Ken came to the Port Townsend Marine Science Center a few years ago because, he said, “PTMSC feels like home”. When Ken was a kid growing up in San Pedro, California, he would ride his bike to the beach to tidepool or hang out at the Cabrillo Maritime Museum (now the Cabrillo Maritime Aquarium).
These days, you’ll still find Ken hanging out outside. He enjoys riding his bike, hiking, and gardening. One of the things he appreciates so much about Port Townsend is how easy it is to get outside and go for a hike, even in winter. Ken moved here from Portland, Oregon, over 15 years ago, which gets approximately double the average rainfall that Port Townsend receives. He loves how easy it is to get outside all year long-how even in a rainy winter, there are sun breaks that allow for a good hike in the Olympics.
Ken worked in construction in the late 1970s until that was halted by recession and interest rate hikes. He went looking for a new career and remembered a work-study job doing computer programming when he was in college. Ken took some classes at community college and became a computer programmer. He retired from IT at Kaiser Permanente around 15 years ago and moved to Port Townsend. His wife, Leslie, had moved a couple of years earlier, and they had a long-distance relationship for that time. He probably should have retired earlier, he said, but he waited to be eligible for Medicare coverage. After moving to Port Townsend, Ken volunteered for blackberry removal and trail work at Fort Worden and joined a band. Ken is multi-instrumental, playing clarinet, saxophone, and guitar. His band played Brazilian choro music.
He and Leslie live on an acre in the Kala Point area. They have planted over 100 rhododendrons on their property and have a shade-tolerant veggie garden in the backyard, fenced in to keep the deer out. Ken says his gardening ideas have been refined by the voracity of the deer, who love to eat people’s landscaping.
He’s been a PTMSC regular for the past few years, and his favorite part of volunteering is when children visit the exhibit. He loves seeing their excitement as they learn about the Salish Sea, and especially when they get to experience the live animals. While he believes all the aspects of PTMSC’s conservation work are important, to him the science education, the field trips and summer camps are the most valuable.
(photo by Wendy Feltham)
You’ll find Ken volunteering as a greeter in the Marine Science Center exhibit at Fort Worden, in the Flagship Landing Gallery downtown, or cleaning tanks at the aquarium. He’s always there to lend a hand with set-up or take-down of special events and can often be counted on to pick up an open greeter or Gallery shift. We’re so glad to have Ken as a volunteer and hope you’ll say hi when you see him.