Board of Directors
Russell Holter, President
at-large
Russell Holter has conducted literally tens of thousands of reviews over the course of his career. His expertise project reviews range from FDIC bank branch applications to incredibly complex FERC hydro-electric relicensing projects. He has been sought out as a participant of Technical Advisory Teams for the Infrastructure Assistance Coordinating Council to problem solve complex cultural resource issues for drinking water, downtown revitalization, waste water, and similar projects for small communities and rural counties. Holter is an award-winning Historian, a published author, and has consulted for the History Channel, CSPAN, and TVW.
Richard Wilkens, Vice-President
Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway Historical Society
Paul Krueger, Secretary
Cascade Rail Foundation
William Petryk, Treasurer
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association
Bill grew up in Bald Eagle, Minnesota, a couple of blocks from the Northern Pacific’s “Skally Line” between Saint Paul and Duluth. He saw an occasional freight extra behind an F-unit during the day – the north and south bound passenger trains between Saint Paul and Duluth ran at night during the 50’s. He and his brother had a newspaper on chicken wire .027 gauge layout in the basement. After college, the Navy, and stints with Lockheed Shipbuilding and Boeing, he returned to railroad modeling when his son became interested and was recruited to PNRA at a Boeing Employees Model Railroad Club swap meet in 2016. Since then he has served as Treasurer and manages the PNRA computer catalog system, Railroad Archives Online.
Chris Craig
City of Burien
Chris Craig is the City of Burien’s Economic Development Manager. His job is focused on the implementation of Council policy and supporting Burien’s business community, while working to attract new businesses, investment and jobs. He also supports the Burien Business & Economic Development Partnership, a Council appointed advisory board that advises Council on economic development in Burien.
Craig served as the City’s Economic Development Specialist since 2015. During that time, he managed the City’s business retention and recruitment programs along with many other high profile projects including the wayfinding program and downtown mobility study. He was instrumental to the recruitment of PCC and McBride Construction to Burien. He served as Interim Economic Development Manager in both 2017 and early 2019. He was named Public Servant of the Year by Discover Burien in 2017.
Prior to coming to Burien, Chris worked for a multi-housing housing developer. Craig has a degree in political science from the University of Washington.
Jessie Cunningham
at-large
Jessie Cunningham has visited PNRA on a few occasions over the years to do research. She has a BA in history and a Master in Teaching at the secondary level. She worked for the Northwest Railway Museum for 14 years, originally managing volunteers and education programs. In that capacity, and later as the Deputy Director, she researched and wrote all exhibits for the organization. From artifact signage to special topics like the Wellington Remembered project, which won the AKCHO Exhibit Award in 2010, she did it all from start to finish. She used PNRA images in several of her exhibits. She left NRM in December of 2019 and is currently working in nonprofit administration. In her current role she manages facilities, security, and HR for a multi-campus reform synagogue. She has experience with building systems, security enhancements, and grant administration. It is challenging work but she misses the process of research and writing exhibits for the public. She is interested in staying connected to railway history so the opportunity to serve on the PNRA board is a good fit. Jessie lives in North Bend, WA.
Peter D. Ferch
Friends of the Burlington Northern Railroad
Peter D Ferch – board member at large, representing the FOBNR historical society. I have been chasing trains since the 70’s, DM&IR first, then the BN specifically since late 70’s. I currently hold a position on the FOBNR board and have attended most of our last 25 years annual conventions, bringing items from my collection for display to each one. I am 61 years old and live in a suburb of Minneapolis, near the BNSF hump yard here in town. I currently work doing data entry for a financial services company in St Paul. My other hobbies include collecting vehicular toys and Ford Model T’s.
Robert Kelly
Great Northern Railway Historical Society
Bob Kelly serves as the Great Northern Railway Historical Society representative on the PNRA Board of Directors.
After his retirement from the Boeing Company as the Director of Employee Training he has volunteered in many history oriented institutions.
At the Skykomish Museum he serves as Treasurer and organizes the annual “Great Northern Day” in Sky event each Fall.
For the GN Society he has assisted in writing more than a dozen Historical Reference Sheets and is a frequent speaker at their annual convention.
His other interests include collecting cameras, so he serves as a Director at the Argus Camera Company Museum in Ann Arbor, MI. He has recently co-authored a book titled, Argus Fine American Cameras.
Byron Osborn
Boeing Employees Model Railroad Club
Byron grew up in Alabama in a town along the Southern Railway. He has been a member of the Boeing Employees Model Railroad Club since it was formed in 1980. He has been the President for the last ten years. Like most in the hobby he started with a Lionel train set. After high school and college he entered into the U.S. Army for 6 years. He worked for Boeing after the Army. His interest for railroads has always been there, He is retired and very active in the Model RR hobby.
William Sornsin
at-large
Product, technology and operational executive with broad leadership experience in the business and technology of online communities, publishing and commerce. Co-founder of multiple profitable Internet companies with successful exits/sales. Consultant and investor in technology startups ranging from automotive to mobile, sports, advertising, games, legal, history, online community and social networks. Outside interests include railroad history, playing drums (big band jazz, rock, pop, funk, blues), mountain biking and travel.
David Sprau
at-large
Dave began as a Northern Pacific Telegrapher in 1960, later worked as a Great Northern Fireman and Burlington Northern Train Dispatcher. He is an amateur railroad historian and has written related articles for magazines and newspapers as well as a book series on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad for the Death Valley Natural History Association. He serves on the Board of Directors at Columbia County (Oregon) Museum Association as well as at PNRA.
Staff
Virginia Wright, Executive Director
Virginia Wright has a Bachelor’s degree in music, with professional experience in IT/systems administration, online and print design, and nonprofit management and administration for the heritage, arts, and culture sectors.
She has worked for other local history and heritage organizations including five years in the role of Executive Director for Rainier Valley Historical Society, and is currently serving on the board of the Association of King County Historical Organizations.
She has a strong commitment to working with other Burien residents to foster strong and vibrant community in our city. She spent six years as Chair of the Burien Arts Commission and twelve years on the Board of Directors for Discover Burien.
Founding Executive Director
Gary Tarbox
Founder and director emeritus of the Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive is Gary Tarbox, who, in the part of his life when he had a day job, had a four-decade career in high tech at Boeing and Microsoft.
Tarbox is the architect, or maybe you could say “Empire Builder,” of the partnership between five groups that formed the archive – Cascade Rail Foundation; Great Northern Railway Historical Society; Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association; Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway Historical Society; and the Boeing Employees Model Railroad Club.
“We are a consortium of five different organizations, all doing something that no one of them could do alone,” Tarbox told KIRO Radio from a seat at the main worktable in the research room of the archive. “In other words, we pooled our resources to do something that’s way above what any one organization could really finance [on its own].”
Under Tarbox’s early leadership, the best thing the group did was buy an old plumbing supply building in Burien back in 2010 when the real estate market was still reeling from the Great Recession. Tarbox says it’s critical for any archive to know it will never have to move, so decisions can be made to best adapt the structure and interior improvements to long-term or even permanent storage.