Click here to read the Mt. Vernon Clinic Report for March 2024.
You are browsing archives for
Category: Mt Vernon Clinic
The Mount Vernon Clinic news
Mount Vernon February 2024 Clinic Report
Click here to read the Mt. Vernon Clinic Report for February 2024.
Ted Becker, 1943-2024
It is with sadness that I am reporting that Ted Becker passed away on the morning of January 20, 2024, at the age of 80. Ted was admitted to Bellevue Overlake Hospital on August 19, 2022, after he experienced extreme fatigue and difficulty breathing, and ultimately was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis. After several weeks, some in the ICU, he recovered enough to be transferred to a care hospital in Seattle, and then on to a care hospital in Everett, where he has been for most of the time since.
He was making slow progress towards recovery and working with PT and OT personnel to build up strength, looking forward to the time he could return to his home. Unfortunately, while at the care hospital, he contracted a MRSA infection, then contracted Covid. Somewhat recovered from those infections, he then came down with pneumonia, which resulted in another trip to the ICU, this time at Providence Hospital in Everett. He recovered enough to leave Providence and go back to the care hospital a couple of weeks ago, although once again he was intubated. It is suspected that a blood clot caused his death.
Ted was a long-time member of the NMRA and the Fourth Division. Both he and I go back far enough in the NMRA that we were able to take out life memberships, which category no longer exists. For several years, Ted ran the Snohomish Railfans Clinic, and would often attend 4D clinics in Kirkland and Seattle (back in the Beacon Hill Clinic days). He also attended numerous NMRA national and regional conventions. In 2015 he and I started the Mount Vernon Clinic, at the urging of fellow model railroaders Tom Buckingham and Nick Muff (the four of us had been driving each month over to the Oak Harbor Clinic).
After retiring from Boeing, he and his companion, Janie, built a house outside of Granite Falls. The house included a railroad room, of course, and he spent many happy hours designing (and redesigning) his layout and building (and rebuilding) it.
While hospitalized, Ted made use of his laptop computer and spent many hours working out a new layout design for his layout room. He, like most model railroaders, was always dreaming and imagining his next layout. He also, at my request, drafted up some CAD plans for a snowshed for my layout, which I have just about completed. He was quite adept at CAD drafting.
Ted was also an avid radio control airplane enthusiast and was a member of a couple of flying clubs in the Monroe area.
His wealth of knowledge and years of experience in our hobby, and his willingness to help others, will be sorely missed in the Fourth Division.
Respectfully, Al Carter, Mount Vernon Clinic
Mt. Vernon Clinic Cancelled
Due to the frigid conditions, and out of abundance of caution, the Mount Vernon Clinic scheduled for January 15 has been cancelled.
Mount Vernon December 2023 Clinic Report
Click here to read the Mt. Vernon Clinic Report for December 2023.
Mini Swap Meet May 6
By Al Carter
Once again, the Mount Vernon Clinic is holding a spring “Mini Swap Meet”. Hop in your car and make the drive up to beautiful Skagit County, spend some time visiting other railroad modelers, buy some goodies, and maybe do a bit of railfanning (Mount Vernon is, after all, home to the 1-mile-long Mount Vernon Terminal Railway). Here are the particulars:
Date/Time: Saturday, May 6, 10:00am to 3:00pm. (Doors open at 9:00am for vendors.)
Location: Mount Vernon Senior Center, 1411 Cleveland Street. Easy access via the Kincaid Street exit from Interstate 5.
Admission: Free, but donations are highly appreciated, with the proceeds being donated to the Mount Vernon Meals-on-Wheels program, as in past years.
Entry: Enter through the rear (parking lot) door, south side. No entry through the front door.
Table Rental: $10 per table (limit 1 per person), payable only in cash on the date of the event. No checks or credit cards for table rental. You may request an additional table, and you will be notified 1 week prior if additional tables become available.
Table Reservation: To reserve a table, email Mark Malmkar at: plm99mfg@gmail.com
Lunch: There are limited options nearby for food, so brown bagging is highly encouraged. The kitchen facilities at the Senior Center are not available for use this year.
Questions? Contact Mark Malmkar at: plm99mfg@gmail.com or Al Carter at: tabooma10@gmail.com
Mount Vernon March 2023 Clinic Report
Click here to read the Mt. Vernon Clinic Report for March 2023.
CORRECTION
CORRECTION – The clinician for tonight’s (1/16/2023) Mount Vernon Clinic is Mark Malmkar, MMR, giving his “Seasonal Layout Changes” clinic that was originally scheduled last month. Bob Stafford will present his BNSF Everett Yards clinic in February.
Sorry for any confusion!
Al Carter, Mount Vernon Clinic (temporary!) Chair
Mount Vernon September 2022 Clinic Report
Click here to read the Mt. Vernon Clinic Report for September 2022.
Mount Vernon Clinic
By Alan Carter
Hey folks, it has been a long time – too long – since we’ve had any in person clinics. Covid really fouled things up, that’s for sure.
Well, it’s time to rectify that and get back to meeting in person. The first clinic of the year will be Monday, September 19, at 7:00 pm, at the Mount Vernon Senior Center, 1401 Cleveland Street (just south of the post office).
The even better news is that we have negotiated use of the large room at the senior center (the room where we’ve hosted those Saturday events in years past). This gives us plenty of room to spread out.
Our friends from our “sister clinic” over in Oak Harbor currently do not have a meeting space for their clinics, so we are hoping at least some of them can come and join us.
As in the past, please enter through the rear door, off the parking lot. The front door must remain locked. Please come as early as 6:30 to have time to socialize a bit and maybe help setting up chairs and tables.
Rather than having a featured clinician that evening, the plan is for you all to take part – we want to know what you have been up to since we last met a couple of years ago. Sort of a “what I did last summer” theme. Anything railroad related is OK – model or prototype.
Please bring examples of any models you’ve built – we want to see what you’ve done. Photos, too.
Anything you want to sell? Or give away? A table will be set up for just that purpose.
I will have the projector and laptop there (hopefully I can figure that out), so if you have photos to share, bring them on a thumb drive.
I also intend to ask for ideas on what sort of clinics might be of interest. And of course, I’m always in need of clinicians.
Be sure to email me at tabooma@msn.com if you have any questions/suggestions.
Al Carter, Temporary Clinic Chairperson