The celebration tributes for Sen. Henry M. Jackson were echoed east of the Cascades. Wilfred Woods, former publisher at the Wenatchee World, praised Scoop for his teamwork with Sen. Warren Magnuson in supporting irrigation and power programs vital to north-central Washington.
On June 1, in his column, “Happy birthday, Scoop,” Woods wrote: “Through decades of Democratic and Republican presidencies, Scoop and Maggie looked after our state’s interests. It was through Scoop that the Federal Power Commission made possible our recreation developments on the river.”
I personally remember the vitality and pride throughout the greater region as I grew up in that beautiful, rich valley, where the huge reclamation project transformed the desert into fertile, productive land in the Columbia Basin.
In Wenatchee — the Apple Capital — we counted on Scoop Jackson. In the words of Woods again: “His legacy is as part of a team that was unique in senate history.”
Today’s talk of extreme austerity policies would have made no sense to leaders like Scoop and Maggie who wanted to get things done and did it.
A fascinating read for anyone who enjoys vacationing in the premier spots of our state (including Chelan, Leavenworth, trails in the Wenatchee Valley or Jackson Wilderness), is Andy Dappen’s book, “Buckle of the Power Belt,” featuring stories of the region’s development and the Wenatchee World’s first 100 years.
Bev Shadbolt Brandt
Everett
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