My personal history with Grand Forks goes back to 1904 when my maternal grandfather came here for the first time. About 1919, he left Grand Forks for Anyox where he met and married my grandmother. My mother was born in Anyox and as a young child my grandfather moved the family back to Grand Forks where Mom went to school. When Mom was in her teens, her family moved again to Anyox and Vancouver and then to Copper Mountain where she met and married my father. When my family moved to Grand Forks, Dad invited Grandpa Chapman to come with us, an invitation he eagerly accepted, and he lived with us until he passed away in 1961.
In September 1957 I went into Grade 2 in the elementary school that was subsequently demolished in the late 1960's. I graduated from Grand Forks Secondary School in 1968 and moved to Vancouver for a little more than a year where I attended Vancouver Vocational College and then worked in an office. Big City Life was not for me, and I came home where I went to work for Stan Orris at the Grand Forks Gazette. When Mr. Orris sold the Gazette, I went to work for the accounting firm Thorne Gunn Helliwell & Christensen, and then for Bob Albrecht and Gary Calbick when they opened their public accounting practice. In 1980 I went to work for the City of Grand Forks as the Senior Accounting Clerk, receiving subsequent promotions to the positions of Deputy Treasurer/Collector in 1982 and Treasurer/Collector in 1994. I retired in 2003.
In 1972 I married Brian Thompson. My husband's family also has a long history in Grand Forks His maternal grandfather, Ed Ruzicka, moved his family to Grand Forks in the early 1920's where he was employed by BC Tel and was responsible for bringing telephone service to our area. For many years, his paternal grandparents owned and operated the Yale Cafe located in the Yale Hotel. My mother-in-law worked for CP Rail for many years, starting in the station that was located where Boundary Park Mall now stands and then in the west end depot which is now the Station Pub. My father-in-law was the assistant liquor vendor.
Our two children were born and educated here. (Actually, Councillor Moslin taught both of them.) Tracy and Rhys are married to wonderful people and they have made Brian and me the very proud grandparents of three grandsons whom we love to dote on and spoil.
In 2007 I found myself being very critical of what was happening in our City. I decided that I would seek election to our City Council, and if elected, I would work hard to make a difference. It is my objective to ensure that there is open and public debate on all issues so that you, the electorate, will know why Council is making the decisions they are. I want to ensure that communications between the City and the public are easily understood by the general public. I will work hard to ensure that the City's financial plans will be representative of what is needed, and that rates and charges are fairly distributed between all users in this tough economic time.
