Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations Scrapbooks 2007 by Molstead Library at North Idaho College

B WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 18, 2006 THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Exhibit puts Anne Frank in focus Human rights institute displaying 70 pictures taken by father of Holocaust diarist BY MEGHANN M. CUNIFF Staff writer

The photograph looks like a scene from any beach, circa the early 20th century. Two girls in plaid swimsuits stand side by side,. their backs to the camera, gazing out at the ocean. They could be anybody's mother and aunt, anybody's sisters. And that's part of the impact of the 70 photos that will be displayed starting Thursday at the Human Rights Education Institute in Coeur d'Alene's City Park. Otto Frank took photos of his two daughters in

everyday settings, doing ordinary things. Both would later die in Nazi concentration camps; the younger of the two, Anne, would become famous for her diary. Beginning Thursday, Otto Frank's photos oficonk Holocaust victim Anne Frank and her sister, Margot, will be on display at the Human Rights Education Institute in Coeur d'Alene's City Park. On loan from the Anne Frank Center USA in New York City, the displays show the Frank family going about their daily lives. The photo of the two girls on the beach is the first on display. "That one I think just grips you," said Mary Lou Reed, co-founder of the institute. This is the first major exhibit at the institute since it opened in December. The institute is coordinating with local school districts to bring speakers into the schools and bring See EXHIBIT, 13

If you go Anne Frank: A Private Photo Album opens Thursday with a 6:30 p.m. reception, followed by a speech by James Waller, a professor of psychology at Whitworth College, on how people come 1o commit genocide and mass killings. Events are scheduled every Tuesday and Thursday through Nov. 16 except for Oct. 31. The photo exhibit will be on display through Nov. 17. The institute is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. There is no admission charge. For more information, call (208) 292-2359.

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EXHIBIT

Continued from 81 students to the display. Eighthgraders from Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene will see the display early next month, to coordinate with Anne Frank's famous diary. "It's just so powerful and valuable to have the fine arts included with the history," said Becky Ford, assistant superintendent of the Post Falls School District. Anne Frank is a perfect focus for students studying the Holocaust, school officials and center representatives said. "It's a person that's their age," said Harry Amend, .superintendent of the Coeur d'Alene School District. "When they see the pictures, it drives it home to kids at their level." The systematic extermination of 6.5 million people is difficult if not impossible to comprehend, Reed said. Anne Frank is not. "It's been amazing over the

years how Anne Frank has turned into a symbol, like Rosa Parks," Reed said. Anne Frank is a person not reserved to just one generation, Amend said. The parents of today's students know all about her. She's an easy historical figure for kids and their parents to focus on because, before her life became so unimaginably horrific, it was very normal, he said. "There's a purity there, and then there's a harsh reality," Amend said. Knowing the horrors of the Holocaust and the story of Anne Frank gives unexplainable power to the photos, according to the text that accompanies the display. "The contemporary view we bring to the photos, along with our awareness of the fate of the Frank family, endow the images with an extra dimension," it reads. The photos will be displayed through Nov. 17, and a variety of events including speakers, movies

and workshops are scheduled through that date. Two documentaries are scheduled to be shown Oct. 26. A panel of speakers, including a Holocaust survivor, is scheduled to discuss lessons of the Holocaust on Nov. 2. A Nov. 14 workshop will focus on how to inspire and motivate young people to become human rights advocates. That night, a panel discussing life in the aftermath of war and disaster will feature guests from India, Indonesia and Bosnia, plugged in via live video conference. Reporter Meghann M. Cuniff can be reached at (208) 765-7129 or by e-mail at meghannc@spokesman.com.

HISTORY'S LENS

KATHY PLONKA The Spokesman-Review

Becky Ford, assistant superintendent for Post Falls School Distrid, and Harry Amend, superintendent for Coeur d'Alene School District, get a look at some of the photographs that are part of the Anne Frank: A Private Photo Album exhibit, opening Thursday at the Human Rights Education Center.

COEUR d#ALENE ------------------------------~.cdapress.com - . Sunday February 11, 2007

SUNDAY FOCUS

"Coming from Chicago, Idaho is a place you never envisioned going to. Then you get here and find you enjoy the area, and ifs not what you expected at all." AL WIWAMS, NIC athletic director

Photos by JASON HUNT/Press

North Idaho College Athletic Director Al Williams, right, who also is a sports writer for The Sentinel, talks with sports editor Josh Rasmussen about his assignment during class Friday.

Minority report Life goes far beyond the basketball court for NIC's black athletes living in North Idaho By ROD HARWOOD • Staff w riter

he footprints come from Baltimore, • Chicago, Seattle, Salem, Ore., even as far away as Bimini, a tiny island in the Bahamas, 40 miles east of Miami. They took different paths to get here. They came from different backgrounds, different cultures. They have different interests and different goals and dreams. Basketball is the vehicle. North Idaho is the gathering point, but life goes far beyond the 94by-50-foot dimensions of the basketball court for this black community living in a white world. Coeur d'Alene isn't exactly a melting pot

The white population in Kootenai County is 95.8 percent, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures from 2005, and 91 percent statewide. Living here has its advantages, it has its drawbacks and it's definitely different from anything they have

Kay Hill, a student athlete at North Idaho College, sits among friends during class Thursday.

ever experienced. Williams, who grew up in south ''You can't even call it a minorChicago and came out here in 1978 ity. It's less than 1 percent," North to play for longtime Cardinal coach Rolly Williams, wasn't all that far Idaho College Athletic Director Al Williams said. "I can probably scroll off. down my cell phone and tell you exactly how many there are." see REPORT, A2

• COLUMN: Lessons in diversity tough to come by growing up in North Idaho / Lifestyles, 81

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.£1i11b:'Even wn:n thi • ers ':. beingwtiat they *1l, .~'is . · something for everyone. from A1 Nor th Idaho College .assistant basketball coach Marse11 Toe· Census Bureau lists !he Colbert came·here from . black population in Kootenai Baltimore and playe~_for the County as 0.3 percent - three Cardinals durin~ the 1989 and in every 1,000 people. . ~

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he saw and·stafeti. J Colbert, 37, lives in Coeur d'Alene with }'(is wife, Amy, · and their two so~s, Marcus and Malcolm. Malcolm is a 6-foot-1 freshman playing for Cardinal guai:d Scott Stockwell's dad, Dave, at Post Falls High School. Kay Hill comes from the other direction. Hill, who played high school basketball at West Salem High School in Salem, Ore., is well-traveled. She was born in Phoenix and moved to Oregon in third grade. She's gone to a private school in Los Angeles, a predominantly Hispanic and black school in Arizona, and eventually a predo~antly white 1

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I'd·be either dead, in jail or worse, hooked up with some bad things, struggling to_get by, no matter how much you dJJn't want to be." . JAMAAL ROLLE

school in Oregon. Hill, who completed her freshman year at NIC with a 3.4 GPA and was named to the athletic department honor roll, is studying pre-med. . .; Jam~al Rolle was exposed to Americans via the tourism trade traveling through the Islands of the Bahamas. He has spent some time in Miami, which is almost a foreign country in its own right. But he had no idea what to expect from this place called Idaho. "I really didn't know where Idaho was until I came here," said Rolle, who is studying

I actually played against, had a lot of connects and knew (North Idaho men's) coach Oared) Phay. "He was the type of person who would help any player get off (the island) to go to school. They worked it out over the phone,.and I really didn't have too much to do with it. But when opportunity comes around, I'm going to take it because basketball really saved me. I'm here to get a degree, but.I'd really like to play professional ball in Europe some day." . Where Rolle came from the

business management at Islands of the Bahamas, Nick North Idaho·College. Livi is from the seaport called "A coach on Freeport Grand Seattle. Bahamas (Darrell Sears), who "I'm the first one in my fam-

ii of htltidh61'~ d~a'W" h~ o~t of ~h 's~hdol:r,~hltfl.M,'" who is studying criminal justice at NIC. "I'm Samoan, not black, not American, 200 percent Samoan. It's nothing against African Americans, but it's a mistake I hear all the time. I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. I've lived in Seattle and up and down the West Coast My brothers were involved in gangs and other things, but now they've been saved by Christ. "Basketball is my ticket out and I see coming here as a' blessing in disguise. Hopefully it will allow me to take care of my family, because whatever I do, I do for them." . It might have been easier just 'to go to a city college or some other multi-cultural envi-" ronment But the advaµtages 1 of North Idaho outweigh the , difficulties. , ,, ,-. ;-,; 'The first time I came..our. here, I was totally wid~yetlJhi said athletic director.Williams.~ who met then-coach Rolly Willi~s at th~ l;':lJC~t6}~-:. ment m Hutchinson, Katf.,'"anitl '

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played on the 1978-79 Cardinal team (23-5) that was ranked No. 5 in the nation. "Coming from Chicago, Idaho is a place you never envisioned going to. Then you get here and find you enjoy the area and it's not what you expected at all." . Al Williams is 48; Colbert is 11 years younger than that, but both found the same appeal in a place where they never expected to stay. "life is about cycles," Colbert said. ~nee you break that bad cycle, you can start a good cycle. When I moved out here in '89, I had a couple of guys tell me and my best friend, Freddie Butler, you'll be back in you'IZ{1 two months. You won't be able to handle it out there. . "Coming from the city was a culture shock because life is so fast in the city. It slows down here and you don't have to watch your back, and I like that" Author Ernest Hemingway first visited Bimini in 1935 and lived there until 1937. MARCELL COLBERT The sport fishNIC assistant coach ing is so good Hemingway wrote a book about it, "Islands In The Stream." When the United States declared Prohibition (19201933), ships from Bimini transported cheap Canl>bean rum to Florida and the Bahamas became a safe haven for rumrunners.

'That's wha,t I tell all the people here. Ifthey want to break that cycle of negativity they camefrom, then get an education and make a difference."

on to earn a bachelor's degree in business management from the University of Idaho. He later earned a master's degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix. After working at the University of Denver, Williams returned from Colorado to take the Cardinal athletic director job in 2003. 'This is actually an inviting place when you come here," Williams said. "It's probably the nicest area to go to school in our region, so I think it's a major selling point to get them out here to see things for themselves. ''But we don't sugar coat things on campus. We tell people this is the way it is here -

Rolle says modern-day rumrunners - the drug trade - are still prevalent today. "There's a lot of drugs on my island. My mother was on crack when she had me," said Rolle, who grew up on North Bimini. "All Americans know about the islands are sunny beaches and good times. "But if I was back home right now, I'd be either dead, in jail or worse, hooked up with some bad things, struggling to get by, no matter how much you don't want to be. "There's really no crime rate like that here. I'm away from the drugs and it's easy to be focused." Hill lives in upper-class South Salem, Ore., and went to school at West Salem High School, neither of which are particularly culturally diverse. She has goals and North Idaho College is the Âˇ steppingstone to becoming a physician, she said. "My education comes first and foremost," said Hill. "When I came here I was fascinated with the new health and science building. That was the reason I chose to come here." Al Williams earned an associate's degree in business from North Idaho College and went

you will stand out in the community and if you don't want to be under the microscope, then maybe this isn't the place for you." Unfortunately, not everyone has welcomed the black community with open arms. "I had one problem with a girl. She made a swear comment about me being black and this being North Idaho," said Hill. "l talked with coach Marsell about it and he said, 'Don't worry about it, those are just ignorant people and not everybody's like that.' "I've been (advised) to watch my back, because whether you see it or not, there's people here with some kind of racism in them. I'm used to people doing a double take when I walk into a store. That doesn't bother me, but still I don't let my guard down." The Inland Empire is still trying to live down a reputation of being an Aryan Nation stronghold, despite the death . of Richard Butler, who passed away in 2004 at the age of 86. Butler, the Northwest's iconic reverend of the white supremacist Aryan Nations, came to power in the mid'80s. The group's compound just north of Hayden, with its guard tower, printing press and stained-glass swastikas in the chapel, gave skinheads a place to learn. It eventually spawned radicals convicted of murders,

North Idaho/Nation ..

bombings, racketeering and armed robberies. "YouÂˇalways heard about them, but I think it got a lot more publicity out of this area - the marches going on when Richard Butler was going strong with the compound," Williams said. "The reputation still lingers, but I personally never saw any of it I played here in 1979 and moved back in 2003. None of the ballplayers I played with ever had any problems." Tony Stewart, North Idaho College professor of political science, helped start one of the nation's strongest humanrights groups - the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations - to fight back. Butler, the elder statesman of white hate, lived to see his racist movement bankrupted, his 2~acre compound auctioned off and razed, and his followers convicted of violence. "Butler was so good at getting attention that he received publicity all over the country. It's gradually improving, but it's going to take time to wash away the image (of white supremacists) in North Idaho," said Stewart, whose organization celebrates its 26th anniversary this year. "It's very important to the community to open its arms to diversity." Said Hill: "As long as you are a person of color, there's always going to be some kind of racial issue. There's always going to be discrimination in the world. '1 didn't even know what the Aryan Nation was. But when I told my dad I was going to North Idaho College, he freaked. He said they bang people and do marches up there." Steps have been taken to help change that image, but the stigma lingers. Other colleges have made reference to the Aryan Nation compound as a negative recruitinll tool.

THE PRESS / HAGADONE NEWSPAPER NETWORK Sunday, February 11, 2007

"Absolutely, it's still happening," Williams said. "We know for sure some schools are bringing it up. If they're losing a recruiting battle, they can always fall back on the ace in the hole, which is to mention 'You never know how safe you're going to be up there.' "Whether that was the primary target for using negative recruiting against us I don't know, but it is definitely being used." The compound might be gone and the Aryan Nation dispersed, but that doesn't necessarily make it a perfect world. "I'm just making the best of

my time, because I really don't like being here. I'm Bahamian, not an African American," Rolle explained. '1 really can't take nobody calling me a nigger or something. But I'm here to make my family life better, to make my life better. "I'm not going to let someone get the best of me by saying something to cause me to do some stuff I would regret But for the most part, there are good people here." Livi agrees with Colbert and Williams that you don't have to watch your back like you do in the city. But his instincts tell him to stay guarded. "It's a lot better in Idaho than home in a sense that there is no violence or trouble around this area," he said. "But I still hide my personality because at times I feel I'm not welcome." Colbert has become a sounding board and a voice of reason in a world not always easily understood. "I don't know about the rest of the players, but I think if

coach Marsell wasn't here for me to talk to when I am frustrated about things, even outside of basketball, I would probably be ready to leave," Rolle said. ''I can communicate with him a bit better than the rest of the coaching staff. He helps me get over a lot of frustration." The message Colbert promotes - whether the student is black or white - is that education is the answer. "Part of the problem is that the kids only want to be part of the music industry or athletics," he said. 'There are only so many NBA stars, there's only

so many NFL players, and only so many recording artists. You have to focus on some place else like education. "That's what I tell all the young people here. If they want to break that cycle of negativity they came from, then get an education and make a difference. "That's how we're going to make a difference. If basketball gets you that education, fine. But chances are you're not going to make a living at it So the best advice is to get your education so you have something to fall back on."

Insurance battle looms

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JACKSON, Miss. - Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood said Fr iday he will seek legislation aimed at blocking State Farm Insurance Cos. from refusing to write new homeowners and commercial policies in the hurricane-battered state. Hood said his plan was modeled after actions taken by Florida. Florida's legislation primarily deals with preventing policy cancelations and non-renewels; but Hood said the model could be crafted to force companies to write new policies. ''We're looking at a robber baron in the face that is trying to make an example of Mississippi," Hood said of State Farm. "Any company that writes automobile insurance and also writes homeowners in any other state would be required to write or make available insurance for homeowners and commercial pr operties in all parts of the state." · Hood also said he was urging Gov. Haley Barbour to issue an executive order that would force the insurer to continue writing new policies until the Mississippi Legislature can deal with the issue. Pete Smith, a spokesman for Barbour, said "the attorney general has not talked to the governor about this" and had no additional comment. Hood is a Democrat and Barbour is a Republican, and both are seeking re-election this year. Barbour has criticized Hood for suing insurance companies since Katrina. State Farm, Mississippi's largest home insurer, said Wednesday it had had enough of the "untenable" legal and political climate in the state and would not write new home-

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Attorney General Jim Hood Is trying to stop State Farm from refusing to write new homeowners and commercial policies In his state.

owners and commercial policies. The company said the suspension would begin Friday and continue until the business climate in the state became more palatable. State Farm has more than 30 percent of the homeowners policies and 8.5 percent of the commercial policies in Mississippi. State Farm spokesman Phil Supple said Friday that Hood's rhetoric, including his comparison of State Farm to a "robber baron," is a "remarkable response to what was purely a business decision." He added: "It does underscore the legal and political challenges we face in Missis-

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sippi. We're not trying to pick a fight. We're ~ 'T trying to serve our existing customers." ~ Robert Hartwig, vice president and chief H~ economist for the Insurance Information 'b ~ Institute in New York, an industry-funded :-,group, said Hood's proposed legislation ~ isn't likely to succeed in compelling State Farm to continue writing new homeowner N policies. Automobile insurance isn't profitable N enough to offset losses in the sale of homeowner insurance in a hurricane-vulnerable region like Mississippi's Gulf Coast, Hartwig said.

