Shelby Clayson

Here is a little bit of Franke Tobey Jones history:

FTJ Employee Scholarship Program: The Resident Council established an Employee Scholarship Program in 2002 as a way of expressing resident gratitude for the exemplary service that employees provide. Donations to fund the scholarships come from four sources: two FTJ Annual Fund appeals each year, employee payroll deduction donations, tribute and memorial gifts, and bequests. These resources have been used and will continue to be used to assist some of our employees with the costs associated with acquiring a college degree or costs associated with continuing education related to the employees’ responsibilities at FTJ.

It is uncertain who initiated the idea for Employee Scholarships. It may have been Patricia Clark, resident in the Tobey Jones building and a teacher. A former cook in Tobey Jones recalls that the initial idea was to give scholarships to the cooking staff and housekeepers in Tobey Jones. However, the administration wanted all non-salaried employees to be eligible. The chairperson of the Scholarship Committee in 2004 was Mary Jane Casterline.  Resident Sybil Mercer, an Army nurse with the rank of colonel, was a strong advocate of providing scholarships to deserving employees. She served as Chairperson of the Employee Scholarship Committee for many years (until 2014) and she gave generously to the Employee Scholarship Fund. Shelby Clayson has served on the Employee Scholarship Committee since 2014 and Jack Falskow joined the Committee as Chair in 2016. Current members of the Committee are Lynn Brown, Shelby Clayson, Nancy Cook, Jack Falskow, Phyllis Gill, and Al Watters.

Initially, scholarships were awarded only to employees. However, as of 2023, the dependents of employees may also apply for a scholarship. In 2007, the Committee set a cap of $2,500 per employee per year. The cap was subsequently raised to $4,000 per employee per year. In 2023, the cap was raised to $6,000 per employee per year. Depending on the amount of funds available and the number of applicants, the award cap will be changed.

There have been numerous scholarship recipients over the years. From 2002 to the present, $275,030 have been distributed to 153 FTJ employees. Imagine that!  In a little over 20 years, over a quarter of a million dollars have been awarded in scholarships to FTJ employees! Some of the employees have received scholarships that enabled them to get a degree in nursing, education, or a variety of other careers. One employee completed masters degree work to provide skills needed to successfully manage a senior center. Another employee earned a certificate to qualify as a bus driver for FTJ. One employee became certified in maintaining the boilers for FTJ. Yet another has taken continuing education to expand health and wellness activities for the residents. The efforts in helping defray costs of education have, in many ways, come back for the benefit of FTJ and its residents.  

Resident Art Exhibit: Franke Tobey Jones resident Brad Nelson, an engineer by training and a lover of art, convinced the Resident Council to develop a Resident Art Exhibit and establish a Resident Art Committee. FTJ staff hung two large display boards in the hallway on the first floor of the Lillian Pratt Building.

In January 2008, Brad and the Committee hung the first Resident Art Exhibit.  For nearly seven years, every three months, Brad and the Committee members hung art produced by FTJ residents.  The Resident Art Exhibit Committee included representatives from Tobey Jones, the Garden Apartments, Lillian Pratt, and the duplexes. Brad Nelson chaired the Committee through the first 27 exhibits. Shelby Clayson was the Chair for exhibits 28 through 45. Barbara Miener was Chair for the last few exhibits.

The Inaugural Exhibit was composed entirely of art by one resident, James Todd. Subsequent exhibits included art by several residents.  Exhibits included art using several media: oil and watercolor, photography, needlepoint, knitting, quilting, woodworking, enameling, and poetry. 

Over the years, there were four retrospective exhibits of works by single Resident artists:  Betty Mears, Charles Skaggs, Elsa Rose, and Elsie Forrest.  Betty Mears was a renowned professional artist in Tacoma. Charles Skaggs had a career in book design and personal abstractions.  Elsa Rose would have chosen art as a career but her mother insisted that she pursue a career that would allow her to earn a living, so she pursued art as a hobby. Elsie Forrest also chose art as a hobby, creating beauty in photography and oil paintings.

Each exhibit was opened with a Resident Art Reception attended by the artists, FTJ residents and staff, and sometimes people from the community.  FTJ served wine and snacks during the receptions.

Brad Nelson initiated documentation of exhibits with pictures of each exhibit, including identification of the artist, place of residence, title of the art, and the medium used.  Documentation also included  biographical information about most of the artists. Those documentation notebooks are available for all to enjoy and are located on top of the cabinet by the display boards. 

Exhibits continued every three months from January 2008 until the COVID epidemic in March 2020.  The last exhibit remained on display through the epidemic. 

Since the end of the COVID epidemic, Joy Drewfs has periodically exhibited art, with the majority of works done by residents of Bristol View. More recent exhibits have included pieces created by residents of Memory Care and a Wholistic Wellness class.

Solstice Luncheon:  Maxine Bascom and her husband Gilbert were Duplex residents at FTJ. Gilbert died in 2005. Bascom Library, located on the first floor of the Lillian Pratt Building, was, I believe, donated by this couple.  

Sometime after Gilbert died, Maxine started to host annual luncheons for the single woman living in Duplexes. This continued until she married Duplex resident Merrill James (Jim) Wicks in 2011.  The luncheons were continued by Duplex residents Barbara Farron and Doralin Burrows, but still only for single women living in the Duplexes. However, even though Maxine was no longer single, she was included in the luncheons.  

Maxine died in 2015.  The luncheons were discontinued after a couple of years when Barbara and Doralin were no longer able to host. However, shortly thereafter, Carol Bruda initiated and has continued to host Summer Solstice luncheons for all women living in Duplexes, whether single or married. These luncheons were interrupted for 3 years during the COVID epidemic but were resumed in 2023 much to the delight of all the Duplex women.

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