David Alvord was back in the cab of a town fire engine on Sunday, not for a fire call but to ride shotgun to the Shelter Bay Clubhouse where friends, family members and well-wishers gathered to celebrate the lifelong La Conner resident’s 90th birthday.
The spry nonagenarian flashed his trademark grin as he bounded from the rig’s passenger seat and made his way to a festive party where he was feted for a lifetime of local public service and devotion to his family.
The clubhouse quickly filled with admirers — some of whom attended La Conner High School with Alvord in the 1950s, others were newer friends made at the La Conner Retirement Inn — who showed their appreciation for Alvord’s many contributions to his hometown as a volunteer firefighter, two-term town council member, La Conner School District booster and Dunlap Towing skipper.
“The attendance is greater than his age,” one party-goer said.
Alvord was greeted by former La Conner schoolmates like Roger Nelson and retirement inn neighbor Brad Bradford. Alvord and Bradford regularly loop town on their e-cycles with fellow seniors, a group Alvord smilingly refers to as his “biker gang.”
A display table and photo collage were set up in the corner of the clubhouse where several chapters in Alvord’s life were highlighted. His career at Dunlap Towing, where Alvord towed barges and logs under all conceivable conditions, was prominent.
Included in the collection was an account of when a 156-foot barge Alvord was towing in the Fraser River was struck in the fog by a Russian freighter. The incident occurred in 1970 at the height of the Cold War. Two years later, in 1972, a Canadian court ruled that the Russian vessel was entirely at fault for the collision.
Not displayed, though well-documented in Gerald Bell’s book “Tugboat Life,” was the time Alvord and his crew moved 75 sections of logs from the south end of Swinomish Channel to a storage area at the channel’s north end. That tow, according to Bell, stretched almost a mile in length and was believed to be the largest on record at the time.
At the party, Alvord reminisced on those and countless other memories with the steady stream of attendees. He took a break from chatting to blow out the candles on his birthday cake and be serenaded with a robust singalong of “Happy Birthday.” In the chorus, Alvord was simultaneously referred to as “dear Dave” and “dear grandpa,” drawing affectionate chuckles from the impromptu community choir.
The festivities closed with the large Alvord family posing for a group photo, a beaming Dave front and center holding a sign proclaiming him to be “the life of the party.”
Truer words were never spoken.
Bill Reynolds is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News
