After Nearly Being Struck by Previous Flagpole, Sequim Couple Donate Funds for Fort Worden Replacement Pole
Mike and Carol Howard generously helped fund a new shorter flagpole to replace the one that nearly hit Mike during a storm
When a 70-foot flagpole nearly falls on you in the midst of a winter storm, you could be forgiven for never coming back to the scene of the crash.
Yet Mike Howard not only returned to Fort Worden State Park. He and his wife Carol also helped fund a brand-new pole.
Last Wednesday at high noon, Mike and Carol, aided by their grandchildren Graham, 10, and Abigail, 12, gathered for the dedication of a new, shorter flagpole on the fort campus. The couple had made a $3,000 donation to Washington State Parks for the 40-foot fiberglass fixture, which was followed by a $2,000 gift from the Friends of Fort Worden.
Mike and Carol live in Sequim and love camping at Fort Worden—even in less than ideal weather. They recounted the flagpole incident in a Friends of Fort Worden newsletter article by secretary Hallie Whitley.
One winter day in 2024, the pair had pulled over in front of the park office to register for their campsite. Carol was standing near their truck taking pictures while Mike walked across the road toward the office. There suddenly came a “crack, whoosh, BANG,” as the flagpole hit the ground between Mike and the truck, barely missing them both.
Only a few months later, Carol and Mike came to camp again. While there, they also requested a meeting with Olympic View Area Manager Brian Hageman.
At Wednesday’s dedication, Hageman recalled Mike’s pithy line preceding the couple’s donation: “The flagpole missed me. And I miss the flagpole.”
Carol said she and her husband often come up with the same idea before they speak it aloud. Such was the case with deciding to give $3,000 to their beloved state park.
With the grandkids visiting for the week, it was an opportune time for Wednesday’s flag-raising ceremony. Abigail, Graham, Carol and Mike grasped the line together and hoisted the U.S. and Washington state flags—but only to half-staff in honor of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death four days earlier.
State and federal authorities notify state parks when their flags are to be lowered in cases like this, Hageman said.
He predicted that the shorter flagpole should do better at withstanding the fort’s weather patterns.
“We can’t maintain a 70-foot pole,” Hageman said of the fallen one.
“We go through four flags a year because we have so much wind,” he added.
The National Anthem was not sung at the ceremony. But thanks to another donation from Mike and Carol, there was pizza and soda to enjoy once the flags were flying again.
