1986 Honorary Member Profile : Tony Dolphin

Tony Dolphin has been the conservation "voice" of the Spokane Mountaineers for 14 years. "Going to meetings became a way of life," he recalls. From 1976 to 1990, Tony pored through voluminous reports and proposed legislation to keep the Board and membership informed. He urged members to follow his lead in letter-writing, phoning, and testifying. "I enjoyed it," he emphasizes.

The 1961 Mountain School lured Tony into membership. The view of the lights to the west from high camp on Rainier's Kautz route stand out in his memory of that year. "We woke up above the clouds, with Adams, St. Helens, Baker, Hood...all in view." For the first time, he experienced "the feeling that it's all yours!"

Mt. Hood via the Cooper Spur two weeks earlier brings a grin. "It was a real fun climb," he says, "except we were prowling around in the dark" after hunting (successfully) a climber who wandered away almost in sight of camp.

By 1962, Tony was program chairman, Mountain School instructor, and veteran laborer on the Club's new but damage-prone ski tow. He recalls "all of the struggles...the weekends spent climbing A-frames to jury-rig hangers...."

Dubbing himself a "hack and scrape" skier, Tony learned on the Ryker ski tow. He was a Chalet regular-for work parties, weekend manager stints, the many potlucks....

First elected a trustee in 1963, he served six times, and in 1975-1976, he was vice-president. A review of past Kinnikinnicks proves Tony a willing leader of innumerable hikes, climbs, and bike events. Honorary member status came in 1986.

Born in Spokane, Tony lived in a Valley Edgecliff-area home lighted by coal oil. During the Korean War, Air Force eye tests replaced dreams of flying with supply depot duty. Teaching at Lincoln Elementary followed a 1958 EWU degree. Then new and innovative Ferris High School beckoned him to teach world affairs and economics. A former West Valley high school runner, he was also cross-country coach and later assistant track coach. "It was really exciting to see young people mature ...to hear later about their successes and failures." Retirement came in 1985.

The camaraderie of the trail blossomed into romance, and past Club president, Ida Rowe became Ida Dolphin in 1985. (Their paths had crossed briefly years before when Ida, a teacher at Shadle Park, transported a runner daughter to the indoor track at Ferris.) With marriage, Tony became an instant family man; 13 grandchildren to date, plus parents.

It was the Mountaineers who piqued his interest in conservation. "The more I became acquainted with the area, the more it became apparent that it was being systematically degraded," he says, remembering talks with old-timers about the hunting and fishing they had known when young. He also became an ardent admirer of the "amazing work" done by ex-president Ray Kresek in saving the Salmo-Priest as a caribou habitat when U.S. Forest Service officials doggedly denied the animals were there. "Up to then, there was not much public awareness of the number of Forest Service projects scheduled."

The whole conservation effort has been on fast-forward the past 10 or 15 years," Tony points out. "A landmark was the recent willingness and ability to seek grievance through the courts," he says, citing the Club's participation in the Inland Empire Public Lands Council's challenge of the Colville Forest's management plan.

He applauds the Council umbrella. Before, each organization did its own thing. "Now, we combine efforts, decide issues, and go after 'them'!" as, for example, this fall's successful "Clear Cut" campaign. Tony continues today as a charter member of the Council board. But he warns that "The job is far from done...unless we see a dramatic turn about...unlikely with recession and job losses." His advice? Statistics don't convey the impact of a clear-cut. "Just get out and see it," he says, "and do something to help."

"This year was exciting with the publication of Ida's book, Life on Hold," Tony enthuses. Though no match for his "expert gardener" spouse, he "plays with the rose beds." He "finally has the time" to woodcarve and won a blue ribbon in this year's local show. Then there are the oft-repeated camper travels-fall color in the East, the Oregon coast, the Southwest....

"Most memorable are the people and relationships," Tony reflects. "So frequently you found yourself in situations where you depended on someone else or they depended on you. It's literally, my life in their hands, or theirs in mine. Association with the Spokane Mountaineers has been one of the high points of my life."

Lorna Ream