Jon Halvorson
President
Halvorson was born and raised on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. After serving in the USAF from 1967-1972, he and his wife Janet have lived in Lacey since 1975. They have one daughter and two grand-daughters. Jon received a BA degree in Government and International Relations from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, an MA in Educational Psychology from Ball State University at RAF Chicksands, England, and a Masters of Social Work from the University of Washington. He and Janet both retired from the WA Department of Social and Health Services. Jon was elected to the Lacey City Council (1991-1999),and served as Mayor from 1993 -1996. Jon has served on the boards and been president of many private and public organizations, including the Housing Authority of Thurston County, Lacey Planning Commission, Thurston County MEDIC ONE Council, the Capital Area Public Facilities District, Thurston County Parks & Recreation Committee, Olympia Kiwanis Club, Community Youth Services, the North Thurston Education Foundation, Retired Public Employees Council, Chapter 2 and the Sons of Norway, Olympia Hovestad Lodge. Jon was honored as Thurston County’s Citizen of the Year in 2003, named a “Living Legend of Thurston County” in 2010 and was inducted into the NTEF Ring of Honor in 2019.
Cynthia Pratt
Vice President Cynthia and her husband moved to Olympia from California in 1966 and bought their house in Lacey in 1973 where they have raised their daughter and son. She worked for the Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources for 27 years, retiring in 2008. She ran, and won a seat on the Lacey City Council beginning in 2010. After three terms she retired from local government after serving as Deputy Mayor for 8 of the 12 years. The City announced her as their inaugural poet laureate at her retirement, beginning January 2022. She is active in Suffragette enactments around Thurston County.
Tim McGuire
TreasurerTim moved from Snoqualmie, Washington in August 1967 to attend St. Martin’s College, became a resident fireman (Volunteer) for the Lacey Fire Department, and continued as a volunteer for a total of 12 plus years. He graduated with a degree in accounting from St. Martin’s in 1971, and then went to work for the city of Lacey in 1970 and worked there for over 41 years. Tim has also volunteered for the Supervisory Committee for Twin Star Credit Union and Crime Stopper’s both for over 15 years. He is married to Terry, his wife of 53+ years, and together they have two children with 7 grand children, and 4 great grandchildren.
John Dziedzic
Secretarymoved to Lacey with his parents, Gene and Shirley, and his six brothers and sisters, on Labor Day 1960. His mother was a founding member and long-time Trustee and President of the Lacey Historical Society. John was a member of the last graduating class from the Old Lacey Grade School, and attended Chinook and NTHS. After receiving a degree from WSU, he worked for the Washington State Employees Credit Union and Secretary of State Ralph Munro. After law school, he was a clerk for Supreme Court Justice Gerry Alexander, an Assistant Attorney General, a legal counsel for a Senate standing committee, and a hearings officer for the Department of Licensing. He and his wife, Shelley, are currently retired and live in
Tumwater. 2025 Ken Balsley LACEY Historian of the Year.
Yvette Oliva Burroughs
Yvette born and raised in Thurston and King Counties. She was educated in Olympia and Lacey, graduating from North Thurston High School in 1968 and she completed two years at St. Martin’s College. She has a certificate as a medical assistant. For the next 6 years she lived on the East Coast, the Northwest and Hawaii. She worked as an administrative support in private businesses throughout the US, for State and County government here, including working in records management and archiving at State Ecology, and at her family real estate development company in Thurston County. Yvette and her Oliva and Burroughs family development company was very instrumental in the development of both the Lacey and Olympia area from the 1940s to the 1990’s. Yvette has been very active in several community groups including: High School Future Nurses, Junior Children’s Orthopedic Group, Hospital Volunteers at both Exeter Hospital, New Hampshire and St. Peter’s Hospital Olympia, the Lacey Kiwanis, Red Hat Women’s Group, Random Acts of Kindness Group, and the Make a Wish of Washington organization. Hobbies include reading, short story writing, décor and cooking. Personal attributes: She is articulate, compassionate, loyal, detail oriented and organized. And she is serving our community by helping LHS preserve our history.
John Turner
was born to Henry W. and Evelyn Turner. They purchased the Black Cat Nursery on Pacific Avenue in Lacey in 1945. Born and raised in the Lacey area, John began his public safety career in 1966 as a resident firefighter. After incorporation in 1966, the city formed a new police department and asked him to help recruit nine others for a volunteer police cadet program. John continued to pursue his police training, first at St. Martin’s, and then at WSU, where he graduated in 1971. Following graduation, John returned to Lacey and began a 14-year career with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. In 1985, he moved to Snohomish County to serve as Police Chief in three cities, as well as stints with the federal Homeland Security Department and Washington State’s Office of the Attorney General. In 2020, he returned to Lacey with his wife, Margo, of 50 years. They have one daughter, Jennifer. John has served four governors on five boards and commissions, most notably as Chair of the Governor’s Clemency and Pardons Board. John has is also past president of the North Thurston Kiwanis Club, and past chair of the Olympia area Salvation Army.
