Life Award Will Honor Whidbey Resident Grethe Cammermeyer for Contributions

A local recognition (the Life Award) will honor Grethe Cammermeyer, a Whidbey resident, for contributions that have positively affected the Whidbey community and beyond." The announcement names Cammermeyer as the honoree and describes the Life Award as recognizing individuals and organizations making a measurable local impact.

Cammermeyer’s life includes several documented milestones: she was born in Oslo, Norway, and became a United States citizen in 1960. Records in local archives note she received the Bronze Star for Meritorious Achievement for her military service, and a biographical account indicates she and a man named Harvey were married for 15 years. A separate local account connects Cammermeyer to a media piece that "was aired, earning the Peabody award and three Emmy awards," though the announcement of the Life Award did not include the program title, broadcast date, or the specific contributions cited for that recognition.

The Life Award announcement did not include key logistical details. The report did not specify when or where the award will be presented, which organization is administering the Life Award, whether it is an annual honor, or which specific projects or initiatives on Whidbey Island prompted the selection. Organizers have not yet provided a citation of the measurable impacts referenced in the award description.

Community programming of potential interest to readers intersects with caregiving and elder services on South Whidbey. South Whidbey at Home and Healing Circles Langley are hosting a free screening of the documentary "Wine, Women & Dementia" at the Clyde Theater in Langley on Saturday, March 7, from 2-4 p.m. A press release quoted in coverage describes the film as "a warm and candid documentary that follows director Kitty Norton on a cross-country road trip to meet and connect with other dementia caregivers." Norton will participate in a post-screening conversation with Beth Herrild, executive director of South Whidbey at Home, and Aimie Vallat, an advisor to Healing Circles Langley and a filmmaker.

Local public-safety and port matters remain active around Island County. Whidbey News-Times reported that Port of Coupeville board members voted to make an offer on buying the A.J. Eisenberg Airport near Oak Harbor, and the same outlet also reported that, after months of discussions, commissioners later voted 3-1 not to purchase the Oak Harbor airport. Recent criminal and incident items reported locally include a 30-year-old Skagit County man who allegedly smoked fentanyl in the Oak Harbor Walmart and led police on a high-speed chase that ended when his car crashed through a Navy base fence; Oak Harbor resident Joshua Wiener, who was accused of kidnapping and raping a 14-year-old girl; Oak Harbor resident Jordan McCully, arrested for allegedly firing into a house and shooting up a car with an AR-15-style rifle; a residential black bear sighting in Oak Harbor; and Oak Harbor man Marc Davis, who died in the hospital five months after a crash on North Whidbey. One Whidbey News-Times item is truncated in available notes as "Prosecutors charged Oak Harbor resident Eric K."

If you have memories of Grethe Cammermeyer’s community work on Whidbey Island or want updates on the Life Award ceremony, tell us in the comments, and let us know if you plan to attend the March 7 screening in Langley.