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Humanities Council to honor NIC's Tony Stewart

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Political Science instructor founded Popcorn Forum lecture series in 1970 By LI N DA BALL

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COEUR d' ALENE - North Idaho College political science instructor Tony Stewart will be honored Feb. 23 by The Idaho Humanities Council, with the 2006 award for "Outstanding Achievement in the Humanities." The award carries with it a $1,000 honorarium. Last year's recipient for the annual award Stewart was Idaho poet William Studebaker. The Idaho Humanities Council has presented the award since

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1986. Vice-chair for the council, Virginia Johnson of Coeur d'Alene, described Stewart as a man of vision who has enhanced the lives of many. In 1970, Stewart founded and continues to chair the NIC Popcorn Forum, a lecture series that has featured more than 500 lectures, panels and workshops with speakers such as Vice President Hubert Humphrey, former U.S. Sen. Howard Baker, futurist Buckminster Fuller, singer-songwriter Carole King and many more. "His commitment to the Popcorn Forum and the NIC public forum demonstrate Tony's commitment to increasing the awareness, understanding and appreciation of the humanities in Idaho," Johnson said. As a human rights activist, Stewart was one of the founding members of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, a founding member of the Human Rights Education Institute and a founding member of the see STEWART, A9

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STEWART from A1 five-state Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment He serves on the North Idaho College Human Rights and Diversity Committee and continues as the faculty advisor of the NIC Human Equality Club. Johnson said Stewart was a founder and former board

member of Hospice of North Idaho. Stewart founded the NIC College TV Public Forum which airs weekly on six PBS stations in the Northwest and Canada. He produced the documentary "Stand Up to Hate Groups by Saying Yes to Human Rights: Toe First Ten Years of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations." Stewart has also written several journal articles.

For the last three years the council's Distinguished Humanities Lecture and Dinner has been in Coeur d'Alene in October. This year the speaker will be Andrew Carrol, who has collected letters from soldiers at war from the Civil War to the current war in Iraq. The Idaho Humanities Council is the state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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STANDING UP TO RACISM

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JESSE TINSLEY The Spokesman-RevleÂˇ

Tony Stewart, a political science instructor at North Idaho College, points out memorabilia in his office relating to human rights even over his 37 years of teaching. He will receive an award from the Idaho Humanities Council for his work in human rights.

'Local hero' to be honored NIC instructor Tony Stewart has spent decades fighting for human rights BY MEGHANN M. CUNIFF

humanities. Johnson, vice chairwoman of the council, nominated her longtime colleague and friend for the Virginia Johnson first met Tony Stewart at a North annual statewide award. Idaho College faculty assembly meeting in 1970. Johnson "He's built for the long haul. He does not give up, lose had been an English instructor at the college for a few hope, abandon anyone or any cause," Johnson said. years; Stewart was in his first year in the political ''He's just sort of a local hero, and rightfully so." science department. A native of Robbinsville, N.C., Stewart was a leader in "lo came this guy with a head of curly hair and very the fight to expel the Aryan Nations from North Idaho, strong Southern accent, and he was just talking to and he remains the area's most prominent human rights everyone and being so friendly," Johnson said. "I advocate. He came to NIC after earning a graduate thought, 'How did someone with a Southern accent get degree from the University of Tennessee, then doing a to Coeur d'Alene?' " year of doctoral work at Washington State University. Nearly 40 years later, Stewart's hair is thinner, but his "I thought I'd be here about three years," Stewart recalls. But the job suited him, and he found causes that accent and friendly demeanor remain. He's a staple of North Idaho College and a living legend in the field of needed help. human rights in North Idaho. Now 65, Stewart is eligible for retirement. But he He'll be honored Friday evening by the Idaho Humanities Council for outstanding achievements in the See STEWART, A9 Staff writer

STEWART

Continued from A1 hasn't decided when he'll do that. And when he does leave the community college, he said he won't stop working. There's still more to be done - the human rights movement is never over, he said. "I have a very broad view of human rights," Stewart said. "I've just never understood discrimination in any form." Stewart's reluctant to talk about his life, calling himself "really, really shy." "But I love talking about my work," he said. And his work dominates his life. Among Stewart's long list of accomplishments are his roles as a founding member of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, the Human Rights Education Institute and the Nortbwest Coalition

Against Malicious Harassment. He said he'd be nothing without the support of countless others. "I have not done anything by myself," Stewart said. "It's always a group." But his colleagues are quick to cite Stewart's leadership. ''It has been a team effort, but Tony's been the dominant leader of that team," said Doug Creswell, a member of the human relations task force and a retired school superintendent. Stewart sees a four-step process for combating racism and discrimination. The first steps are ending slavery and segregation. The third is embracing tolerance. "Number four is when I celebrate who you are," he said. Once tolerance is embraced, some tend to think ''look how great I am because I tolerate you," and that's an attitude that

"I have a very broad view of human rights. ... I've just never understood discrimination in any form." Tony Stewart Human rights advocate

must end if true tolerance and equality are ever to be reached, Stewart said. His first experience with racism came when he was about 10 or 11, visiting Charlotte, N.C., with family. He overhead two white boys insulting a black boy. "They were saying just terribly harsh things... and I never forgot that," Stewart sald. "I just thought that was so, so awful." He can't pinpoint what made him so passionate about human rights. He lived in the South during the height of the civil rights movement and followed the work of Martin Luther King

Jr. closely. But he said, "No matter where I would have been, I think I would have this same attitude and drive towards fairness." It is because that attitude and drive have inspired and educated thousands of others that Stewart will be honored Friday, Idaho Humanities Council Chairman Ron Pisaneschi said. "The goal of the humanities council is to connect people with ideas. Who's done that more than Tony Stewart?" Johnson said. "While he's this great Southern gentleman, he's also just fearless."

You are Invited! Special Receptio11

k HCian Rights

Education Institute

Thursday, March 81\ 5:00-7:00 pm

Special Prese11tatio11 Tony Stewart, NlC Professor Norm Gissel, Attorney Come hear in person the story of how the Coeur d' Alene community defeated the Aryan Nations!

Doc11me11tary Exhibit "Coming Face to Face with Hate: A Search for a World Beyond Hate" A poster exhibit created by Tony Stewart detailing the overcoming of the Aryan Nations in North Idaho

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The Press, Saturday, March 10, 2007

SECTION

C BUSINESS: Bakery by the Lake opens today / C12

Aryan protesters interrupt speech NIC teacher was speaking at the Human Rights Education Center By MARC STEWART Staff writer

COEUR d'ALENE - FBI and local police are monitoring Aryan Nations activity in the area after a handful of white supremacists inter-

rupted a meeting of the Human Rights Education Institute Thursday evening. Don Robinson, supervisory agent for the FBI's Coeur d'Alene office, said the remnants of the Aryan Nations are scattered across the country, but some stayed in North Idaho after their leader, Richard Butler, died in September 2004. "We're very concerned about the presence of these groups in the

area and it's a priority," Robinson said Friday. 'These remaining factions are trying to establish relevance." Four males in their 20s began shouting at Tony Stewart, a North Stewart Idaho College instructor and local civil rights leader, during his speech at the Human Rights Education Center.

"I didn't actually hear what they were saying," Stewart said. "It's not proper for anyone to interrupt like that We have to have civility and we've always had a period for questions and answers." Norm Gissel attended the event and he said the young men shouted Aryan Nations slogans during Stewart's speech that addressed the see ARYAN, C9

THE PRESS Saturday, March 10, 2007

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"Typically, sleeper cells don't go on aWeb site and advertise."

Nazi movement in North Idaho and how it was defeatDON ROBINSON, FBI ed. ucompared to the old days but can only be contacted dissent from within and when they were armed and through the group's Web site. without and which upholds a tried to kill people this wasn't Its motto is ''Violence solves policy of absolute hostility to as bad," Gissel said. "It's been everything." all machinations of anti-Aryan four years since we've had a The group is promoting forces." group protest and that was a leaderless decentralized According to the Aryan a group of Klansmen from movementthatsays:"11lereis Nations, white supremacists Pennsylvania." nothing to join per se, in the around the world will now act Coeur d'Alene Police Capt old way of doing things: there as "autonomous cells" and are Ron Clark said the white is no membership application preparing for some sort of supremacist demonstrators signal to start a war to create to be filled out - there is no handed out leaflets. longer any room for internal a white homeland. "It was peaceful," Clark debate, dissent and posturing. Robinson questioned the said. ''We noted who these The doors have now been Aryan Nations' ability to operfour individuals were and ate sleeper-type cells that slammed shut in the face of that was it No arrests were our enemies, as the leadership would carry out a race war. of the Aryan Nations sets its "Typically, sleeper cells made." The Aryan Nations is now course in granite: down a path don't go on a Web site and advertise," Robinson said. based out of Lexington, S.C., that i~ undemocratic toward

THE SPOKES.MAN-REVIEW

THE EDITORIAL BOARD Members of the editorial board help to determine The Spokesman-Review's position on issues of interest to the Inland Northwest

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Stacey Cowles Publisher Steven A. Smith Editor Doug Floyd Editorial Page Editor Gary Crooks Associate Editor Rebecca Nappi Associate Editor/columnist D.F. Oliveria Associate Editor/columnist Jamie Tobias Neely Associate Editor/

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Getting the leaders we've earned Our View: Voters should look past superficialities aylight-saving time isn't the only thing that arrives early this year. In Washington state, the political cycle is moving up as the primary election changes from September

to Aug. 21. Beginning this year, candidates will file in early June instead of at the end of July. Campaigns will reach highway speed during summer rather than after Labor Day. And cynical voters will begin sooner to complain about having to choose whom to vote against rather than for. Sooner than in past years, you'll hear office-seekers stressing that they are not politicians - as if that makes them more, rather than less, qualified to engage in a political undertaking. Such attitudes constitute a sad indictment of the system that remains the world's model for freedom, openness and self-governance, but has been neglected by those who should nurture it - the people. That includes both voters and the candidates who offer themselves for public service.

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The concern that spawned the Leadership Dialogues series that begins today on this page is a growing awareness that the best leaders don't always show up on the ballots. Some of the choices voters face are downright dismal. Clearly it's not because capable leaders are lacking, as the monthly interviews that will appear on this page through Aug. 12 demonstrate. Don't most of us know skilled, principled people who would be exemplary leaders? Why don't they run? Maybe we just don't do a good enough job of encouraging or recognizing them. It may well be that we as voters bite too quickly on superficialities and distractions and spend too little time examining the core qualities that mark true leadership. We wind up talking about last year's errors, who's on which side of the most volatile controversy, which candidate has the endorsement of which public figure or special-interest organization. Those items are important, but, as the Leadership Dialogues will demonstrate, there are more substantive considerations in choosing elected leaders. Vision, for example. In 2007, most of the elections in this region will be for municipal offices, and the consequences will be felt right down the street in our own neighborhoods. As candidates start listing their qualifications, look for the ones who can tell us not just that they want to lead, but where, and why,.and how to get there. Ask for evidence of the skills needed to mobilize a community around a shared goal. Keep an eye out for someone willing to engage others in sorting out the complexity that makes issues issues. The best candidates won't have all the answers, but they'll have some pretty good questions. And some pretty good ears. And a map. While others talk about our destiny, they'll talk about our destination.

A special thanks for experts' advice In January, editorial board members brainstormed leadership characteristics with five experts. They identified dozens of characteristics that mark good leaders. For the purposes of this series, we will focus on six of those characteristics. Effective leaders have vision, confidence, integrity, intelligence and tenacity. They also possess the ability to be catalysts for action and rh<>nO'P ,

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Call: Toll-free to leave a message for a legislator: (800) 626-0 471. Line open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific time weekdays. Fax: To send a fa x to a legislator: (208) 334-5397. TV: "Idaho Reports 2007," a weekly program broadcast Friday nights at 8 on Idaho Public Television: news and analysis of the week's developments. After it airs, view it on the Idaho PTV Web site.

I.JEADERS1-1IP DIALOGUr~S A monthly Q·and·A with The Spokesman-Review Editorial Board

COLJN MULVANY The Spokesman-Review

Gary Livingston, a former superintendent of schools in Spokane, is now chancellor of the Community Colleges of Spokane.

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For at least 40 years, the Spokane Public School District has picked its superintendents from among educators with some past connection to Spokane - except once. Gary Uvingston's whole career had been spent in Topeka, Kan., until 1993, when he arrived unknown in Spokane. In the following eight years, he earned broad respect. Today, he's chancellor and CEO of the Community Colleges of Spokane, and his reputation as an organizational leader has continued to grow. He recently sat down with Spokesman-Review editorial board members Doug Floyd and Rebecca Nappi and videographer Colin Mulvany to talk about vision and values as components of leadership.

Q: What does good community leadership look like.? A: It really starts with a passion for what you're doing and how what you're doing fits into what the community's doing. In my case, education. I really think that someone who has a passion about what they're doing, making it fit in the community, it just becomes a winner if it's authentic. Q: What role does vision play? A: You have to have some sense of where that organization is going and over what kind of time period and what kind of benchmarks are you going to get. So often, when people have a vision they want to be there tomorrow, and if it's a large organization that just doesn't work. You've got to think about the whole complex conversation about change, knowing that change has to be incremental, it has to be owned by the people who are making the change, so that takes time. Q: What happens if the leader's vision is in conflict with the community's vision? A: I think leadership is about identifying the changes that are necessary, and change always connotes some conflict with some group. It's over time. How do you bring that vision in for change that does have opposition, and include those who have concerns about that to buy into and maybe even help through the process? Q: Would you differentiate between vision and goal? A: I think the vision is the broader picture of what you think that organization can become, and what it can do for the students in my case, and the goals are the incremental steps that lead to accomplishing that vision. The goals become the measurable pathway that takes you there. Q: Where do values fit? A: If you don't have the values, you're just wallowing all over the place. I grew up in a large family and that's probably why I spent a lot of my time in K-12, advocating for special ed, alternative ed. I really grew up in poverty and I appreciate what education does and can do. My values tend to be along that line. Q: Which is more importan~ patience or impatience? A: I would say tempered impatience. I think you have to be a little antsy about wanting things to happen faster. But if you are too impatient, it won't happen. I think some errors in judgment that I made go back to wanting some things to happen quicker than the organization was ready to support them. People have to believe in what

About this series • The Leadership Dialogues is a six-month series of editorial board conversations with community

leaders. The purpose is to identify the qualities of leadership - in the hope the dialogues will encourage high-quality candidates to step forward and run for elected office - and allow the community at-large to recognize and respond to positive leadership traits. The dialogues include people who exercise leadership in other arenas, such as sports and the arts, but the characteristics they describe apply to political leadership, too. • On the Web: The complete transcripts of the monthly dialogues, along with Colin Mulvany videos of the leaders interviewed, will be available at www.spolcesmanreview.com/sectlons/leadership. • Schedule: Today· Gary Livingston, chancellor of the Community Colleges of Spokane; April 8 • Ron Sims, King County executive; May 13 • Linda Sheridan, retired Shadle Park High School coach; June 10 • Tony Stewart, North Idaho human rights activist; July 8 · Mary Selecky, secretary of the Washington State Department of Health; Aug. 12 • Eckart Preu, music director of the Spokane Symphony.

