STARS IN THE SKY VALLEY: Fair honoree living to the letter

By Valeria Rae

Introducing Linda Cline, the 2016 Evergreen State Fair honoree. Linda has been recognized for her long-standing and outstanding contributions to the fair as superintendent of the floriculture department. She has also been a judge, organizer and volunteer in other areas. Congratulations, Linda.

For many local folks, Linda needs no introduction. Just to list all the accomplishments and contributions Linda Cline has made not only to the Sky Valley, but to the Ferndale area as well, would take more words than this column can hold.

A whirlwind of energy, vitality and compassion, Linda became postmistress of the Monroe Post Office in 2003. Having begun her career with the postal service right out of college in Bellingham, Linda served as the postmistress for Lake Stevens for several years before moving to Monroe.

Smiling, Linda reflected on her many years of being the hub of the mailroom. She enjoyed her position and has many fond memories and enduring friendships. Linda recalls a time one spring when a shipment of baby geese arrived with only one chick still alive. Linda gave it to her grandmother, who named it Conrad.

One day Linda was visited at the post office by her grandmother and the fully-grown Conrad in order for him to see where he had been saved. Linda also remembers a frightening bomb scare in Monroe, which required an evacuation and investigation by the FBI.

As postmistress, Linda tutored women in the postal test and resume-writing program, ensuring quality postal employees. She also served as an officer on the State Board of the National League of Post Masters and was chosen as the National League Post Master of the Year 2003.

Linda retired in 2006, but long before that she had invested her enthusiasm and time in community organizations and projects. She served on the boards of the East County Senior Center and food bank, was president of the Monroe Garden Club, a reading tutor for Everett Community College, a member of Kiwanis, a volunteer at the Evergreen State Fair and the YMCA and a member of the Off the Wall Theater Group; and that was just in the Monroe.

Linda teamed up with her mother, who still lives in Ferndale, to start a community Thanksgiving dinner. She continues to participate, preparing and serving a turkey dinner to an appreciative crowd. She was also active in the Ferndale garden and heritage groups.

After retirement, Linda turned her full attention to her passion of gardening and community support. She became a Master Gardener and continued serving on various boards of directors.

Currently, she volunteers as a bird counter during the swift migration, lends a hand in the East County Senior Center thrift store and was the vice president of the National Association of Active and Retired Federal Employees of Snohomish County. As a superintendent at the state fair, Linda treats her volunteers to a dinner each year after the event.

With husband Jim, also retired from a career with the postal service, Linda acts on her interests beyond the local scene.

At their own expense, the couple has joined in the effort of patrolling beaches for the protection and maintenance of endangered sea turtles on the island of Wausau off the coast of Georgia, in Costa Rica and Mexico. In Maine, they worked to preserve seabird habitat. And last October, they traveled to Ecuador to volunteer with a sustainable farming initiative, and went on to visit the Galapagos Islands.

Closer to home, Linda and Jim spend a weekend once a year at the Dungeness Light House as keepers, holding down the fort and giving tours. This volunteer activity allows the lighthouse to remain open to the public.

Linda takes her guiding inspiration from this quote by Shirley Anita Chisholm: "Service to others is the rent we pay for living on this earth.GÇ¥

In following her commitment and living a life of integrity, Linda not only serves, but provides an encouraging model for others. She values the opportunity to assist and witness people expand, explore and develop their talents, especially later in life.

Being authentic is a principal Linda strives to realize. She shared a character-building experience of which she is very proud, where she stood before a meeting of 1,000 people and expressed herself, knowing that many of those in the audience held very different views.

Linda and her husband are moving to an apartment next to her mother's home in Ferndale this fall. Linda will continue to be active in the Ferndale Heritage Society, the DUPI (digger uppers and putting inners) of the Garden Club, Friends of the Library and the Advance Life Learning Project sponsored by Western Washington University.

And believe it or not, Sky Valley will continue to benefit from Linda's dedication and positive attitude as she maintains her involvement in the Evergreen State Fair, Monroe Garden Club and East County Senior Center.

Other than that, what is in store for this dynamic woman? Linda hopes to realize a dream of hiking the Cotswold's in England. Knowing Linda, it is a sure bet that dream will come true.