2013 began with a flurry of volunteerism. Arlene Miles orchestrated the library shelf read and completed the task in just three days, thanks to the tremendous efforts of Barbara Close, Pam Coville, Linda Darby, Gary Darnsteadt, Eva Goodwin, Lisa Gorrel, Gloria Hanson, Shirely Hoye, Kath Merilo, Bill O'Neil, Cheryl Schmidt, Nancy Servin, and Pat Smith.

It's a pleasure to introduce several members who are new volunteers. Lynne Dory, Debbie Mascot and Terri Taylor have joined the Events Committee, co-chaired by Jane Lindsey and Sandy Fryer; Kathie Heller is on the Membership Committee under Diana Edwards; Carol Horn is working with Kathryn Doyle on the eNews. Welcome all of you. We appreciate your enthusiasm!

The library still needs some additional help:

• volunteers with legible printing are needed to replace spine labels that are fading or falling off
• volunteers are needed to follow up on some catalog discrepancies discovered during the shelf read 
• volunteers are needed to process our ebay sales of used books
• trainees are needed for Desk Duty   

There are plenty of other opportunities to volunteer. Let us know how you would like to help. Weekly? Monthly? Just for special events? Or do you have an idea or special skill that you want to share. Send an email to Linda Okazaki.

Thelma Nordengen Armstrong Flaten

Thelma Nordengen was born August 12, 1925, on the family farm in Pine Creek, Minnesota, just a mile from the Canadian border. She was the youngest daughter of Norwegian immigrants - Anton and Anna (Wick) Nordengen - who were the parents of six. After graduating from high school, Thelma worked as a sandwich girl in a Boeing aircraft factory in Seattle during WWII. She married Ray Jack Armstrong and they had three children. Thelma worked at the Social Security Administration in Birmingham, Alabama, for twenty-five years. In later life, she married Gilmore Flaten and they split their time between Alabama and Minnesota.

In her youth Thelma dreamed of becoming a fashion designer. Instead, she was a self-taught, amateur artist. She loved to paint landscapes, as well as to sew and make clothes for friends and family. Her other love was traveling. She made frequent trips to California to visit family. Always proud of her roots, Granny Thel would pepper her speech with simple Norwegian phrases. She delighted in teaching the grandchildren about our heritage.

Thelma left the earth on June 15, 2012, surrounded by her family. She was a wonderful, loving grandmother and I will deeply miss her.

-Shannon Reese