March 11, 2004

Volunteer of the week: Art Boudreault

Serendipity doesn't occur very often, but when it does, perfect matches happen. Such is the circumstance with Art Boudreault, a volunteer for Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation, who also serves on the board of directors and as treasurer of New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association [NAQCPA].

Boudreault, a 25-year San Jose resident, was instrumental in acquiring the hardware and museum archival software for the Quicksilver Museum plus scanning and entering the old photographs and documents. So far, 9,500 archival papers have been entered with another 40,000 to go. Before Boudreault, most of the old original papers were in binders or boxes exposed to air and moisture when there was a search for one. Now, in a very few minutes, the document can be located on the computer screen to be researched or copied.

“Art has been like one of the staff,” said Robin Schaut, park interpreter program supervisor. “There is no way we could have developed the archival system he has put in place. He researched it from the ground up. We just had handwritten lists and boxes of documents before Art. He is very dedicated and we hope he never leaves.”

Boudreault's vocation prepared him well for his current endeavor. An engineer by profession, he developed and invented a tester that would diagnostically verify integrated circuits quickly and inexpensively in the 1960s. That led to marketing and sales positions, one with Fairchild Test Systems as marketing director. The past 10 years he managed an automation service company based in Tennessee and Japan, working on special automation projects for computers and databases for Nissan improving its productivity and manufacturing.

“I went from high tech to rust belt.” Boudreault laughs remembering. “I was surprised how well my skills transferred.”

Boudreault successfully implemented systems that saved Nissan time by half or more and kept costs down by using robots and computers to put autos together. He retired in 1999.

As a young boy in Massachusetts, Boudreault always questioned his grandfather, aunts and uncles about his ancestors. This curiosity manifested into a genealogy exploration of his family tree. He identified nine generations of Boudreaults, going back 18 generations with one of his ancestors. He enjoys researching where his relations were during various times in history. The Boudreaults' spent two years hiding from the British in northern Maine and New Brunswick during the French Indian War.

“It was a real genocide. Two-thirds of the people died,” said Boudreault. “I can relate with countries being displaced from their home and the anger and resentments that occur from that.”

Only one Boudreault ventured to the New World. He had 11 sons who each had 10 or more children, so all of the offspring are related in this country. Some of the family in Louisiana did not know how to write and so an X served as a signature. It was added on to their name and so some of the family tree spells their name Boudreaultx.

Boudreault spends 15 hours or more a week on research and inputting documents, which he says “is better than watching television.” Besides computer entry, he is a museum docent, leads van tours of the Quicksilver Park and helps with trail clean up. NAQCPA has published several books: “Guide to Wildflowers of Almaden Quicksilver Park” and “Quicksilver Reflections” by Kenneth Holmes, and he helped with both, working as an editor on the former. He also contributes to the NAQCPA newsletter each issue, writing about local history.

Boudreault's work at the museum earned him the 2002 Volunteer of the Year Award through the Parks and Recreation Department.

“I was nominated for Outdoorsman of the Year for Sunset Magazine,” he said smiling wide. “I didn't make it. I couldn't understand why I was chosen. I'm in this room all the time.”

Boudreault does admit he often hikes Quicksilver Park. He moved to Almaden in 1982 not far from the old museum where he would visit Connie Perham and where he developed his interest in volunteering at the museum.

He married his second wife, Sarah, and together they have 20 grandchildren living in San Jose, New York, New Hampshire, Maine and Southern California.

He was the past president [1998-2001] for the National Council of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and served on the board for several years. He now serves on the County Certification of Appeals Board mediating halfway house appeals. He was asked to join the board after he spoke to the Almaden Community Association regarding the halfway house [AKA group home] on Meridian Avenue.

“It is the only halfway house that I know of not on the east side,” Boudreault said.

“A person in a halfway house has to be certified not to be dangerous. Only 3 percent of alcoholics are a danger to society, 97 percent are not. They're sick, not bad”

Boudreault is also passionate about the slated destruction of the Opry House.

“It costs the same amount of money to tear it down as to fix it up,” he said. “Probably less. We [NAQCPA] have contractors willing to volunteer their time and do the work as a donation to the county but they are not listening to us.”

“Art was an association [NAQCPA] member and was instrumental to the new museum,” Kitty Monahan, president of NAQCPA said about Boudrealt's contributions. “He showed Paul Romero [director of Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation] Casa Grande before they purchased it. Art helped with the move. His knowledge of computers is exceptional. He found the right software and has spent hours archiving. Now we have this wonderful, efficient system. His determination put it all together. We were very fortunate to find him.”

— By Jeanne C. Lewis