This is the statement I read at the Dec. 11 public hearing in regards to the fate of the “Jewel of Fidalgo.”

The economic prosperity of downtown Oak Harbor and revenue has already been addressed. So I offer the following.

I met Steve Waldron, his wife Joan and her twin sister Jean in 1966. We became fast friends. We all graduated from Oak Harbor High School and so did our children. I have watched Steve start his construction company and seen it grow into one of Oak Harbor’s most successful businesses.

This leads me to a layman’s suggestion, a proactive approach. Growing up with my twin girlfriends, I spent many a day at their home on old 400 Avenue East (now 8th Avenue). I think you know the one; there is a Garry oak in the middle of the road. In 1970 my daddy asked asked me to gather some fallen acorns from the tree. I very carefully collected them, put them in a plastic bag and safely delivered them to him.

Listen carefully to what happened next. He planted those acorns and his love of trees and his labor are truly a success story. Located at the end of 1225 N. Lombardy Lane just south of Oak Harbor (by the way Lombardy Lane is lined with Lombardy poplars which he planted and the lane is named after) stand two proud lovely ladies. Their names are Jean and Joan. They are 36 years old….the trees I mean…sorry ladies! They stand about 40 feet tall. You see they are Garry oaks, yep, from those acorns he planted so many years ago.

There are many other Garry oaks on his three acres there. Four are located at the entrance to Lombardy Lane and can be clearly seen from Highway 20.

I live on the adjacent five acres. I have a Garry oak on my property named “Little Ralphie” after my wonderful Father Ralph T. Nunn.

I also planted a Garry oak at Interwest Bank (now Wells Fargo) at the corner of Highway 20 and Midway Boulevard in 1992 and named her Annie Oakley. While I was employed there I kept a watchful eye on her. Very recently along with some fir trees and Junipers she was destroyed, not pruned, not groomed but leveled. I wonder if that falls anywhere under the city ordinance?

Steve’s project in not going to destroy the tree, unlike Annie Oakley. Steve and his partner Al have been diligent in working with the city and an arborist in regards to the tree. They want the tree to showcase the new fine establishment he plans to build.

My closing statement and what I want you to leave here with is, is what if we all gather an acorn and plant it in a loved one’s memory? Or plant one at the new stadium in honor of our recent victory at state? Or at the park on Fort Nugent? I think you get the idea. Those Garry oaks will be here for our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and so on.

My daddy gave his grandchildren a penny apiece to gather acorns from Smith Park. He purchased dirt and peat moss cups. He cultivated those acorns and when they were about two years old he placed an advertisement in the Whidbey News-Times: “Garry Oak trees, free, plant one today!” He gave his address and gave away over 200 Garry oaks.

Daddy, if you are looking down from Heaven, I hope you are proud of me, because I am so very proud of you and the legacy you have left. You see, he just passed away in September.

Thank you for your time and consideration. By the way, my 53rd birthday was last week. My best friends Jean and Joan gave me a necklace. Upon further inspection you will notice – it’s an acorn.

Diane Nunn Holmly lives in Oak Harbor.