Carolyn Oltman
by Susan Carter

In Memoriam: Carolyn Ann Oltman, 1948-2002

As most Alacostans already know, our good friend and long-time Alacosta club member Carolyn Oltman was killed in an automobile accident while traveling back to the Bay Area after spending the weekend at Van Damme State Park at the Alacosta traditional post-Thanksgiving abalone dive and camping weekend. Also killed in the accident, which occurred outside of Yorkville on Hwy 128 on Sunday, December 1 at approximately 3 pm, were Carolyn's friend Kathy McIntes-Lees of Idaho and Carolyn's beloved dog Holly.

Carolyn was born January 14, 1948 in Albuquerque, New Mexico to Dorothy Howard and George Oltman. She graduated from Taft High School, Woodland Hills, CA in 1966 and attended UCLA, UC at Santa Barbara, Cal State University at Hayward and UC Extension Berkeley. Carolyn was a 28-year employee of East Bay Municipal Utility District where she was a Chemist. She was hired by the District April 15, 1974 and enjoyed friendships with many of her co-workers. She is a past President of the AFSCME Local 2019. Carolyn is survived by father George Oltman; mother Dorothy Howard; brothers Jonathon Eugene Stroup, David Oltman, Brian Oltman, and Neil Oltman; and sisters Bonnie Perce and Joan Shay.

All of us who had the true pleasure of knowing Carolyn are feeling her loss very deeply. Carolyn was active in many of our club dives, and could always be counted on to bring laughter and fun to any Alacosta event or dive that she attended. However, Carolyn added much more than just her jokes and smiles: she also gave generously of her time and energy to the club, as Club President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and as a member of our Eboard. At a fairly recent Eboard meeting, while most of us were arguing heatedly about how to resolve difficulties that we were experiencing in trying to arrange the 2002 Catalina trip, Carolyn quietly volunteered to make a few phone calls and straighten the situation out. Sure enough, within just a day or two Carolyn had worked her magic and the trip was back on track.

Carolyn loved to travel. She was a wonderful companion on our trip to Galapagos last May. For many of us it was a trip of a lifetime, and while Carolyn may have felt that way as well, she always wanted to talk about the next trip and the next adventure. We spent part of our happy hour time on our Sky Dancer voyage in the Galapagos discussing the logistics of a trip by car to the tip of South America. More immediately, she was planning a trip to Morocco when she died, and as she often did, she had plans to join the club in Cozumel and in Catalina. Carolyn couldn't wait for retirement to have the time for many more of these adventures. Many of us remember her excited talk about retirement at our November Eboard. I wasn't at the Van Damme camping trip after Thanksgiving, but I imagine that her jokes, laughter and talk of future dives helped warm up those around the campfire.

We will miss Carolyn very deeply during our future adventures, and any future dives to Van Damme will be particularly difficult. I encourage each of you to remember her with love during your next dive: I think she would be happy to know that the adventures continue....

Carolyn's family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations in her memory be made to the National Organization of Women, Battered Women's Alternatives, Nature Conservancy or a charity of choice. At the January meeting, the Alacosta membership will vote on giving a donation in her name from the club to the Nature Conservancy.