they do because they believe it, not because someone said it. Q: A lot of leaders say they want to hear from people who don't necessarily think the way they do. I would assume it's also important to have people on your team who share your vision. How do you reconcile those concerns? A! First, you have to find people who have values similar to yours. And you have to have confidence in them, and you have to have confidence that they're going to come to you with recommendations to support the values of the organization. Then you leave them alone and you let them make those kinds of recommendations until they prove that they aren't making a decision and or they prove that they aren't walking the values that you hired them for. We meet regularly. I get updated. So, there are no surprises. That's probably my No. 1 rule that I have in my relationship with my board. I don't surprise them; they don't surprise me, and that's kind of the relationship I have with people who work with me. Q: People look to you to be decisive and knowledgeable and to have solutions, and you're expected to be confident. Do you ever worry about appearing pompous and overbearing? A! You don't process every decision. But after a while, you've made.enough mistakes, you've learned how to differentiate the decisions you just need to make and those that really need to be contemplated. For instance, there are some decisions that you need to take back to the school level and need to actually get input at the faculty level or the principal level, or it could be at your cabinet level. Q: What suggestions would you make to voters in this community regarding how they should decide which candidates they're going to support? A! You look for someone with shared values. I think that they have to find the values, find someone who you know is a good listener. I think, too, someone who understands management There's a point where politics kind of ends and then you have to manage the organization. Sometimes a good manager may not be the best politician. Q: Why did you never run for public office? A! You have to do what you have a passion to do. Education's what I'm interested in. I don't know that I would be that passionate about looking at a whole city or a whole region or a

whole state and having to worry about whether they have sewers and roads and all that stuff. And schools. I guess I'm more of a specialist. Q: Has your religious faith informed your leadership style? A! The answer is yes, but I think it's more than just a formal religion. It's a value about treating people right, trying to be fair, making tough decisions where you try to mitigate as much as you can the harm to some people if you know it will be there. I'm a very private person. I don't talk about my religion. But I think it's the religion that creates the values. It's the values that become who you are in that public sense. Q: What traits do you share with other effective leaders? A!1f you're working in an organization that serves the community, you have to be in the community. You have to be engaged in the community. I serve on a lot of community boards, but I try to pick those boards where there's a connect to the organization. The people whom I see as successful leaders in the community aren't just leading their organizations in isolation. LeRoy Nosbaum, Tom Fritz, you know, people who have big jobs, big organizations that could take all of their time, but yet you see them in leadership roles in other organizations. Q: What gives you the confidence to lead in the first place, especially when things aren't working out the way they're supposed to? A! You just kind of go day-to-day, trying to pull the organization together, looking at the resources you have, figuring the next day, the next week, the next month. I don't think most leaders think about whether they're a good leader or not. They just try to keep the organization going toward that vision and going back to the troops and rechecking it Q: What kinds of mistakes keep others in the community from being effective in their own leadership roles? A! I think getting diverted from the mission; getting embroiled in a controversy that becomes so public that you start trying to spend more time dealing with the image than the issue. And so, you maybe get diverted from your values a little bit.

Q: When and how did it become apparent that you are a leader? What about as a child? A: I still don't know that I am. I was the oldest of seven, and my father worked, so I was always bossing somebody around. I was always willing to kind of stand up and say what I thought. I don't know that people who are in leadership think of themselves as just leaders. You do your job and you're dependent on everybody else doing their job. Âˇ Q: Do you fina that effective leaders have a certain drive within them? A: I think it is that, but it's also knowing what you know, and it's knowing when you know what the organization needs, and when you've gone past knowing what the organization needs. I came in and there were some challenges that the school district was facing. When we got that under control, I felt like it was time for me to go to another organization, because I probably wasn't going to take the organization to the next level. So I think it's kind of knowing what you know, but, just as importantly, knowing when it's time to change organizations.

Tuesday March 20 2007

Story of modern-day slavery humbles, captivates audience 10th annual Human Rights Banquet draws about 500 By LINDA BALL Staff writer COEUR d'ALENE -Franci Bok will become an American citizen March 28. "America gave me a second chance at life," Bok said Monday night at the 10th annual Human Rights Banquet at the Coeur d'Alene Inn. With about 500 in attendance, it was the second largest turnout for the event, aid Tony Stewart of the Kootenai County Ta k Force on Human Rights. Bok's story i profound.

A native of outhern Sudan, Bok wa taken from his family in 1986 at the age of 7 and enslaved during an Arab militia raid on hi village. Bok, who is tall, elegant and well-spoken (he did apologize for his broken English however) , said there are millions of people - 27 million - still enslaved worldwide. 'These people are waiting for you to come and free them " he said. "I missed all my childhood." Bok aid he was a happy boy living see BOK, A9

JEROME A. POLLOS/Press

Francis Bok, the keynote speaker at the 10th Human Rights Banquet, held Monday, shares his story of becoming a slave in Sudan at the age of 7.

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he said. "If I looked at my master's wife, she would spit on me or one of her sons from A1 would pee on me." He was fed once a day and had to manwith his family. His father was a businessage hundreds of goats. If even one went man with thousands of cows, so they lived missing, he would be severely beaten. comfortably. "No matter how hard I worked, I knew But one night, that all changed. Bok was they'd never appreciate me," Bok said. sent to the local market to sell eggs and After two failed escape attempts, Bok peanuts for his mother. finally got away in December 1996. He said he heard people talking as they He eventually made his way to Cairo, were leaving the market He didn't recogEgypt, spending 22 days there with no nize the fear in their voices. money and without a mend. "Literally, I looked behind me and saw all He then applied as a refugee with the these militia men coming toward me," he United Nations, which helped him resettle said. in Fargo, N.D. "You try to exit, but there is no exit." "I didn't have a choice, but it was good There was much confusion. The militia when I got there," he said. "The weather marched all the women and children to the wasn't that good for me." north, and one soldier shot a 12-year-old He began his speaking career in Boston, girl in the head because she wouldn't stop and in May 2000, he took his message to crying. Capitol Hill. Bok was placed with a man who would The war in Darfur continues, and Bok become his master for the next 10 years, said he will never rest until he sees his and he was shown off like a new car. people free. But, his master's children would beat He has written a book that tells his story him with sticks until he couldn't cry anycalled, "Escape from Slavery: The True more. Story of My Ten Years in Captivity and My "I was forced to sleep with the animals," Journey to Freedom in America."

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW THE EDITORIAL BOARD Members of the editorial board help to determine The Spokesman-Review's position on issues of interest to the Inland Northwest

Stacey Cowles Publisher Steven A. Smith Editor Doug Floyd Editorial Page Editor Gary Crooks Associate Edit or Rebecca Nappi Associate Editor and columnist D.F. Oliveria A ssociate Editor and columnist Jamie Tobias Neely Associate Editor and

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1.0ilhAnnual Human Riuh;ts Ban.a.u:et Featuring lavnota Spaallar Francis Boll, alormar slan In Sudan Francis Bok is a native of Southern Sudan who now lives in the United States. Bok was captured in 1986 at the age of seven during an Arab raid on liis villa£e and was forced to serve as a famify slave for 10 years.

Bok has been a guest of U.S. senators and congressmen and is the first escaped slave to testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. He attended the Sudan Peace Act signing ceremony at the White House ana met with President Bush at length. Bok has Bok witnessed the brutalization and spoken at colleges, fait!i c~mmunities, murder of adults and children, slept and grassroots orgamzattons across with cattle, endured daily beatings, and the country about his experiences. survived by eating rotten food. Bok Bok is currently working with the escaped in 1996, but was cap_tured and AmericanAnti SfaveryGroup in Boston. enslaved by local policemen. He escaped again, but was arrested and jailed for The genocide of Bok's homeland seven months. He eventually es~~ed to people in Darfur Sudan is currently Cairo and in 19991 the Uruted Nations garnering worldwide attention. helped him resettle to North Dakota.

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EDITORI ALS

OPINION •

COMMENTARY

•

ANALYS1 :

EDITORIAL

Page 88 • Sunday • April 8, 200 7

THE SPOKESMAN-REvfEw THE EDITORIAL BO~RD M embers of the editorial board help to determine The Spokesman-Review's position on issues of interest to the Inland Northwest

Stacey Cowles Publisher Steven A. Smith Editor Doug Floyd Editorial Page Editor Gary Crooks Associate Editor Rebecca Nappi Associate Editor and columnist

D.F. Oliveria Associate Editor and columnist Jamie T~bias Neely Associate Editor and columnist

Nurturing the leader within Our View: As the child is taught, so the adult will be estled within the biographies of most famous leaders is a family member who saw the leader in the child and encouraged the leader forth. At 16, Golda Meir, future prime minister of Israel ' escaped the narrow expectations of her mother to live with an older sister who understood Meir's greater dreams.

In her older age, Sara Delano Roosevelt boasted that she had only one child but he did very well indeed. The mother saw the leader in young Franklin and pushed him to use his gift. Psychologist James Hillman, author of "The Soul's Code: In Search of Character and Calling," believes that some people are born with the natural ability to lead others. Their confidence, an essential characteristic for all effective leaders, is there from the earliest days. 'But even in-born confidence can be shattered without proper external support. The best leaders trace their confidence to parents, extended family, teachers and community members who said, "You can do this." Candidates for office need confidence to withstand the rigors of campaigning. Confidence allows them to endure grueling campaign schedules, shake one more hand, digest one more piece of cold pizza. Confidence allows them to endure a lack of privacy. When candidates throw their hats into the ring, their previously private financial information gets thrown in, too. Some candidates see their private lives turned inside out for public consumption. Not always a confidence builder. Once elected, leaders need confidence to outline visions that call for change and sacrifice. They need confidence to sacrifice personal gain for the greater good. They also sacrifice family time. This is why family support is essential. Terry Novak, former Spokane city manager , teaches "The Political Executive Class" at Eastern Washington University. His students interview the spouses of elected leaders, asking them questions such as ''What changes in lifestyle did you expe~t? Have your expectations been borne out?"

. The biggest surprise for the students? How expensive political life can be for families. The family budget gets stretched during campaigns. Once in office, elected leaders often "get invited to each other's $100-a-plate" fundraisers, Novak said. All part of the reciprocation game. Ron Sims, King County executive, is featured in today's second Leadership Dialogues. While growing up in Spokane, he had encouraging parents, mentoring teachers and caring adults who role-modeled leadership. You too can be a leader, they told him. Eventually he believed them and acted on the knowledge. If a young person's family does not instill future confidence, all is not lost. After-school activities, Scouts and volunteer work can call forth the leader hiding in the young person. "Somebody's got to be quarterback," Novak pointed out "Someone has to be the first-chair player." The purpose of this series is to encourage our best and brightest community members to use their gifts in public service. In our community now, those people, younger and older, might just need a confidence boost. Someone to tell them: "You can do this," because they can - and should.

A fifth-grade teacher made the difference As King County Executive Ron Sims grew up in Spokane, his fifth-grade teacher at Longfellow Elementary School was one of the adults who inspired him. Educator Ronald Miller says he counseled Sims and other youngsters to do what teachers expected of them, to be involved and to practice citizenship. "I told them, 'Have confidence in yourself,

have trust in your ability. Don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. You have the makings to be a good citizen or good person or be successful.' " "Ronald Miller believed in me when no one else did," Sims says. "He saw something in me I didn't see in myself. He knew it was there and he really wanted to search and find it, and he did. All of a sudden. things bubbled up."

LEADl~RSI-IIP DIAL()GUES A monthly Q-and-A with The Spokesman-Review Editorial Board

COLIN MULVANY The Spokesman-Review

"I'm not afraid to fail. I'm not afraid of success," said King County Executive Ron Sims, whose Spokane upbringing fostered leadership.

• n his high-rise office in downtown Seattle, with its spectacular view of the city's defining characteristics - water, mountains and traffic - Ron Sims, King County executive since 1996, talked leadership and the guts it takes to do it well. Sims, 58, grew up in Spokane. His role models fought for civil rights and challenged the status quo in 1960s Spokane. Here's an excerpt from Sims' conversation with editorial board members Doug Floyd and Rebecca Nappi and videographer Colin Mulvany. Q: Let's start with your father, the Rev. James Sims, a Baptist minister, one of the early leaders in civil rights in Spokane. What did you learn about leadership from watching your father? A: My father was able to marry intellect, courage and passion in a marvelous way. H'.e's the greatest man I've ever known. Born at the wrong time, but the right time for Spokane and the right time for me. My father was a graduate of Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. In those times, there was a quota system at Princeton University, so when you were not admitted to Princeton under the quota, you went to Lincoln University. He graduated with honors. He came to Spokane during World War II at a time when it was difficult for African Americans to move through the social framework of Spokane. He was ve.r y forgiving and that amazes me to this day. He endured a lot of insults, and yet he never manifested any hate. Years later, he'd see those same people and they'd chat as if nothing had happened. He was far more interested in whether people changed than in visiting who they were in the past. Q: Can you think of one example of your father's leadership? A: I remember my father leading a demonstration in downtown Spokane when the NAACP decided to march on the Bon Marche because the Bon Marche said their clients did not want to take change from the hands of African Americans. A person spit on me. I took my sign and hit him, which is the reaction you have when you are 12. My father told me afterward, "Never, ever adopt the behavior of the people who insult you. Never be as low as they are." Q: Your mother, Lydia Sims - a woman of "firsts" in Spokane - what did you learn about leadership from your mother? A: That leadership is not confined to gender. My mother was a feminist before the word was coined. She was every bit my father's equal. People didn't realize that they alternated every year as NAACP presidents. Q: In 1978, after you'd left Spokane, there was a newspaper article about how few black people were visible in public life in Spokane. How and where did you find your role models? A: Calvary Baptist Church was an African American church and many of the African American leadership were there, a real strong presence. I'll give you an example. When I was hit by a car crossing the street, Mrs. Lake came to my home to make sure I had instruction every day. Orlando Fletcher was a teacher at Lewis and Clark High School. I was in third grade, and he visited our home and was insistent that I not pull back from the books I was reading. Q: We saw you in action in 1993 with young people visiting from the LINKS program in Spokane. It was early morning, and they were slouching. You said sit up straight, brighten up.

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About this series

•

• The Leadership Dialogues is a six-month series of editorial board convers ations with community leaders. The purpose is to identify the qualities of leadership - in the hope the dialogues will encourage high-quality candidates to step forward and run for elected office - and allow the community at-large to recognize and respond to positive leadership traits. The dialogues include people who exercise leadership in other arenas, such as sports and the arts, but the characteristics they describe apply to political leadership, too. • On the Web: The complete transcripts of the monthly dialogues, along with Colin Mulvany videos of the leaders interviewed, will be available at

www.spokesmanreview.com/sectlons /leadership. • Schedule: Today - King County Executive Ron Sims; March n - Gary Livingston. chancellor of Community Colleges of Spokane; May 13 - Linda Sheridan, retired Shadle Park High School coach; June 10 Tony Stewart, North Idaho human rights activist; July 8 - Mary Selecky, secretary of the Washington State Department of Health; Aug. 12 - Eckart Preu, music director of the Spokane Symphony.

How important is it to act the part of a leader? A: People don't follow someone who looks like a failure. If you look like a person who has doubts, then you convey that. You have to look like a person who is going to lead. A person who leads has a certain confident walk, a certain look, a certain feel. They walk like winners. Leaders also ask questions. And listen to answers. My mother told me that a leader never draws the road map, they allow others to create it. Q: Where did your confidence come from? A: I don't know how else to act. Q: You've had two big runs and two big losses - the U.S. Senate and the governor's primary race. What did you learn about leadership by running? . A: One, you have to be confident of your ability to express your opinions. A leader should never worry about failing. You never gloat over your successes and you never are disappointed in your defeats. Q: What did you learn about leadership by losing? A: It made me fearless. I don't worry about defeat. Q: How does that help you do your job now? A: The job is far more complex today. We have far more issues. Global warming issues. Financial issues. Huge societal issues. We're in an area growing rapidly in constrained land. The status quo doesn't work anymore. This world is changing with extraordinary speed. The key is to be more effective with the resources you have and be able to move with agility. That requires risk-taking. There will be no mercy shown to the communities that remain stagnant. They will be inconsequential to the schemes of global

economic growth. Q: Risk-ta.king as an inherent part ofleadership implies that when you stand up and ask people to follow in your path, there is a chance it won't work out as you had in mind. There's an implicit question on people's minds - what gives you the

right to stand up and ask otHers to follow you? How do you have the confidenceÂˇto do that? A: I don't care whether you're in a small work setting or whether you are running a government or corporation or community group or Cub Scout pack, we're all expected to have a vision if you're going to lead. Where are we going? What are we going to do? How are we going to get there? Any of us can ask. I once went to Lake Coeur d'Alene with my father. My father said, "See that sandy beach? That's life. You have the opportunity to be a wave that doesn't affect the shore at all, or you have the opportunity to be a wave that rearranges the shore." Âˇ Q: We live in a time when politics can be brutal and extreme. How do you refrain from the polarization and the meanness of politics and cling to a vision when so many things around you are moving in another direction? A: You can't hold onto your office tightly. When I lost the race for the United States Senate, I realized I could lose and still there'd be a next day. What happens in politics, and it drives me nuts, is that people are wedded to power, not purpose. They don't love policy. They love power and position. What happens too often in politics is that people see the office they hold as "them." And that office not being any good without "them." I worry about America I worry about its stamina and its strength. America is the world's grand experiment. Never before has a nation been created without a common gene pool. We all got here by a boat - voluntarily or involuntarily - or by a land bridge. I want this experiment to endure. If we operate outside of moral frameworks, if we don't make good decisions and invest in every person, we'll lose this grand experiment.

