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 By JENNY MANNING
Whidbey News Times Reporter
Oct 28 2008
Sporting a flight jacket with several
sewn-on patches, Bob Biddle sits at an antique soda shop-style
table sipping coffee in the kitchen in Building 12, the PBY Museum’s
new home. On the wall above the sink hangs a 12-foot-long illustration
of the famed PBY and in the corner a jukebox plays Tommy Dorsey.
(Photo: Win Stites holds a model of the famed PBY)
Richard Rezabek, wearing a PBY t-shirt,
joined him at the white wrought iron table, talking of the museum’s
humble beginning, when 10 years ago a dozen veterans got together
to form the PBY Memorial Foundation.
At first the museum made its home at
the old community gas station off Pioneer Way. The location was
great for attracting foot traffic, even though the space was
small. These spontaneous visitors often dropped donations in
a little box, which helped to pay the bills, Biddle said.
In February, the museum moved to Building
12 on the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station Seaplane Base, realizing
its long-awaited goal of having a place on the base to call home.
The historically registered building is much larger and has room
to store extra artifacts. The foundation hopes to soon have a
restored PBY on display.
But since the move, visitor numbers have
dropped and so has the museum’s donations.
“We just don’t get the foot
traffic anymore like we did at the pump station,” Biddle
said, referring to the former rented space on Pioneer Way. “We
need corporate sponsorship because we need funds very badly.”
 While
the building is rent-free, the museum must still pay for utilities
to keep the space heated, the water flowing and the lights on.
“Since we don’t have walk-in
traffic, it’s a little edgy,” Rezabek said about raising
enough money to cover the museum’s expenses. (photo:Richard
Rezabeck, left, and Bob Biddle stand next to a vintage jukebox
at the PBY Museum)
The Foundation is looking to increase
membership to help cover their costs.
“We haven’t raised the price
of membership in 10 years. It’s always been $25 for individuals
and $35 for families,” Rezabek said, adding that they don’t
plan to raise dues, either.
Volunteers are still getting the artifacts
settled into their new home. The layout allows for era-specific
rooms, starting with World War II. Biddle and Rezabek hope the
rooms will be completed by Christmas time.
The best part of the PBY museum is that
the history there is alive — the volunteers flew the PBY,
camped in the Aleutians, and lived aboard aircraft carriers.
Biddle launched into a story from his
time in the Aleutians. The mess hall food was terrible and they
were having hotdogs again. Biddle decided to take the matter
into his own hands. He grabbed his gun, walked to the river and
shot a salmon out of the water, gaining instant popularity as
the smell of fresh salmon wafted over the camp.
“We just survived up there,”
he said.
 Down
the hall is a PBY flight simulator, which Biddle compares to
a video game.
“These kids come in here and operate
the controls, and they’re great. I usually end up crashing,”
he said.
Other rooms highlight the Korean War,
Vietnam War and current conflicts. The museum also features models
of each aircraft to fly from NAS Whidbey Island and volunteers
are also collecting books for a reference library at the museum.
But it’s not all military memorabilia.
The museum also houses several pieces of community history such
as long-time Whidbey News-Times reporter Dorothy Neil’s
red typewriter and the original oven from the Oak Harbor movie
theater. (photo: Don Hanson displays a painting donated by
artist John Seebald)
The museum builds it base from monetary
donations used to keep the lights on and material donations to
fill the era-specific rooms.
“We will take anything anyone will
give us,” said Rezabek.
The museum continues to thrive because
of the volunteers, which range from its die-hard founding members
to active duty personnel who come in to help with some of the
heavy lifting. Volunteers also hail from the fire department,
city staff and the Whidbey Cruisers.
So next time you’re in for a little
local history, check out the PBY Museum in Building 12 on the
NAS Whidbey Island Seaplane Base, and get it from the guys who
experienced it first-hand.
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His
mother, who raised Moran alone, always told him his father died
before he was born. "I always got the same answer,"
said Moran. When his mother passed away in 2003, Moran made a
discovery that changed his life. As his wife, Roben, searched
for clothes to bury his mother in, she came across photos of
his parents' wedding day, along with a wallet full of military
identification. The cards contained the all-important service
number of Moran's father--the ticket Moran needed to find out
more about the man he never knew.