Darrow vies for seat on FVCC board

By Jacob Doran / Bigfork Eagle

If you have lived around Bigfork for long, you've probably seen or heard Elna Darrow's name more times than you can remember.

The reason is that she and her husband, local farmer and former Montana senator George Darrow, have been actively involved in planning for the future of Bigfork for more than 30 years, assuming positions of leadership in the community's business, geopolitical, agricultural and social scenes.

Add to that the fact that—as if she wasn't already active enough in the Bigfork community—Darrow has chosen to run for a seat on the Flathead Valley Community College board of trustees, in the hope of representing Bigfork and the southeastern portion of the county, which has not been represented on the FVCC board for about 20 years.

The fact that it has been so long since Bigfork has been represented on the FVCC board of trustees is one reason Darrow felt compelled to run. By law, four of the seven trustee seats must be filled by someone living within the boundaries of Flathead High School District 5. The remaining three seats are reserved for people who live in other parts of the county.

Currently, all three seats are filled by individuals who live in the Whitefish High School District boundaries. Two of those seats, which are currently held by trustees John Phelps and Thomas Harding, will be up for reelection next month, and Darrow hopes to unseat one of the incumbents.

"I just think that the FVCC board should not be dominated by the population centers," she said. "Bigfork and other areas should also be represented, and someone has to raise their hand."

As for her qualifications, Darrow points to her familiarity with community she hopes to represent on the board. She and George opened Kootenai Galleries on the corner of Electric Avenue and Grand in 1976 and operated the popular art destination for 30 years. The committee that worked on the original Bigfork Neighborhood Plan actually met in Kootenai Galleries form 1991-1993, and both Elna and George served on that committee.

The two remained active in planning for Bigfork's future during the years that followed and presently serve on the committee that has worked to update the Bigfork Neighborhood Plan, which Elna chaired in 2007 and vice-chairs in 2008.

However, Elna's involvement in Bigfork goes back much further. She has volunteered in many areas of the community for more than 30 years.

Among her credits, she was one of the founders of the Riverbend Concert Association fully 25 years ago and continues to serve on the association's board as a coordinator. For the past 20 years, she has also been actively involved in organizing and promoting Tamarack Time, which George spearheaded and made an annual community event.

Proceeds from Tamarack Time go fund construction of the future Swan River Nature Trail, which Elna has also worked hard to promote. She serves on the Swan River Nature Trail sub committee of the Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork with which she has also remained active for years.

She even received the Big Hat Award for her voluntarism and involvement in the community, just four or five years ago but found that, once she and her husband sold Kootenai Galleries in 2006, she had more time to volunteer and help promote the Bigfork community.

"I've never been one to just sit by," she said. "I want to participate and do my part."

With five grandchildren who live in Kalispell and may well attend the FVCC one day, running for a seat on the board of trustees seemed like the natural thing to do, and Elna felt she had the experience to do it.

"With my background in business, education and community involvement, I thing that I can make a significant contribution to the FVCC board," she said. "I think it is a good board and that they have done some good things. They have added some good programs that give skills to traditional students as well as those who want to receive training for a career or trade."

Darrow said that she admires the college and its board, which boasts a 95 percent overall placement rate, with about 95 percent of the employed graduates working in Montana. Of those, 98 percent work in Flathead, Lake or Lincoln counties.

"The college has state of the art equipment and skill building tools to help people become the best that they can be, and they have a great track record too," she said, proudly. "I just want to be part of that and participate in helping the college stay the best it can be."

Bigfork residents can cast their ballot for FVCC trustees, BLUAC and other offices on May 6 at the Bigfork fire hall.