Bowen Island Historians recently bid a reluctant farewell to long-time archivist Dorothy Lawson with an informal gathering at the home of president Bev Underhill.
Dorothy has been involved in every aspect of the Historians' steady progress since 1979 when she and her husband and fellow conservatorEric Lawson moved to the island. At that point, the Historians had published their ambitious book: Bowen Island: 1872-1972and, as a result of their research,were storing a goodly amount of historical material in their homes. They were presenting monthly programs for members and friends, preparing exhibitsfor other agencies and working with the local school. Each year saw fundraising events to be presented. Dorothy was a key part of it all.
Dorothy's extensive background in teaching was topped by her training as a professional conservator. Her specialty was conservation of paper, paintings, etc. and she had worked at a number of museums. Over the years, her skills were of ongoing use to the active group.
She was involved in the purchase of a Snug Cove lot to house a future museum. The lot's humble little cottage was rented to pay for the mortgage. Eventually, they were able to create a storage building to hold the historical material previously housed in private homes. The one-storey building became the first location of the archives and was opened in 1994.
Not long after that, the small building was raised and refurbished. As the lower floor became the museum and the upper floor the archives, Dorothy was the key person in developingthe two services. Finding grant monies and job grants became important and Dorothy was an active part of that process.
Dorothy's abilities in the computer world meant that she could plan and utilize contemporary approaches to material access. Data bases were created for photographs, for biographical information and more. Dorothy was the one who knew what was needed and when. Her pleasure in research meant thatshe wasalways delighted when she helped someone solve a historical problem.
Many productive years have gone by and now it's 2011. Dorothy has decided that it's time for her to retire and her fellow Historians are sad to see her go. They will miss her personality and her ability to work with many kinds of people but are supremely appreciative of her major role in the on-going progress of Bowen Island's Community Museum and Archives, a valuable island resource.
