BOOTH WHO? - Washington State Digital Archives

ultimate curve ball, a debilitating illness, he chose to try to inspire and help other victims of
Parkinson’s.
Laird Harris, Booth’s policy adviser during his first term and friend of 28 years, says
the answer to “Who is Booth?” is remarkably complex. “He is a survivor of a traumatic
childhood but never immobilized by it. He cares deeply about people he does not know,
particularly the underprivileged, but is often emotionally distant from people he knows
and loves. He is fiercely independent, wanting to be his own man, but he was helped along
at critical times by a powerful and demanding stepfather. He suffers from Attention Deficit
Disorder, but his eight years as governor were marked by a consistent focus on his lifelong
passion for education. He is a noted pinchpenny in his own affairs, but an easy mark for
friends who need help. He wanted to be governor and ride in helicopters, but when he got
there he wanted to drive his car alone and hated the trappings of the office. He was ‘Prince
Faintheart’ at times but also a national leader among his peer governors on education,
health care and trade issues. I remember his response to a question about how he could
stay so calm. He said he was like a duck, calm and graceful to the naked eye but paddling
like hell beneath the water. I think this is part of him, too.”
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