foghorn
noun fog·horn \ˈfȯg-ËŒhȯrn, ˈfäg-\
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1: a horn (as on a ship) sounded in a fog to give warning
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My name is Reinette Senum, and I am a Human Foghorn. I’ve given in to it, I can’t fight it. It’s in my blood. Case in point: my great-great-grandfather Edward Funston held forth in Kansas politics for fourteen straight years, first as a state senator (even serving as Senate President) and then as an unapologetically loud U.S. Congressman.
His campaign was “Foghorn Funston, the Farmer’s Friend,” and the voters sent him to rattle the rafters of both Topeka and Washington.
His son, Frederick Funston—a major general—would find himself yanked off the U.S. presidential ticket as Theodore Roosevelt’s VP running mate, all because Frederick couldn’t help but be a human foghorn himself, trumpeting the new brand of American imperialist expansionism for anyone within earshot.
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Like my ancestors, I can stand in one place, do absolutely nothing, and still broadcast like a lighthouse in a fog. Many years ago, I realized this odd gift wasn’t something I could hush. Destiny handed me the role of alerting the public to the hidden stories both near and far, shining a signal toward a safer shore. So here you’ll find not only modern tales, but also the rumblings of yesteryear still echoing today.
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I feel responsible for using my voice for the voiceless and the meek. I know when to take a stand, hop in the ring, or work toward common ground and real solutions. For nearly twenty years, I’ve devoted myself to this work, and plan to keep at it for the rest of my life.
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This website is for historical reflection and course correction; missions I’ve been drawn to since I can remember.
Articles, Awards & More
San Francisco Chronicle
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San Francisco-born Reinette Senum is the kind of woman you read about in heroes' journeys and classic Jack London stories about survival and peril in the wilderness. Senum, whose expeditions have ranged from Mount Kilimanjaro to the Alaskan Gulf, retells her tale of life at the final frontier in "Alaska Revisited," a one-woman show that chronicles her experience of becoming the first woman to cross Alaska solo while filming the entire journey for National Geographic.
by Sheila Sherman
The first time I visited Nevada City, CA, the proprietor of the Outside Inn — in which we were staying— told me that I was not to leave town without first talking to Reinette Senum — then the mayor. Unfortunately, I was not able to pull it off during that visit, but Reinette was on my radar and I started to dig up ...
Betty Louise, Co-Project Director, A Place To Call Home
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She has been called a Wonder Woman and a Fruitcake, but nothing like that phases Reinette. She persists on issues she believes in, and goes above and beyond for community.
We invited Reinette to join our project after hearing her at a Nevada City Council Meeting, where she said “We can not just put a roof over the heads of homeless people, we have to give them a purpose.” She did not disappoint with her amazing stories.
The Union
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Former mayor and community leader Reinette Senum has been named recipient of the 2014 Elza Kilroy Award for outstanding community service. The Nevada City Chamber of Commerce presents the Kilroy award, established in 1969, annually to a citizen whose efforts help make Nevada City a better community.
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The chamber's board of directors selected Senum for the award to honor her dedication and support of Nevada City.
Former mayor and longtime Nevada City community leader Reinette Senum has been selected as the 2014 recipient of the 25th Annual Col. William H. “Bill” Lambert Award.
Beth Ruyak
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Former mayor and longtime Nevada City community leader Reinette Senum has been selected as the 2014 recipient of the 25th Annual Col. William H. "Bill" Lambert Award. Senum was the first woman to cross Alaska alone and has also starred in a one-woman show about the adventure, "Alaska Revisited." The community activist, former Nevada City mayor, filmmaker and world traveler spoke with Beth Ruyak in October of 2012 about her many ventures. In recognition of Senum receiving the Col. William H. “Bill” Lambert Award we’re rebroadcasting that interview.
