Good selection: 1973 La Conner grad chosen as outstanding alumnus

Kim Good Rubenstein spent her early career in Studio City, California where she met top film and TV stars like Marty Feldman.

Now it’s Rubenstein’s turn to bask in the limelight.

A 1973 La Conner High School graduate, she has been selected as the school’s outstanding alumnus this year in recognition of her work in the hotel and hospitality industry, as a tireless advocate in the special education field and for taking on a host of volunteer duties since coming home to the Skagit Valley, where her forebears were among the area’s pioneering generation.

Rubenstein will be formally honored at the 108th La Conner High School Alumni Association Banquet this Saturday at 5 p.m. in the middle school gymnasium.

In typically modest fashion, Rubenstein is quick to share credit for her many accomplishments.

“If you grew up in La Conner,” she explains, “you learned that it takes a village. There just weren’t enough people here then. It was all hands on deck.”

She was taught from childhood by her parents, the late Pat and Janet Good, to put service above self.

When her dad was president of the La Conner Junior Chamber of Commerce, Rubenstein was enlisted to stuff envelopes for local March of Dimes campaigns. That ethic continued through her school years, a time when she was a cheerleader in both name and deed.

“It was always about doing something for somebody else,” she recalled. “It was about what we could do to acknowledge someone else’s work and success.”

Rubenstein was no stranger to success herself. Following her high school graduation, she enrolled at Washington State University, studying hotel and restaurant management, a career choice that would lead her to southern California and steady promotions.

“It’s a fun place to live when you’re young,” she told the Weekly News.

A favorite memory from that stage of Rubenstein’s life was the time her dad visited and with his mechanical background was recruited to work on Feldman’s Rolls Royce while the actor was on vacation.

Pat Good was underneath the right-side drive of the British luxury car when a Universal Studios tour drove past.

“The guide said, ‘there’s Marty Feldman working on his Rolls Royce,’” said Rubenstein. “My dad just raised his arm and hand and waved like he was Marty Feldman.”

Following marriage and the birth of daughters Elizabeth, owner of Good Eats, Sweet Treats Bakery and Christina, co-owner of Tillinghast Postal and Business Center, Rubenstein embarked on a new career path.

She returned to school and earned a credential in special education from California State University-Northridge, which opened the door to work as a consultant, program designer and inclusion specialist for students with disabilities and their families.

In that role, one of her main tasks was to visit schools of all sizes in poor and affluent districts alike and train their staff on how best to provide an education for special needs students.

Rubenstein developed a solid rapport with the students on whose behalf she was advocating.

“They teach us things,” she said, noting that student performance is bolstered when instructors connect with the unique learning styles of the pupils in their classrooms.

Rubenstein was often asked to prep teachers on strategies that motivate students who learn differently and enhance the goals and objectives of inclusive education.

As Rubenstein’s parents aged – her mom was a teacher and coach in La Conner when the landmark Title IX legislation leveling playing fields for female athletes was enacted a half-century ago – she felt the pull to return home.

A fifth generation Skagitonian, Rubenstein also closed the circle on her career journey, returning to the hotel and hospitality realm as owner of Katy’s Inn Bed and Breakfast, which she operated for several years.

“It was the best experience ever,” said Rubenstein. “It got me back to my roots in hotel business management. “

She also threw herself into volunteer opportunities, joining the La Conner Alumni Association, Billikens Club, La Conner Civic Garden Club, Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland and the Skagit County Pioneer Association, to name a few.

La Conner’s history immediately came to life for Rubenstein.

“In this town,” she said, “you get to walk where your family members walked.”

In a similar vein, Rubenstein is eager to re-connect at the alumni banquet with former classmates and teammates.

One of those is Jay Hulbert, a fellow member of the Class of ’73, who will serve as Master of Ceremonies at this year’s banquet.

Hulbert, who went on to study history and economics at the University of Washington, now travels the world as President and CEO of Ag Alumni Seed in West Lafayette, Indiana, home to Purdue University.

“We have a very accomplished class,” Rubenstein said.

She credits her school with having provided the impetus for the achievements she and her classmates have recorded in the years since.

“It all relates back to La Conner High School,” she said. “Back then, you felt like you could accomplish anything. When you leave school with that mindset, you really can accomplish anything.”