BATTLE MOUNTAIN - Austin residents said they are sad to see longtime resident Wally Trapnell leave town and move to southeast Reno after he spent years working with the Austin Historical Society Museum, the Austin Historical Society and St. George's Episcopal Church. He is also a member of the Austin Lions Club.
Trapnell said leaving Austin is bittersweet. He said his favorite part of living in Austin was working with the historical society.
"I won't ever not go to Austin as long as I can get there," he said. "I think it is a very interesting place. It is a neat place."
His longtime friend Estelle Shanks, 89, who has lived in Austin off and on since 1939, said she and Wally clicked because of their love of history. She volunteered with him at the museum and they were both members of the Lions Club together. She also served as priest of St. George's Episcopal Church for 22 years.
"I really miss him," Shanks said. "I'm sorry to see him go, but it's better for him to be in Reno where there is more to do in the winter. He definitely was an asset to the community. I wish Wally the very best."
Trapnell, who was recently named as a curator emeritus for the museum and a lifetime member of the historical society, moved to Reno around three weeks ago to be closer to friends and property that he owns in California.
"Wally has been a great asset to the community and strong advocate for the museum and will be greatly missed," said Dee Helming, Austin Chamber of Commerce office secretary.
Trapnell volunteered for the chamber of commerce for around 15 years. He also became the first curator at the museum in 2002 when it was located inside the Gridley Store. It relocated to the old Forest Service District Office building on Main Street in 2006.
Trapnell joined the historical society in the 1970s and was the founder of the museum along with Ray and Irene Salisbury.
"If it hadn't been for Ray and Irene Salisbury, there would have been no museum," said Trapnell.
The historical society has been in existence since 1950, said Nancy Gordon, historical society president. Trapnell still serves as an active board member and says he will continue to do so although he may not be able to attend every meeting.
Gordon said that Trapnell leaving is huge loss to the community.
"He is an asset to our museum and whole town and because of St. George's Episcopal Church," said Gordon. "Of course we don't want to see him go. He has just done so much for us."
Trapnell also played the organ for St. George's Episcopal Church since the 1980s. He took a few organ lessons in high school but is mostly self-taught, he said.
"He was a huge contributor to St. George," said St. George Reverend Darla Winrod Cantrell. "Secondary to losing an organist, is losing a very important member of our congregation. I am happy for his new life but I am really going to miss him."
Trapnell, 75, first came to Austin in 1950 when he was just 13 years old. He spent his summers at the Grass Valley Ranch just outside of Austin since he was very close friends of the family (the Magees/Knudtsens), who owned the ranch.
Trapnell's home base during those years was San Francisco. He graduated from high school from Cate School in Carpinteria, Calif., in 1955. He continued to spend summers at the Grass Valley Ranch when he attended college at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a bachelor's degree in classical civilization.
Trapnell taught and served as vice principal and principal for Dunsmuir High School in Dunsmuir, Calif., for 33 years. He taught English, history, French and Latin.
While he was teaching and administrating at Dunsmuir, he rented the Callaghan Ranch near the Grass Valley Ranch from Molly (Magee) Knudtsen for 18 years. He lived part-time in Austin from 1995 to 2013. He was in Austin for most of the time but still visited his other home in Trinity Center, Calif.
Trapnell is the owner of Stokes castle, which will pass to the historical society when he passes. Trapnell's interest in history extends beyond Austin. He is a life member and past president of the Siskiyou Historical Society in Siskiyou County, Calif., and a founding member of the Trinity Historical Society in Weaverville, Calif.[[In-content Ad]]
