I grew up on Syene Road and Irish Lane in Fitchburg in the 1950s and 1960s. During that time I witnessed the many development changes that were occurring in Fitchburg. While the Syene School district had joined the Oregon Public School District in the early 1950’s, there was no room in Oregon for a number of us first and second graders in the fall of 1957. So Syene was reopened and I attended a combined first and second grade class for that school year. I was lucky enough to grow up next door to my maternal grandparents, Jerry and Laura Brewer, who moved to Fitchburg in the 1930s. Many relatives’ visits piqued my interest in history and genealogy and I went on to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a undergraduate history degree and a Masters in Library Science. I have been a board member for a number of years and collect the obituaries for the Society.