CHILDHOOD
THROUGH
HIGHSCHOOL
(1948-1967)
Much like the TV show “Wonder Years”, Paul and his older brother had a childhood typical of post WWII kids in the suburbs of Seattle. They had a dog whom Paul dearly loved, a turtle, pigeons, and a host of other pets. Paul was lucky to have a number of friends close to his age – John, Mark, and two Jims – to pal around with at the nearby park and terrorize the neighborhood throughout those early years. It was a time when travelling through alder woods, puddles, and scotchbroom-filled empty lots on their bikes was carefree. The boys had so many adventures climbing trees, building camps, , catching wildlife (and much to paul’s regret later in life, occasionally using them for target practice). Being dropped off downtown to eat candy and go to the movies, swimming at Kennydale Beach, or Cedar River would be big weekend thrills for Paul and his buddies.
Paul’s school years were pretty average from the standpoint of academics. He often got called into the principal’s office for minor infractions. It’s a bit of mystery whether he was somewhat insubordinate because his mom was on the school board, or whether it was just a bit of his rebellious nature. He loved learning on his own terms and was motivated by several of the inspirational teachers at Renton High School (RHS). His understanding of his own “shortcomings” may well be why he ended up such a great middle school teacher. During his senior year at RHS, Paul met Ikuno, his high school and eventually, lifelong sweetheart.
In the home, his parents were maybe not quite so typical of suburbia. Paul’s mom was very liberal, having been raised by Ukrainian parent immigrants to Canada. She was truly a believer in the good of humankind, forward thinking, dedicated to education, as evidenced by her years on the Renton School Board. His dad was definitely on the more conservative side. Raised in rural Oregon, he had to leave home early to find work to support himself and the rest of the family. To survive he was a hard worker but always with the goal to improve his lot in life, too. His proudest accomplishment was being a flight engineer for Pan Am Airlines. The divergent philosophies and opinions of Paul’s parents made for a home atmosphere filled with lots of heated but civil conversations about politics, the economy, the state of the world and humanity. These conversations at home may be why Paul loved Debate Club in high school and became such a great public speaker.
As the Clymer boys got older there were the paper routes, mowing lawns, and other odd jobs to pay for hobbies. Paul collected stamps, baseball cards, had tropical fish. He got a taste of hunting big game with his dad in Alaska, where they managed to score a moose. As he got into high school there were sports and other activities: wrestling, football, choir (yes, music was one of Paul’s hidden talents), hunting, bagging and stocking groceries at the local Safeway.
PAUL TAKES FLIGHT INTO THE WORLD (1967 - 1972)
After high school Paul sought scholarships in music and football to help defray costs of going to collelge. He ended up playing football for Yakima Valley College (YVC), which wasn’t a great move as Paul and heat were never sympatico. His childhood friend John and high school buddy Bill also took studies (?) there. The three big guys roomed together in a boarding house and had many escapades. It was the tumultuous ‘60s many of their friends were going to Vietnam even while rock concerts and protests were ever present in the homeland.
Paul ended back on the west side after YVC and took a job with Hughes AirWest Airlines where he fueled planes at Boeing Field. A big thrill was meeting vice president Hubert Humphrey and getting his little red VW bug shredded to pieces by a private plane’s prop. Working for the airlines also allowed Paul the opportunity to travel to places he’d always had an interest in: Athens, Greece; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Tokyo/Kyoto, Japan.
PAUL EARNS
HIS FIRST
DEGREE (1972)
Ellensburg had always been a familiar scene for Paul, having traveled there with his dad to visit an old army buddy and also to hunt deer and elk with John’s dad, Joe. And as fate would have it, Central Washington State College as it was called then, provided the next step in Paul’s growth. Professors in the Anthropology Dept provided perspectives that opened new worlds. He joined Stuart Struevers world reknown anthropological dig at Kampsville Illinois and assisted in research in the Columbia basin.
After earning his degree from Central he returned to Seattle to wait out Ikuno finishing up at the UW. He took a job with Seattle Aquatic Supply furthering his interest in tropical fish.Paul decided to follow Ikuno for her graduate studies. They took off for Eugene, OR where as fate would have it, Paul’s brother George had taken up residency as a DJ for top-ten radio station KUGN. George was helpful in helping the couple acclimate to the insular communities and life in the Willamette Valley. Finding work as an anthropologist, or anything else in Eugene wasn’t easy. Paul dabbled in a number of odd jobs and finally found a calling in the culinary arts when Chef Don at the new Rodeway Inn took him under his wing. Also while in Eugene, Paul met up with Taggert and got hooked on fly-fishing where the McKenzie River was just a few miles away. This would almost be the end of Paul’s story of cooking and fishing, but there’s so much more.
