Jean is called the “founding program director” of the Foundation for many good reasons. She was first attracted to Mallard Island in the fall of 1982 and was soon focused on the management and shelving of Ober’s book collection, with several other steadfast volunteers. By the mid-1980s, Jean had some very good ideas about how to use the island by offering various program opportunities, and she designed several programs each summer for the next decade or so.

By the early 2000’s, Jean’s volunteer energy was waning a bit, and other leaders came in to add physical energy to the island and its management, although Jean remained on the Board of Directors until the summer of 2016. She served as Secretary of the Board for many years, and her minutes were multi-paged tomes of discussion and detail as the organization grew.

Several major projects were accomplished during Jean’s tenure of program leadership for the Foundation, namely the publishing of TOWARD MAGNETIC NORTH, which became a beloved collection of essays and 1912 canoe journey photos, the creation of a bronze statue of the “Woman with Sticks,” and later publication of BOUND FOR THE BARRENS (2012) which was a rendering of Ober’s personal journals for that same epic canoe journey. Meanwhile, many of the principles and practices that staff and caretakers still use for the management of Mallard Island began during her decades of leadership.

In Jean’s own words from a 2010 email that has now surfaced, we can read about her motivation for all things Mallard Island. Why, she was asked, did she open herself to the whole big idea of Mallard Island, its books, its cabins, and its people?

Said Jean, “I sensed a need being unmet… It seemed like the sunrise to a delightful new day… And I kept with it as long as I felt like I was able to be a part of making a good thing better,” (especially) “empowering others, honoring the earth, and keeping to the agreed upon mission” for the place.

We are grateful for her decades of leadership and for her fine strong life, well-lived. More will be written about her, absolutely, so stay tuned to future newsletters or other ways in which we can remember and honor Jean Sanford Replinger.

Image: Jean and Joe Paddock, taken at the Wannigan table, summer 2005.