March Musings

I think EWGS "lost another one." There was an obit in the paper on March 9th for Jean C. Froese, age 83. That was all I could find. IF this is "our" Jean, I remember her long-long-long hair, which she always wore piled upon her head. Do you remember her?

Do you have ties to St.Maries, Idaho? They are celebrating their 100th year of incorporation this summer. Their paperwork to become a "municipal corporation known as the Village of St. Maries" was filed on 10 Feb 1914. This little town pre-dates its county; Benewah County was formed on 23 Jan 1915. Their celebration will last all summer. Contact Priscilla Derry, 501 Scott Ave., St.Maries ID 83861, or call 208-245-2837, for more information. They're even offering commemorative T-shirts and pins.

I shall be out of town, but EWGS members were invited to meet the candidates for the new library director on Thursday, March 21st, at 6:00pm at the downtown library. They request an RSVP to 444-5308. I hope some from the EWGS Board will attend.

Chuckled over the ad in the paper this morning under CATS:  "FREE:  I yr old male cat w/friendly disposition; neut., all shots.  Needs quiet home with mature adult as a companion pet." Did you chuckle too?

Just to make you smile, here is a pix of Bette Topp, Diane Barthell, and Donna Phillips at the "Bing Thing" a couple of years ago. Bette never missed an EWGS event if she could help it. She never said, "Well, I don't need THAT!" She CAME. What a great example to us all.

Goodbye To Our Bette

One of the best friends that EWGS ever had, Bette Butcher Topp, has passed from among us. Bette passed away on February 20th from complications during surgery.

Besides being President twice, Bette chaired several EWGS workshops and WSGS state conferences and handled every detail with cool but out-spoken precision. She was active on the Digital Digest committee and helped (more than once) re-do the EWGS ByLaws.

Bette was born in Hawaii as her father was in the Navy stationed there; she was always proud of that fact and Hawaii always seemed to pull her home.  She and John made their last trip there not too long ago.

Goodbye, good friend to many of us personally and to all of EWGS generally. There will never be another Bette Butcher Topp (and I can hear her saying, "And thank goodness!).