For the people of Belgium

Belgium is a quiet place. The word tranquility fits. On our first trip to Europe, I took Jane to Flanders where the famous World War I cemetery was located. It was a beautiful place to spend eternity and we've gone back to that stunning area many times.

Today's horrific terrorist attack  struck deep in the hearts of Belgians and their global partners. Most Belgians speak some English and I heard one Brussels resident fight the tears back when asked if he was afraid. "I'm not afraid of death. I could get hit by a car," he said. "But I am afraid of being killed by a terrorist for no other reason than to frighten those around me."

Even President Obama has said several times now, there is little we can do to stop someone who is willing to give up their own life for a radical cause. Today's attack was planned. It appears to have been practiced. The locations of the terrorists were selected specifically for maximum impact. A small consolation is that for some reason they only fired a few rounds from their automatic rifles before detonating their suicide belts and suitcase bombs full of nails and bolts. Even more people would have died or been shot if the guns had continued firing.

My military father always told me that knowing your enemy was a major step in ending a conflict. Radical Extremist, however, by definition, does not lend itself to reasonable and rational thought or dialogue. Belgium is quiet for a different reason today. It's sorrow that is in their hearts and ours. A country that most of us only know for its delicious chocolate has sadly become a target of villainous violence. We Americans don't know it as well as we do Paris. It is unlikely we will see the outpouring of goodwill for Belgium that we saw after the Paris attacks. Not out of lack of concern but out of lack of education.I truly hope that will not be the case.

Jane and I were there not long ago and our hearts go out to all its citizens. They were kind, welcoming and engaging people and we feel their loss.  For the home of Michael Angelo's only piece of art outside Italy, the Madonna and Child, that found a place there, our wish is that peace and tranquility will return quickly.

Our world has changed. We are only one step away from being screened in EVERY public place.If it comes that, we should do it, but do not let the terrorists steal our lives from us.. If you see something, say something is pretty good motto. Be aware. But by all means, enjoy a piece of Belgian chocolate and, like Jane I did, take your time eating that waffle in the street cafe and looking at the scenery. As the good Mr. Gump's mama always said, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get." So embrace life and those you love. We will win this war.

Riverdance Discovered

This is a St. Patrick's Day story about bringing the heritage of the homeland for those of us of Irish descent to the rest of the world (I haven't checked my DNA with Ancestry.com, but I knew both my great grandfathers and I just know.) It was the 90's and we were all flying high. I have to say it. They were the Clinton years. Ireland still had the "troubles" but things were getting better.  And then just before St. Patrick's Day, an exciting import hit the shores of the US. Riverdance came to Radio City Music Hall and took the country by storm.

Riverdance began as a 7-minute performance at a music festival in Dublin that turned into a full length show touring the world to great acclaim. The lead dancers in the original short number were Jean Butler, also the the choreographer, and her friend and long time dance partner Colin Dunne.

By the time the show had expanded to two hours, Michael Flatley was named lead dancer, partnering with Jean Butler.  The water gets murky here as Flatley was only with the show for a little less than a year.  He left over creative differences to dance with his own company and Dunne rejoined the group for its triumphant tour to Radio City Music Hall with Butler still choreographing and taking the female lead.

That brings us to the month of March and St. Pattrick's Day in New York City. As the song goes "It was 20 years ago today..." when Riverdance hit the Big Apple and I was making regular trips there to the DDB headquarters for board meetings. Most of my business meetings were too quick to take Jane so I was left with a lot of open evenings.

On this particular cold March night, I was looking for a good movie as I strolled by Radio City. All of a sudden, a man raced out the side door of the theater to jump into a limo. "I've got to catch a plane. Want to see the show?" he asks me. "Sure," I said, not even knowing what I was about to see.

The theater was packed and when I looked at the ticket the man had given me, it was 5th row center and the performance was...Riverdance, There's the luck of the Irish for you...or, in this case,, for me.

The show was astounding. The music alone was worth the trip. The audience was on their feet for almost the entire show. It's become a standard and a part of Irish folklore. Everyone has tried their hand, or foot, at Step Dancing and the music has sold millions of copies the world over.

Jane will tell you that I can stand at a stage door to a fault and that evening, with nothing else to do, I stood and waited...and waited.

When Jean Butler finally came out, we engaged pretty quickly. I'm fascinated with choreographers Her mother is from County Mayo and Jean, as it t;urns out, is quite a talker.   I told her I was from Seattle and that this show would be such a hit there. She said they had just laid out a tour that would come here within the year. She loves Seattle and had traveled here many times. I told her my Irish had to offer any assistance that would help on their visit. She was grateful for the offer. We sat and  talked for quite a while about theater. I told her I was on the board of the 5th Avenue and she wanted details...lots of details. It was getting late. She gave me her email and cell number and vowed to keep in touch. Which she did and still does. What a delightful young woman. She now isn't doing much dancing but designing interesting jewelry that's sold across Ireland and the US..


Jean sent me an exploding shamrock email for St. Patrick's Day that year. It turned into a pot of gold. We emailed more and, when the tour came here, Jane and I not only got the royal backstage treatment but we sat in the orchestra...I mean literally IN the orchestra. We've seen the show many times now. Most exciting was at its UK home theater in Hammersmith. It's  always a delight..

I know that on St. Patrick's Day everyone says they are Irish but every once in awhile it pays to really BE Irish. So wherever you're from, enjoy your Guiness and lamb stew with some soda bread. Try a little Step Dancing. It's a great workout and fun too. Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Losing a good friend is never easy...

