Bits ‘n’ Pieces: Longtime museum volunteer honored

The Clark County Historical Museum threw a party on Jan. 19 for Richard Reay, who has volunteered there for a decade. He didn’t want any fuss, so the museum made it a surprise party.

“Richard made himself indispensable to staff, other volunteers and visitors alike with his can-do attitude, endless patience, attention to detail, and encyclopedic knowledge of our reference library as well as the last 10 years of museum history,” a museum press release stated. “In a word, Richard is irreplaceable.”

His parting gift? More work. The museum asked him to document the contents of a Civil War-era satchel. It’s one he has had his eye on and really wanted to open.

“I’ve got a special project,” he said, pleased with the assignment.

Reay, a 72-year-old Vancouver resident, began volunteering for the museum when he retired from a varied career. He had long been a member of the Oregon Archaeological Society.

When he began having trouble with the more physical work, he turned his attention to cleaning and identifying artifacts. He recruited volunteers to catalogue about 20,000 artifacts at the museum. He also managed the reference library.

“I’d always been interested in history and local history,” he said.

Online radio program explores dreams

Two Vancouver women host a talk radio show that delves into the world of dreams. Their show, “Flash of Spirit,” has been airing online on the Sedona Talk Radio Network since October. The show can be heard at http://www.sedonatalkradio.com/flash-of-spirit.

“It’s not New Age, but more of a thinking person’s approach,” said Gillian Holloway, one of the hosts. Holloway, 53, holds master’s and doctorate degrees from The Rosebridge Graduate School of Integrative Psychology and has written four books about dreams. Her research into dreams has been featured in Self, Cosmopolitan, The Washington Post, and The New York Times Health Blog.

Holloway’s co-host, Meredith Smith, 38, has a business that helps clients interpret their dreams.

“We’re the psychologist and the psychic,” Holloway said.

Both women had appeared on radio shows before, but yearned for a chance to explore the topic of dreams with more depth.

“These subjects need a little bit of time to expand. So we thought, ‘Let’s create that forum,’” Holloway said. Past shows have explored the topic of sleep paralysis and recurring dreams. “It’s been far more exciting than either of us expected,” Holloway said.

“I love it,” Smith said. “I could talk about dreams all day long.”

Bits ’n’ Pieces appears Mondays and Fridays. If you have a story you’d like to share, call Courtney Sherwood 360-735-4561, or e-mail features@columbian.com.