker partner. His immediate answer was yes.
And he not only gave us his work and storage space, he helped us to set up the studio and he was down there most days, helping Eugene and Justin.
Dr Fairbanks has been with this project from the very beginning. It was his perseverance and professionalism that has kept this project going forward.
He had to endure periods of low funds, changes to his artistic plan, contract negotiations and other unforeseen hurdles. Yet, he kept the project going forward.
He even helped with fund raising. There were times that he and Florence printed and addressed and stamped mailings at home when none of the rest of us on the committee had the spare time to do it.
And that was the most important thing he contributed to this project was his time.
If we were able to pay him for all the time that he has spent in the last five years with this project, it would have been totally unaffordable.
And Tom Glenn who also has been with this project from the very beginning saw through all those same hurdles. In fact, he guided us over those hurdles with his skills and diplomacy and leadership.
Tom was our
liaison with the Port and he was the project engineer. And he was also the
top fundraiser. And he was also that person on our committee that we could
tell our frustrations to. And he would sort them all out and get us back on
track to our original goal.
At times when I felt like giving up, all I had to do was talk to Tom Glenn and he inspired me to continue.
And then about a year ago, Jim Williams came to a committee meeting with the idea of selling hats as a fundraiser. Well, he did more than that. He became the site manager for a festival down here called Party At The Point that we were well involved with.
He organized a swim-a-thon that raised over $8000.
And now, he is accumulating all the names to be engraved on this monument.
And of course, he wanted me to remind all of you that if one of your loved ones is not on this list right here, please pick up a nomination form. We would like to include them.
When we were adding his name to our brochure, I stopped by his house to find out how he wanted it to appear and what he wanted listed underneath it as his relationship to the project. And as he was thinking, I told him that if it weren’t for him and Tom and Eugene, this could never have happened.
And in Jim’s
usual modesty, he refuted that I should put him in the same likes as Tom and
Eugene. But I told Jim, I said, you know what you are Jim? You are the glue
that has held us all together.
Anyway, I personally thank Eugene and Tom and Jim for the generosity of their time and the contribution of their skills that were so important to this project. And I hope you will seek them out and express your appreciation as well.
From being here today, I also have felt a great appreciation for all that have taken part in this ceremony all the speakers, my friends from Lummi. This means thank you friend. [Tina shows the crowd a hand sign] You can all do that. And my daughter and her class and teacher from Whatcom Hills Waldorf School
And lastly, I find it necessary to thank my family Erin, Robin and Skip, Eugene’s wife, Florence, Tom’s wife, Caroline for being so understanding and patient with us as we spent all of our spare time working on this project instead of spending it with them.
There were
many times that I ran from task to task around town with both my children in
tow. And when they’d start to complain, all I had to do was say that it was
for Fishermen’s memorial and they would understand.
And of course, I thank all of you for coming today and listening to all that we have had to say. For sometimes, unseen efforts are better heard instead. Thank you. [applause]
Tom Glenn: There is one more person to thank here and I would like to call Christine Scott-Hunter to do the honors.
Christine Scott-Hunter: There is another person who truly should be thanked Tina Schwindt.
Tina is the heart and soul of this memorial.
Tina and I lost our husbands together in a fishing accident six years ago. The experience of personal grief can manifest itself in so many ways. There are very few people who have the ability to turn their grief into what is standing before you.
In a time of loss, it can be so hard to have something to give. Tina was selfless, devoted and passionate to this beautiful memorial in what had to be the hardest time in her own life.
And just like everything in life, this project had its ups and downs. It was Tina’s strength, perseverance and vision that saw us though those difficult times.
On behalf of the committee, all of us who are standing here today and the many generations to come, thank you Tina for giving all of us a place to be near those we have lost and for the closure this memorial gives to so many of us.
I’m proud of
you.
[applause]
Tina Schwindt: She has been sitting here holding those flowers the whole time and halfway through I said; gee those flowers smell really good. Thank you. [applause]
Tom Glenn: Finally, as our conclusion, we are going to invite some young people who have lost loved ones, fathers, brothers, uncles, friends and so on to come forward with flowers, individually that they will take from this side and place it on the base of the monument.
The first
number of young people that come forward with flowers are children of the
Lady of Good Voyage and Miss Lindsay. Robin, would
you like to come forward please…..
[long gap as children come forward and place flowers on the base of monument]
Tina Schwindt: It was two years ago on Memorial Day that we started building this statue in the web locker. And we kind of invited as many people as we could think of to come down. And we kind of had a grand beginning of the statue. And we had all the children come forward and put on the first clay. I think children are really important, or this monument is very important for children. We have a nice picture of it out on our display table as well.
At this time,
we would like all the children here to come forward. Unfortunately, we
probably do not have enough flowers for all the people here but if we could
have all the children that are here to come forward and put a flower on I
think it would be really nice. And then the
rest of you too, if you can.
Tom Glenn: As you can see, this is an informal part of our formalities and the formal parts are concluded. And after you have had an opportunity to come forward and place flowers on the monument, this dedication is adjourned.
And thank you so much for coming. [applause]