Beulah McBride

Dozens of people associated with The Wilderness Center have fond, vivid memories of Beulah McBride. Mary Christenson remembers the fun she had on the Bruce Peninsula Trip. Chick Haag recalls with a laugh and a smile a Chicken Barbecue when he was dressed in a chicken costume and Beulah began to dance with him. He tried to keep up, but “Beulah really cut the rug!” Gordon Maupin remembers Beulah from a night viewing of Comet Halley. “I cherish this memory and trot it out from time to time to give myself a smile. I love this memory because it says things about The Wilderness Center, about the people who participate in Center activities, and about the human sprit.” “One night in 1986 when the comet was at its best (albeit a white smudge in a telescope), the Astronomy Club hosted a huge crowd of 300 people at the Center. Lines spontaneously formed at telescopes and snaked off through the darkness."

“I was stumbling around in the night trying to answer questions and help people as best I could.

“As I blundered into the end of one line, there was Beulah. She was at

least 80 years old and frail as a dry autumn leaf. She began to chat with me."

“Beulah told me about seeing the comet when she was a little girl—76 years before! Her mind, ever sharp, conjured up vivid memories of her father carrying her outside and showing her the comet."

“As I listened, I admired her pluck for coming out the Center in pitch black to stand in line a half hour to see a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ sight for the second time. Then it hit me. She was leaning on my arm because she was too weak to be standing out there in the dark."

“I stepped up and said to the folks in line, ‘Hey everybody, we have a twice-in-a-lifetime viewer here!"

“As one, the people in the line insisted that I escort her to the telescope without delay. She bent to the eyepiece and oohed and aahed over the smudge of light offered by the comet. I then escorted her back to the building for some needed rest."

“I cherish this memory as much for what it says about Beulah, as for what it says about the people associated with the Center. Their response to my announcement was instant and generous.”

When Beulah passed away, she said her thank you to the members, volunteers, and children who visit or work at the Center. She made a bequest to the permanent endowment trust fund.

Each time a baby bird hatches or a wildflower sprouts some measure of thanks will be due to Beulah McBride. Each time Comet Halley returns, this bequest will help make another chaotic comet watching night possible.