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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015
LOCAL HERO
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By NATALIE ST. JOHN
EO Media Group
L
ONG BEACH, Wash. —
It has been nearly 60 years
since Patrolman Eugene
A. Bolstad — the man for whom
Long Beach’s Bolstad Avenue is
named — drowned while trying
to rescue two young men. But
his widow, Barbara Diamond,
84, still remembers certain de-
tails of that day as clearly as if
they had happened last week.
In recent phone interviews,
Diamond, who now lives in Ta-
coma, Wash., shared her mem-
ories of the afternoon when her
husband saved one man’s life,
but drowned along with the sec-
ond young man, a recent high
school graduate named Alvin
Wiese.
A promising start
In September 1957, Eugene
Bolstad was in love with Bar-
bara, and with his job with the
Washington State Patrol.
Though the two Tacoma na-
tives both went to Stadium High
School, they didn’t really meet
until 19-year-old Barbara was
working as a model in a down-
town department store.
Gene and his half-brother
Charles Fain were both on the
city police force and he would
come to the store to visit her
when he was on duty. At about
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ketball player and champion
swimmer made an impression.
“He had lots of girlfriends,
was tall, good-looking. He was
a lifeguard,” Diamond recalled.
During a short courtship, the
two went to dances at the Ever-
green and Century Ballrooms.
They always had fun together,
Diamond said, and it wasn’t
long before they got engaged.
Their September 1951 wedding
portrait was featured on the front
page of the Tacoma News-Tri-
bune’s society section.
When Fain lost his leg in an
on-the-job motorcycle accident
the same year, Gene decided to
quit the force, but he didn’t leave
policing for long. The couple
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ing to Spokane, Wash., so Gene
decided to enroll in the Wash-
ington State Patrol Academy in
Kennewick, Wash.
Barbara Diamond recalls
being happy with the decision,
because WSP provided better
working conditions and did a
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cers. She thought police work
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“He was a really nice person
that cared about people. He was
so happy to help people, so he
loved being on patrol,” she said.
A place on the Peninsula
After graduation, Gene was
met her second husband, Paul
Diamond, on a blind date, and
learned that he had been on the
swim team with Bolstad. His
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leaving him with a young son.
When they married, Barba-
ra Diamond became “an instant
mother,” an experience she de-
scribes as “fun and wonderful.”
Before long, they had a daughter
Submitted photo
too.
Barbara and Gene Bolstad
Though the two men were
were married in 1951 and very different from one anoth-
had settled into contented er, she says she was as happy
married life when Eugene with Diamond as she was with
lost his life while trying to Bolstad. The two were married
rescue young men drown- for more than 40 years, until his
ing in the ocean off Long death in 2012.
Beach, Wash.
Diamond can only recall
returning to Long Beach two
tually the second and third local times.
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drowning victims that week,
DAMIAN MULINIX — EO Media Group
and there was nearly a fourth. when the city renamed the street
Bolstad beach approach and Bolstad Avenue in Long Beach, Wash., pay tribute to a he- On Sept. 2, Ilwaco resident Al- and beach approach in Bols-
roic young Washington state trooper who died nearby nearly 60 years ago. Many of the bert Kangiser and his 3-year-old tad’s honor. Around 300 people,
circumstances that led to Bolstad’s death continue to be factors in surf drownings that daughter Dorothy went over the including dignitaries from the
continue into the present day.
VLGH RI D ERDW GXULQJ D ¿VKLQJ city, county and WSP attended.
GHUE\ LQ &KLQRRN 7ZR ¿VKHU- Local leader (and eventual state
assigned to the Peninsula. The IHHOLQJFRQ¿GHQWWKDW*HQHZDV both men went down into a crab men in a nearby boat saved the Senate majority leader) Sid Sny-
couple bought a home and two having a busy shift in his patrol hole and did not resurface.”
little girl, but the elder Kangiser der presided over the ceremony,
little beach cottages in Klipsan car.
The city quickly sounded a disappeared under the surface of which included a color guard of
Beach from the departing pa-
“I’m a 26-year-old gal that “drowning alarm,” triggering a the Columbia River. His body airmen and guardsmen. Barbara
trolman. While Gene patrolled, doesn’t even think about some- response from U.S. Coast Guard was not recovered until Wednes- Bolstad, Charles Fain and other
Barbara kept busy by renting the thing like that happening to her Station Cape Disappointment. day, Sept. 11, when two gillnet- family members were the guests
cottages to the city tourists who husband,” Diamond said.
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gave an address.
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Then the local forester and ing guardsmen launched their miles up river.
After the funeral, Barbara
long razor clam season.
