Preserving the past, photographing the present

(SHERWOOD) — When you ask Dave Gilmore what makes Sherwood special, he will run down a list of notable names.

In his nearly countless volunteer pursuits during his 26 years in Sherwood, he’s run across some of the cream of the crop regarding community involvement. While he won’t be the first to say it, he’s also worthy of a spot on that list.

Gilmore is one of the curators of the Morback House historical museum, which is owned by the city of Sherwood but operated by the Sherwood Historical Society.

Inside, he will show you around, from the functional model train set in the basement based on the city of Sherwood as it once was to the evolving exhibits in the front room (In late July, it was “All Dolled Up!” featuring historical dolls of all kinds and eras).

Aside from his hours at the historical society museum, he’s a volunteer at the Marjorie Stewart Senior Community Center, participating in anything from the men’s coffee in the morning to supporting aging workgroups.

He’s also part of the Sherwood Elks Lodge and the Sherwood American Legion Argonne Post 56, but he might be more well-known in the community for his photographic pursuits.

After he wrapped up his time in the photography business, Gilmore has been volunteering to take photos for the city and the Sherwood Chamber of Commerce for several years.

You can catch him at parades, Music on the Green, Pioneer Days and more, interacting with the community members he has grown to know over the years.

“I’ve taken a lot of photos around Sherwood. It’s a hobby for me now,” he said.

And if you haven’t met him, you can still see his work on his Facebook page, “ Positively Sherwood, A Daily Newsletter .”

There, you can find anything from old photos he’s spent time colorizing to a historical fact or two diligently checked by his colleagues at the historical society. He helps promote the numerous community events that now reside in Sherwood and tries to offer a place of respite in an internet age usually filled with vitriol.

“There’s a lot of negativity in the world, and on Facebook, there are many groups with trolls who have bad things to say and critique everything in the worst way. I quit all of those," he said, instead opting to create a slice of happiness online.

And quickly, by word of mouth and perhaps a little algorithm, Positively Sherwood has roughly 2,100 members.

Outside of his volunteer endeavors, Gilmore makes it a point to help people where he can, whether that’s offering a ride to the senior center, fixing up a computer so that it can run programs after becoming outdated, or working a photography class for youngsters to get a taste for the lens.

“If somebody needs something and I can do it, I will,” he said. “If you have the means, do it. That’s the logic I go by.”

Before moving to Sherwood, Gilmore and his family lived in various regions of the country. For Gilmore, some of that was abroad and afloat. Gilmore was in the Navy during the Vietnam War, having served as an electrician on a destroyer vessel from 1968-72.

He then lived in Minnesota with his wife shortly after getting married, before moving to North Carolina and finally Colorado before settling in Oregon.

While Sherwood wasn’t where he grew up, it quickly became where he and his deceased wife, Susan, loved calling home.

“We’re the nomads of the family, and this is the place we liked the best.”