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Thirty Years of Commitment:
A Brief History of the Whidbey Institute
The story of the Whidbey Institute begins in
1966 when founders Fritz and Vivienne Hull purchased
an old Finnish farmstead on the south end of Whidbey
Island--inspired by "the power of the wild
idea." They brought together a small group
of people and explored how they could best respond
to their sense of living in a time when profound
change was underway, calling for transformative
learning that would serve the formation of new
patterns of life.
In 1972, after considerable restoration, the
homestead and the surrounding land became the
home of the Chinook Learning Community. Over the
next twenty-four years, Chinook served as a retreat,
workshop, and conference center and convened core
study and major events in the Seattle region--all
anchored in a dedicated, covenant (non-residential)
community. The ground-breaking Earth and Spirit
Conference held in Seattle in 1990 was a national
event and a significant milestone in the evolution
of this work.
Recognizing new needs and especially the scope
of the environmental challenge as inspired and
informed by Thomas Berry, in 1993 the Hulls invited
a group including both Chinook colleagues and
new collaborators to gather on the island of Iona
in Scotland to envision a new organization: The
Whidbey Institute--for Earth, Spirit, and the
Human Future. In the summer of 1995, Chinook was
assimilated into the new Institute. While the
emphasis was new, the essential spirit and core
commitments of the Whidbey Institute are a direct
outgrowth of the long and significant history
of Chinook.
Today, the land on which the retreat center is
located is still called Chinook and the 70 acres
of forest and meadowlands are protected by a land
trust. A major gift made it possible to build
Thomas Berry Hall, a dining room, and full commercial
kitchen. Another major gift has rebuilt the Farmhouse,
and most recently a lead gift has created a meditation
Sanctuary that evokes the old growth forests of
the Pacific Northwest.
Fritz Hull is now emeritus Founding
Director, and Dianne Shiner now
serves as Executive Director.
The founding Board Chair was Rick
Jackson who has been succeeded
by Doug Kelly and now Carol Yamada.
But it is finally the vision,
commitment, hard work, and financial
generosity of many people across
the years that make this work
possible.
Our history gives the Whidbey Institute a strong
base of experience, a wide circle of friends,
and a wisdom born of honest endeavor over time.
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