Farm, stage unite couple as Sequim Citizens of the Year

SEQUIM – This couple isn’t of the generation that uses words like “synergy.” Instead, they live it.

Bob and Elaine Caldwell, partners for 45 years, have lived in upstate New York, Washington, D.C., Colorado, Indiana and India.

Then Sequim got them, and named the Caldwells the 2006 Citizens of the Year.

Bob, 68, and Elaine, 67, sat at separate tables during the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce awards luncheon Tuesday.

“He’s got his supporters,” Elaine joked, “and I’ve got mine.”

His are farmers and lovers of local food, since Bob is the founder of Friends of the Fields, a nonprofit group that raises money to preserve Clallam County’s farmland.

Hers are the performers and supporters of Olympic Theatre Arts.

Elaine, a retired schoolteacher, brims with infectious passion for the community theater, which she sees as a gathering place for artists and other thinkers.

She’s among the chief fundraisers for the renovation and expansion of the playhouse at 414 N. Sequim Ave., and never misses a chance to invite passersby to whichever show is on the stage there.

The Caldwells work on each other’s projects, of course.

Bob has helped orchestrate productions and fundraisers at OTA.

Elaine dished out farm-fresh eggs, ham and home fries at the annual Friends of the Fields breakfast last Sunday at Macleay Hall.

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