Arlene Wagner

WHEREAS, Arlene Wagner was born in the city of St. John, in 1
Whitman County, to Lester and Ida Harwood, and she had four brothers; 2
and 3
WHEREAS, Arlene was born in the year 1925 and has achieved 100 4
years of age; and 5
WHEREAS, When Arlene was a child, she worked with her family on 6
the wheat farm, and learned about cooking; and 7
WHEREAS, Arlene was a baton twirler, a majorette for the St. John 8
band, and a ballet dancer, where she learned the choreography for 9
Alexandra Danilova's "The Nutcracker"; and 10
WHEREAS, Arlene married George Wagner in 1970, and raised three 11
children, one an orchardist, one a businessman, and one who was 12
killed in an auto accident; and 13
WHEREAS, Arlene is the proud grandmother of four grandchildren 14
and six great-grandchildren; and 15
WHEREAS, Arlene and her husband, George, collected nutcrackers 16
and cofounded the nutcracker museum in Leavenworth in 1995; and17
WHEREAS, Arlene and her husband donated part of their personal 18
nutcracker collection to be featured in the museum; and19
WHEREAS, The museum has grown to hold one of the largest 20
collections of nutcrackers in the world, featuring more than 9,000 21
nutcrackers from across the world, and attracting tourists from 22
around the world; and 23
SENATE RESOLUTION
8639
By Senator Goehner
p. 1 8639
WHEREAS, Arlene gained extensive knowledge on the history of 1
the nutcracker such that she is acknowledged worldwide as being 2
an authority on the topic; and 3
WHEREAS, Arlene has taken it upon herself to educate 4
visitors on the history of the nutcracker, sharing her 5
knowledge; and 6
WHEREAS, Arlene has written and published several books 7
about nutcrackers, including topics of nutcracker history, the 8
history of nuts, and cooking with nuts; and 9
WHEREAS, Arlene has contributed to her community, to 10
society, and to the world in a meaningful way, passing down 11
knowledge and culture to future generations and keeping 12
traditions alive; 13
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington state 14
Senate honor Arlene Wagner for her appreciation for the arts, a 15
desire to learn, dedication to collection and generosity, a 16
willingness to teach, and contribution to society, and 17
congratulate her on achieving 100 years of age. 18
I, Sarah Bannister, Secretary of the Senate, 19
do hereby certify that this is a true and 20
correct copy of Senate Resolution 8639, 21
adopted by the Senate 22
March 27, 2025 23
SARAH BANNISTER 24
Secretary of the Senate 25
p. 2 8639