Q:-Patience or impatience? Which is the most important trait for a leader to have? A: You must be impatient about the status quo. And very patient about the ability for people to change. Q: What traits do you share with other effective leaders? A: Other effective leaders have a presence, a charisma, a sense of direction where they want to go. They have been willing to succeed or fail. You walk on the edge. It takes gu~. Just guts. You either have them or you don't. Q: What must be changed to get others with leadership potential to use it in the political arena? A: W~re going to have to ask people who have the capa~ity and skills to lead to forgo money, privacy and adoration. But they are going to have to do it because they love this country and their communities more than personal adoration and wealth. Q: Are there specific books that are sources of wisdom that you would recommend to others aspiring to leadership? A: I think the Bible, whether you read it as literature or part of yqur faith, is an amazing series of texts that provide great tutelage. My father used to take me to libraries and ask, ''What do you see?" I said, "I see a lot of books." He'd say, "You see the level of what you do not know." My father made me read "Moby Dick'' and asked me all kind of questions, "What does it mean? Why were those passages written the way they were?" You've just go to read, read, read. Ignorance has no place in the 21st century, and ignorance has no place in leaders. Q: What will be the legacy of Ron Sims? A: I want my grandchildren to say their life is better because of what I did. I left it all perspiration, blood, sweat and soul - I left it all Âˇ on the field of p lay. There was no.more to give. And because of that, their world is better.

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Leading through persistence Our View: Tenacity a crucial characteristic of great leaders he hero of the legend is worn out, defeated in body and spirit. Inside a cave, he coils himself into a ball of pity. He is a Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, and he has been fighting to free his people from the English. He's burned out. Then, in this dark time, in this dark cave, he spots a spider spinning its web. The spider tries, falls, tries, falls, tries again and again and finally finishes its web. If a spider can be that tenacious, Robert the Bruce decides he can be, too. He shakes off the darkness, emerges from the cave and eventually defeats the English. The 14th-century story may be apocryphal, but its message has lasted for centuries. Scottish schoolchildren memorize the tale. T he legend crossed the pond to the United St ates and to modern times and popular culture. Batman's true identity, Bruce Wayne, is said to be named for Robert the Bruce.

This is the third installment of the Leadership Dialogues. The leadership characteristic in focus today is tenacity, defined as "cohesive, tough; not easily · pulled in pieces or broken." Tenacity w eaves through the biographies of great leaders. They held on to their ideals and convictions, even when faced with loud criticism, even when it would have been easier to surrender. Linda Sheridan coached volleyball and basketball at Shadle High School for 25 years. Her teams won more than 800 games. Sheridan is our third Leadership Dialogues profile, because she illustrates what happens when leaders hold on, year after year, to ideals that shape individuals and communities. Leaders have much to learn from the best coaches who lose games in every season, even during their winningest seasons, and yet hang on, stay with it, fight through it, go for it. When feeling discouraged in our poll-driven election system, candidates and elected officials should remember history and the lessons of tenacity. For instance, John Quincy Adams found his true "voice'' not as president, but afterward, when he won a seat in the House of Representatives. Abolitionists in the late 1830s petitioned Congress to end slavery. The House adopted gag rules to prevent these petitions from being read out loud on the House floor. Adams protested year after year. He believed that slaves should be free, and he believed the gag rules violated constitutional rights to free speech. Finally, the gag rules were abolished in 1844. When the best leaders retire from their leadership roles, others keep their vision alive and pass it on to the next generation of leaders. Linda Sheridan's proteges now coach teams throughout the Inland Northwest, using tactics and wisdom garnered from their mentor. Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation incorporated the arguments Adams voiced against slavery year after year. Potential political leaders must be as tough as mythic heroes, and not easily broken by critics. Many women and men living among us in the Inland Northwest possess the tenacity to run for, and serve in, public office. Our hope is that this series will encourage these leaders to emerge from their private lives and go for it.

LEADERSHIP DIA1"'0GlJES A monthly Q·and-A with The Spokesman-Review Editorial Board

COLIN MULVANY The Spokesman·Rev,ew

Linda Sheridan, retired Shadle Park High School girls volleyball and basketball coach, says she learned that coaching and leadership go hand-in-hand.

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Linda Sheridan coached basketball and volleyball for 25 years at Shadle Park High School. Her teams captured 17 Greater Spokane League titles, qualified for state championships 32 times and took home seven championship trophies. Sheridan, who turned 60 last week, has been retired since 2001. In a recent interview with editorial board members Rebecca Nappi, Doug Floyd and videographer Colin Mulvany, Sheridan looked back on leadership lessons garnered from her long, successful career. Q: Was there a time in your career when you realized you had leadership skills? A: I was 22, and I walked into my first job in a sport I knew nothing about - volleyball - in California. These little eighth-graders looked at me with these great big eyes and I went, "Oh my God, this is the most serious thing that could ever happen to me." I was so overwhelmed by the responsibility. I got scared to death. Q: How did that fear make you a better leader? A: When you are in a position ofleadership, you have two choices. To empower and to serve. Or to use power over, to control. You can use it to benefit people, or it can become about your position, your ego, and you can say things that are never forgotten. The few times I regret in my career, I said something and the second it came out of my mouth I knew it was one of those things that the kid will never forget Q: Natural leaders share one characteristic: tenacity. How did tenacity help you? A: Anyone who saw me coaching knew I was 100 percent there at the moment. What I wanted the kids to understand is that there is so much freedom in being where you are completely in any given moment and proud of the opportunity right there to do the best you can. That is how I would interpret tenacity. Q: You took a break in 1990 to get a master's degree in education. How did the break help you become a better coach? A: I had a couple of hard coaching years. I had some doubts, and some parents were questioning my abilities. I needed to take a step back. I did a two-year master's in one year. But what I also did was spend every afternoon in the Whitworth gym or the Gonzaga gym watching the coaches. When I went back, I got to actively rechoose my career. Q: How can breaks help all leaders? A: We start getting into habits of behaviors and thought patterns. It does become too much about us and what we're doing. It's a chance to rechoose it from a new place. Q: What could candidates for political office, and the leaders we elect, learn about leadership from the best coaches? A: When I was a kid, we talked about our political leaders as public servants. Now we call them politicians. Somewhere in there, we have lost the quality of great people coming from the place of true, honest character and integrity. And then bringing that to the populace, rather than their political office being too much about them. My hope is that we can find people coming from a

who steps out and says, ''I will do this. I will serve." Q: Your thoughts on parents as followers? A: The job of a parent is to support the The leadership Dialogues is a six-month experience of their kids. That doesn't mean to series of editorial board conversations with short-circuit it, make it all pleasant. Kids learn community leaders. The purpose is to identify from not always getting what they want or not the qualities of leadership - in the hope the always succeeding. We don't do them a service by dialogues will encourage high-quality jumping to their defense and not ever teaching candidates to step forward and run for elected them there are consequences, there are other office - and allow the community at-large to shareholders, there are people who are going to recognize and respond to positive leadership suffer from the decisions you make. That's all part traits. The dialogues include people who of growing up, being human. As parents, we need exercise leadership in other arenas, such as to give back those experiences to the kids. sports and the arts, but the characteristics Q: How do you balance the team's well-being they describe apply to political leadership, too. with the individual's well-being? A: You gain that over time with the kids buying On the Web into the idea that the us is way more important Full transcripts of the monthly dialogues, along than the them. I had a wonderful player named with videos of the leaders interviewed, are Lori Lollis. She was the player of the year for two available at spokesrnarvevlew.conv years. Wonderful scorer. We were doing individual sedions/)eaderslp. goals one time, and they were supposed to say one thing they could promise the team-for the rest of Schedule the season. We got to her, and she said she'd play Today - Linda Sheridan, retired Shadle Park great defense. High School coach; March n - Gary A couple of the kids looked at me and said, "If Livingston, chancellor of Community Colleges Lori isn't going to score, who is?" It was her gift, of Spokane; April 8 - Ron Sims, King County and if she's unwilling to do her gift, then that's executive; June 10- Tony Stewart, North really scary to the rest of us. She was giving her gift Idaho human rights activist; July 8 - Mary to the collective. It made the whole thing work. Selecky, secretary of the Washington State Q: When you look back on your career, if you Department of Health; Aug. 12 - Eckart Preu, had the ability to do something different in your music director of the Spokane Symphony. leadership, what would you change? A: A couple of times I allowed my own frustration and ego to come out One time - it was place of really wanting to serve the best interest of a team that ended up winning the state the people. championship, and they were a wonderful group Âˇ Q: Your advice to your girls was "risk it, trust of kids working their fannies off for me - but they and don't be afraid to fail." Can you elaborate? had won two games in a volleyball match against A: You don't go anywhere if you don't push the Ferris and then, for no apparent reason, we los.t boundaries of your comfort zone. For high school three straight In frustration, I ended up being very kids that's so tough. They want to be OK the way angry after the match and saying some things that they are. They are taking a risk walking down any I really regretted. They didn't need to hear it, and I high school (hall). There was real comfort didn't need to say it What I learned from that is knowing as a group we could risk it together. coaches should never talk to their kids after. The Tbe basis of our program was trust. Tell the next day, you go to the Onion with your assistant truth and keep your agreements. Those were the coaches and kick the dog and come back with a things we required our kids to buy into. That was plan to fix it the only way we could function as a group. If we Q: Could you immediately see kids who were said we were going to do something, we did it. born leaders? How did you help them foster those Q: And don't be afraid to fail? leadership skills? A: You don't learn anything if you don't fail. We A: Some of them weren't necessarily positive focus so much - particularly in athletics - on leaders. They were powerful personalities who winning. And 99 percent of the people don't end had to learn to change the power of their their season on a win. To say that all those other personality into something that was constructive experiences aren't equally as valid would be to the group. ludicrous. It would have been easy to cut them, to say, Q: Some experts have cited the lack of quality "This is too hard." We didn't do that. We hung followers as the reason for the lack of quality with some kids that I know when they walked leaders. What makes good followers? away they walked away different people. They are A: I understand why people don't run for office. functioning better in their lives as adults now than It's very difficult to be under the microscope 24 they would have had they not had adults who said, hours a day. We need to be a little more tolerant of ''We can change this; you can fix this; we can make our Oeaders') humanness. We all have failings and this a more positive aspect of your personality." flaws. It takes tremendous courage to be the one They just knew we loved them.

About this series

bench in a supporting role. I learned that the support part was as important as the floor part. It has totally shaped how I am a manager. Sometimes it's more important to be the supporter than the leader." Some ofthe women coached by Linda Sheridan at Kirstin Votava, communications professional; Shadle Park High School have become coaches, played volleyball from 1986 through 1988. businesswomen and community leaders. Four of them share here the lessons in leadership they use - "She just said, 'Look, life brings its challenges. today that they leamedfrom Sheridan years ago. It's about the journey, not the destination. Keep the faith when it gets rough.' Be positive, be confident, - ''Linda taught me that everyone has a role. As a keep yourself strong: That was her mantra. She's junior, I became a leader on the bench. I became the reason I'm in coaching." the bench queen. We had such teamwork on the Judy Kight, head volleyball coach at Mead High

Former students still touched by Sheridan

School; played volleyball and basketball from 1977 through 1979.

- "When I first started playing at Shadle, we had one set of butt-ugly uniforms for all the girls' sports. Title IX funding was just trickling down. - "She cared about all of us as individuals, but she ma<;ie it clear it was never about you. She'd ask: We could have bitched about it But Linda told us: 'There are no second-class citizens in my gym.' At a 'Why are you doing things? Is it for your benefit? Or for the team's benefit?' You make people feel time when a lot of people were belittling girls' like they are the important piece, and they are sports, there was this message of 'You are important, but the ultimate reason that they are important, your team is important, and together playing is for everybody else. A great leader gets you can be important' Out of that culture of followed because there's a greater good out there." respect, she made us feel that what we were doing Julie Yearout, head volleyball coach at Lewis and was so important." Stacey Ward, head volleyball coach at Ferris; Clark High School; played volleyball from 1980 played volleyball from 1976 through 1978. through 1982.

LEADERSHIP DIALOGUES In North Idaho's notable public stand against racism, one figure who has been relentless in the fight for social

justice is North Carolina transplant Tony Stewart, a longtime professor of political science at North Idaho College. He talks about leadership and

integrity in the next installment of the Leadership Dialogues. See Sunday's Opinion page.

NIC's Tony Stewart receives IHC's 2006 award for Outstanding Achievement in the Humanities such publications as The Western Governmental Researche1; National Civic Review, State Government, Community College Social Science Quarterly, and The Ripon Forum. IHC Chair Ron Pisaneschi presented Stewart with a plaque and a check for $1,000. Long time friend Norm Gissel, former state legislator Mary Lou Reed, and NTC Communications, Fine Arts and Humanities Division Chair Virginia Johnson offered tributes to Stewart, thanking him for his love of the humanities and human rights. In accepting rhe award, Stewart reflected on his life experiences, love of the humanities and work with the THC. Johnson led a choir of friends, colleagues and the audience io the singing of a humorous song she wrote Lo honor Stewart.

he Idaho Humanities Council honored North ldaho College political science professor and human rights activist Tony Stewart with its 2006 Award for "Outstanding Achievement in the H umanities" at a special reception and presentation ceremony in February 2007 al Lhe Red Lion Templin's Resort in Post Falls. The IHC annually recognizes an individual or organization for outstanding contributions that promote greater public awareness, appreciation, and understanding of the humanities in Idaho. Stewart was selected to receive the award for his contributions as an outstanding activist, lecturer, writer, and scholar. ln 1970, Stewart founded and continues to chair the NIC Popcorn Forum Lecture Series that over the years has featured more than 500 lectures, panels, and workshops involving such speakers as Vice President Hubert Humphrey, former U.S. Senator Howard Baker, futurist Buckminster Fuller, songwriter Carole King, and many others. As a human rights activist, Stewart was one of the founding members of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human R elations, a founding board member of the Human Rights Education Institute, and a founding board member of the five-state Northwest CoaJ ition Against Malicious Harassment. He serves on the North Idaho College Human Rights and Diversity Committee, and continues as the faculty advisor of the North Idaho College

JHC Chair Ro11 Pisa11eschi (right), presented To11y Stewan with IHC:v 2006 award for "0111sta11ding Achieve111e111 in the H11ma11ities" in February.

Human Equality Club. His television production achievements include founding the North Idaho College TV Public Forum that airs weekJy on six PBS stations in the Northwest and Canada. He aJso produced the documentary Stand Up to Hate Groups by Saying ~s to Hwnan Righrs: The First Ten ~a,:s of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, as weU as a series of programs titled Celebrating the Twenty-Five Year Hisco,y of the Kootenai County Task Force 0 11 Human Relations: 1981-2006. Stewart also has written many articles for

The ldaho Humanities Council has presented its "Outstanding Achievement Award" annually s ince 1986. Previous recipients of the award have included University of Idaho Law Professor Dennis Colson, University of Idaho History P rofessor Carlos Schwantes, independent historian Keith Petersen, Twin FaJLs anthropologist James Woods, former Governor Robert E. Smylie, College of Idaho Professor Louie Attebery, State Histolian Merle Wells, l daho State University English Professor Brian Attebery, Moscow writer Mary Clearman Blew, Idaho historian Arthur Hart, Nez Perce elder Horace Axtell, Boise State University History Professor Emeritus Robert Sims, Idaho poet William Studebaker and others. -!â&#x20AC;˘

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW THE EDITORIAL BOARD Members of the editorial board help to determine The Spokesman-Review's position on issues of interest to the Inland Northwest

Stacey Cowles Publisher Doug Floyd Editorial Page Editor Gary Crooks Associate Editor Rebecca Nappi Associate Editor and columnist

D.F. Oliveria Associate Editor and columnist

Jamie Tobias Neely Associate Editor and columnist

EDITORIAL

Consider candidates' integrity Our View: Voters should look at core values, not positions o one needs a reminder that political races are under way (political races are always under way), but candidates did file for office this week in Washington's 39 counties. That means campaign intensity will soon increase, and with the state's earliest-ever primary only a couple of months away, voters need to be thinking about their choices. One popular method involves what amounts to a scorecard. As candidates differentiate themselves on a limited number of specific issues, voters weigh those positions against their own. Taxation, land-use policies, street repair, police and fire protection - the candidate who matches up best gets the vote. That approach is logical but insufficient.

