30 Years Ago

December 20/27, 1990

Pen Pals computer project opens new lines of communication

Computer programmer Clo Wiltse of rural Volborg has developed a way to use computers to establish communication among three age groups, through a Pen Pal project.

The project involves using computers to exchange letters between rural elementary school students and residents at Powder River Manor. Broadus high school computer class students, in turn, help the residents write their letters, help set them on a computer, and help with the sending and receiving.

Getting the project off the ground involved not just a little bit of organization, time and involvement from people across the state. The computer program itself was developed by Mrs. Wiltse, a former teacher at Broadus high school who has turned software programming into a business. The project is sponsored by Big Sky Telegraph at Western Montana College, Dillon, which set up the system and donated a modem, and Computer Lines of Bozeman, which donated a computer. The Powder River Manor Memorial Fund came up with the money to purchase cables, a printer, and a portable unit in which the computer and equipment can be moved to individual rooms at the nursing home. Five of Margie Gaskill’s South Stacey students are involved in the Pen Pals project at their school, and three Horkan Creek students go to Mrs. Wiltse’s home to participate. Roger Patterson’s Broadus high school computer class is involved in helping the residents. Student Stephanie Minow also serves Sue Richards’ Activities Department at the nursing home by volunteering to send and receive the letters to and from a computer bulletin board at Big Sky Telegraph, where they are stored.

“What’s happening is the students at South Stacey School started last May to write letters – they found out that people at the nursing home would like to write letters back. I came down and demonstrated my home computer,” said Wiltse. “When I saw they (the residents) were interested and they saw how they could communicate with the rural kids, how they could help rural kids understand computers and at the same time share their experiences, most were eager to do so.”

At that point, Wiltse said she contacted Big Sky Telegraph. “They felt it was a pioneer project in Montana worth proceeding with.”

“My ultimate goal is to get as many residents as I can to learn how to use the computer themselves to get their letters ready to send up,” said Wiltse. “If they can do that they can use the computer to write their own letters. I want them eventually to have their own print shop so they can use computers for their own enjoyment and use. Some of the people here at the nursing home with poor vision, who can no longer see to write, know how to type. So they can write their own letters.”

South Stacey students involved include Adam and Bethany Dice, Levi and Heidi Butts and Leroy Michal. Other “neighborhood” students, from Horkan Creek School, who come to Mrs. Wiltse’s home, include Krista and Kelly Madsen and Kathleen Green.

Broadus high school students participating along with Stephanie Minow include Wynn Randall, Holly Samuelson, Tom Schmid, Brandon Gatlin, Wendy Badgett, Jona Barbero, Laura Gnerer, Jeff Considine, Trenton Schaffer, Leal Brimmer, Andrea Borla and Ehrin Stevens.

“I would like to get the students to come up on their own time and establish relationships with the residents here at the Manor,” said Mrs. Wiltse.

“It has gone really well. The kids related well with the residents and wrote some great letters. This is really a tremendous experience for the students and the people here,” said Patterson of the program. “I think it also shows the students how computers can be used for communication, and also it possibly bridges the gap between the young and old.”

To date, seventeen residents at Powder River Manor are participating in the Pen Pals Program. Included are Ella Big Lake, Gladys Bone, Bob Christiansen, Margaret Cooley, Minnie Engel, Thelma Helm, Alyne Huckins, Elma Hines, Harley Leatherberry, Rita Linvold, Zora Mettlen, John Nolan, Irene Penson, Helen Pikkula, Ruth Savidge, Ruth Tipton and Charlie Wellman.

“It’s a neat way for them (the residents) to talk with other people – it’s a way for them to get into the outside world,” said Leal Brimmer, a sophomore at Broadus high school. “It’s also neat to know how it was back then – how they did things. We’re really learning a lot.”