Edmondson tapped for Humanities Council seat

The board, based in Boise, receives funding in part from the federal government and offers grants and features programs such as Museum on Main Street. The Museum on Main Street – sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution – is designed to deliver traveling exhibitions to rural Idaho every year. 

 The exhibitions run the gamut from the changing landscape of rural America, to how water impacts our lives to how sports impact America.

 Edmondson said he applied for the position on the council on a whim.

 “I thought, what the heck. So, I submitted my application and was one of the candidates they interviewed and then was selected,” he said.

 Edmondson, 73, said as a new member to the council he faces a “steep learning curve.”

 The area of Idaho he represents is huge, he said, stretching from Riggins to Murphy to Twin Falls.

 “I kind of have my job cut out for me in terms of how I define that presence in those communities, but I am committed to doing that,” he said.

 He said the council meets three times a year.

 “But I have a feeling I will be interacting with the director more than that. I want to be engaged,” he said.

 Edmondson said he sees his work on the council as another role in his commitment to his community. His family, he said, moved to the Weiser area from California more than 40 years ago “for a better quality of life and to be in a community where we could make a difference.”

 He said he’s learned many lessons since he came to Weiser, including how interconnected the people of Idaho are.

 “Idaho to this day is a small state and it is amazing when you can talk to someone and within a minute you will find you are connected with someone you know in common,” he said.

 He said he remains committed to civic service.

 “I love our community. I’d like to see Weiser reach its potential. I feel like we go through these spurts and stops and stops. We get up the hill and then roll back down again,” he said.

 He is dedicated to helping the community “get that rock up and over the hill.”

 He said he wants to help enrich Weiser’s quality of life.

 “To be in a community that values its past and looks forward to its future and takes advantage of its natural resources,” he said.

 He said the ordinary can be leveraged for the future, such as Weiser’s unique geographic location.

 “How many communities lie at the confluence of the two rivers we have? We’ve done nothing to really capitalize on that,” he said.

 Edmondson said a key part of his job on the council will be to help Weiser move into the future.

 “To have a revitalization that brings cultural and other opportunities to town,” he said.