Two details from that day
his wife arrived on her doorstep. surf boat, they were “swamped
“We had never been there, She looked around at the gather- in rather rough water,” and had stand out in Diamond’s memory: had requested that people do-
but it was really a fun place to ing crowd in her home. The truth to return to shore to bale out The phone call from the thought- nate to a fund for lifesaving
be stationed,” Diamond remem- hit her: The planes were search- their boat. They made it past less reporter, and the strange re- HTXLSPHQW LQ OLHX RI ÀRZHUV
That money paid for a new jeep,
bered. She and Gene made lots ing for her husband.
the breakers on a second try and action from one of her guests.
of new friends, and often worked
The friends who showed up at tow-ropes, guard towers, signs
“Is it Gene?” she asked the patrolled a wide swath of water,
closely with local police, doc- forester.
searching for the men without her house that afternoon had acted and life rings, which local Lions
tors and other responders when
as if nothing was wrong, because Club members dedicated during
“Yes.”
success.
crimes and emergencies arose.
About 90 minutes after the they were holding out hope that the ceremony.
One life saved,
The Diamond family re-
It was a lively existence. Bar-
two men disappeared, three Gene Bolstad would be saved.
two lives lost
bara was used to taking police
“They didn’t want to say any- turned only one other time, when
planes arrived to relieve the surf
According to the Sept. 6, boat. Onshore, airmen from the thing to me. They didn’t know if their son Dan was about 8 years
calls at all hours. Other locals
regularly stopped by their house 1957 Chinook Observer, Alvin Naselle Air Force base and WSP he was dead or not,” Diamond old, and had a second frightening
Wiese, 18, of Cottage Grove, RI¿FHUVIURP2O\PSLD9DQFRX- said. But even after it became encounter with the Peninsula’s
to visit.
“Gene was the patrolman that and his friend Bob Leppaluo- ver and Chehalis combed the obvious why everyone had gath- unpredictable tides. While they
everybody went to because he to of Vancouver, Wash., were beach.
ered there, the couple’s pastor were exploring the area below
had the most knowledge,” she swimming about 50 yards south
A little before 5 p.m., Wi- never acknowledged the tragedy the Cape Disappointment Light-
of First Street (now known as ese’s body washed ashore about that had brought him to her door. house known as “Dead Man’s
explained.
Bolstad Ave.), when Wiese was a quarter-mile south of where
“The minister never said Cove,” a “sneaker wave” roared
Unexpected phone call
overcome by muscle cramps.
they’d gone in. The foot patrols anything to me before, during in, seemingly out of nowhere.
Tuesday, Sept. 3, 1957 was a
As Leppaluoto struggled to continued searching into the or after. He just got up and left,” Had Dan not run like crazy, Di-
very warm day and people had help his friend, sunbathers on the night and all the next day, to no Diamond remembered. “I don’t amond believes he would have
ÀRFNHG WR WKH EHDFK WR VZLP shore took notice. A 21-year-old avail. Bolstad’s body was not think he knew what to say. That been swept away.
“even though there was a bad Portland man named Dick Bau- recovered until Sunday, Sept. 8, was very strange.” While she
“I had fried chicken in my
riptide.” As the busy afternoon man charged into the water to when two visiting men from Eu- waited for her husband to come Tupperware and it went out to
wore on, friends began dropping help Wiese. Though it was low gene happened upon it.
ashore, family members came sea,” Diamond recalled. “You
in on Barbara, unannounced.
tide, the current was powerful,
down from Tacoma to sit with never know when that wave is
‘As much as they
“People kept coming over. and shortly, he was struggling
her. The WSP also jumped into going to come up. The ocean is
could do, they did.’
My friend came over and then too. Bauman’s father went in
action, planning memorial ser- very dangerous.”
Diamond can still vividly vices and a relief effort on Bar-
They escaped safely, and a
the minister came over,” Dia- after him and “barely saved his
group of kids retrieved her con-
mond said. “I didn’t think much son from the undertow.” A man recall the look on her husband’s bara’s behalf.
about these people coming to my named Ben Sott joined the res- face as he waved goodbye to her
“The Patrol was wonderful. tainer and purse. But she was
house.” She made coffee and cue effort and helped pull Leppa- that morning.
They had this big funeral,” Dia- never tempted to return.
“I’m sure that he felt very mond said. “Police came from all
“I never have really liked the
chatted with her guests. Some luoto back to shore.
distance away, she could hear
A few moments later, an un- FRQ¿GHQWWKDWKHZRXOGQ¶WKDYH RYHU7KH\WRRNFDUHRIWKH¿QDQF- ocean anyway,” she laughed.
