By Brenna Wiegand
Silverton Chamber of Commerce has chosen Douglas and Antonia Jenkins to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at Silverton’s First Citizen Banquet Feb. 19.
“It was a complete and utter surprise – a nice surprise – and with balloons, too,” Douglas said. “I am grateful that people want to honor me.”
“I share Douglas’ surprise and delight at receiving this award, and since I hope my life is barely half over, I take it as an incentive and direction for the rest of my life,” Antonia said.
Antonia had her first taste of Silverton while earning a bachelor’s degree in fine art at Mount Angel College. She graduated in 1973 – the college’s last class. The Benedictine Sisters now operate St. Joseph Shelter out of that building.
Wanting to raise her two boys in a small-town lifestyle, Antonia moved to Silverton a few years later. Many of her friends from college lived here, too.
She got a job producing ads for the Silverton Appeal.
“It was in the old days before computers, and we worked at a huge light table with a wax machine and an X-Acto knife,” she said. “It was very creative and the working atmosphere was great. Nick Robinson was my favorite boss ever, and we loved our publisher-boss, Joe Davis.”
After marrying Douglas, Antonia enjoyed being able to spend more time at home with the kids. She worked part-time at the local food bank for awhile, and when the boys left home she wanted to give something back to her supportive community. She ran for the Silverton City Council in 1995 – and, to her surprise, won.
“I served with a fine and diverse group of people; there was an atmosphere of mutual respect and a desire to accomplish goals in the best interests of Silverton,” Antonia said. “I was proud to be a part of the creation of The Oregon Garden as well as many other council and city accomplishments at that time.”
She is grateful for all the services Silverton has to offer, not the least of which is all the local and organic produce nearby.
Douglas came to Silverton for a teaching position.
“I met a lovely single mother of two and we fell in love and decided to marry,” he said. “Tonia owned a house in a beautiful location in a nice place to live, close to my work. I suppose you could say that I also married Silverton 27 years ago.”
Douglas would much rather describe and encourage the collective energy groups of people can bring to bear on a situation rather than talk about himself. Some of his contributions to Silverton’s well being take place behind the scenes, such as when he started a composting program for leftover cafeteria food at Eugene Field Elementary School, earning the school a Weyerhaeuser award of $1,000.
He served more than a dozen years on the Silverton Planning Commission and has sat on myriad curriculum committees for the school district. For nearly 20 summers, Douglas facilitated the Oregon Department of Education’s Instructional Materials Evaluations.
After retiring from education, Douglas took a position as group tour coordinator for The Oregon Garden. He goes out to promote The Oregon Garden and coordinate tours that include a visit to the The Oregon Garden.
He was recently a guest speaker for Portland Concierge Association and is participating in the National Tour Association leadership team.
Tourism, Doug said, begins at home.
“For my part, I would encourage others to learn the stories about the people and places around them and to tell those stories to people and in forums that help others see the beauty and charm of Silverton and its surrounding areas,” he said. “We are a wonderful resource for people who want to explore and learn about Oregon; many are sincerely interested in our stories about ourselves and others.”
It’s another way, he said, that people can “take a leadership role in a network of people with interests and a future in common.”
Douglas said it was a student who showed him how people do not realize the impact their lives can have on others…
“…because small actions or habits or attitudes can play a big part – either behind the scenes or right out front.
“Perhaps the best thing that I did was to sing with my students; I cannot say,” he said. “I want to start every day full of hope and compassion and belief in possibility.”
Antonia is a gifted ceramicist and co-founder of Silverton’s Lunaria Gallery. She has helped with the Silverton Art Festival since its inception.
She is currently pursuing other passions.
“I like to say I’m on sabbatical, but I don’t know for how long,” she said.
She is learning Spanish, taking classes at Chemeketa Community College and practicing three hours a day.
She and Douglas recently returned from one of their regular visits to Gigante, Nicaragua, where they are also part of the community.
Antonia also loves animals and zoology.
“On a recent visit to Mexico, I got to spend some up-close personal time with young panthers and tigers – it was a peak experience for me!”
She dreams of going to the Galapagos Islands to study the behavior of blue-footed boobies, or perhaps tending a dairy goat farm and making fresh cheese.
“I am a curious and lifelong student of language, cultures, human and animal behaviors, and the beauty and mystery of life,” Antonia said.
Douglas and Antonia are extremely passionate about their first grandchild – a boy.
