Washburn volunteers form small committee to plan Clint Hill commemoration, suggest oral histories and writer involvement

Board members and volunteers at the Washburn meeting agreed to form a small committee to plan a commemoration of Clint Hill, discussing how to balance the subject’s privacy with community interest in preserving his story.

A meeting participant suggested that, because Clint Hill "was a very private person," a memorial focused solely on him might not match his wishes and proposed reframing the event as a celebration of local lives. That participant recommended hiring contracted writers and inviting community members to share short stories so curators could compile biographical material. Members also proposed inviting the state archives’ mobile oral history unit to record recollections.

Donna Summer, the board president, and other members discussed coordinating with the American Legion and event organizer John Schultz on banner placement and timing. Several members volunteered to serve on a small committee (suggested size: two to three people) and discussed scheduling logistics; no formal vote or bylaws change was recorded. One participant offered to serve as scheduler; others said they would help but might not be able to lead due to seasonal workloads.

The planning discussion emphasized sensitivity to family wishes and the potential role of Lisa Hill (described in the meeting as a journalist/author linked to Clint Hill’s story) in shaping narrative elements. The board agreed to continue planning through the ad hoc committee and to coordinate with event partners for banner placement during Riverboat Days and other local occasions.