Page B10 • Sunday • June 10, 2007

The Spokesman-Review

At most, there might be a dozen significant issues on which candidates can stake out positions prior to the election. But over the course of a te.rm in office, countless unforeseeable challenges will face a mayor, council member or school director. On many of these issues, there will be no record of campaign promises to guide decisions or shape public expectations. So as the candidate evaluation process accelerates in coming weeks, voters should be exploring - and candidates should be explaining - just what kind of person will be in place to help resolve the situations that wait around the corner. In the interview excerpted on this page, human rights activist Tony Stewart notes that some political leaders live in "the immediacy of now," while others think about the consequences that will be felt well into the future because of the decisions they make today. To Stewart, it's a question of integrity, and the best way to anticipate a candidate's future action is to learn his or her core values. And whether values trump politics or the other way around. Some candidates will say, and even believe, whatever it takes to win votes in 2007. It's called being responsive to public opinion, which sounds good. Others will also analyze their decisions in terms of the future they'll create and the values they reflect. It takes courage and character for candidates to advocate policies that require sacrifice. Even if it's needed to assure a stable and just future, it doesn't look as attractive on a scorecard as quick, uncomplicated answers. Delayed gratification is a tough sell in th e political world. · We need people of intelligence and integrity in leadership roles when demanding decisions are required. We need people who will look beyond Election Day and consider the full effect of time. If candidates will risk political fallout to give honest opinions, the rest of us owe them at least an open-minded hearing. We might learn something a scorecard alone won't reveal.

LE1\I)ERSIIIP 11IAL()GUES A monthly Q-and-A with The Spokesman-Review Editorial Board Cl') ~

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For the past quarter of a century, the name Tony Stewart has been synonymous with the human rights movement in Kootenai County.

"There's a tremendous responsibility in creating an organization that people are willing to follow.''

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Tony Stewart, a professor of political science at North Idal10 College in Coeur d'Alene, helped form a core of human rights activists who have rallied Kootenai County citizens to counter racist beliefs epitomized by Richard Butler's Aryan Nations. For the fourth installment of The Spokesman-Review's Leadership Dialogues series, Stewart talks to the newspaper's Rebecca Nappi, Colin Mulvany and Doug Floyd about integrity as a component of leadership. Here is an excerpt from that conversation. A full transcript can be found online at spokesmanreview.com. Question: One of your colleagues heard your Southern accent and was caught by surprise that you would be such an advocate for civil rights in Idaho. Should that be an anomaly? Answer: The closer you are to great chaUenges and difficulties of prejudice, I think the more clear it is to you the wrongs of those actions. Even as a child, r ve always been so strongly in support of social justice and fairness, and when I experienced those examples it just magnified my passion for human rights. I brought that from my background here, not knowing that, of course, we would face the long struggle that was here in the Aryan Nations. I also had parents that were strong advocates of treating people with dignity. Q: Were there glimpses at that time of your willingness to step out and ralJy others around you? A: I've never been silent. My parents and I from west North Carolina were visiting in Charlotte, N.C., and a group of young white men made a terribly derogatory statement toward a young African-American boy, and I stood up for him. I was very angry with how he was being treated, and they threatened to beat us up. But we were able to move back into the homes where we were, but that imprint has stayed with me. While we were visiting there, this beautiful African-American lady, she had a voice very much like Mahalia Jackson and she sang and played the piano and we wanted to bring her to west North Carolina, my parents did, to be at our church and perform, and the church elders said no. I have never forgotten that. Q: H ow do you feel about the strength of integrity to motivate someone to leadership? How's that different from getting the streets paved or the library built? A: I am really particularly a follower of a core values system. The late Dr. Harold Lasswell indicated there were eight core values. Three of his eight values are affection and love for other human beings. And the second value he calls rectitude or justice for others. And the third one he calls deference and respect. I think those have been at the core of my passion for the integrity of aU people. One of Dr. Lasswell's values is power. Another one is wealth. And I've witnessed times in the legislative process where a person had to ask themselves the question, will I opt for that value power so I can stay in office, or will I opt for the three values that I consider the greatest integrity, that I will even take a vote that may defeat me on behalf of the values that I believe are for our society? A positive leader will work to bring the best

out of us. A negative leader, oftentimes to gain power, to keep it, will try to bring out i11 us the worst, to bring out our fears, our anger, our i11securities. Q: In an area where passions run so highly, you're asking people who follow you and follow those ideals to put themselves sometimes at risk. What enters your mind when that's the issue? A: There's a tremendous responsibility ill creating an organization that people are willing to follow. I think Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. knew in his nonviolent movement that there were real consequences, including the death of the children in the bombing at the church and others

About this series • The leadership Dialogues is a six-month series of editorial board conversations with community leaders. The purpose is to identify the qualities of leadership - in the hope the dialogues will encourage high-quality candidates to step forward and run for elected office - and allow the community at-large to recognize and respond to positive leadership traits. • On the Web: Transcripts of the monthly dialogues, along with Colin Mulvany videos of the leaders interviewed, will be available at spokesmanreview.com/ ·

sections/leadership.

• Schedule: Today - Tony Stewart, North Idaho human rights activist; March n - Gary Livingston, chancellor of Community Colleges of Spokane; April 8 - Ron Sims, King County executive; May U - Linda Sheridan, retired Shadle Park High School coach; July 8 - Mary Selecky, secretary of the Washington State Department of Health; Aug. 12 - Eckart Preu. music director of the Spokane Symphony.

that were killed on the marches, but he, I think, had a very clear vision that even though there may be victims, and he certainly was one himself at age 39, tl1at the alternative is not acceptable. You do all you can to make people safe, but we could never have had a democracy and it will not continue to evolve playing everything safe. , Q: Is leadership something to be sought or is it thrust upon you? A: I really think there are certain things that are just almost innate in certain people, and one of those is the question of vision. I don't think you can teach that Some people can see that certain actions we take now have consequences or importance years from now. Other people are always living in the immediacy of now. I think there should be a lot of humility in leadership, and once that's seen in an individual, once one is willing to take a stand, you are chosen by people. I don't think anyone can ever just say, "I have the map a11d I 'm goi11g to be your leader." It has to come from the people. . Q: Can you remember a time you experienced great fear during the anti-Aryan movement? A: Twice I went home late at night, and it was ,always empty, and I got two telephone calls - not

the same night - and one of them was a st atement that we know where you live, we're coming to get you. We're going to cut your head off and dump it out at the weigh station. We're going to cut your heart out and send it' to the ADL, Anti-Defamation League. The other one was late in the night. I got a call, they said we know where you are, we're gonna get you, and then there was a recording of a machine gun going off. You don't take those lightly, and you do take some precautions. When Father Bill (Wassmuth) called me when we were so close and worked together, he told me he got a call and they told him to do something that was not physically possible, and he and I laughed about it, and the bombs were the next night. But he made a very important statement. H e said, "I want to live a long life. And I was afraid, but I refuse to live a life of fright and being afraid. I will stand for what I believe in. I refuse to give in." Q: Is compassion ·an important leadership trait, and did you feel imy compassion for the Aryans? A: How can you be supportive of these principles we're talking about, such as equality and dignity to all persons, if you don't have compassion? Dr. King said you must not hate. To hate you die inside. So you don't bate the individual. You certainly stand against them. And so he said you must hate the doctrine. You direct it at the message, and that's what we've tried to do. The other thing that I've tried to do personally is to think of those individuals, particularly young people like racist skinheads who have been brought into it. A lot of tin1es Aryan Nations are families, might have been in jail, and I think of them as tragic figures, because if they refuse to exchange ideas and experience with different cultures, they're robbed of that richness. Q: When you look at your student$ today, what qualities do they need to be a leader like you in the social arena? A! One is they have to decide what th~ir core values are. But then I think there is a three-step pr ocess. One is you have to become all enlightened person and that's through information, knowledge, education, and then wisdom will follow. You have to be dedicated and enlightened. Number two, you have to be ready if the moment comes where you can possibly be a leader. You have to recognize that moment. And then, three, you have to seize it. And when you do all that it'll take some courage, because you will be criticized. And if you don't want to be criticized you have to stay on the sideli11es, and I don't think that's a good option. Q: What do you hope will be the legacy of Tony Stewart? A: My hope would be that those that I have been ill touch with, particularly my students, over 10,000 of them, and others that I've associated with and worked with, that I have convinced any of them to be absolutely committed to the dignity and respect of others and not do anything that demeans people or attacks the self-esteem and worth of other individuals. That's civil rights. That's human rights.

Supporting each other in the fight against racism They call it now the "foxhole," the psychological place where the North Idaho men dwelled together while doing battle against the white supremacists who wanted to make North Idaho into an Aryan homeland. Dozens of women and men fought for civil rights during the 1980s and 1990s in North Idaho, but the core group included Tony Stewart, the subject of our leadership dialogues profile today, the late Bill Wassmuth, whose house was pipe-bombed by racist extremists in 1986, the late Larry Broadbent, a Kootenai County undersheriff

one thing to volunteer for a civic endeavor. But it's a complete new concept when your efforts can end in death. "Tony's leadership never wavered. We had to keep our eye on the prize, he said. Tony was raised in the South. He, more than anybody, understood the cultural disease of racism. He announced early on his intentions to move forward, because he knew what was at stake. And so it was everybody's heartfelt decision that we must press ahead." Marshall Mend: " I was investing in real estate when I moved here in 1980. The last thing on my mind was getting involved in human rights. And then this Aryan Nations member threatened a

who hated the hatred in his community, attorney Norm Gissel and real estate agent Marshall Mend. Great leadership requires unwavering support from tough and kindred spirits. Stewart felt supported in his leadership during the hardest times of the civil rights movement in North Idaho. In turn, he gave support to the men with whom he shared the foxhole. This is how two of them remember that support: Norm Gissel: "We had conversations among ourselves whether we should even continue. It's

family ( who had) biracial children. And then there was no saying no. We all had death threats. "Tony's leade.rship style? He never did anything in a small way. He always did it bigger and better. We went to him asking for one program, one speaker, at the Popcorn Forum. He brought in seven speakers. It went for a whole week. We had (national civil rights leader) Julian Bond here! "The things we did, the places we spoke. It was the highlight of my life. We went to Noxon, Mont., together, and we spoke to a group of 400, and abou 45 or SO in the audience were Nazis. Our message: 'This is the United States of America and it's for all people. We all have the same rights.' "

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

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THE EDITORIAL BOARD

Members of the editorial board help to determine The Spokesman-Review's position on issues of interest to the Inland Northwest Stacey Cowles Publisher Steven A. Smith Editor Doug Floyd Editorial Page Editor Gary Crooks Associate Editor Rebecca Nappi Associate Editor and columnist D.F. Oliveria Associate Editor and columnist

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ormer Washington Gov. Dan Evans was known for being book smart and people smart. While governor, he used his civil engineering degree and work experience to manage the structural details of running the state. And he could talk with everyone, from presidents to student protesters. The best leaders need book smarts, because this kind of intelligence "gives you a basis of historical and intellectual context. You have to understand the moving parts, to see where you've gone and where you're going," said Stan Finkelstein, executive director of the Association of Washington Cities. Finkelstein has worked for the nonpartisan group for 33 years and has met nearly 5,000 candidates and elected officials.

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Thinking Our View: Good leaders need several kinds of intelligence

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Strong leaders, however, also need so-called emotional intelligence. This enables them to socialize with residents from all walks of life and communicate well verbally, as well as nonverbally. Also, the best leaders are "not emotionally bruised by failures," Finkelstein said. This is the fifth installment of the Leadership Dialogues. The leadership characteristic in focus today is intelligence. Without it, leaders can struggle miserably through the intellectual demands - and the emotional burdens - of elected office. Mary Selecky, head of Washington's Department of Health, exemplifies this intelligence characteristic. She earned a history degree from a first-rate institution - University of Pennsylvania before venturing to rural Stevens County in the early 1970s. There, she honed her people skills, which she is known for to this day. History possesses plenty of examples of leaders who fell short because of intellectual shortcomings. Former Washington Gov. Dixy Lee Ray, for instance, was head of the Atomic Energy Commission before becoming governor in 1977. Finkelstein said Ray was "extraordinarily intellectual but could not work with the Legislature." Jesse Ventura, professional wrestler turned governor of Minnesota, possessed the common touch but lacked the intellectual vigor needed to run the state effectively: How can voters gauge intelligence in candidates? Academic grades are not foolproof evidence of book-smart ability, but a candidate's educational record provides insight into how the candidate met intellectual challenges. Emotional intelligence is hard to judge, but watching a candidate work a crowd can help. And smart leaders are never afraid to hire people smarter than themselves. Above all, the greatest leaders don't flaunt their intelligence. They have an "absence of arrogance," as Finkelstein puts it. They understand that the power they possess is linked to the office, not to the person. In rare instances, a leader remains influential long after handing over the power of the office to a successor. Evans is 81 and busy speaking, writing and serving on boards. He finished his third term as governor 30 years ago. Yet when asked what leader they would most like to emulate, many modern-day candidates - both Republicans and Democrats - say "Governor Dan Evans."

LEADERSHIP DIALOGUES A monthly QÂ·and-A with The Spokesman-Review editorial board

COLIN MULVANY The Spokesman-Review

Mary Selecky, secretary of the Washington Department of Health, says her parents expected all of their seven children to be leaders.

