Leadership, expertise, connection, teaching, dedication, follow through, collaboration, excellence, patience, and thoughtfulness these words describe Dave and Linda Brubaker.
If you had gone through Volunteer Education Training with Sound Water Stewards prior to this year, you would have met and listened to both Dr. David Brubaker, Ph. D. and Dr. Linda Brubaker, Ph. D., known as Professors Emeritus experts and teachers in their respective fields. The lists of their accomplishments and credentials are impressive. But they aren’t known as Dr. Dave and Dr. Linda; they are known, respected, and loved as Dave and Linda Brubaker because both are patient, thoughtful and extremely knowledgeable teachers, in Joan Schrameck’s words, a former Camano Island Coordinator who worked closely with both.
They have dedicated so much of their time to Sound Water Stewards. Let this be a thank you note and a tribute to their unwavering support for the activities that they led with intelligence and grace. With generous hearts, they shared their love of shorelines, inhabitants, and us.
You may know Dave Brubaker as your marine biology teacher, covering topics such as marine zonation, marine biology and Easy ID classes as well as teaching our scientific protocol for SWS intertidal monitoring. And you will remember Linda’s enlightening Forest Talks at VET or attending one of her fascinating and all-encompassing Old Growth Forest Walks.
I first met Dave and Linda in 2011 when I volunteered with WSU Beach Watchers.
I think there were at least 20 of us volunteers on Camano Island who met at the Multipurpose Building with WSU staff and Linda and Dave, who were to be our teachers, organizers, and field trip leaders. They did everything. We followed along with massive binders containing Course Materials.
They organized group discussions and exercises to work on. We also spent a few hours working on skits for the Christmas party, featuring various nearshore characters such as the lowly limpet and a variety of other creatures. Our esteemed classmates, some of whom were former university deans, teachers, CPAs, an architect, engineers, and other retired professionals, participated enthusiastically. We laughed a lot. Dave and Linda facilitated it.
Both Dave and Linda worked tirelessly, conducting Beach Monitoring, VET, and the co-chairman of the Science Committee and the Education Committee. At one point they served on the Board of Managers for six years. This dedication and commitment were always carried out with openness and joy.
They participated in most of the events that I went to with Beach Watchers and the SWS. They were there at the annual picnics, numerous beach tabling Events, Discovery Days with 2nd graders, Cinco de Mayo parties, Christmas parties and more. They raised money at the auctions by renting out a cabin at Lake Quinault and then offered guided nature hikes so they could meet more people and get a deeper connection to those whom they volunteered with.
PaulBen McElwain thinks of Dave as strongly supporting the foundation of the Science pillar of Sound Water Stewards. Dave co- chaired the Science Committee for years and was willing to lead us. Jeanie McElwain recalls that he was very collaborative and willing to share his knowledge and time so graciously. And lead us he did.
Joan pointed out that it was just like him to pitch in to clean out the Cama Beach “Bat Cave” with other volunteers and organize and take inventory of our equipment used for beach monitoring. No task was beneath or beyond him.
Under both of their leadership tenures with SWS, we monitored the beaches, diligently following scientific protocols designed to support further scientific research and data collection requirements while sharing meals and drinks afterward. I’m sure there are more activities that they participated in and organized that I might have left out. This isn’t an exhaustive list of their contributions and accomplishments, but I’m exhausted just thinking about all they did in the last 16 years. Along with the others who worked together with them, they made SWS what it is today. And I am so thankful for getting to know them and working with them.
It was a warm and welcoming experience working with them and I’m so grateful for all that Linda and Dave do. They are so ACTIVE!
-Stacey Thompson, SWS Class of 2011
