It started with a nugget of an idea for a social media post about one of our favorite downtown murals: little Dennis Mapes waving the flag at the Anacortes Post Office. Hearing about it, an acquaintance suggested, “You should do a series connecting murals to living relatives!”
We jumped on it! Celebrating our history is a key part of the mission of the Downtown Anacortes Alliance, and Bill Michell’s murals are one of the ingredients that make Anacortes special. We also know that connecting a historical figure with someone living today is a great way to make the past come alive. The “Murals and Their Loved Ones” project took off.
A few critical contributors stepped up to help. Mark Mitchell, Bill’s brother, tracked down family members and invited them to be photographed with their loved one’s mural and tell stories. Bret Lunsford, Director of the Anacortes Museum–the steward of the 150+ murals–stepped up to assist with additional background, contacts, and access to murals being restored by staff member Rebecca Ivie.
As the project gained attention, more people wanted to be part of it. The stories grew longer with rich details, and family members came along to be in the photos. The final story, featuring Ron Elmore, “Mr. Safeway,” brought 20 family members to the Maritime Heritage Center on R Avenue to honor their ancestor.
Love poured out during our work on the series. Some of our favorite moments included Anita Luvera reminiscing about her father and grandfather’s store on 7th Street. She related that her father Paul Luvera had served as a state senator and brought Highway 20 into town. There’s a sign commemorating him near the entrance to town and Anita says she waves “Hi Dad!” when she passes by. Then there was the way Bev Malland teared up when she saw the likeness of her dad, Rudy Malland, the “Banjo King,” sporting bright new paint. Bev and her son Allen told us how Rudy made people smile with his banjo all over the west coast. And we loved seeing Debbie Nickerson’s affection for her grandfather, Harley Stutt, the first garbage man in town. She grinned when she shared that he allowed her to ride up front in his garbage truck from time to time.
If you haven’t felt a connection with Anacortes’ history, we hope the series of stories may have changed that for you. Family members’ memories of music, shopkeeping, banking, and having fun provide windows into our town’s colorful past and give us the chance to appreciate some of the characters of bygone days, and their living relatives too.
