Brenda Cullen, Anita Izoco and Laurie Hickey stand in front of the Basque display at the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville.
Photo by Kurt Hildebrand.
While David Walley did indeed found the hot springs and spa that bear his name, it was his wife Harriet who rescued the business from insolvency after his death, ensuring it would survive to this day.
On Saturday, Harriet Jane Talmudus Walley was one of four women inducted into the Women in History Remembering Project.
Douglas County Historical Society curator Brenda Cullen pointed out that when new owners redubbed the spa and resort David Walley’s, one columnist pointed out that by right it should have at least included Harriet, who operated the springs for 22 years after his 1875 death, rescuing the property from the debt incurred by her husband.
If there was a theme for this year’s Remembering Project it was businesswomen.
Longtime Sierra Motel owner Anita Jean Zubillaga Izoco was the living honoree on Saturday.
Daughter Aline said she and Jean Pierra Izoco purchased the motel in 1976 from her parents.
After 13 years the couple were able to purchase a home. In 1989 they were recognized by the Governor’s Office for expanding the property.
They sold the property in 2005 to Izoco’s sister and brother-in-law, who owned it until 2015, marking 44 years that the motel had remained in the family.
Eager to preserve Basque culture in Carson Valley, Izoco and Jeanette Idiart Blanco founded Mendiko Euskaldun Club in 1981, after looking up every Basque name in the phone book and sending them a letter.
They created costumes for the dancers and taught Basque dancing. Dancers continue to perform at events, and the club hosts the largest Mus tournament in the West, Aline said.
Foothill resident Laurie Hickey read the tribute to her daughter Shannon Hickey, whom she dubbed the Queen of Halloween.
A sixth-generation resident of Carson Valley, Shannon treated her birthday as a national holiday, her mother said.
“But Halloween was her absolute favorite,” Laurie said. “Headstones in the front yard, a coffin in the entry, she would con her brother Troy and his friends to hide in the bushes and scare the trick or treaters.”
Hickey entered the workforce at age 10 working at Stratton’s Drug Store. The following summer, she worked for Tumblewindvwhere would help clean the place.
“That year she insisted on purchasing all of her school clothes,” Laurie said. “I’m sure she had an employee discount.”
Shannon worked for father Dan Hickey as a bookkeeper for several years and did the billing for A Wildflower, where she worked for the last 13 years of her life.
“Shannon was a great multi-tasker,” Laurie said. “She could do 10 things at once while I was doing one. But sometimes she would get a little overloaded. When she shut the door to her office, owner Lori Britton would tell everyone, ‘Shannon has shut the door. Stay clear and don’t ask her for another thing.’”
Hickey was a member of at least two business groups, including the Greater Genoa Business Association and Main Street Gardnerville.
She served as president of the Carson Valley Theatre Company and suggested having coffin races as an event at Heritage Park in October.
Honoree Bonnie Guthrie Borda was credited with coming up with the name of the Adaven Café in 1951. She and husband Ray owned the French next door.
“She was known not just as a savvy business woman but a fair boss, who paid her employees a good wage,” daughter Gena Borda said.
Borda was active in politics and would be the first woman to run for Douglas County commissioner. She sought a seat in the Assembly, as well.
Historical Society members said they printed out 60 programs for Saturday’s annual Women in History Remembering Project and handed them all out.
The event is co-chaired by Christie Canatsey Nolting and Carol Aldax. Flowers for the honorees were donated by Erin Costa of Costa Ranch Hay and Flowers.