Larry Ganders
Larry came to Lacey in 1986 as the Western Washington Bureau chief for the Tri-City Herald and McClatchy Newspapers based at the state capitol in Olympia. He continued to be located here for 28 more years as an assistant to the WSU President for Government Relations, serving under Presidents Sam Smith, Lane Rawlins, and the late Elson Floyd. He left WSU in 2015 after supervising a statewide professional journalism internship program and working on a radio history museum for the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. He coordinated a UW-WSU capitol intern program in 2023 for the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. Before retirement in 2019, Larry was a sales specialist in appliances and millworks for Lacey Lowe’s. He is a board member and 2024-2026 President of the Olympia-Lacey Centennial Amtrak Station, the only all-volunteer station in the U.S. that has operated for 33 consecutive years. He headed a project to locate, preserve and display vintage photographs of Thurston County train stations. Since childhood, he has been an O-Gauge Model Train collector and operator (GandersTrains.Com). He also compiled extensive family history web pages including SwissFamilyFraunfelder.Com. He is married to Robin Ganders, who was admissions director for Providence Mother Joseph for 28 years.
Denise (Fuchs) Keegan
Denise moved to Lacey in 1977 to complete her final years of undergraduate education at St. Martin’s University. Lacey Mayor Karen Fraser hired Denise in 1978 to begin gathering research about Lacey’s history—to collect oral histories and to help establish a city historical program. In that role, Denise spent hundreds of hours visiting with older residents – collecting oral history recordings, photos, and other historic materials for the city. She served on the first Lacey Historical Society Board and helped start the Lacey Historic Commission – serving as their Chair for several years. She worked closely with Shirley Dziedzic on the annual Historical Society’s tree and plant dedication programs. Denise earned her master’s degree in public administration from The Evergreen State College in 1997. Denise and her husband, Chris, have three grown children all of whom live nearby. Denise has stayed very active in community activities – most recently serving as the 2021 – 2022 Tumwater Rotary President.
Paul Webb
Paul was born at St. Peter’s hospital in Olympia, Washington, and graduated from North Thurston High School. His distinguished 45-year fire services career in western Washington included 38 years with the Lakewood Fire Department. He served two years as president of the Pierce County Fire Chiefs Association, and as president of the Clover Park Rotary Club where he remains an active member. He presently serves on the Board of the Sonrise Church of God, in Olympia. 2024 Ken Balsley LACEY Historian of the Year.
Margie (Worden) Wyllie
Margie’s grandparents came from Tennessee to Lacey around 1910 to join other relatives. Her Grandfather worked in the Union Mill, and her Grandmother cooked and cleaned in the Union Mills Hotel and Union Mills office in the same building. Margie moved with her sister Janis (Worden) Chastain from Tumwater to Union Mills in 1955 to join others in the “family compound” that included her Grandmother as well as aunts, uncles and cousins. Margie graduated from NTHS, after having ridden to school with the same bus driver, Dean Huntamer, from first grade until then! After graduation she traveled some, now back “home” and married to Gordon Wyllie. She has one son, Air Force Major Larry Dicks, specializing in Intelligence, who resides in Virginia.
Susie Coomes
Susie was born in Seattle, raised in Burien and graduated from Highline HS (1961). She was one of four girls. Her father was a milk man for Riverview Farms. The family moved to the Lacey area in the late 1960s. Susie worked in social services for Harborview Hospital in Seattle, doing nursing home placements for patients in conjunction with State Health. She then worked at the Thurston-Mason Health District which became the Thurston County Health Department, where she became the office staff supervisor. She was married to Jim Coomes, a thirty year employee of the City of Lacey Public Works Department until he passed. Susie’s mother’s family (Leigh) were early settlers of East Olympia. Her father’s family (McKinley) lived in the Littlerock area for many years prior to moving to Seattle. Susie has lived in Lacey since 1980.
Ed Sorger
Ed’s family moved to the Lacey area in 1959 and he attended the 4th grade at Old Lacey Grade School. When he was a senior at North Thurston High School he became a Lacey Police Cadet and then a reserve officer and finally a full-time officer with Lacey PD in 1971. During his 35 years with Lacey PD he earned the rank of Commander and retired to become the Chief of Police at The Evergreen State College For the next 11 years. The highlight of his career includes attending the FBI National Academy in Quantico Virginia and 44 years as a Lacey Lamplighter Lions Club member. Also when the old Lacey Grade School was torn down he worked with the Lacey Historical Society to preserve the gym floor which was moved to North Thurston Public Schools Transportation Department.
Mike Pettit
Mike moved to Lacey with his parents, Del and Verna Pettit, along with his two brothers and sister. He began his schooling at Mountain View Elementary School, starting in the first grade. On the opening day of Lydia Hawk Elementary School, Mike continued his elementary education. He later attended Chinook Junior High School and graduated from North Thurston High School (NTHS) in 1970. After completing high school, Mike served for eight years in the United States Army. His primary duty assignment was as a Military Police Investigator. Following his military service, Mike and his wife Jessica returned to Lacey. Mike worked at Washington Natural Gas before establishing his own HVAC company. He also served as a Freeholder on the first Home Rule board of Thurston County. Now retired Mike and Jessica have been married for 56 years. They are proud grandparents and great grandparents.