Two Cats from Clinton

The Story of Port Townsend Library’s Two Cats from Clinton, a memorial to Marge Ison

By Sue Sidle

When Friends of the Library fundraising for the remodel in the 1980s began, Marge Ison was a member of the steering committee.  We did not know if we could raise the funds, but wanted to start making the community aware of the need and see what the response would be.  At that time, there were federal funds available and we also applied for one of their grants.   

Marge was the purchasing agent for Port Townsend Paper Mill and knew that they had been having a good year, so she suggested asking them for some funding.  After looking at our plans, they agreed to donate $100,000 over the next two years.  Their confidence and support was a great boost to the morale of our committee and began to make it seem as if we could really get the job done. 

Just as we were getting really involved in the process, Marge developed cancer and passed away.  There were many memorial gifts to the Library in her memory, and her husband Glenn suggested we wait until later and find a suitable place for her memorial.  

Another member of the committee, Marge Abraham, was also a good friend.  When the Library remodel was completed, she and I went looking for the right art work and found the “Two Cats from Clinton” sculpture by Georgia Gerber, an artist well-known in the Seattle area for her animal sculptures.  I could visualize a seating area that would be suitable for the sculpture by the Library entry, but had a hard time explaining what I had in mind.  Another board member, Mike Mortensen, made up several sizes of wood blocks so that we could come up with a design that would work.  When completed, the cats were finally home at the Library and could be enjoyed by the community.  

The entire community seemed to support the project with many fundraising projects, including the tiles and a huge garage sale at the County Fairgrounds.  We did get the federal grant, and the City added the final funds needed to complete the remodel.  We were glad that we did not need to ask for a bond issue.