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In the early 1970s, Mary Selecky - who grew up, received her education and gained her first work experience in the East - traveled with some friends to check out the beauty of the Northwest. Selecky ended up in Colville, liked what she saw, and settled into rural Stevens County. Her work in public health there garnered her statewide attention, and in 1999, she was named secretary of health for Washington's Department of Health by then-Gov. Gary Locke. In 2005, Gov. Chris Gregoire reappointed Selecky to the Cabinet post. Selecky, 60, oversees 1,400 employees and stars in public service announcements explaining the agency's mission. Selecky recently talked with editorial board members Doug Floyd and Rebecca Nappi and with spokesmanreview.com videographer Colin Mulvany. Q: Were there any indications in your childhood that you were destined to be a leader? A: I grew up in a small coal mining town, Glen Lyon, Pa. My grandparents, all four of them, came from northeast Slovakia. I'm one of seven. The expectation was that every one of us would be a leader of some kind. Q: You served 20 years as the administrator of the Northeast Tri-County Health District in Colville. How did that experience make you a more effective leader at the state level? A: When you're in a small town, you don't have a lot of assets readily available. Yo~ have to search out partners and other communities who might help you. In a rural town, you know you can't do it alone. I use that every day in my work at the state level. My first question: ''Who else needs to be involved?" Q: What kinds of intelligence are important for good leadership? A: One of the most important ones is emotional intelligence. What do you know about yourself? H ow do you help draw out the best in other people? Q: You have watched legislators and other leaders in action. What characteristics distinguish the best ones? A: You have to be truthful to all the questions that are there. My colleague Dennis Braddock was head of the Department of Social and Health Services after having been a legislator. We went to see one of the (legislative leaders) who didn't like our idea. Dennis told him all the pros and cons. I said to Dennis, "It was very interesting to see you be so honest about all the cons." He said, "I only get one chance." It was an incredible learning experience for me: Tell them all you know. Q: You still have your home and property in Stevens County. How does that rural setting recharge you? A: It's not all about you. It's about being part of a community. People really appreciate that I'm in Olympia, doing something on their behalf, but I'm them. Without a sense of community, how can we be leaders? Q: Why don't more of our natural leaders in the private sector run for public office? A: I've been in public service since 1975. In those 32 years, the level of exposure has ramped up, not just for elected officials but for everyone who works in government. The criticisms outweigh the positives. A colleague of mine was

/sections/leadership. • Schedule: Today - Mary Selecky, secretary of the Washington State Department of Health; March n - Gary Livingston, chancellor of Community Colleges of Spokane; Aprll 8 - King County Executive Ron Sims; May 13 - Linda Sheridan, retired Shadle Park High School coach; June 10 - Tony Stewart, North Idaho human rights activist; Aug. 12 - Eckart Preu, music director of the Spokane Symphony.

asked to be head of the health department in another state. He had worked in a private hospital. He left after 18 months. One of his comments about leaving was, "I have to be so public about everything. I can't make a decision without people looking at it 16 ways till Sunday. When I was in my other setting, if it was a good business decision, I made it." Q: About a year ago, you and your agency were in the spotlight in a critical way for what was called "lax oversight of unscrupulous care providers." What do the best leaders learn when they come under fire? A: When you hit an issue that comes across as negative as that did - three days above the (newspaper) fold, editorials across the state, including here - you have to say, "Am I willing to read this one more time to understand what it looks like from their eyes?" I may know my truth. I may know my situation. But I better pay attention to what the perceptions are. Those are very humbling lessons. The most important thing for me as a leader was to create a holding environment for the staff. They were watching how I reacted. If I lost heart, how could I turn around and say to them, ''We need to fix this." If I needed to have a personal reaction, that's how it needed to be: private. Q: When you're at public events, you always seem to be enjoying yourself. What we haven't brought up enough in this series is the joy and the fun of being a leader. Do a riff on that. A: This is very energizing for me. Part of leadership, no matter what kind of person you are, has to be relationship-based. You have to be able to make a connection. With all this work on preparedness and the flu pandemic, (people ask) "Are you going to tell us all to stay home?" I say,

"I won't tell you that unless I really mean it and when I do I really want you to do that." If I can personally deliver that message, how much better is that than sitting behind a desk? The people contact keeps you honest, energizes you and helps you see where we need to go next. Q: How do you differentiate between good administration and good leadership? A: Good administration is doing things right and good leadership is doing the right things. On a day-to-day l;lasis I expect a heck of a lot of people - whether they are the people in the laboratory or the people digging water samples to do things right But the fact we have to make the policy decision that we should be doing that testing in the first place means you've got to accumulate a lot of information and come to a conclusion that it's the right thing to do. Q: How does a person in your situation deal with the issue that you might be working with people who are smarter than you are, more experienced? A: I'm going to go back to my family. My dad was a lawyer and a judge. He only lived to age 49. I was the oldest one home when he died. My older brothers and sisters had already done this college thing. They were way smarter than I was. What we learned in my family was that you sought out advice - not just from inside the family, but from people who had more information than you did - to help you make your decision, because ultimately we were responsible for our own decisions. I don't know how else to do that except to listen to someone who is wiser than I am. Q: You are dependent upon the political climate. The governor goes, you could go, too. Or the governor changes her mind, you could go. How do you stay focused with that potential uncertainty? A: I went to work in county government and worked for more than 40 county commissioners up in Ferry, Pend Oreille and Stevens counties. They would come and go and I was able to stay the path. What I learned'from that is you've got to stay tuned to the environment, because you never know when someone will ask you to leave. So the point (is) to do a good job every day. That's the spirit you have to bring to public service. Q: When you look for leadership within your own departments, what are the traits you look for? A: They have to be individuals I can trust and they can engender trust in someone else. They have to be brave. We get a lot of slings and arrows tossed at us. They have to be risk-takers, but be wise about their risks. And they have to understand that sometimes you need patience. Things don't change overnight. Q: Why do you do what you do? A: I love public service. My folks would always ask us, when we'd say, "Gee, how come they are or aren't doing this," well, what about you, why aren't you stepping up? There is a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the "Psalm of Life." My dad would say it at the table and all of us could recite it. It ends with: Let us then be up and doing, With a heart for any fate; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait.

with the mentor role Mary Selecky says they played in her life. Both are eager to talk about Selecky's innate abilities but shun any credit for her success. Selecky, now Washington state secretary of Health, was a student at the University of f your idea of a mentor is a wiser, more Pennsylvania when she met Emerson, the dean experienced person who guides, comforts of students, and impressed her as "a wonderful and molds you, well, maybe so. But young woman, willing to do anything." sometimes it's not so clear-cut And "anything'' included helping Emerson, a "Mentor," says Alice "Tish" Emerson, "is a working single parent, take care of her family word that's used very loosely now." and also filling in for a university colleague who Maybe that explains why neither Emerson nor became ill at a critical time of the year. Selecky, Colville physician Ed Gray identified quickly the student, accepted thi: challenge and did a

Nurturing is a vital part of effective mentorship

professional job, Emerson recalls. "Mary did as much for me a I did for her," says Emerson, who's still a friend and stays in touch with Selecky from her Pennsylvania home. Like Emerson, Gray praises Selecky's administrative skills and ability to bring others together. Gray was a leader in the Stevens County and state medical communities in the 1970s when Selecky arrived in northeast Washington. She was adventurous and attracted to the area, but brand new to the field of health care. Her leadersllip talents displayed themselves

quickly, despite what Gray recalls was a sometimes testy political environment. Soon, she was administrator of the Northeast Tri-Counties Health District and president of the Washington Association of Local Public Health Officials. As for being her mentor, Gray say merely, "If I did that, I'm happy." But he says she was as much a resource for him as he was for her. While neither Emerson nor Gray wants to seize the mentor hip mantle, both spotted Selecky's potential and helped provide her with opportunities to develop it. That may be more valuable than guiding, comforting and moldinf - if not the same thing.

COEUR d'ALENE www.cdapress.com

Saturday July 21, 2007

Human Rights Education Institute names new executive director Former NIC President Bob Bennett to take helm By LINDA BALL Staff writer

COEUR d'ALENE - Former North Idaho College president Bob Bennett has been named the new executive director of the Human Rights Education Institute. The institute's 15-month search included 200 applications.

"We have gone through sets of interviews and never found the right fit and now we have," said Lucy Lepinski, vice-chair of the HREJ's board of directors. Bennett starts his new job Aug. 1. He has been retired for about 10 years. "I was approached and asked if I would consider the possibility," Bennett said. '1bis job sounds so fascinating to me. I've had enough fun." Fundraising for the nonprofit organization will be one of Bennett's main

duties. He'll also work on developing goals and plans. Al Williams, athletic director at NIC, is also on the HREI board of directors. He said the board was trying to figure out who would be the best executive director, and Bennett was the one. 'The whole idea is to educate the community on human rights," Williams said. "He knows a lot of people and has a lot of respect. He has that respect and credibility."

HREI board president Michelle Fink said Bennett is a leader familiar with the community. Bennett was president of NIC from 1987 to 1997. "Bob has a proven track record," Fink said. "And he's energetic." The balance of the HREI board is Steve Flerchinger, treasurer, Rocky Owens, secretary, Freeman Duncan, Gerry Gee, Mary Lou Reed, Joanne Harvey, Betsy Hawkins and Norma Peone. "We're a very committed group of individuals," Lepinski said.

The Press, Thursday, July 26, 2007

JEROME A. POLLOS/Press

Davey M ader~ 12, jumps into lake Coeur d'Alene from the bulkhead Wednesday at Yap-Keehn-Um Beach near North Idaho College.

NIC celebrates beach history and host other Native American tribes in celebration of the start of a new season. Now, hundreds of years later, Once, the sounds of drums members of the Coeur d'Alene and tribal singing rang out on the Tribe will again congregate on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene at summer beach along with NIC tl1e summer gathering place of the administrators, city officials and Coeur d'Alene Tribe. Various bands community members to celebrate of the tribe would return from their the vast history of the NIC beach winter travels and meet on what and the 30-year history of the colis now the North Idaho College lege's ownership of the lakeshore beach to sing, dance, play games along the edge of campus.

College has owned lakeshore for 30 years

The 30th Anniversary Celebration of Yap-Keehn-Um Beach, which means "The Gathering Place" in the Coeur d'Alene language, will be from noon to 3 p.m. Friday. The event will begin at the bulkhead on the NIC beachfront with a celebration of Yap-Keehn-Um Beach. In addition to tribal drumming and dancing, representatives see BEACH, C4

C4 THE PRESS Thursday, July 26, 2007

North Idaho

BEACH

NJC political science instructor Tony Stewart will from C1 speak about how NJC gained ownership of the beach. The of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe history dates back 35 years will speak about the hiswhen a developer hoped tory of the land and the to construct condominisignificance to the Coeur ums on the property at the d'Alene Tribe. Other present- head of the Spokane River. ers will include NIC Board Community members objectof Trustees Chair Rolly ed and launched a public Williams, Coeur d'Alene battle against the proposal. Mayor Sandi Bloem and Due to the effort, which was former NJC board members spearheaded by Stewart, the Scott Reed and Jo Webb. developer backed out and "The Coeur d'Alene Tribe NJC was able to purchase the has a special relationship lakeshore from Pack River with Coeur d'Alene lake Lumber Company in 1977 since it provided sustenance and maintain public usage of to our members and a source the beachfront. of spiritual renewal as its "The community felt waters have permeated every strongly that this property aspect of the tribe's beliefs," belonged to the public and said Coeur d'Alene Tribe they were determined to Chairman Chief Allan. keep it that way," Stewart

"The property is now worth between $25 and $50 million."

ment, the college will also dedicate the new NJC Rose Garden in honor of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, immediately following the beach celebration Friday. Tribal dancers will lead event guests from the beach to the garden, located behind TONY S1EWART Seiter Hall on NlC's camsaid. "The Federal Land and pus. The garden is divided Water Conservation Fund into four sections and each and Kootenai County provid- includes a placard with hised funding for the purchase, torical information on various which equated to 3,410 feet places of significance to the for $260,000. The property is Coeur d'Alene Tribe. To the now worth between $25 and Schitsu'umsh (the Coeur $50 million." d'Alene word meaning the In a show of corporate citi"Discovered People"), the z.enship, on October 22, 1937, thorns, branches and petals Wmton Lumber Company of the rose nurtured mourndeeded portions of NIC's ing hearts and helped loved present day campus site to ones pass on peacefully. Kootenai County for use as a All attendees of the beach general public hospital or an celebration and rose garden educational institution along celebration will be welcome with open space. If this restrict- to attend a reception honored deed is violated, the proping the Coeur d'Alene Tribe erty will revert back to owner- in the Ts'elusm Dining Room ship by the Wmton family. in NIC's Edminster Student Fifty years later, the Union Building. "We honor our commitKootenai County Task Force ment to bringing the comon Human Relations was munity together with North instrumental in naming the Idaho College by dedicating beachfront Yap-Keehn-Um Yap-Keehn-Um Beach and the Beach in 1987. Other areas NJC Rose Garden for all to and facilities on NIC's camshare in friendship and unity pus have since been named in honor of the Coeur d'Alene among cultures," Allan said. All events are free and Tribe as part of the college's open to the public. The Nine-Point Agreement with events are co-hosted by the tribe to collaborate on North Idaho College and the projects and programs that Kootenai County Task Force incorporate Coeur d'Alene on Human Relations. tribal history. Information: 769-3325 Also as part of that agree-

Julyamsh powwow kicking off this weekend At least 55 drum groups, a welcoming horse parade, presentation of colors and grand entries will be among the colorful events for the By RICK THOMAS three-day powwow. Staff writer "Our ancestors met along this river centuries ago," said Cliff POST FALLS -As many as Si.John, coordinator for the horse 1,000 dancers representing hunparade, art show and auction. 'They dreds of tribes from the United came to meet, trade and enjoy comStates and Canada will perform at petitions among their friends from the 10th Julyamsh beginning Friday other tribes. They came to celebrate at the Greyhound Park and Event see POWWOW, C3 Center.

About 60,000 are expected to attend the festivities

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and trade with early day trappers who called the gathering a rendezvous. All were welcome then. All are welcome now." An international flavor will be adcied this year as the Quicra Tribe of Ecuador brings shgers and musicians

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from the Andes Mountains. The group performs on guitars, flutes and drums and sings in Spanish and their native tongue. About 60,000 are expected to attend the event, beginning at 8 a.m. Friday and running through Sunday. A complete schedule will be included in a special Julyamsh section in today's Press.

Julyamsh artists at Old Church Center Julyamsh artists will be on hand 5:30-7:30 p.m. today at Old Church Center for Arts and Community, Fourth and William, at a reception for Native American artists. More than 200 local supporters of the arts have received invitations to honor the artists and view their works at this event, which is its second year at this location. In

addition to art work being available for purchase, the evening's activities will include a performance by the California Mission Bird Singer, dancers, a teepee on display, and food and beverages. "Julyarnash is an opportunity to build connections and see ARTISTS, C3

Santa Fe Indian Art Festival, Hurd Museum winner and has Best of Show internationfrom ally. He will be joined by last community between culyear's featured artist, George tures,'' said Cliff Sijobn of the Flett and 20 other Native Coeur d'Alene tribe. 'This American Artists. reception will be a preview of There is no charge for what the general public can admission and a buffet, but experience at this weekend's there will be wine for sale. J ulyamsh celebration." "We would love to open The theme of this year's this up for everybody," said event is "Ripples in a pool Stephanie Jewell, event coorradiating out Sense of dinator for the center. community reaching out" Interested members of the The featured artist will be community can receive an Leroy Whiteman, Northern invitation to attend by calling Chyenne from Lame Deer, the center at 457-8950 between Mont He is a winner of the 9:30 am. and 2:30 p.m.

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SPOKESMAN ~REVIEW FRIDAY , J ULY 27 , 2007

IDAHO EDITION

SPOKES MANRE VIEW. CO M

A saving moment for CdA NIC purchased beach 30 years ago BY MEGHANN M. CUNIFF Staff writer

As Coeur d'Alene residents and tourists splash in Lake Coeur d'Alene and soak up sun on the beach today, the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and North Idaho College will celebrate the 30-year anniversary of the preservation of Yap-Keehn-Um Beach. A battle against a proposed condominium development spurred the college's efforts to buy the beach near the head of the Spokane River, one of the largest public access spots on Lake Coeur d'Alene. ''Every time I see people down there playing and swimming, I reminisce," said NIC political science instructor Tony Stewart, who led the effort to save the beach from becoming the private playground of condo owners. "There's so many people living here who don't know any of this story." I n 1972, Pack River Properties proposed building luxury condominiums at the site, about 30 to 50 feet from the shoreline. Stewart, then in his second year at NIG, organized a community group to fight the proposal. Five years later, North Idaho College

uThis Is a lovely area," said Stephen Barlow, front, of Centralia, Wash., about NIC's beach on Thursday. purchased the beach, forever preserving it for public use. The 3,410-square-foot beach, which ends at the DeArmond Mill site, was purchased for $260,000 using a combination of NIC, county, state and federal funds. It's now worth between $25 million and $50 million,

See BEACH, A10

SPECIAL DAY AT THE BEACH

PHOTOS BY KATHY PLONKA The SpokesmanÂ·Rev,ew

Terrell Elgee-Sanders, 7, of Spokane enjoys the waters at the mouth of the Spokane River at NIC's beach on Thursday. The Coeur d'Alene Tribe and North Idaho College will celebrate the 30-year anniversary of the college's purchase of the beach today.

BEACH eontm..d from A1 Stewart said. The beach became Yap-Keehn-Um Beach in 1987 to honor the Coeur d'Alene Tn'be, which historically used the beach as a summer gathering spot. Today's celebration will mark not only the anniversary of the beach purchase but the 20-year anniversary of the renaming. "It's to remind people that the beach is still there and it will always be there - not privatized ... it's for everybody," said tribal member Norma Peone. A new rose garden in Fort Sherman Park will be dedicated to the tribe, part of a nine-point plan penned in 1997 that calls for projects like the garden, a longhouse, Coeur d'Alene Tribal Awareness Week and the naming of buildings and other campus infrastructure after tribal leaders. Coeur d'Alene attorney Scott W. Reed chaired the NIC board at the time of the condo proposal and prepared legal arguments against it, which

If you go WIIIII: North Idaho College and the Coeur d'Alene Tr.ibe celebrate the 30-year anniversary of the purchase of the NIC beach, Yap-Keehn-Um Beach, and dedicate the NIC Rose Garden to the tribe. Wha: Today from noon until 3 p.m. Wlllrc At the bulkhead of the NIC beach. The Rose Garden dedication will take place in the garden behind Seiter Hall at 1 p.m., and a reception featuring tribal foods will begin at 2 p.m. in the student union dining room.

