The Tokyo Declaration...Part 1

It didn’t start out as an anniversary celebration.  The Lady Ottoline Pub doesn’t have a connection to mountaineering, as far as I know.  To W. B. Yeats, T.S. Eliot, Virginia Wolf and D.H. Lawrence, yes.  The Lady herself, an angel to the arts and Central London’s “hostess with the mostest” in the 30’s and 40’s , was said to be the inspiration for Lady Chatterley.  That’s a long way from the early British climbers Mallory and Irvine, who were spending their time at the Royal Geographic Society back then.

Anyway, the Lady Ottoline Pub in London’s Bloomsbury neighborhood, the home of its namesake, is where Jane and I met recently with my good friend Jim Wickwire, retired lawyer and noted first American to climb K2.  It was Sunday and, in England, Sunday roast is mandatory so we enjoyed the mix of beef and pork with our Guinness.

Jim had been on a tour throughout the UK with other celebrated mountaineers who had connections to K2, the second highest mountain and, many say, the most difficult of the world’s 8000 meter peaks.  The tour was a benefit for our British friend Doug Scott’s charity  Community Action Nepal and now Jim was ready to get a good night’s sleep and head back to Seattle.

And finally to the anniversary.  As we reminisced over dinner and counted the passage of time, we realized it has been just over 20 years since a group of us ventured to Tokyo and Mt. Fuji for the fifth edition of the Mountain Summit. A New York Times reporter friend of mine suggested that the mountains were very good at getting bad press for the accidents and tragedies that occur on them. So why not get lovers of the mountains together with journalists and talk about meeting the challenges safely and  rewardingly.

We put out the call and the leaders of the climbing community at the time all responded.  From Reinhold Messner and Chris Bonington to Sir Edmund Hillary, John Roskelley and famed sled-dog racer Susan Butcher, who took a dog team to the summit of Denali, everyone was anxious to put some perspective on adventuring in the mountains. Even rock stars like Lynn Hll and France's Catherine Destivelle joined the enclave. Initially we took over the Lodge at Paradise on Mt. Rainier, then as years progressed, Dick Bass, the first person to climb the Seven Summits, hosted us at his Snowbird Resort in Utah.  When Robert Redford heard we were right next door to Sundance, he invited us there. Our timing was impeccable and the media responded as well.

USA Today, Time magazine, the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, NPR and ABC Sports, among many others, sent reporters to listen and discuss the mountains of the world. Jack Skow, writing for Time magazine, reported “The first Mountain Summit conference ever convened among world-class climbers has been calm. Forty foot chimneys rise above the huge stone fireplaces at each end of the great hall here at Paradise Lodge, and thus far, oddly, no one has climbed them…Everybody is just talking, quite peaceably…What drives (the adventurers) to exasperation is talk of more regulations to snarl freedom of movement in (the mountains of the world).”

When Yuichiro Miura, better known as “The Man Who Skied Down Everest” showed up in Sundance, he and I had an instant connection. He has ski schools in Japan and takes Japanese kids around the world to play golf and ski. An amazing athlete, even now at 82, he’s planning another trip to climb Mt. Everest. He felt it was very important to carry the message of the Mountain Summit to Japan and as we talked the Tokyo Mountain Summit was born.

The Summit reached every corner of the country through live coverage on Tokyo Broadcasting TV and the mountaineers and adventurers were celebrities everywhere we went.  We were front page news.  We walked around the city to drink up the culture of that amazing country. People lined up for photos and autographs when we climbed Mt. Fuji to pay our respects at the prayer temple.  We rode the bullet train, sailed in a tall ship and ate an amazing sushi dinner as we made the climbers visible from one end of the country to the other.

On being Irish...really

America is a land of immigrants. Even the Native Americans came from somewhere else, if you go back far enough. Ireland holds the second spot as far as ancestry goes. Germany is first, don’t ask me why. There are almost 40 million of us here with ties to our homeland.