For many years, Diamond
airplanes droning overhead, but LGHQWL¿HG ZRPDQ VXPPRQHG any trouble saving this young es, helped me with everything. As
she didn’t make much of that Gene Bolstad. Still wearing his man. I can just think that being much as they could do, they did.” avoided talking publicly about
Bolstad’s death, wishing to focus
either.
uniform, the 30-year-old patrol- the person he was … that he
Second chance at love
on the present instead. But she
Then, the phone rang.
man went in after Wiese, a little never anticipated any trouble,”
Diamond describes herself as says she’s recently come to enjoy
Diamond said. “It was probably
It was a newspaper report- after 2 p.m.
er from Portland, who abruptly
In the Observer’s account, a shock to him, as it was to me, lucky in love. After moving back sharing her unique story.
to Tacoma, she slowly began to
“It’s been a very interesting
said, “I hear your husband has “Bolstad, it seemed, was about that he died.”
Wiese and Bolstad were ac- make a new life for herself. She life,” Bolstad said.
drowned!” Barbara denied it, to get Wiese back to safety when
Research: High levels of domoic acid could persist in clams even into next year
Continued from Page 1A
of our active surveys to fo-
cus research on a serious
can accumulate the toxin, in concern for coastal commu-
turn poisoning birds and sea nities and the seafood in-
lions that feed on them.
dustry,” said Eileen Sobeck,
“This is unprecedented in assistant administrator for
terms of the extent and mag- NOAA Fisheries. “The bet-
nitude of this harmful algal ter we understand what’s
bloom and the warm water happening out on the water,
conditions we’re seeing off- the better we can address the
shore,” said Vera Trainer, impacts.”
manager of the Marine Mi-
State agencies monitor
crobes and Toxins Program at toxin levels closely and im-
the Northwest Fisheries Sci- pose harvest closures where
ence Center (NWFSC) in necessary to ensure that all
Seattle. “Whether they’re re- commercial seafood remains
lated we can’t really say yet, safe to eat. NOAA Fisheries
but this survey gives us the and others are also develop-
opportunity to put these piec- ing advanced robotic systems
es together.”
and models to better detect
and forecast harmful algal
Collecting information blooms.
The NWFSC’s Marine Mi-
The researchers aboard the
crobes and Toxins Program Bell M. Shimada will collect
is working closely with the samples of water, the micro-
University of California San- scopic diatoms that produce
ta Cruz, University of Wash- domoic acid and another
ington, Quileute Nation and form of marine microorgan-
Makah Tribe to add the scien- LVPFDOOHGGLQRÀDJHOODWHVWKDW
tists to an already scheduled produce another type of toxin
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NOAA research ship Bell M. ins (PSTs) that have also been
Shimada.
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“We’re taking advantage Domoic acid and PSTs are
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warned against consuming
recreationally harvested mus-
sels and clams, commercial-
ly or recreationally caught
anchovy and sardines, or the
internal organs of commer-
cially or recreationally caught
crab taken from Monterey and
Santa Cruz counties.
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KDOWHG DOO VKHOO¿VK KDUYHVW-
ing from the Columbia River
south to Tillamook Head and
closed the entire state coastline
to razor clamming because of
elevated levels of domoic acid.
High levels of PSTs have led to
the closure of mussel harvest-
ing along the Oregon Coast
north of Gold Beach.
All coastal Washington
beaches have also been closed to
razor clamming, at an estimated
loss of more than $9 million in
revenue for coastal communities
in the last month alone.
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Hot spots
Research during previous
harmful algal blooms found
“hot spots” of toxin-produc-
ing organisms along the West
Coast, Trainer said, and the
survey will search for similar
concentrations this year.
The Ecology and Ocean-
ography of Harmful Algal
Blooms Research Program is
completing a study of one such
hot spot in California’s Monte-
rey Bay and provides funding
for UC Santa Cruz to analyze
samples that will be collected
during the survey. The results
will help investigate con-
nections between the current
bloom and unusually warm
ocean temperatures that have
dominated the West Coast
since last year, which may
offer a preview of ocean con-
ditions likely to become more
common with climate change.
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same time, but they have been
this year.
The scientists will also
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such as anchovies and sar-
dines that concentrate the tox-
ins and transfer them to other
marine animals.
Meanwhile, on the Long
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managers with Washington
Fish and Wildlife are continu-
ing to collect clam and crab
samples for testing. They are
also in the middle of an an-
nual razor clam population
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Manager Dan Ayres said he
is encouraged with the high
numbers of young clams he’s
seen so far at this early stage
of spawning.
He has warned that high
levels of domoic acid could
persist in the clams even into
the next year.
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