LIFE IN THE KITTITAS VALLEY
(1975 - 1982)
After work at the Rodeway Inn and the Eugene Hotel in Oregon, Paul made his way back to Ellensburg to pursue graduate studies in the subject of his passion. Finding work in any college town, even with a B.A. is diifficult, but even more so in such a small town like Ellensburg. In addition to being a graduate assistant Paul found work at one of the town’s major industries, Schaake Pack, a meat packing plant, where he met a great friend in Barry . He was able to get back into the restaurant business, helping a friend startup the Appleseed Inn (ironically now Red’s Fly Shop and Outfitters at the intersection of Canyon Road and I-90). Also during this time Paul and Ikuno finally got married after 10 years together and were able to make their first big investment, a house on West 11th. Ikuno spent time gardening and working the yard while Paul was off fishing and hunting during his spare time between studying and working.
In May of 1980 Mt. St. Helens blew her top and many were stranded there at I-90 due to downpouring of ash, zero visibility, and poor air quality. Paul was working at the Holiday Inn by then and he and the crew were on disaster relief duty, feeding and caring for hundreds of motorists for several days. Tired of the constant shifts in owners and management in the hospitality industry, Paul decided to pursue a B.A. in education while working at the famed Ellensburg diner, the Highway Grill. Ikuno also had a hard time finding work in Ellensburg but eventually was employed by the local architect where she worked on a number of historic restoration projects in downtown. That job led to a business relationship with a local land surveyor, which led to several fortunate lifelong friendships, especially Jack & Becky. It was these friends that made life in the Kittitas Valley fun and ever so rewarding. In the early 80’s Ikuno had run out of work options in the Valley, so she sojourned back to the west side while Paul stayed behind to finish up his teaching degree.
Everyone would wonder when paul and ikuno would have kids. Well, Paco was their first. He was a wonderful, beautiful German Long-Haired Pointer, a runt from the first litter bred by an Ellensburg friend Del. Del had a passion for this breed when he was introduced to them through a Czechoslovakian connection. Paco lead paul and ikuno on so many adventures: hunting, fishing, exploring and romping through the hills, ravines, and meadows of Kittitas Valley. Of course, Paco accompanied Paul and ikuno when they settled into life in Snohomish County. He became well known in the neighborhood and continued to be Paul’s companion on his many hunting and fishing trips and at home stretched out next to Paul’s recliner.
FAMILY
LIFE BEGINS
(1988)
In 1988, bouncy Julian arrived to answer friends’ questions about when Paul and ikuno were going to have children. People would say JC was a “spirited” child. Indeed he had (has) an enormous amount of energy, absorbing everything and talking about everything he learned. He was a great little companion to both Paco and Paul. Four years later Paul’s precious sweetie, Marika, arrived. She was (is) a bright little beauty; quiet, creative, cooperative. Paul loved her cuddles. While JC was a Curtain-Crawler, Mika was a Cling-On.
Family Life
The two kids were a great pairing for the parents (maybe not so much for the siblings themselves). Family life was filled with the usual – piano lessons and recitals; karate; little league; ballet; a little soccer; scouts; orthodontic appointments. Paco was aging and not able to be a part of the new family for long.
Mika’s love of animals, nurtured by her dad, helped bring other pets to the home, especially kitty Ali Rose. And JC’s pals from school and cub scouts soon became part of the family as well. Week-long trips into the wilds of BC camping and fishing for the boys became common for several years. Paul introduced the kids to collecting comics, trading cards (now the kids were teaching him about Magic & Pokemon cards), transformers, gundams (and unfortunately) lots of other stuff. The backyards were full of mysteries waiting to be solved; 4th of July’s were always crazy at the Clymer household, where the kids learned about projectile and fire safety. There was the Green Dragon, a 16-foot runabout, that took the family to lots of different kinds of beaches on the Sound and the kids learned lots about sealife to observe, appreciate and eat.
Eventually Paul’s longing for a dog pal was fulfilled by two doggies: Tonka and Chako. It was one of the biggest family expeditions to pick up these German Long-Haired Pointer brothers, traversing roads in British Columbia and Alberta in the cold of November to Edmonton. Besides Disneyland, most of the other family adventures in all kinds of weather were more local: boating the sound; harvesting clams and mussels; trips to Portland or the Dalles to visit grandparents; fairs and festivals; museums; camping all over the northwest. It seemed like Paul made sure every weekend was some kind of exploration. Tonka and Chako provided constant companionship when the kids got busy with their own friends and work.