You would think that after a couple of generations, our allegiance to the "auld sod" would begin to wane. Things change over time. My great-great grandfather married a Sioux Indian woman. Another ancestor hitched a milk cow to a wagon in the Midwest and drove the Oregon trail to the Pacific Ocean to find his fortune.

The McConnell’s were farmers as far back as I can trace them…all the way to County Cork and beyond.  My grandfather started out that way but became a banker.  My dad did too, but he became a soldier. Both of them were staunch Republicans, which is just about all the change I could stand growing up.

My family were strong-willed hard workers, good athletes and singers…always singers.  Every McConnell I’ve known had a song ready when asked…and sometimes when not asked. Grandpa had “Jimmy Crack Corn and I don’t care”.  Dad loved “I love you truly”.  They taught me “I’m looking over a four-leaf clover” when I was about 4-years-old. If company was there and entertainment was called for, that was my song…no dancing, though.

Thank goodness my mother could play the piano. It would drown out some of the off-key voices. The collection of Celts that are my family were full of music.  Mom’s grandfather played the guitar and sang “Danny Boy” at the drop of a hat.  It was her favorite. So regardless of the changes in our lives, when it came to me, the Irish easily won out. Mom had only one choice for a name.

St. Patrick’s Day is an unofficial holiday in America.  But, interestingly, more people talk about it, wear green and claim to be Irish, than express such  passion for any other of the “official” holidays I can think of.  My trips back to Ireland for business or pleasure, always make me feel closer to the earth…closer to my roots…and, of course, closer to a pint of Guinness Ale…or two.

On a trip to kiss the Blarney Stone, (You need help to do it) the gentleman doing the holding asked me where I was from. “America, but my people are from here,” I said. “What do you do there?” “ I’m in public relations.” “You’ve come to the right place then.  What’s your name?”  “Dan McConnell.”  “Well, Danny Boy,” he said, “you’re about to get a big refill on your Blarney…and it sounds like you might need it.”

I’m proud to be an Irish-American…and all that comes with it.  Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Tradition

The Japanese culture is built on tradition.  There are rituals that are both formal and informal that go with tradition.  We know folks in Japan but, most frequently, we are with our Japanese friends in Hawaii.  There is great Japanese influence in the islands.  Japanese people have lived there for over 200 years.  One-fifth of Hawaii’s residents are of Japanese ancestry.

A special Japanese family tradition that is carried on in Hawaii is the making of mochi (pron. moe-chee) for the New Year’s holiday.  The Japanese New Year is the same as in western cultures…January 1.  Traveling to the island of Kauai for many years, we have made several friends there who are locals.  The Umakoshi family is very special to us.  The matriarch is Akiyo Honjo or, as she is affectionately known, “Ma”.  Her daughter Amy Umakoshi and her family have welcomed us into their home for many years now to make mochi.

In fact, we remember making mochi 12 years ago for the last Year of the Dragon and we had been partaking in the tradition for some time before that. Amy has three sons and a daughter and they have families, so the holiday date is set when they can all be together.  Jane and I are honored that they would include us and, for a while, we only observed because we felt like we might be intruding.  Eventually we were invited to the table to make the mochi and I’ll say being good at it is not easy. However, I take advantage of the tradition that if you make a bad mochi, you have to eat it.  Sometimes I’m not as careful as I should be…on purpose.

Mochi is sort of a rice dumpling.  It’s filled with sweet beans, herbs or sweet potatoes, among other things, and shared with family and friends as a holiday treat.  There are mochi-making machines but tradition so often comes with old-fashioned methods and the Umakoshi’s make mochi from scratch.

There are several days of preparation, buying and cooking the beans and herbs, soaking the special rice and getting the trays and other utensils together in the special covered garden addition to their home where the mochi is made.  When the day arrives Sueharu Umakoshi, who helped build the famous Coco Palms resort and actually saw Elvis when he made the movie Blue Hawaii, is up in the early hours building a fire of koa wood in his home-made barbeque grill.  It is there that rice is steamed to perfection before being pounded into dough.

