George Boulton has spent 40 years volunteering in Arlington

ARLINGTON — Forty years ago this week, George Boulton came to town to see about a floral shop that was for sale.

An experienced and award-winning florist, Boulton also was looking for a place to call home.

“I never looked back,” he said.

He bought the shop, bought a house and made a life that included 40 years of volunteering and community activism.

The 72-year-old Boulton transferred ownership of Flowers by George to his son 15 years ago, but he continues to help out there and use the shop as a contact base for his ongoing volunteer work.

“I have loved living in Arlington,” Boulton, said. “It’s a great place to raise a family and a great place to volunteer.”

Throughout the years, Boulton has served in the Kiwanis Club, the Chamber of Commerce, his church and the schools.

Kristin Banfield, the city’s assistant administrator, said Boulton keeps telling her that he’s retired.

“I just laugh,” she said. “He’s such a good community steward and so tenacious that one way or another he’ll get you involved, too.”

Boulton, who earned a degree in floriculture at Colorado State University, moved to Washington when he took a job at a large floral company in Seattle. There he met his wife, Annalee. They moved with their two young sons to Arlington in 1968, when downtown still had a J.C. Penney department store.

“Times were tight in the beginning. Gross revenues were low. That’s where your faith comes in,” Boulton said. “But it was a neat career. Working with flowers is so uplifting.”

Along with their business, Boulton and his wife kept busy with their sons, who graduated from Arlington High School.

David has been successful in the floral business and also is active in the Arlington community. His brother, Kenneth, is an assistant professor of piano at Southeastern Louisiana University and was nominated for a Grammy award last year for his CD release, “Louisiana — A Pianist’s Journey.”

“Scads of other people from Arlington have made themselves known to the world, too,” George Boulton said. “I don’t know if my sons’ careers would have advanced as they did if we had stayed in Seattle. Their success is a credit to Arlington and the people here.”

Despite its rapid growth in recent years, one of the reasons Arlington retains its feeling of community are the number of people there who have dedicated their lives to volunteering, Boulton said.

It’s difficult to remember 40 years of volunteer work in his community, but Boulton has some highlights.

A former president of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, Boulton was instrumental in convincing telephone company GTE, now Verizon, that a call between Arlington and Everett shouldn’t be long distance.

His concern about the economic health of downtown Arlington led him to become involved with the Main Street revitalization program and Arlington Business Community Development committee.

“I will always shop Arlington first. If I can’t find it, only then do I go someplace else,” Boulton said.

A former two-term president of the Kiwanis Club, he was involved in landscaping the grounds at Cascade Valley Hospital, and for many Christmases has made and sold door swags to raise money for the club’s charitable activities.

He is involved with the Dollars for Scholars community scholarship program that last year awarded 63 scholarships worth $58,000 to Arlington High School graduates. This year, the program will award scholarships worth $75,000, Boulton said.

Boulton also is a member of the committee that oversees the Linda M. Byrnes Performing Arts Center, adjacent to Arlington High School. He and his wife donated a concert grand piano to the center.

Currently, Boulton is among the supporters of an $8.8 million bond that, if approved by voters, will fund construction of a new library. A similar measure failed two years ago by just 28 votes.

Dean Case, an Arlington real estate agent and longtime friend, said Boulton has set an example as a community leader, an accomplished business owner and family man.

“I wish we had more Georges around,” Case said.

Reporter Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427 or gfiege@heraldnet.com.