PAUL'S CAREER AS AN EDUCATOR
To talk about Paul’s career as an educator is a bit of a misconception. In reality, Paul’s whole life was as an educator. A great educator is a great learner. Paul was a lifelong learner. Always questioning, reading, theorizing, studying. History was a passion along with political science. So as he was exposed in college, archeology and anthropology would be natural extensions. In more recent years archaeologists are somewhat more employable but not back then. But somehow Paul always found a way to help others learn and grow...
Paul's path to becoming an educator was one of constant dedication. This path motivated him to complete:
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Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology (1972), CWU
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Masters of Science in Human Ecology (1979), CWU
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Bachelor of Arts in Education, Endorsement in History (1984), CWU
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Masters of Education (1990), Seattle Pacific University
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Additional Endorsement in Mathematics (1997)
Before Paul became an educator with the Everett Public School District, he helped obtain a grant to teach some Darrington at-risk kids to tie fishing flies in hopes that they might be able to be employed at local fly shops. As a long-term substitute, he taught culinary arts at the Sno Isle Skill Center, inspiring one of the students to eventually open several successful restaurants in Snohomish and Island counties. First and foremost, Paul was a fabulous educator to his own kids, but fun was always on the curriculum. Adventures were accompanied with stories they soon got tired of but provided tons of laughs for them and their friends. There were lots of other boats, so the kids learned how to go slow, row and paddle. The kids learned to appreciate the outdoors with gusto.
Moving back to the west side to pursue teaching history in the local districts was a challenge. History teachers don’t seem to leave their jobs once they land them. During his pursuit, Paul spent several years working in the restaurant business, substitute teaching in multiple districts, and taking care of the kids while Ikuno commuted to jobs in Seattle or Bellevue. Paul was determined to get employed by a school district. Knowing that math teachers were in demand he decided to get certification in a subject that certainly was not his favorite. It was a hard subject for him but he persevered and came to enjoy math. As soon as he obtained his certification at Seattle Pacific University he was hired by the Everett District. First at North Middle School and then at Heatherwood Middle School. Some people might say that middle school is a tough age group. Paul loved it. His success was likely because he was so relatable. He had a great deal of empathy for their challenges, having been there himself at their age. He used math as an avenue to teach kids about all sorts of things besides plusses and minuses, making connections to sports, pets, history, food anything that would capture their attention to math’s relevancy in life.
PAUL
ENJOYS
RETIREMENT
(2015 - 2023)
As the kids grew, Paul was able to grow along with them. From “daddy” to dad, Paul would become more of a friend, “advising” instead of “telling” (although still doting and hugely spoiling them). Before too long, Mika gifted Paul and Ikuno with grandson Osaira. Paul took the role of grandpa with enormous delight. He was re-energized; he adored having Oz as his companion. The challenges of teaching kids he applied to Ozzy. Math was tough as they had changed the elementary math curriculum yet again, so Paul was challenged trying to understand how to explain these new methods to Oz during homework. Just as Paul missed the restaurant biz, he greatly missed being in the classroom. The creativity he missed cooking he applied at home experimenting with lots of foods, trying out different ways to make the perfect tempura shrimp.
Paul's Health Journey
One would probably not have noticed, but Paul had a number of health issues that caused him a lot of challenges - the worst of which was the dysfunction of his left lung, which made breathing more and more difficult in later years. Back in the early 90's Paul was diagnosed with a collapsed lung (left side), which doctors said could not be fixed. The collapsed lung made it difficult for Paul to engage in a lot of physical activities throughout his 40's and 50's, but Paul always remained hopeful, optimistic, and determined to improve his health. He was always reading books on different health philosophies, trying new diets, and doing what he could to exercise - though exercise was very difficult because of his lung condition. It wasn't until breathing got much worse that he sought better solutions. Perhaps with better technology, the diagnosis changed - it wasn't his lung, but rather the diaphragm which was stuck in the up position, not allowing his lung to expand. Surgery could probably fix it. As with any surgery there are risks, which Paul understood, but he decided to hope in a future that would allow him to live the rest of his life with ease and more comfort, as well as an ability to spend as much time as he could doing what he loved - spending time with family and being out on the river fishing.
In mid-August 2023, Paul decided to move forward with surgery. The surgery went 2 hours longer than expected, as his lung was badly deteriorated. The surgeons tried to repair what was left of the lung, with the hopes it could recover over time. Paul would spend two months in intensive care units as multiple other efforts were made to preserve not only his life, but his quality of life. Unfortunately, Paul passed away on October 15th, 2023, just a few days after his 75th birthday.
In November, a small group of family and friends gathered on the Puget Sound to celebrate Paul's life.