This concludes the Historian’s Corner articles recounting the conferences of the Forest Fire Lookout Association from 1990 to January 2010. The Lookout Association has grown from a very small group at the Hopewell fire tower in January 1990 to a large organization with far reaching projects. It continues to be an amazing story for those of us who were present on that cold wintry day in Pennsylvania Dutch country.

We honor those friends who have helped make a “thought” into a reality, and we remember those friends who are no longer with us, they are always in our memories.

As we turned the corner in 2010 at the Twentieth Anniversary of our association, there are new challenges to face and new projects to get underway. We are, after all, a volunteer organization, held by no other bounds then a kinship interest in the subjects we seek information about, and the history we can preserve along the way.

As Historian, I began this recounting shortly after being elected to the position and have maintained an interest ever since in trying to tell our history. Other Historians may come along with other agendas and points of review, but hopefully the “Chronology”, as I like to call it, of the FFLA will have set a foundation to guide on.

In the past several months, I’ve set to work in building databases on just about all lookout information that comes my way. These will be available in CD and DVD form for any members who would like them. So far, the cost of making them has not been astronomical; therefore only a “donation” is asked for, to be sent to the FFLA Treasurer with a memo “Historian’s fund”. If a great influx of requests happens to come in, this may change, but for now - it’s manageable.

In the future, FFLA conferences will continue to be held in areas of the country where we have not yet been, and the search for old fire towers, lookouts and the stories around them will keep going. Future “Historian’s Corner” articles may involve other subjects besides an FFLA history. I wish to thank everyone involved for the help to produce these “windows in our FFLA past”.

Bob Spear, Historian FFLA

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