Tribute to Syd Albright will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday

POST FALLS — The North Idaho History Club will pay tribute to its late founder, Syd Albright, during a special open-forum meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3, at the Highlands Grill and Taphouse.

Albright, an enthusiastic historian and longtime columnist for The Press, died Dec. 1. He was 93.

“Syd actually started this club when he did the article in the paper about 25 years ago," North Idaho History Club co-leader Kenny Moore said Tuesday.

Community members are welcome to attend the meeting to hear tales about the storied Albright, whose diligently and thoroughly researched history columns ran Sundays in The Press' Lifestyles section until a few years ago.

Albright's deep dives explored a broad cross-section of topics, from Idaho politics and lesser-known events in American history to humanity's ancient relationship with cats and the tragic story of the American buffalo.

"He gave really good insight to not only what happened, but why it happened and what the effects were afterward," said Bitterroot Mountain Publishing House CEO John Gessner, who knew Albright for seven years.

Gessner said Bitterroot plans to publish quarterly compendia of Albright's works, with the first expected this summer.

Bitterroot is also in the process of preparing to publish a personal account written by Albright about his family's experience living through the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor when he was 9 years old.

"His dad was a war correspondent for national news. While they were blowing up the side of the island, they were broadcasting from the other side of the island," Gessner said. "The Japanese blew up the airport and they were within short driving distance of that."

Always the perfectionist, Albright penned several versions of the book.

"Syd never was happy with anything he'd done. He'd always go back through everything," Gessner said. "We’re going to decide on the best version and do some piecing together."

He said the goal is to release Albright's book, currently titled "The Journey of the Phantom Ship," sometime this spring.

The North Idaho History Club is an informal weekly group that meets to discuss history and how its lessons apply to current events. The Highlands Grill and Taphouse is at 5600 E. Mullan Ave., Post Falls.