Medal honors two from state with integrity

There are names better known nationally among this year’s recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, announced earlier this week by the White House, but two stand out in terms of service to Washington state and the nation: Billy Frank Jr. and William Ruckelshaus.

Among the 17 recipients who will be honored next Tuesday in Washington, D.C., are names familiar to most — Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand and Willie Mays — but in addition to honoring artists and athletes, the Medal of Freedom also is presented to those whose contributions to the nation have played a significant role regarding the environment, education, medicine, public policy and other areas of importance.

Frank, a member of the Nisqually Indian Tribe, who died last year at the age of 83, is being honored for his years of work for Indian treaty rights and the environment. Frank, frequently arrested as a young man for fishing — as he believed treaty rights had established in the tribes’ “natural and accustomed places” — was an advocate for those rights, leading “fish-ins” during the fish wars of the 1960s and 1970s in Washington state. The demonstrations and other activism led to the landmark Boldt decision in 1974 that reaffirmed the rights of Indian tribes to act as co-managers with the state in managing the harvest and protection of salmon and other fish.

Ruckelshaus, now a resident of Medina, was selected by President Richard Nixon as the nation’s first director of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 and returned to run the agency again under President Ronald Reagan in 1983. Ruckelshaus’ leadership led to the banning of the pesticide DDT and the agreement with the auto industry that required catalytic converters on vehicles to reduce toxic pollutants.

It shouldn’t be surprising that both men, more than crossing paths, worked with each other on several occasions, notes Bob Drewel, the former Snohomish County executive, and himself a community activist. Drewel worked with Frank and continues to work with Ruckelshaus on local and state issues, serving on the board of the Ruckelshaus Center, which works to build consensus on public policy matters.

Frank, Drewel said, following his work on fishing rights, continued to work with tribes and the state and local governments on environmental issues, including issues specific to the tribes and resources in Snohomish County.

“Billy could be in a room with 99 people, and everyone would be listening to him,” Drewel said.

Ruckelshaus commands the same level of respect because of the integrity he has displayed throughout his life, Drewel said, pointing to his decision to stand up to Nixon during the Watergate scandal. Ruckelshaus, then a deputy attorney general in the Justice Department, resigned in 1973 alongside Attorney General Elliott Richardson rather than follow Nixon’s order to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox.

Ruckelshaus, through his work with the Ruckelshaus Center, hosted jointly by the University of Washington and Washington State University, routinely brings together parties from business, labor, tribes, government and other backgrounds, often with competing interests. Last year, the center facilitated the work of the Highway 530 Landslide Commission, following the deadly March 2014 Oso landslide.

“He uses that integrity to bring people together and get them talking to solve issues,” Drewel said.

Names with greater familiarity will be honored Tuesday night, but none as important to Washington state than Frank and Ruckelshaus.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Tuesday, March 19

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Students use a 3D model to demonstrate their groups traffic solutions at Hazelwood Elementary School on Wednesday, March 29, 2023 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Your choice, drivers; slow down or pay up

More traffic cameras will soon be in use in cities and highways, with steep penalties for violations.

Protect Affordable Care Act by rejecting Trump

The stakes are high in this year’s presidential election. If candidate Donald… Continue reading

Support candidates who support schools

I promised I would stop writing these letters because the gates of… Continue reading

Biden must stop supplying weapons to Israel, Ukraine

Bad foreign policy will come back to haunt us in the long… Continue reading

Comment: Flow of U.S. guns into Mexico is other border crisis

Guns, legal and illegal, are contributing to crime and instability in Mexico, driving many to seek asylum.

RGB version
Editorial cartoons for Monday, March 18

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Carson gets a chance to sound the horn in an Everett Fire Department engine with the help of captain Jason Brock during a surprise Make-A-Wish sendoff Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, at Thornton A. Sullivan Park in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Editorial: Everett voters will set course for city finances

This fall and in coming years, they will be asked how to fund and support the services they use.

Devotees of TikTok, Mona Swain, center, and her sister, Rachel Swain, right, both of Atlanta, monitor voting at the Capitol in Washington, as the House passed a bill that would lead to a nationwide ban of the popular video app if its China-based owner doesn't sell, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. Lawmakers contend the app's owner, ByteDance, is beholden to the Chinese government, which could demand access to the data of TikTok's consumers in the U.S. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Editorial: Forced sale of TikTok ignores network of problems

The removal of a Chinese company would still leave concerns for data privacy and the content on apps.

Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds, watches the State of the State speech by Gov. Jay Inslee on the second day of the legislative session at the Washington state Capitol, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Olympia, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Editorial: Legislature has its own production of ‘The Holdovers’

What state lawmakers left behind in good ideas that should get more attention and passage next year.

Comment: Measles outbreaks show importance of MMR vaccinations

The highly contagious disease requires a 95 percent vaccination rate to limit the spread of outbreaks.

Harrop: Should ‘affordable’ come at cost of quality of living?

As states push their cities to ignore zoning rules, the YIMBYs are covering for developers.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.