The rice pounding is the trickiest part of the process.  It is pounded with a long wooden mallet in a marble pestle.  The rice dough has to be turned when it is piping hot.  So it takes two people, one to pound and one to wet their hands with cold water and turn the dough. It takes rhythm and getting out of synch could get someone hurt.  I haven’t seen it happen but I’ve also never volunteered to be the dough-turner.

When the dough is ready, it is placed on a large table, covered with flour, torn into pieces which are then formed into the mochi dumplings with filling inside.  Amy told Jane that it is best to make a little parachute with the dough and then roll it around the filling.  Jane is getting pretty good at it and I still end up eating more than I make.  I bought a headscarf while in Japan recently and thought that wearing it for the ceremony would improve my mochi-making skills.  When Sueharu told me the Japanese characters said “Banzai!”, I decided that might force me into the dough-turning job and so I gave up the scarf.

Tradition strengthens relationships.  It builds families, friends and allies.  It is a powerful bond.  Jane and I have been so honored by our friends the Umakoshi’s that making mochi has become an important part of our lives.  While we go through the process with them, we “talk story” as they say in Hawaii.  We share our life stories with each other.  We have watched their families grow and seen the grandchildren thrive while making mochi.  This year, Ma turned to me and said “I was born in 1914.”  Then came a series of childhood remembrances from Japan that were captivating. How lucky we are to be able to encounter other cultures and traditions from around the world.  The sharing breaks down barriers and brings us all closer together.  Happy New Year.

Freedom

Today is the celebration of Martin Luther King’s birthday.  It is a federal holiday.  Only two other federal holidays are observed in honor of a person…George Washington and  Christopher Columbus.  Columbus Day doesn’t quite seem to fit the mold but so be it.

For over twenty years, I have been attending the Martin Luther King Day observance at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Seattle.  Seattle Central Community College, where I was a long-time board member and former board president, has sponsored the event since 1974.  President Reagan made it an official holiday and it was first observed nationally in 1986.  But all 50 states did not recognize it until 2000.  It was a hard-fought battle to create this holiday.  But in Seattle, a city known for its diversity, there was never any question about the impact of Martin Luther King on our society.

Growing up in the 60’s when Reverend King’s star was getting brighter has made me look closer at the importance of this celebration throughout my life.  For me, this has always been about freedom.  Our country was born on this premise and all of us, no matter what race or religion, have experienced freedom, or the lack of it, in some aspect of our lives.

That’s why the Mt. Zion event is always a must-do for me.  It brings thoughts of the freedoms we have in this country to the top of my mind.  There is a formula for the program.  It begins with the playing of Reverend King’s “I have a dream” speech.  Then there is some fantastic music and a chorus that rocks the room.  We hear from and acknowledge many of our elected officials from city, county and state.  And I have to say that those who spoke this year were unusually eloquent and on-target with their comments.

Then come the children with a special presentation of some sort.  This year, it was a dramatic reading inspired by Dr. King’s famous speech.  I tell you, when the bus driver told Rosa Parks she would have to move for the white passenger that just boarded and those kids said “NO!”, you felt it all over your body.

More music and singing and then an inspirational speaker.  This year is was Nate Miles from Spokane and now an executive with Eli Lilly.  He had more valuable messages than you can count and he related his life to every one of them.   He spoke directly to the kids about how to deal with bullies and to all of us about how to help the children who are our future.

He even gave us some trivia.  Did you know that the “I have a dream” speech was not what Dr. King was giving as he began to talk on that well-known day on the mall in DC.  He had given that speech before and now he was talking about ways to get DC politicians to pay attention to jobs for all.  The famous gospel singer Mahalia Jackson was behind Dr. King and, if you listen closely in the background, she says “Martin, tell them about your dream. They want to hear about your dream.”  He changes the speech in the middle and turns it into “I have a dream.”  What a fortunate bit of stage direction that was.

A community college student is then awarded a scholarship in the name of Reverend Samuel McKinney, retired pastor of Mt. Zion and an important community leader.  Reverend McKinney makes the award and finally then leads us all, after joining hands, in a few choruses of “We shall overcome”.

