Wilma Rhodes Patrick and Sue Riney have been selected by Oak Harbor Soroptimists as their Women of Distinction for the year. Wilma Rhodes Patrick moved to Oak Harbor in 1952 and worked for many years to bring a hospital to Whidbey Island and continues to this day as a volunteer for the remodeling of the hospital. She and her husband owned one of the first supermarkets here — Thriftway at Market Town. After her husband died, she married Judge Howard Patrick. Sue Riney who is active in local affairs, is president of Oak Harbor Soroptimists and is a role model for women. Besides working full time at Pacific Northwest Bank, she is executive director of Whidbey Playhouse and is raising two teenaged sons. Rined has triumphed over cancer and challenges each person to be the best they can.

On March 21, 2002, nine boys from Cub Scout Pack 58 of Coupeville achieved Cub Scouting’s highest award the Arrow of Light.  The award was presented during a ceremony performed by Boy Scouts of the Order of the Arrow from Island and Skagit Counties.  Following the Arrow of Light ceremony, all of the boys, plus other Cub Scouts from the fifth grade, participated in the crossing over ceremony to join Boy Scout Troop 53, based in Greenbank, where they will continue their scouting career.  A bridge is used in the ceremony to signify a boy’s crossing over from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. Both ceremonies were followed by a reception held for the proud boys at the United Methodist Church in Coupeville.

Things are moving fast for the PBY Memorial Association, with a number of flyable planes available in various parts of the world. The PBY was the big bi-plane that came to Oak Harbor in 1942 to land on the Crescent Harbor base that is still in operation as part of the Whidbey Naval Air Station. The Seaplane base was the training patrol arm of the North Pacific, the stepping stone to the Alaskan front where many crews served during the last half of World War II. The PBYs flew from Whidbey Island to places like Attu, Kodiak Island, and Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians. The PBY Memorial Association meets for a luncheon the fourth Tuesday of each month, at the CPO Club. The public is invited. Win Stites is president of the association.

Congrats to Brad A. Hendricks, of Oak Harbor, who recently joined the Navy and will be trained as a hospital corpsman. He is the son of Robert E. Hendricks of Tacoma and Irene G. Dominguez of Port Hueneme, Calif., and attended Oak Harbor High School. Brad will report to basic training at Recruit Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill. Good luck!