The following is written by Sumner Mayor Dave Enslow:
Last week was a busy week.
I attended the funeral, along with most of Sumner, for Dr. Pat Duffy. St. Andrews is a big church, and it was standing room only. Part of that was because Dr. Duffy was the town doctor for about 50 years, delivering over 2500 babies and attending to the health of so many here in town. But, most of us were there because of who he was. His daughter said he had a plaque on his dresser that said something like “I succeed because I’m lucky, and the harder I work, the luckier I get.” Everyone highlighted how Dr. Duffy knew everyone but focused on each individual, and when he was talking to you, you were the most important person in the world.
Perhaps it’s fitting that in the same week, Daniel James Brown, the author of Boys in the Boat, spoke about his very popular book for Pierce County Reads. Brown spoke about his thoughts on why his book resonates with so many, young and old, male and female, Democrat and Republican. He thinks it’s because of its focus on a generation and a sport where individuals have to pull together with a sense of strength, confidence and humility. There are other team sports, but in none of them, do the teams work so in sync and rely so much on each other as rowing. Plus, no one becomes a rower to become famous. Most of the Boys in the Boat put their gold medals in sock drawers, and their own children didn’t realize what they had done until the book came out.
People like Pat Duffy make this town special. But so is everyone else who works to make Sumner what it is. We may no longer all go to the same “town doctor” anymore,but we do still rely on each other and we still pull together as one community to get things done.
Right now, Sumner Rotary is raising money to send shelter boxes to Nepal in memory of Dr. Duffy. Their goal was $1000 but they have raised over $3000 with people still contributing. Times may have changes, and key leaders like Dr. Duffy may move on, but I’m hoping in Sumner, pulling together with trust, strength and humility will never go out of fashion.