Freedom for all is a goal that is not easily achieved.  This country has been working on it for over 200 years.  We’re still taking tiny steps.  This celebration of the life of a man who wanted equality and freedom should at least make us think about how important each of us are in the process.  I hope you’re reading this tomorrow after taking today off and thinking about where we are all headed and looking for ways you can help.  Everyone can make a difference.

Veterans Day Buzz...Part 2

On Space Race 2012 announcement day, Buzz was “on” and in his element.Television was out at the Needle shortly after 5:00 am.The story got moving overnight and we were getting calls from all over the country throughout the morning.When Buzz arrived, there was quite a stir.We needed stantions to contain the crowds. Buzz wanted to do one-on-one interviews, if possible.He likes to focus on the questions…something many of our spokespeople don’t take enough time doing.

His remarks were interesting and exciting. It’s clear he knows how to gauge an audience.You can see that from the sound bite that most of the media picked up. "It's fitting that this structure, the symbol for the 1962 World's Fair, was put together by private individuals," he said, adding that it's appropriate for the Space Needle to sponsor the contest "because Seattle is the home of Boeing, the number one airplane maker in the world." And, believe me, that got a response from the crowd.

The interviews went smoothly, although a couple of times he caught my eye and mouthed the word “Enough”. We gathered the broadcast media together and I called on them one at a time so each got at least one question answered. There were a couple of questions about the end of the Space Shuttle program where Buzz’s politics were showing. He made it clear that our current administration could be doing a lot more with space exploration but “their focus doesn’t seem to be in the right place.”

He was gracious, engaging and energizing. He travelled with his assistant, her new baby and husband, and the current love of his life, Michelle Sucillon. Michelle was a hoot to be around and she certainly has caught Buzz’s eye. She and I had a lot to talk about because she was a long-time event marketer for Borders, Warner Bros. and CBS. She met Buzz at a signing for his book “Magnificent Desolation” in an LA Borders in 2009. There is much more to that story but you can read it in the Daily News. This is not “Inside Edition”. Michelle did, however, grab the camera from my hand and shoot a photo of Buzz and me as we left the Needle. I’m glad I have it.

What a terrific time it was to be with such an iconic explorer.  He really did boldly go “where no man had gone before.”  Every time I get fed up with our politicians and the bureaucracy, things like the Space Program and the Space Race bubble up in my mind and I think how incredibly innovative and creative we have been in this country.  We can definitely be world-shakers.  At 81, Buzz Aldrin is a home-grown American with talent, drive, imagination and inspiration.  Being around him makes you feel more alive.  We talked a lot about my military father and an army up-bringing.  “It was important,” he said.  Veterans can relate.

Serving your country is an honor.  For the 25 million veterans in this country, today is a day to thank them.  Buzz Aldrin stands tall in the ranks of veterans out there.  Spending time with him was impressive.  Getting “Buzzed” is a good thing.  In fact, it may be one of the best things that could happen to any of us.  Here’s a salute to all the veterans out there.  This day belongs to you.

Veterans Day Buzz...Part 1

Veterans Day is something like Columbus Day. If you work for the government, go to school or are, like me, actually a veteran, it’s something you observe and maybe get the day off. For everyone else it’s pretty much business as usual. A friend reminded me that it started out as Armistice Day marking the end of World War I when the Germans signed the Armistice on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. This time we can add the eleventh year and I hope it’s lucky.

Recognition for veterans is reason enough for a holiday and I always try to give it some thought. Today, I’m thinking about a special veteran who I was very fortunate to meet recently. He flew combat missions in Korea as a fighter pilot and was decorated for his valor. However, he received a higher calling…a much higher calling…in fact, I can’t think of anyone who has been called higher than Buzz Aldrin, who walked on the moon for our country.

The 21 hours that he and his colleague, Neil Armstrong, spent on the lunar surface in 1969 were a life-changer. And Buzz is quick to point out that since Neil was first out of the Eagle Lander, he shot most of the pictures. So those images that are indelible in our minds, including the American Flag standing out proudly on the landscape are pictures of Buzz Aldrin.

