George Hunsby (1910-1996) called Fairhaven home for most of his life.
His wanderlust and convivial nature might label him a modern Tom Sawyer,
with his adventures including serving in two wars, logging the county in
the early century, an engineering aid on the survey creating the Mount
Baker Highway, machinist, Prohibition T-Man, gardener for the esteemed
poet Ella Higginson, among other things. In retirement he found his true
calling as a Whatcom County storyteller and historian, penning six
history books and seven years of newspaper columns. Being older than the
consolidated City of Bellingham he had seen changes few other historians
had. He filled in the gaps between the photos and research others were
collecting with homespun tales featuring the sights, sounds and feelings
of a society long gone he'd known quite well. Following in his
footsteps, Aaron Joy spent his college years working as a Bellingham
historian, including writing a daily history column for the 'Bellingham
Herald'. In 1999 Aaron wrote the book 'A History of Bellingham's Parks',
the first history of all the parks and open spaces. When George died
Aaron decided pay tribute to him by writing this biography. Historians
tell everyone else's stories, but rarely get their own stories told, but
they can can often be just as interesting. This biography is primarily
based on George's articles in the short-lived and forgotten 'Bellingham
Metropolitan' and 'Bellingham Times' newspapers, and his lesser known
non-Fairhaven specific books, to provide a different view of his past
than what most of his readers might know. Further, an extensive
introduction paints the world of the history community at the time of
George's death. This book was originally drafted in 1996, but not
completed until 2021. Also here is a one man play, originally drafted in
2005, inspired by George's life. The play features a young man who does
not want to grow up, as he believes he'll lose everything he loves. This
biography and play is a tribute from one former historian to another,
that only took 25 years to finish. Its important to remember those who
paved the way and kept the past alive.