Stewart said he read at protests and meetings. But the arguments never were invoked. No court battles ensued. No City Council votes were taken. The community outcry over the proposal 3,500 petition signatures were gathered in two weeks - shut down the proposal in about six months, said Reed, who will speak at today's event. "It just died down," he said. "I think they recognized there was a terrible controversy." NIC purchased the beach from financially troubled Pack River in 1977. DeArmond Mill's Bob DeArmond helped negotiate the price down from

$900,000, Stewart said. "I think he well recognized the need that the college had," Reed said. The Winton Lumber Co. owned the NIC beach and portions of the campus before deeding the campus to Kootenai County in 1937 and the beach to Pack River. The agreement between the Winton family and the c,;,unty mandates the campus be used for education or medical purposes with public open space. "(Former NIC President) Michael Burke used to getÂˇcalls from developers from Spokane asking him to move (NIC) to the prairie and sell the beach

for high-rises," Stewart said. "They had no idea it's (the campus) here forever, it couldn't be sold, period." That agreement didn't apply to the beach when the condos were proposed, but NIC owns a portion of the road separating the campus from the beach. So even if the beach had been developed, NIC would control the access road, Stewart said, making the community's case against the development solid. Stewart discussed that point when arguing against the condo proposal. ''In my humor, I said 'I guess you can helicopter in and out,' " he said. NIC and the Coeur d'Alene Tribe planned the celebration to coincide with the Julyamsh powwow. Tribes from across the country were invited to the beach anniversary ceremony. "It such an incredi'bly wonderful victory," Stewart said. "I call it the second Alaska purchase."

Reporter Meghann M. Cuniff can be reached at (208) 765-7129 or by e-mail at meghannc@spokesman.com.

The Press, Saturday, July 28, 2007

oca ENTERTAINMENT: Stephen Cplbert breaks wrist on set /C10

NIC, Cd'A Tribe celebrate collaboration of cultures lege administrators and members of the community spoke to the crowd COEUR d' ALENE - Sunbathers gathered to mark the stood up and children stopped play30-year anniversary of ing in the sand along Yap-Keehn-Um the college's acquisition Beach Friday as Coeur d'Alene tribal of the beach and celdancers stepped, twirled and jingled ebrate the dedication of Stensgar their way across the grassy lawn the college's new rose atop the bulkhead at North Idaho garden in honor of the tribe. College's beach front "For generations, the tribe has Tribal singing and drumming filled used the lake for recreation and eduthe air as a procession, lead by Coeur cation," longtime, former tribe chaird'Alene Tribe veterans, signaled the man, Ernie Stensgar said. 'This was start of an afternoon celebration of always a place of learning." the relationship between the tribe and The celebration of Yap-Keehn-Um the college. Tribe members, city officials, colsee TRIBE, C7 By MAUREEN DOLAN Staff writer

Emmitt White stands on the grassy area at Yap-Keehn-Um Beach during Friday's 30th anniversary of North Idaho College's acquisition of the lakefront property owned by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. The property was threatened with development when the tribe and college worked to preserve the land. JEROME A. POLLOS/

Press

THE PRESS Saturday, July 28, 2007

TRIBE C1 from

Beach's history is of special significance because NIC gained ownership 35 years ago after a struggle with a developer who planned to build along the shoreline. Political science instructor Tony Stewart was one of the leaders of the protest that saved the beach. "In 1972, we received word that they were going to build condos on the beach," Stewart said. "We acted instantly to oppose the project" The protests were heard and the project never progressed. The land Munay was purchased for $260,000 35 years ago and Stewart said the estimated value today is $25-$50 million. At the end of the beach ceremony, Eric Murray,

Vice President for Student Services, invited the crowd to join him across Rosenberry Drive in the rose garden for its dedication in honor of the tribe. The garden dedication is part of a nine-point agreement between the college and the tribe to preserve and promote Coeur d'Alene tribal history. Murray said several locations on campus have already been named in honor of the tribe as part of that agreement including the beach, the childcare center and the dining hall. Murray told the crowd that every year from now, something on campus will be named in honor of the tribe. Tribe member Felix Aripa spoke to the crowd about the Coeur d'Alene language, ending with some words in Coeur d'Alene that he translated for the crowd. "This is where our moccasins belong," Aripa said, "and, I'm wearing my moccasins today." The ceremony ended with nearly 100 people, all in attendance, being lead by members of the tribe in a circle dance around the garden.

KESMAN ~REVIEW D y

T 5 2007

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Bennett embraces new role Ex-NICpr sident leads anti-racism organization

Human Rights Education Institute For more information on Coeur d'Alene's Human Rights Education Institute, call (208) 292-2359 or visit www.hrei.org. The institute is located at 414 V1 N. Mullan Ave., in the northeast corner of City Parle. It's open 9 a.m. to 5 p.rn. Monday through Friday.

BY MEGHANN M. CUNIFF Staff writer

Six years ago, community leaders in Coeur d'Alene envisioned a run-down building on Mullan Avenue near City Park becoming a hub for presentations, discussions and progTams addressing racism, prejudice and human rights. A $1 million donation was used to

remodel the building, and the Human Rights Education Institute opened in December 2005 with the hope of becoming internationally known for education about the rights of all - and the dangers of discrimination. A board of director led the institute through its infancy, organizing progTams and searching for a leader.

That leader started work Wednesday. Best known as the president of North Idaho College from 1987 to 1997, Bob Bennett was seven year into retirement when he was approached about the job recently. Bennett was drawn to the challenge of See BENNETT, AB

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JESSE TINSLEY The Spokesman-Review

Bob Bennett, the retired former president of North Idaho College who has taken over as director of the Human Rights Education Institute, stands inside the HREI building in Coeur d'Alene's City Park on Wednesday.

with swastika tattoos in the park's wave pool to cover the Continued from A1 markings or leave, park spokeswoman Nancy leading an organization that thrives on relationships with all DiGiammarco said. The men segments of the community, left the pool, covered their from schools to law tattoos and were followed by security guards to the enforcement to businesses. amusement park, where there "You can't be an educator for too long without getting were no reported incidents, Marshall Mend involved in issues of how DiGiammarco said. Kootenai County Task Force people get along," he said. "It's on Human Relations Patrick Manz, an just inherently part of the job." investigative researcher with Now, at age 70, Bennett the Seattle office of the Anti-Defamation League, said takes over an organization against the Aryans. Three the same group of white supporters say has thrived in others stood outside the its early years but needs a building handing out pro-Aryan supremacists that has been in permanent leader to get broad the Inland Northwest is still literature. public support and promote its Coeur d'Alene resident here. programs. Gerald O'Brien and at least "They're definitely trying to "I think we're on the brink of seven other Neo-nazi skinheads reorganize and move their greatness," said Marshall Mend, rallied outside the Spokane headquarters back to Coeur a founding member of the County Courthouse in June, d'Alene," Manz said. "Don't get Kootenai County Task Force on claiming to be part of a me wrong - they're still "worldwide remembrance day'' extremely small. Maybe four Human Relations, a sister organization. "Before, we had a for the late David Eden Lane, people, tops." who's credited with coining the board but we didn't have a The contact information on leader. Now we have a leader." phrase: "We must secure the the Web site existence of our people and a www.aryannations.org lists a Bennett is starting his new role after some recent future for white children." Coeur d'Alene post office box. Three weeks later, police flare-ups, including a small "Yes, we're back in our white supremacist said two men claiming to have hometown," a line below the demonstration in Spokane and Aryan Nations ties reportedly address reads. a confrontation at a Hayden In response to such episodes, screamed racial slurs and the institute's role is that of a Lake beach involving people neo-Nazi mantras during an shouting racist remarks. altercation with beach-goers at proactive teacher, Stewart said. Hayden Lake, not far from the The Kootenai County Task In March, a man claiming Aryan Nations ties interrupted former Aryan headquarters of Force on Human Relations, of the late Richard Butler. which Stewart is a founding a talk by NIC instructor Tony Stewart and attorney Norm Last Wednesday, security at member, addresses racist Gissel, who were speaking at Silverwood Theme Park near incidents one at a time and Athol ordered a group of men advocates for victims, he said. the institute about the fight

BENNETT

'1 think we're on the brink of greatness. Before we had a board but we didn't have a leader. Now we have a leader.

"The task force is a SWAT team," Stewart said. "We're the ones that deal with hate crimes." That's done through victim outreach and community awareness, he said. "No undue publicity - but if these guys are doing stuff and harassing people, the community needs to know about it," Mend said. Both the task force and institute need to be proactive to combat racism, Stewart said, but the institute's role is that of a long-term education center that can prevent prejudices from forming. Bennett said he doesn't have plans for specific programs for the institute. He plans to meet with each of the institute's 10 board members to get ideas. Since it opened, the institute has hosted exhibits that have included family photographs taken by Anne Frank's father, a collection of children's art meant to convey the rights of children, and historical artifacts and personal accounts addressing immigration and ethnicity in Idaho. Bennett does plan to start a fundraising campaign to raise awareness about the institute and give it the money needed to continue quality programs and expand its presence ).n the region, he said. "Like anything, good

programs cost money," Bennett said. Âˇ His job comes down to two responsibilities, he said: implementing programs and finding the money to support them. That will involve lots of talking with community leaders. He plans to get on the speaking circuit, talking to any group willing to listen. "One of my major responsibilities will be going out and telling the merits of the institution," he said. Bennett said he is eager to hear what people want from the organization, and he wants the community to see the institute as a refuge for discrimination victims and an education center for all. "I'm hoping if people experience some kind of prejudice they'll call us and let us know," he said. Is racism more of a problem in North Idaho than elsewhere? "Sometimes it's very hard for a white male to understand whether it is or not'' when living in a primarily Caucasian community, he said. More attention can be paid to issues like that if the community rallies to support the institute and help it grow, he said. More than 200 people applied for Bennett's job, said Michelle Fink, board president The search process took about

two years and started over twice. The board picked Bennett because of his leadership skills and connection to the community, Fink said. "I think that expertise will serve us well," said board member Jerry Gee. "It'll be real beneficial for the community to realize that we do continue to exist and we are moving forward." Bennett, the institute's second executive director, served as NIC's fifth president before being forced to resign by the NIC board. He was given $142,000 to leave a few months into a two-year contract, and his ouster prompted two board members to resign and protests from faculty and students. On the job just a f~w hours, Bennett said Wednesday he has seen the potential for the region to rally around the institute. When he told a friend of his new job, "he was more interested in the import.ance of the institute than me working there, and that's the impression I've heard from so many people," he said. "I just hope I can make people aware of this place so that they'll reach out to us." Reporter Meghann M. Cuniff can be reached at (208) 765-7129 or by e-mail at meghannc@spokesman.com.

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW THE EDITORIAL BOARD Members of the editorial board help to determine The Spokesman-Review's position on issues of interest to the Inland Northwest

Page BS â&#x20AC;˘ Sunday â&#x20AC;˘ August 12, 2007

The Spokesman-Review

Stacey Cowles Publisher Doug Floyd Editorial Page Editor Gary Crooks Associate Editor Rebecca Nappi Associate Editor and columnist D.F. Oliveria Associate Editor and columnist Jamie Tobias Neely Associate Editor and columnist

EDITOHI1\L

Leading through catalysis Our View: The most effedive bring out the best in others

ome years back, John McKnight introduced a new way of thinking about how neighborhoods and communities might confront their challenges, an approach that focused on assets rather than liabilities. Up to that time, the norm had been this: If your neighborhood was crime-ridden or racked by poverty, you could tally the debilities and apply for nonprofit grants or government funding intended to solve those problems. Weaknesses had become strengths in the eyes of political figures who sought solutions outside their communities rather than from within. McKnight, director of Community Studies at Northwestern University, encouraged community leaders to look instead for the internal capacities that could be harnessed to engage citizens in solving their own problems. His work and that of like-minded sociologists helped usher in an era of leaders as catalysts, people who would tap the talents and energy of those who had the most to gain from effective problem-solving.

One can look around today and question whether attitudes have really changed all that much overall, but the leadership model McKnight advocated is worth showcasing still , Consider the analogy provided by the accompanying interview with Spokane Symphony conductor Eckart Preu, who is charged with bringing the individual talents of dozens of musicians together in full orchestral richness. In an hour-long conversation with representatives of The Spokesman-Review editorial board, Preu noted that he doesn't achieve his task by pounding his expectations into the minds of his musicians, but by recognizing their individuality, listening to what they want him to hear, and being open to better ideas even if he wasn't the first person to think of them. In the wisdom of Preu and five other community figures whose interviews have appeared he.r e in recent months, there is valuable information not only for the aspiring community leaders who are offering themselves as candidates in this year's local elections but also for the citizens who, as voters, will be choosing whom they want to follow. As the maestro points out, being in charge isn't about power or having all the answers. The effective leader isn't necessarily the person with a monopoly on wisdom and talent and ability. It's the person who recognizes those assets in others and helps see that they're put to good use. There's a vital message in that for citizens, too: They can't expect leaders to succeed without the public's support and engagement. As the late Max De Pree, a Fortune 500 CEO, once wrote about the importance of integrating individual talents into a group effort: "The process of integration is simply abandoning oneself to the strengths of others, being vulnerable to what others can do better than we can." That reinforces Preu's observation that conductors don't make the music, musicians do. In Spokane and other communities, the process of choosing political leaders needs to incorporate a sense of shared objectives in w hich citizen involvement doesn't end on election day - it just begins.

l.J~AI) ~: llS I III) IJ IALiC lGlJr~ S A monthly Q-and-A with The Spokesman-Review Editorial Board ~

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Spokane Symphony Director Eckart Preu says it is very important to know when to lead musicians and when to let them play.

Eckart Preu was named conductor and music director of the Spokane Symphony three years ago. In this, the final installment of The Spokesman-Review's Leadership Dialogues, he talks with editorial board members Doug Floyd, Rebecca Nappi and Lynn Swanbom and videojournalist Colin Mulvany about the leadership elements of his position.

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Q: When did you know that you wanted to pursue a life in music? A: I went to a boys choir when I was 10 years old for eight years. And for those years I lived in a boarding school, and we ate and breathed and everything we did was just music. And school was j ust a little side job, and my life was, for those eight years, basically music and soccer, and that's it. And so, when it came to choose what I wanted to do, it was either becoming a soccer player or become a musician. Q: You grew up in East Germany. Was the choice that sent you to boys choir in the first place your choice or someone else's? A: No. I never wanted to go there. It was my father's ch oice. I had a very good voice, and my father trained me and practiced with me. We had daily struggles with tears and all. But very early on, you create a different group of people there, because we lived th ere 24/ 7, and they become your new family. And when you make music so often, and all day, all day, it was just life-changin~ for me, and I liked it, really. But I got into music as a conductor because it was the only way to express myself, in East Germany, under all this political pressure. Nobody can interpret the music I make in a political way. And I can make very sad music, because I feel it's a very sad time for me. But people will think, "That's romantic. That's beautiful." Everything you did - with math, literature, with chemistry, biology - it was all interpreted in political ways and if you were not in line you were in trouble. So music was the only thing, because it's nonverbal, that you could express yourself. Q: Would most serious musicians prefer to become conductors? A: I thought when I was a young boy that as a conductor you weren't dependent on others. Complete mistake. You areslependent on each and every one you work with. But there is definitely an urge among musicians to conduct, to lead. And you think that as conductor you are in charge, and kind of you are, but it doesn't really change anything about that it's a communal event, that you are depen dent on each and every one. Because as a conductor you don't make a single sound, unless you grunt. Everyone else makes sounds. So you're dependent on people who make sounds, so you can just inspire them to make the best sounds they possibly can. Q: What do you have to do to establish the confidence in your musicians that they will follow you willingly and eagerly, given the experience levels they all have? A: First, you have to be confident about what you want to do. Many orchestras figure out themselves how they can get by without a conductor giving precise instructions, but it's never going to be good. And then sometimes you have to make a case.