Colonel Aldrin (I only heard him called that one time. He officially changed his name to Buzz some time ago) was here in Seattle to help the Space Needle launch its Space Race 2012 program marking its 50^th Anniversary by sending an average person into space. (We received over one billion media impressions all over the world.) Buzz’s presence caused quite a stir during the two days he was here and I was fortunate to be asked to do some “blocking and tackling” for him when he was besieged by the media.

He was recognized everywhere. When we walked down the street to find a good location for the Associated Press to shoot a photo, “Ride the Ducks” came rolling by with the passengers chanting “Go Buzz Go”. It made him smile and the driver should have received a good tip for recognizing him from a moving vehicle.

When I found out we were having dinner in the Sky City restaurant at the Needle, I set one clear objective. The only menu item left from the World’s Fair is a dessert now called the “Lunar Orbiter”. I simply had to see a person who walked on the moon encounter the steaming ice cream delight. When it was delivered, Buzz’s eyes opened wide and a great grin spread across his face. He loved it and the photo I quickly snapped captures it pretty well.

His dinner conversation was mind-boggling. He’s got a remarkable resume (check it out atwww.buzzaldrin.com ) and his non-stop dialogue flew over the heads of most space enthusiasts and even some astronautical engineers. Being a watch nut, I tried to get him talking about the huge timepiece on his wrist but he was into the intricacies of chronometers and mechanisms so quickly my eyes were whirling around in my head. I finally changed the subject to “Dancing with the Stars”. He said he did it for the “fighter pilots out there.” He had some fun but was glad when it was over.

SEE PART 2...TOO MUCH NEWS TO FIT!!

It's Magic...

As usual, the State of Washington was in dire financial straits.  And so they were taking it out on the education system.  In fact, the School of Communications at the University of Washington was on the chopping block.  UW came to the professional community and asked a group of us to help put together a year-long certificate program to fill the need…and pay for itself.

We were just entering the 1990’s and the tech revolution was nothing more than a gleam in the eyes of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.  A program was fashioned to fill the gap after undergrad and to help those wanting to make a career of communications be on the cutting edge of the business.

It was then that I was first invited to teach.  My previous experience did not really apply since I had taught recruits in the army how to fire a 105 mm howitzer cannon without losing a body part and I hadn’t thought about teaching in college until the opportunity presented itself.  I liked the idea that we could take a practical view in our classes.  A teacher friend said “Just talk about what you’re doing every day and how you do it.”  So I did.

That’s where we get to point of this essay.  It’s been twenty years since we started that program and the front page of today’s newspaper immediately brought back those memories.  I had followed Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s career since he played in the Big Ten for Michigan State.  The day that he announced he had the HIV virus was a tremendous shock to the sporting world.

I came to class that evening prepared to stick to the syllabus but the students just wouldn’t stop talking about it.  Magic’s news conference took a lot of courage.  We knew relatively little about this disease that was only beginning to ravage the world.  It seemed to be a death sentence at the time.  We just knew that we would have to watch him wither away.

Thank goodness that didn’t happen.  Magic is healthy and very much alive twenty years later.  But on that day, the students wanted to know how he could make such a public announcement of his condition.  What would this do to his career?  Would other players even want to be on the court with him?  Would it change the game of basketball?

The practical nature of our classes was embodied in that discussion.  Communicating with the public through the traditional media was still our primary focus.  CNN was a decade old.  Entertainment Tonight and Inside Edition were still in their infancy.  But cable television was leading the charge.  Think how the social media would have responded to that announcement, if made today.  In a much more jaded way, I’m sure.

I think Magic did the right thing…for the right reasons.  I said that back then and the students came to the same conclusion.  We used Magic as a case study in communicating for the next two weeks.  It came down to telling the truth and telling it immediately.  In the last couple of years, the number of public figures who have NOT followed that approach is astounding.  You’d think we would learn.  Here’s to a long life for Magic Johnson.  He’s been a role model for all of us.