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By DAISY WASHINGTON / Community Columnist

Lynn Schlick knows all about ancestry. She was the director of the Columbiana Family History Center for four years.

In 2019, she became the director of the Birmingham Family History Center.

She was inspired through her membership with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where she has been a member for the past six years.

Schlick was asked to serve in Columbiana and then as a Family Search Missionary.

History Centers have access to the Family History Center Portal page, which gives free access in the center to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions.

As a Family Search Missionary, Schlick assists people interested in finding their ancestors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Family History Center has been closed, but patrons can still use the Center’s services.

Schlick conducts the training and meeting via Zoom and telephone.

She is also a member of Alabama Genealogical Society District 4, which represents the counties of Shelby, Jefferson and Walker.

AGS assists and supports the research of its members by finding, safeguarding, preserving and publishing records pertaining to Alabama families and their history.

She is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, her state chapter, which sponsors two scholarships for high school seniors based on academic performance, character, work habits, potential, school and community activities, and financial need.

Chapters also participate in activities that focus on those currently in the military, and they have many activities throughout the year to honor Alabama’s veterans.

Schlick earned a B.S. in business administration from University of Alabama and graduated magna cum laude.

Schlick, 77, is a native Washington, D.C. Employed by the federal government for 20 years, she was a budget analyst with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration.

For 14 years, Schlick was employed as a technical compliance specialist for Raytheon, the managing contractor for the Nevada Test Site in Las Vegas.

Schlick refers to her 2003 retirement as “the start of the best part, we like family history.”

She and her husband, Don, were afforded the time to pursue their passion for learning about genealogy and being able to donate their time and skills to the church to assist Alabamians in doing the same.

“We like to cook, too,” she said.

Since the start of the pandemic, the couple have begun the craft of making cheese.

Married for 42 years, she and Don have three children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.