booth gardner - Washington Secretary of State

any further shipments to Hanford of low-level radioactive wastes from other states. That
decision was largely upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1992. Booth had done some
hard bargaining with 10 other states to ensure his stance wouldn’t be undermined. The
Legislature also backed his plan to retain and broaden the reach of the Puget Sound Water
Quality Authority and approved creation of a Department of Health.
Booth said it was only fitting to celebrate the state’s centennial by reaching out to
the ancestors of the original
Washingtonians. He signed an
accord with the tribes, pledging
the state to a more formal
collaborative relationship to
solve natural resources issues
without litigation. The latterday
treaty was the first of its
kind in the U.S., and it made a
significant difference. In 1992,
Indian leaders from around
the state presented Gardner a
ceremonial cedar mask and a poem honoring him as a great leader “for Indians and non-
Indians alike.” Billy Frank, the chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission,
said the new spirit of cooperation had improved natural resource management as well
as economic and social relations. Joe DeLaCruz of the Quinaults, chairman of the World
Council of Indigenous Peoples, said the agreement became an international model.
The centennial turned out to be a moveable feast and a coming-out party for the first
lady. When Booth first took office, Jean Gardner, despite her winning smile, was shy inside.
She wasn’t comfortable being such a public person – constantly on display. Being first lady is
hard work, as Nancy Evans, Mary Lowry and Mona Locke will attest. Teaming Jean with Ralph
Munro, who exuded zest and could transform a Genealogical Society bake sale in Enumclaw
into the event of the year, was a marriage made in heaven. If the Gardners had gotten
along that well, life at the mansion would have been bliss. They christened the tall ship
Lady Washington, inspected children’s murals, saluted writers and artists, dedicated trails.
“She was phenomenal,” says Munro. “During one of our first planning meetings, she looked
nervous. I looked down at her lap and her hands were shaking. Without saying anything, I
reached down and took her hand. We bonded. Public speaking didn’t come easy to Jean, but
she got to be very good at it, and people loved her. We still get letters from people saying
they have just completed their centennial projects they started in 1989.”
Jean notes that some people will tell you that the only thing worse than having to
give a speech is dying. “I was in that category. I would throw up beforehand and say weird
things.” It started with Booth’s first campaigns, she says, “and it took a long time for me to
Ralph Munro and Jean Gardner kick off Washington’s Centennial Celebration in
1989. Photo courtesy Louie Balukoff.
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