| 2010 Honorary Pioneer Art Boyd |
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After graduating from Roosevelt High School in Port Angeles in 1933, he and his cousin hopped a freight train to Montana where work was more plentiful. He married his employer’s daughter, Eileen Boardman in 1941. They returned with their two children, Sandra and Thomas, to Sequim in 1946 when his father asked him to come back and work with him in his sawmill. They had 2 more children after returning to Sequim, Janis and Carl. Art has 9 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.
Art worked one year at the sawmill and then bought a dairy farm at the east end of Happy Valley Road. To supplement his income he did miscellaneous work for different farmers, worked as a ditchwalker for the Highland Irrigation District, drove truck for Taylor Transportation and worked for the Sequim Dungeness Creamery. He worked at the Chevron gas station that was located at 2nd Avenue and Washington streets. In 1970 he sold the farm and became the owner of the Exxon Station that was located on the opposite corner. Art retired in 1976. Eileen passed away in early 1994 after 52 years of marriage.
Art spent 16 years (1972 – 1989) on the Sequim City Council where he worked with five different mayors, and cast the deciding vote to build SARC. He also spent eight years on the Transportation Board and belonged to the Sequim Grange for 37 years. He was a founding member of the Sequim-Dungeness Kiwanis in the early 1970’s.
Art is a veteran of the Irrigation Festival. The Sequim Kiwanis club was the organizer of the festival in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s and Art used to work on building the float. They would start construction in the winter once the design committee had the plans for the next year’s float. One of Art’s fondest memories is when Governor Dixie Lee Ray came to Sequim one year and he gave her a ride on the float around town.
After retirement he continued to work various jobs, including driving school bus. In 1995 he married Delores Avery.
Art is honored to be named a pioneer and is certain that he will remember it.
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Thomas Art Boyd was born in Port Angeles in 1914 to Edward and Ida Hill Boyd. He had two sisters Juanita and Mary Ellen.