Washington’s National Park Fund works to fund critical priority projects in Mount Rainier, North Cascades and Olympic National Parks, and we couldn’t do it without our dedicated supporters. Our Trailblazers series celebrates these passionate park lovers and all of their reasons for giving. This week, meet Judy & Curly McNamee. We had a conversation about what the parks mean to them.
Are you from this area originally? If not, what brought you here?
Curly’s grandfather came here from Ireland in 1887. His Dad was born in 1904 and Curly came along in 1945. Since he was born with long hair, his Mom nicknamed him ‘Curly’ on that first day. And even though his hair never got wavy, the name stuck! Judy was born in Seattle in 1945. Her Dad was born in Yamhill Oregon and her Mom moved to Oregon’s Willamette Valley from Iowa during the Dust Bowl. Her parents moved to Seattle at the beginning of World War II to work at Boeing.
Judy and Curly met in college – in a theology class at Seattle University. They both studied Political Science. She had a career in construction and then computers. “I’m a techie. I was laid off after the construction industry had a downturn and I wanted to go into computers. So, I talked to a recruiter who said: ‘You couldn’t pass our test.’ Well, I scored higher on the test than anyone!” At one point, she was Manager of Network and Computer Operations for Seattle Public Schools, working through years of ‘dinosaur’ computers. Curly was in Army ROTC, a 1st lieutenant in Vietnam, and then worked in Human Resources at Travelers Insurance and at Boeing for 28+ years.
How did your life change with COVID – work, personal, etc? What did you do to stay sane?
“It hasn’t changed much as we’re used to being at home and with each other. We did Zoom meetings with friends and had grocery delivery at first. Curly had his knee replaced in September and is slowly coming around with lots of physical therapy appointments.”
Did you have experiences in the outdoors growing up?
Judy’s family was always into camping and being outdoors. “We didn’t have a lot of money, so we camped and fished. I hiked in college with the Hiyu Coulee Hiking Club. The name came from Chinook Jargon – a language created so many different tribes could communicate. I’ve been hiking ever since. We’re not skiing anymore, but have taken up snowshoeing (although we haven’t tried it since Curly’s knee surgery).”
Curly was not a hiker until he got involved with Judy. His family didn’t camp when he was growing up, although he remembers visiting Mount Rainier once as a little boy while wearing an outfit that matched his sister’s… 😊 But, with Judy’s brother, they became the ‘Dynamic Trio.’ Together they’ve hiked most of the 50 Hikes in Mount Rainier. One of their favorite things was to visit Mount Rainier from the Eastside the ‘back way’ thru Enumclaw – to Sunrise and Ohanapecosh.
Judy’s childhood nickname was Skeeter because mosquitoes liked her so well, a condition shared by her brother, Paul. Mosquitoes at some destinations in Mount Rainier had a feast when she and her brother arrived!
Snowshoeing at Reflection Lake
What are some of your most memorable experiences in our parks? Do you have a favorite park or memory?
“One story that comes to mind is being chased away from the Elwha River at Olympic by a bear. We were preparing Whip ‘n Chill with cold water out of the river, and had put it back in to set. As we were cooking dinner, Paul went up the river exploring, and a bear found him and followed him back. We packed up immediately and saw a bear cub on the side of the trail; we were between the mom and cub. When we came back later, the pot was still there in the river, but the Whip ‘n Chill was gone!”
They have many, many memories of favorite hikes in Mount Rainier.
Sunrise Lake at Mount Rainier
What is your favorite thing to do now in the parks?
“It’s been awhile, but the last time was at Ohanapecosh for Judy’s birthday and we hit the Silver Falls Trail. All the national park inns are amazing as well, and my brother really loves the architecture of the old buildings.”
Do you have any specific passions or areas you’d like to see your gifts go toward?
“We like our gifts to go to our local parks, and very often we’ll earmark Mount Rainier. We practically lived there years ago, and started donating to the Fund as we wanted it to continue to be functional as a park.” Curly’s mother gave them a 1932 information booklet about Mount Rainier that was given to visitors as they entered the Park, as well as pictures from the 40s and 50s, that they gifted to the park. They got to meet with a ranger who specialized in historical artifacts and find that aspect of the parks fascinating.
What do you do, or have done, in your ‘real’ life? What else do you like to do for enjoyment?
“We’ve done lots of traveling, especially cruising. We did Greenland a few years ago, the Panama Canal and South America. We do have an interesting story about Egypt. We were scheduled for a cruise stop at the pyramids, but because of Arab Spring all Egyptian ports were canceled. A week before we left they put Egypt back on the itinerary. People were waving and clapping because the tourists were coming back.”
They’re supposed to cruise next March to Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. They are not very concerned about being on the ship as they don’t tend to do things in crowds. “We’ll do much more hand washing and hand sanitizer, of course!” The vaccination status of the ports of call is an issue and they will be keeping an eye on that prior to departure.
What other organizations do you support? How do you spend your time?
“Curly was past President of the Seattle U Board of Governors and was a member of the Board of Regents. “Our 50th college reunion coincided with the University’s 125th year. So, we volunteered for the reunion committee. We support The Nature Conservancy because we like their way of doing business, trying to get people cooperating and working together. HopeLink, Food Lifeline and local schools are a few other organizations we support.”
They’ve both ventured into photography over the years – especially focusing on lighthouses. Judy did landscape photography in the wilderness and now she does it around their home and the beach – seeing barred owls, Cooper’s hawks, lynx, raccoons, and rabbits. “Techie that I am, I was an early adopter of digital!”
How do you hope our parks look and operate in 100 years?
“The last four years were a disaster for the parks. Even before, they weren’t getting an adequate share of the pie. We want them to be preserved while encouraging access. It seems like they aren’t as interesting to younger people these days, and if you don’t have people liking these places, they won’t vote for taxes to support them.”
Can you tell us something about yourself that people might not know about you?
They got to go whaling with Inuit people above the Arctic Circle in the 1970s. Curly received information from the Canadian Tourist Bureau about the NW Territories and thought, ‘Here’s someplace my Dad (who was with the Alaska Steamship Company) hasn’t been. They flew into Inuvik, and stayed on the Bering Sea at the end of the Fraser River. They thought they were staying at the Igloo Inn, but it turned out to be just a snack bar! “We ended up staying with the local doctor, who had a bunkhouse where we stayed for a week. There were only 9 miles of road in the entire area, so you’d either fly out or drive up the Fraser River when it was frozen. We got around on scooters for sightseeing, and the doctor arranged for us to go whaling with Inuit natives where they harpooned a Beluga whale. We both remember someone saying: ‘Hey Willy, where you want your whale?’ when we arrived back at the village. The residents cut slabs like a briefcase so they could carry it to their homes.”
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
They were featured, in their wedding photo, on the cover of the Seattle University Alumni Magazine in 2010!
We are so grateful for the many Trailblazers who help us achieve our mission. Interested in supporting the parks? Give a gift today, and together we’ll ensure our parks remain vibrant and everlasting for years to come.