Andy Holland fostered a passion for forestry in others

EVERETT — A son of the Evergreen State, Andy Holland encouraged generations of students to embrace the forests as their own.

Born to Norwegian immigrant parents on Vashon Island, Holland grew up on a chicken farm. When he was a young teen, he lost both his parents and brother in a matter of years.

“Self-sufficiency was a must. He went to school, and with his two remaining siblings, sold eggs from the 1,000 chickens they had on the farm,” nephew Chuck Holland said.

Andy Holland was an athlete, and after graduating high school he went to Washington State University on a scholarship to study forestry. He eventually transferred to the University of Washington where he made friends with Everett’s Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson.

While at the University of Washington, Holland played baseball as a starting pitcher for the Huskies under coach Tubby Graves.

During the summers, Holland worked for the state forestry service, manning a lonely fire lookout station. He eventually wrote a book on his experiences called “Switchbacks.”

Jackson would often visit Holland on his lookout vigils, both looking forward to the “Slush Cup,” a yearly tradition at Mount Baker where people would try and ski across a slushy pond of snow and water.

Despite his passion for forestry, the Depression yielded few jobs in that field. It was then that Holland discovered his passion for teaching. Holland began teaching and coaching baseball at Tieton High School, south of Ellensburg, in 1938. He eventually moved and began teaching at Everett High School.

Holland and his wife Dolly joined the staff of Everett Junior College in 1941 where he taught mathematics, botany and forestry.

“He was amazing, had a real knack for nurturing passion in his students,” Chuck Holland said. “The impact that he had on his students still resounds today.”

Chuck Holland remembers making a business phone call when someone recognized his last name and asked if he and Andy were related.

“She told me that because of Andy, one of his students was now the head of the U.S. Forest Service for Mount Baker- Snoqualmie National Forest.”

Other students of Holland went on to careers that reflected the passion for Washington forests that they learned from their teacher. Student Dale Cole went on to become a professor of forestry at the University of Washington. Student Dale Atkins became an executive with the Plum Creek Timber.

After his retirement from education, Andy Holland and his wife moved to Lopez Island in the San Juans.

“When they moved there, Andy saw that the island had no community center, no hospice program … so just like Andy, he did something about it,” Chuck Holland said.

Andy Holland provided the seed money for the Lopez Center for Community and the Arts. Dolly Holland died in 1993.

“Andy had so many experiences that were difficult, and I would ask him how he got through them,” Chuck Holland said. “He would tell me ‘Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone. The earth has it’s own dearth and troubles enough of it’s own.’”

Holland is survived by his nephew Chuck and his wife Debra Holland, cousin Ken and his wife Linda Rose, niece Marian and her husband Dan Dawes, niece Joan Pearson, and cousin Jean Clark.

Reporter Justin Arnold: 425-339-3432 or jarnold@heraldnet.com.