He was one of my most unforgettable friends. His name was Hayes Holman and he was superintendent of Auburn public schools.

I met him in the summer of 1960 when I applied for a position teaching social studies and English at Olympic Junior High School. He was a short man and on more than one occasion, visitors to the district would say, “Is that the superintendent?”

He ran the district on a tight budget, and one associate said it was because that was all the funds there were.

He warned me the district could not pay me as much as the private business sector where I had been working.

I told Hayes my wife, Marilyn, had worked one year as a second-grade teacher at Washington Elementary School. Hayes’ eyes lit up when he realized he could get two teachers when Marilyn subbed and went back to teaching after our two daughters were raised.

In the 1963-64 school year, I was elected present of the Auburn Education Association, and there were meetings Hayes and I would attend together. He never drove but asked me to drive. He was a poor driver and he knew it. Though he made a salary three times mine, there was never a $5 bill to pay for gas.

However, a teacher one summer got stuck in Hawaii with not enough money to get home and Hayes personally loaned him $200 so he could get home.

There is a story he was treating his principals to coffee when he discovered he had spent his weekly allowance and the group had to pony up.

One year the district was so short of cash that they had to borrow from a bank to pay the teachers their final salaries. The bank checks were good and the district paid back the bank when levy money was available.

When it came time to negotiate salaries for teachers, Hayes said he could increase salaries 5 percent. My eyes lit up as I thought we were going to have to settle for 2 percent. Hayes had talked to the board beforehand and the issue was settled in five minutes.

Hayes thought it would be good if a community college was established in Auburn. He asked the teachers association if they would object to raising one million dollars in the district as seed money. We agreed it was a good idea, and the process of establishing a community college began. Hayes said it should serve Auburn, but also Kent, Enumclaw and the area, and that is why it is called Green River Community College today. He would take anyone he could find up a dirt road among many trees and point out the site.

Levada Holman, Hayes’ wife, was known by her friends as being able to make very humorous speeches. I am sorry to say I never got to hear her. I knew Levada because she and Marilyn were members of PEO, a group promoting education of women. The Holmans also were active Methodists where I got to know them.

Pastor Bob Ward was pleased when another Methodist and I used my truck to take a hospital bed to the Holman home when Levada became ill. I was honored to be one of the pallbearers with Walt Crawford and Don Huseby for Levada at the cemetery shen she took her final journey.

Hayes spent his retirement years raising funds for Green River Community College scholarships. He still did not like to drive.

I visited Hayes in the hospital twice where I chocked back tears as I told him things were going well in the school district. But I didn’t know if he was able to hear.

There is a library named after Hayes at the college, and a citizen presented the college with a bust of Hayes.

I still can hear Hayes saying, “Harold, we could have a community college in Auburn.”

He was one of my most unforgettable friends.

Dr. Harold B. Valentine is an Auburn resident.