Biographical Information
Katie Boyle taught school in the lumber company town of Crannell the last year the school was open, 1948-49, and from then until her retirement in 1983 in Trinidad. One of her objectives as a teacher was to bring history alive for her students and instill in them an awareness of the local history of the Trinidad area. During the 1960s she and her husband Bill, who worked for Hammond Lumber Company and its successors in Crannell, took classes in photography and became accomplished amateur photographers. Their interests led them to document both the contemporary history of the area for over 20 years as well as to copy historical photograph collections belonging to many Trinidad area residents. She created many historical displays using these photographs for every imaginable event in the Trinidad area from the late 1960s through the 1980s.
Katie M. Williams was born on February 8, 1921 in Goliad, Texas. She attended Southwest Texas State College and George Pepperdine College before joining the war effort at Mare Island Navy Yard where she met and married William Boyle. They moved to Crannell where Bill worked for Hammond Lumber Company and Katie continued her education at Humboldt State, obtaining her BA in 1959 and her elementary education lifetime credential, a special education credential and a reading certificate -- and continued taking classes into the 1980s. In 1999 Katie was one of four teachers honored by the Humboldt State University's Alumni Association at their annual Who's Who Awards. She died on December 18, 1999, preceded in death by her husband in 1994.
From the guide to the Boyle Photograph Collection, 1900s-1990s, 1910s-1970s, (Humboldt State University Library.)
