Our Government in DC got better today...

The restaurant was called Tastevin then.  The lunch was delicious.  As usual, our Seattle weather couldn’t quite decide whether it was spring or winter, but the sun did come out.  I wasn’t sure why these board members from the American Lung Association wanted to take me to lunch but who am I to pass up a great meal?

As it turned out, they were looking for a fundraising idea that would get the business community involved.  I was consumed with mountain climbing expeditions in those days and, although it sounds “old hat” now, I said why don’t we have Lou Whittaker lead some business people on a climb of Mt. Rainier for corporate donation to the association. It really hadn’t been done then and I just knew that Lou would do it.

Lou’s face lit up when I asked him and he said, “You know I had asthma as a kid and that’s one of the main reasons I started going to the mountains…for the clean, fresh air.”  That’s all it took. We were off on what would become a major international fundraiser for the Lung Association that continues in various forms today.
 
 


Once Lou was on-board, we put out a call to the business community for climbers.  The first organizing meeting was at the Sheraton Hotel.  We weren’t quite sure who would come but the first person through the door, early at that, was a young banker named Sally Jewell. We were a long way from Washington, DC and the White House, where today, she became Secretary of the Interior, but her love for and commitment to the outdoors was written all over her face.  She was full of ideas and enthusiasm and became a key member of the climbing party. Since then, she has been a leader in the outdoor sports arena everywhere her career has taken her.

Sally and Lou Whittaker made a formidable team when getting the business community involved with outdoor causes and, even that first year, she helped get almost every major business in Seattle involved in the climb.  When she became president of REI 10 years ago,  her objectives were clearly defined.  We’re used to working with engineers around here and Sally was trained as one.  Things are done logically, methodically and the outcomes are refined until the results are satisfying.  While at REI, she has doubled the size of the company and made amazing inroads from sustainable operations to outdoor stewardship programs. We took many program ideas to her over the years and she listened, evaluated and always seemed to find the best way to accomplish the goal. Impressive.

Sally Jewell is a remarkable person and I have no doubt that she will leave an indelible mark on the Department of the Interior. She brings an understanding of all sides of key environmental issues and a love for the outdoors that knows no boundaries.  She’s smart, transparent, conscientious, deliberate and a good friend. I’ve offered to help her in any way I can. She will make our government better. She’s a great ambassador for our Northwest ethic and I wish her well.

 Posted on Friday, April 12, 2013