A tribute to Sir Edmund Hillary

Not many people get to meet their heroes. And even fewer get to really connect with them. Since the early 1990s, I have had an ongoing relationship with Sir Edmund Hillary and his wife, June. When the news alert of his death hit my computer screen yesterday afternoon, it sent my thoughts flying. Here is some of what came to mind.

Sir Edmund Hillary Tribute Note

There are few real heroes...and most are indeed ordinary people who do extraordinary things. Sir Edmund Hillary was one of those who dignified the term "hero." His passing leaves this earth a more lonely and troubled place. His focus, drive, intellect and humble view of man's achievements were something to marvel in this life.

He had long been my hero when I was fortunate to host him on a visit to Seattle in 1992. When we met, a gaggle of "Sir Edmund"s came out of my mouth. He very quickly and casually said, "Please, just call me Ed."
I worked with him over the ensuing years on a number of projects. He hosted me in his home several times. Tea in his sitting room was so comfortable you could put your feet up and truly enjoy the conversation and the moment. Absolutely no pretense.

I asked him to fire the starting cannon at a round-the-world sailing race that had stopped in Auckland in 1999. When I went to the appointed place to pick him up, he had come with his wife June in their dated car and sat on the corner stoop watching the traffic until I arrived. We then went to the New Zealand Navy ship where he fired the cannon. As we walked across the deck, everyone, sailors and VIPs alike, recognized him as if he were an old friend...no bowing and scraping. He engaged in conversations about the news of the day and what was going on around the town. How refreshing.

Just a few months ago, I asked him to be part of an advisory board for an upcoming Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Expedition. His response was that he appreciated the opportunity but he was unable to travel and now that he was 88, it was time for him to stop. As might be expected, he went on to say that "The project sounds so very worthwhile that we (he and June) both hope it is most successful and that the climbers have a great time in the process."

When I helped him with the promotion of his foundation and the 50th Anniversary of his Everest climb, Sir Edmund spoke very strongly about giving the mountain a rest...too much activity, too many people and too much waste. I'm trying to look at his death as a welcome peaceful rest for one of the world's most remarkable people. If we could all look at life the way he did, this world would be a more sane, rational and compassionate place.

I will miss you, Ed, very much.

Posted by Dan McConnell on January 14, 2008 8:23 AM Permalink

First Saturday in March is Susan Butcher Day

I am very proud that, under a bill just approved by the Alaska Legislature, the first day of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race will honor my good friend, Susan Butcher, a four-time champion of the 1049-mile endurance race. Susan was the second woman to win the Iditarod but was and forever will be first in the hearts of Alaskans and all who knew her. She died in August 2006 of leukemia.

Alaska House Bill 37 establishes the first Saturday of every March as Susan Butcher Day. The State Senate on Monday approved the measure on a 14-2 vote. The Alaska House approved the measure unanimously in 2007, the first of the two-year session, but the bill languished in a Senate committee until recently. Gov. Sarah Palin says she will sign the bill and March 1 will officially be Susan Butcher Day in the State of Alaska.
Susan and I came together over 20 years ago, early in her career, and we saw a lot of the world together, along with some very cold days on the tundra between Anchorage and Nome. She was a remarkable woman. When she passed away, I wrote my reflections about her, which follow here. Neither man nor beast could best Susan Butcher. My life is better having known her.

Susan Butcher…one of a kind

This business of public relations occasionally presents us the opportunity to make a connection with individuals who are one of a kind. Susan Butcher was one of a kind…tough, talented, independent, focused and driven. These were just some of the adjectives that described an athlete who made an indelible mark on the world of sport in a truly unique endeavor…Alaska’s great race, the Iditarod.

When I met Susan for lunch here in Seattle just over 20 years ago, she had tongue-tied Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show the night before on national television and made him laugh hysterically. We were introduced by a mutual friend and had come together to talk about Susan’s future as a competitor in the grueling 1100-mile cross-country sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome. She told me that day that she was going to win the race many times and that she needed to make a more effective connection with the “Lower 48” as we are known to many Alaskans, in order to accomplish all that she wanted.

We forged a bond that day that led us down many trails over the past two decades. Susan won the race, just as she said she would, and she won it four times convincingly. Many times, we took her coast to coast where she fascinated major media, enamored sponsors from Purina to Allied Fibers and mesmerized numerous captains of industry with her inspiring presentations. We made a national public television documentary of her story that is still the definitive tale of that incredible race with Susan at the center of it. We went to Japan with a group of world-class adventurers including the likes of Sir Edmund Hillary, who lined up with everyone else to hear Susan’s tales of the Iditarod. She was married at her home north of Fairbanks on a beautiful sunny afternoon at this time of year in a special ceremony with her closest friends…her dogs…as ring bearers…and her native Alaskan soulmates who brought blessed salmon that they had caught the day before on the other side of the state for the evening meal.

As time progressed, she and her loving husband David decided to start a family. Even that didn’t alter their routine or the racing. They just made some alterations in roles and responsibilities and kept on mushing. However, there is no doubt that Susan’s children changed her life…for the first time there were rivals for her affection besides her dogs and those girls were the love of her life. She was a hero to her family and to everyone who met her and when she began her battle against cancer a few years ago, we all knew that the disease would never have a more worthy adversary.

On Saturday, Susan succumbed to the advances of an army of bad cells in her body that was simply too much for even her to handle but she fought with every ounce of strength she had and was a role model of determination and positive thinking every step of the way. Susan was one of those people who are truly bigger than life and when you find compassion, understanding and love there too, it’s almost hard to believe. But with Susan Butcher you got all that and more, because in a man’s world, she was every bit her own person and would stand down to no one.

She leaves a space in our hearts that cannot be filled. In the world of adventure, the term hero is often thrown around casually today but that is not the same as being one of a kind. I’m glad this business of public relations has a way of seeking out the people who are real…the people who are more than talk…more than “been there, done that”. And when you find that person who is truly one of a kind, the power of their being impacts us in an extraordinary way. Susan Butcher was one of a kind. She can never be replaced. She will live forever in those of us who knew her but, today, we send our love to her family and suffer terribly the void left from the passing of our friend. Good bye, Susan…keep on racing.

Posted by Dan McConnell on February 14, 2008 10:32 AM Permalink