There is a more esteemed position that supersedes friend and mentor.  If it was a relative, you'd probably call it father, but when it's not, it is a person who makes your life whole, gives you support and opens doors that you didn't even know were there. John Iverson was such a person and his sudden passing leaves a huge void in the hearts of all who knew him well.

John was a true Seattle native, born here of immigrant parents, graduated from Roosevelt High School and the University of Washington, joined a prestigious local law firm and embedded himself into the community, eventually becoming president of Downtown Rotary, the world's largest Rotary Club...or so he told me, every time he would ask me to join.

When I first touched ground in Seattle in the 1960's, I felt like a pioneer.  The city was still relishing the surge of power it experienced from the World's Fair. It was discovering itself all over.again. Except for living in DC and meeting ;Jane there while I was in college, I had never lived anywhere longer than a year throughout my father's career as an army officer. Our college friends thought I'd lost my mind picking up stakes and moving to the edge of the earth and Jane wasn't too sure about me either.

By the 70's,our beachhead was at K2 Skis and JanSport backpacks. They were home plate for us. Gordon Bowker, who with his talented partner Terry Heckler, was behind the award-winning Rainier Beer, K2 and JanSport ads, introduced me to the intricacies of Seattle marketing, He  had not yet been to Italy to discover the benefits of whole bean coffee which later inspired him to open a coffee shop called Starbucks; Bill Gates was just getting ready for high school and Eddie Vedder was excited about starting kindergarten. My contacts were few and far between...until Indiana/DC friend Bill Ruckelshaus pointed us to Jean Ehrlichman, on the way back from DC herself. Jean was involved with the opera which was starting a new ballet company and the president of the ballet board was a young lawyer named John Iverson.

John knocked down the walls of provincialism for us. There was no pretense with John. Keep it straight and true and he was behind whatever we did.  Thanks to John, Jane worked her way onto the Pacific Northwest Ballet board as a trusted advisor. He opened the door to Seattle Center and the new Kingdome for me and soon after I was working with the front offices of the Mariners, Sonics and Seahawks. John eventually honored us with the moniker "semi-local" of which we continue to be very proud.

He was a friend to all..  As odd as it seemed (until you heard him sing) he was a music major in his undergrad days. In fact, his beautiful tenor voice had him singing all over town professionally and paying his way through law school. One of my favorite memories is from a weekend barbeque on Whidbey Island when I told John that my mother named me Daniel because she loved the song Danny Boy. His acapella version outside in the fresh salt air with the sun going down still brings a tear to my eye.

Whether it was taking a picnic lunch and hiking to Ebey's Landing, eating waffles at the county fair, making us orphans with no family nearby feel at home on Thanksgiving, putting up with my tippy-toe jokes during the ballet (he always had the seat right in front of me) or shaking up one of the best Manhattans that Jane has ever had, John loved life...all of it.

I'm not alone in these thoughts and memories. John had more friends than most of us can find...even on facebook. And I mean real friends. There is a difference, you know. His family was his pride and joy though. His amazing wife Marli and sons Jans and Dane feel the loss more than any of us can imagine. Our hearts go out to them.

For a couple of young pioneers from the east coast like Jane and me, meeting up with John Iverson was like seeing Chief Sealth beckoning us to the shore. Everyone should be so lucky when they make a life-changing move. After a decades-long relationship,friend and mentor he was but that's not enough. John Iverson was all that is good about the Pacific Northwest. A prince of a man. Rest in peace, John. You'll always be in our hearts.

A life together

Any married couple should have the kind of relationship that Ronald and Nancy Reagan had.  Pure love, devotion, trust and complete commitment. You could see it in their faces. They were inseparable, even when they were apart. He called her morning, noon and night...no matter where he was in the world, they talked to one another. They sought approval and found solace in every situation they encountered. Her passing is a landmark for the 21st Century.

I did not vote for Ronald Reagan in his first term but in his second, the choice between him and Walter Mondale was not a hard one. Nancy campaigned hard in both his bids and I'm sure played a key role in his wins.

Twice I met him. Once when he was president and I was fortunate to be acting as the western West Wing of the White House on his way to China, thanks to long time friend and mentor William Ruckelshaus. But the first time I was introduced was when he was governor of California. That encounter was special. It was on the field of the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day.

My Alma Mater Indiana University has only been to the Rose Bowl one time in its history and I was working for the athletic department at the time.while in graduate school. I was asked to be an on-the-field spotter for the NBC Sports crew covering the event.

Before the game while we were setting up, Governor Reagan walked around the stadium and came by the TV crew to say hello. I don';t know if he colored his hair (which was a topic of conversation in those days) but I was struck by the fact that it looked orange not red then...must have been the sun.

When I was introduced to him,.his response to meeting me was something I cannot forget. "Dan (It was said he was good with names), I would like for you to meet my wife Nancy. She's not much of a football fan but she's learning" Turning the conversation over to her made us all more comfortable and we had a great talk. Nancy asked me where home was and I said Washington, DC.  Her comeback was "Maybe we'll see you there someday." I still think she already had her eyes on the prize. What a gracious person she was.

Spending your life with another person is truly an adventure.  It's listening and learning and giving and getting. When you grow up together there is no stronger bond. I like to think that Jane and I have found that and I wish it for all of us.

Ron and Nancy had that connection. Her passing will bring them back together someplace somewhere. Their love will go on. RIP.