Because there are traditions, old traditions, particularly when it comes to musical warhorses, like Beethoven, Brahms. That's the way it's always been done, and everybody has played it that way. Now you come along and say, "No, I want it this way." And sometime.s you lose. Or sometimes, which is the most amazing thing, the musicians come up with better solutions. And then, I think, the main job of a conductor is to listen. It's not necessary to make them do what you wanted them to do. It's to know what they want you to hear, as well And then you listen and say that's

About this series • The Leadership Dialogues is a six-month series of editorial board conversations with community leaders. The purpose is to identify the qualities of leadership - in the hope the dialogues will encourage high-quality candidates to step forward and run for elected office - and allow the community-at-large to recognize and respond to positive leadership traits. The dialogues include people who exercise leadership in other arenas, such as sports and the arts, but the characteristics they describe apply to political leadership, too. • On the Web: The complete transcripts of the monthly dialogues. along with Colin Mulvany videos of the leaders interviewed, will be available at www.spokesmanreview.com/sections /leadership. • Schedule: Today - Eckart Preu, music director of the Spokane Symphony. Previously: March n Gary Livingston, chancellor of Community Colleges of Spokane; April 8 - King County Executive Ron Sims; May 13 - Retired Shadle Park High School coach Linda Sheridan; June 10 - North Idaho human rights activist Tony Stewart; July 8 - Mary Selecky, secretary of the Washington State Department of Health.

actually much better than I thought, than I ever came up with. Q: During a live performance, what is it like to have to be alert to those little things that need to be tweaked here and there? A: It's very important to know when to lead and when to let them play. I think that's the most crucial, crucial thing. It's never really: That's the way we did it in rehearsal, that's exactly what were going to do in performance. And we don't want this to happen. That would be boring. Every time it's different, because we're all individuals. Our mood is different, our focus, whether we've eaten before, how much sleep we had. But it's like before you hit a golf ball or in tennis. The moment, the split second before you hit it, you know if it's going to be a good one or bad one. And it's the same thing when you conduct. I lift my arm, I know exactly if it's going to work or not. Q: If the cellist hits a note that's a half-step off, is that a situation that calls for leadership or an acknowledgement of some sort? A: A situation when someone plays the wrong note calls for leadership in the sense that it is not intentional. Now, if the same mistake happens several times, then it is my

responsibility to step in and say, look at this note. But it's not a personal insult, and it's not by bad intention, so you always have to give people credit. These people are not there to play badly. They are there to play at their best, and you are there to make them play even better. Q: What is the difference between impatience and haste in the way you l~ad an organization? A: Impatience for me is a means to get attention. So sometimes appearing impatient - I never am really impatient - but appearing impatient is a means to get someone's attention, and that has to Ile done very sporadically, goal-oriented, and you have to lighten it up right afterwards, particularly in music. You cannot base a performance or a relationship with people who play music with you and are doing all this beautiful stuff, you cannot do that in a bad environment. Q: How does fame make leadership harder, and how does fame make leadership easier? A: I think the problem with fame is you think you cannot be yourself, which I think is a mistake. People want to know who you are, not who you want them to think you are. And I think people want to identify with leaders, and the only way you can do this is if they think they know you. I think fame makes it easier because people are more likely to help you accomplish things. If the symphony wants to collaborate with the museum or with the ballet or with the universities or so, I think it helps to make things happen. Also, if you need financial aid, people are more likely to say, "I know you do a good job. I know it's going to be great. I like what you do. Here we go." Q: How do you help your musicians work through slumps? ' A: It's always good to remind people that they're good people and good musicians. And usually in the orchestra, since it's a group, the individual is just part of the group. So the group is not in a slump, but they will pull each other out and they will help each other very much, and as leaders I think we should just encourage that. Not be in the way, not be counterproductive, not be impatient, and I think then things will just take care of themselves. I think treating people as people, that's enough. Q: You have said power is not grabbed but you are given it almost as a gift. How did you come to say yes to that power? A: ~f you are given power, you are given responsibility and given opportunity, and you cannot deny that. So, I define power in this case as enabling other people to matter to other people, to make a difference, to make something better. Q: If you ever leave Spokane, what would you like your legacy to be? A: Well, I'm not in for legacy. But whaf I'm trying to do is to make the symphony and classical music approachable and not a luxury. I think music is actually fun. And just because it's the greatest human achievement we have, that this is something everybody should be included in. Classical music doesn't mean you have to be uptight, and you have to be very strict, and you have to be old, and you have to be serious, but that you can have a lot of fun as well.

Finding the right leader has its own dynamics How do you hire a great leader? The process used by the Spokane Symphony ' Board to hire Eckart Preu was nearly flawless. Bill Simer - who was president of the symphony board during the search - recently reflected on the key components of that successful search. • The board created an inclusive search

committee. Six musicians sat on the search committee, as did six community individuals, most of them current or past board members. The musicians understood the professional and technical needs of the symphony, while the board members understood the community's needs. Every committee member had an equal voice. "We were peers in the process," Simer said. • They had adequate search time. The symphony's music director, Fabio Mechetti, gave them a year's notice. This gave the board a year to search, plus another year in which the finalists actually worked with the orchestra

• They defined the required leadership qualities. The search committee's community members were looking for someone who was comfortable being the "public face" of the symphony as well as someone who could engage nontraditional audiences. The musicians articulated the technical and professional leadership skills they hoped to find. "They were looking for someone who would make them stretch and help them grow as an orchestra," Simer said. "(Someone) who wouldn't be afraid to try things that were different or untested, and someone who was both demanding and respectful." • They required tryouts. Five finalists performed /

with the symphony during the 2003-04 season. They rehearsed for a week with the orchestra and conducted live performances. After each visit, orchestra members were surveyed for their opinions. In addition, the finalists had meet-and-greet dinners with people in the community. Simers advice for hiring leaders in any profession? "Be ready to fail in the search the first time if you don't find that right person,'' be said. ''We were very fortunate. Eckart has exceeded our expectations in every category."

The Press, Sunday, October 21, 2007

SECTION

es Robert Bennett: Leading the way toward equality By SEAN GARMIRE Staff writer

Robert Bennett was 70 years old, and 10 years into his retirement, when he was approached by Human Rights Education Institute board members who asked him to serve as their executive director. Bennett served as president of North Idaho College for 10 years, from 1987 to 1997, and had nearly 40 years of experience in education across the country at the time of his hire. After years of teaching English, debate, history and sociology, among other subjects, Bennett said he has dealt with human rights issues throughout his career. During his time as an educator, Bennett has been witness to many of the major shifts in the social climate of America. In 1968, he taught at an Iowa high school with a large minority population in 1968 - the year Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. In the late '90s, while serving as president of NIC, Bennett oversaw the funding of the first gay club at the community college. Bennett recently spoke to the Coeur d'Alene Press during the institute's monthlong program "Beyond the Abuse: Surviving Domestic Violence."

What is the role of the Human Rights Education Institute in the community?

Our mission statement says: ''To promote human rights is an essential element of a just and successful democracy." Those are easy words. And, at first when you read them, it seems like just a lot of words, and maybe a lot of nice stuff to say. But, I read an editorial the other day, and it was about this kind of slim veneer of democracy we have. The concern that the writer had was, even though we live in a democracy, and we have our flags and we spout the words, most people don't practice it, most people do not feel responsible for taking action about their own lives. And, he was moving in the direction that it's just too easy not to take part, and we may b~ losing that very fundamental thing that we fought so hard to get. So, I see the purpose to get people to rethink this whole concept of what are human rights, and how do (they) fit with that whole thing. So, you're trying t o engender support for human rights?

I don't think I should engender any support for them. I think they are just unalienable rights guaranteed to us by the Constitution. I would like to, through education, get people to explore what those rights are, not only for themselves, but for other people. For example, somebody said to me, "Bob, we don't have a lot of racial groups, do we really need a center like this?" Well, then I began to think a lot about it in terms of what's happened. Let's take women's rights for example. When I started teaching in 1960, women had about three options as far as a career: being a teacher, a nurse, a secretary or a house wife.... or a clerk. That's about it Think about what's happened in the

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last 50-some years. There's a Democratic front runner ...

It's huge. It's huge. Now we're thinking about a woman becoming president, and it wasn't even thought about then. But, I've thought about some other things

in terms of human rights. For example, I'm 70 years old. I'm treated very differently than I was when I was 45 or 50. When you look at human rights, it's not just a race issue, it's not just a gender issue. Let me give you an example. Let's suppose somebody comes in for a job and he's overweight, by quite a few pounds. Subtly he's, or she's, discriminated against. That isn't right. There are certain rights that are guaranteed to us, and we should be respected simply because we are human. see BENNETT, C2

Date of Birth: June 1937 in Woodland,

Calif. Kids: Lisa Hobson, 49; Bob Bennett, 47; Stephanie Bennett, 44. Grandkids: Two boys and two girls Proudest Accomplishment: Raising my three kids. Favorite Book: I read quite a bit, I can't say that I have a favorite one. I usually read non-fiction, and I usually read biographies. I've read most of the books regarding the founding fathers, and one on John Adams I really liked. Favorite film: Hlion in Winter" Most influential person: My mom and dad. Most Important quality In a person:

Integrity. What's Integrity?: It's a feeling of being honest, and of being forthright. You can pretty much depend on what they say.

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be educated. So, if we have an ably liked the idea that they educated world we'll have a didn't from C1 better world, and we'll be more Since the Aryans have gone, I'm beginning to see sensitive to each other. I think we're a better nation more people of cc;>lor move in many ways than we used into the area. But, Idaho does You mentioned diversity to be, because when Thomas in this area, and there isn't })ave a reputation that this is Jefferson made that statement, a whole lot in terms of kind of a white person's land. he certainly wasn't thinking But let's think about that ... it racial diversity. of women having inalienable wasn't a white person's land, Nc,t as many as there rights, because they didn't would be in most communiit was Native Americans' and have them. Certainly, people ties, but they're there. But it's it's a struggle, it's still a huge of color didn't have them, and not a large population of eth- struggle. We need to bring it would have been unheard nic groups or racial groups. the questions to the table of to think of people who are and let people talk about it gay having rights, it wouldn't instead of fighting about it Do you think that is a have even been discussed. result of the way North We've moved in a healthy Idaho is perceived as What is the HREl's role way, because we are continuhaving human rights in regard to the Aryan ally having put in front of us Nation? problems? That is really the responsi"human rights are important I think for a long time it and they need to be protecthas been. I think that when bility of the Kootenai County ed," and in.order to do that in the Aryan Nation was here, a task force. We were set up as an extension of that program, a democracy you have to parlot of people of col~r simply didn't want to come. A lot of but primarily as an educationticipate. And, in order to parother people who would say, al institute, not so much in an ticipate, at least according to advocacy position, but to say, Thomas Jefferson, you should "I'm not prejudice," prob-

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'1ook, there are two sides to an issue, let's bring those issues to the table, let's let people talk about them, let's let them understand them better, perhaps they can resolve this in a more peacefu1 way." As far as advocating for any specific cause, that's not the role of the institute. We see education as a tool to bring people together. What is the biggest human rights issue going on right now in this area?

I can tell you, having gone through this month with domestic violence, that issue probably permeates every family on one level or another. And I think, subtly, it's a huge issue that needs to continually be explored in terms of how can people live together in a harmonious fashion without being mean to each other. Frankly, if I had to take one issue,

(domestic violence) would probably reach more people and touch more people than any I can think of. Where are you leading the institute? Where do you see this institute developing? I don't know if it's my

vision as much as it is the board's, but I think they would like to see it be an accreditable educational institute, so that people who are different will have a place to come together, and through education talk through those differences. I went to school in a segregated high school. There were a lot of black kids in the community. I didn't know any of them; didn't really care to know them. Black kids had to sit in the upper balcony, they weren't allowed into the restaurants. If somebody had said to me, "are you

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Equality club schedules events Programs will focus on human rights, world health issues

COEUR d'ALENE - The North Idaho College Human Equality Club will host several events this winter focused on human rights and world health issues. Attorney and civil rights activist Norm Gissel will present 'The History of the KKK in America" at noon Monday in the Driftwood Bay Room of NIC's Edminster Student Union Building. Gissel is best known for his Proser association with Morris Dees and the Southern Poverty Law Center and their successful civil court case 'The Keenans vs. the Aryan Nations." In that case, the jury awarded $6.3 million to Victoria and Jason Keenan, thus bankrupting the Aryan Nations. Bill Proser of Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy will present 'The Horrors of the Holocaust"

see EVENTS, CS

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5:30 p.m. Reception and Silent Auction 6:30 p .m. Dinner 7 p.m.

Presentation of "National Pastime"

5:30 to 9 p.m. Monday, January 21, 2007 The Best Western Coeur d'Alene Inn

This compelling. historic presentation features actors simu lating real life conversations between Jackie Robinson, the first black player to play in the major leagues, and Branch Rickey, the president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

7:20 p.m. Live Auction Featuring exciting sports packages, sports getaways, and sports memorabilia

7:45 p.m. Featured Speakers: Josh CuJbreath Described as the Martin Luther K ing of athlet ics, Dr. Culbreath was a bronze medalist in the 1956 Olympics in the 400-meter hurdles and has served as a college coach and athletic director. He is a personal fitness coach to Bill Cosby.

$40 per person

ENJO.Y .h an evenzng wzt local, re~ional & national ·- r]OT, f-f-;'

Featuring exciting sports packages, sports getaways, and sports memorabilia in a silent and live auction.

Don't miss this event!

Harvey Glance, Head Track and Field Coach University ofA/abama.

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Glance is a three-rime Olympian and will be the coach of the U.S. track team for the 2008 Bejing Olympics.

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For more information, call tbe Human Rights Education In sti tute at 292-2359

Detach and return this portion with your check

KOOTENAI COUNTY TASK FORCE on HUMAN RELATIONS and the HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION INSTITUTE

Gala Dinner & Auction Ticket Order Form Please make checks out to and mail to: T he Human Rights Education Institute ( HREI) Total Enclosed: $- - -- - P.O. Box 328 1 • Coeur d' Alene, ID 83816 To process name tags in advance, please provide us with the names of the persons in your party:

Number of Tickets:

at $40 per ticket:

The Press, Tuesday, January 15, 2008

SECTION

C Gala to feature sports memorabilia'. Funds raised by event will benefit Human Rights Education Institute By LUCY DUKES Staff writer

COEUR d' ALENE- Jerseys and football helmets, shoes and signed photos bedeck the gallery in tbe Human Rights

Education Institute. There is former Lake City High School track and field coach Donna Messinger on the cover of "Marathoner'' magazine from fall of 1978. A few yards away is a photo of local Special Olympian Kirk Grogan and across the room are Bump Wills memorabilia. The former second baseman played for the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs. In the mix are signed photos

"Sports has had a great positive impact on racial equality and gender equality." BOB BENNETT. Human Rights Education Institute director of baseball greats Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio, and numerous other items. They are all part of the institute's "It's About Time" display,

one of the HREI exhibits the public can help support by attending the Martin Luther King Day gala see GALA, C3

GALA

all over," said Michelle Fink, a from C1 member of the task force and and fundraiser on Jan. 21. president of the The Kootenai County Task HREI board. Force on Hwnan Relations is The event working with the institute on also promises Stewart the sports-themed fundraiser, a presentation which will benefit both. from "National Pastime," a "Sports has had a great play in which actors simulate positive impact on racial conversation between first equality and gender equality," black Major League Baseball HREI director Bob Bennett player Jackie Robinson, and explained the theme. Branch Rickey, the president The 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and general manager of the gala at the Coeur d'Alene Inn Brooklyn Dodgers. features speaker Dr. Josh The gala, which includes Culbreath; the bronze medal- dinner, will also feature a live ist in the 1956 Olympics 400 and silent auction with more meter hurdles. Currently a than 80 items for the silent personal fitness coach to Bill portion. Cosby, Culbreath is billed Items for the live auction as the "Martin Luther King include WSU and Gonzaga of Athletics." Three-time University tickets, a disOlympian and U.S. Olympic cus autographed by 1976 track team coach Harvey Olympian Wolfgang Schmidt, Glance will also speak. a Spokane Shock package, Local, national and and other items. regional sports heroes will "We'll have some pretty mix with those who attend. nice, rare autographed They include Bump Wills; items," Fink said. former Junior National 400The event will not replace meter hurdle champion and the Human Rights Banquet in coach Linda Lanker; threeMarch. time PAC-10 champion in Organizers hope to raise the heptathlon, five-time $10,~$15,000 through the All-American and current gala, and have already sold sprint and hurdles coach for 200 of the 400 tickets availWashington State University able for the event. Tickets Ellannee Richardson; and a are $40. To get yours, call score of others. the Human Rights Education "We've got people from Institute at 292-2359.

The first $8,000 raised will go to the task force, which was founded in February 1981 to counter harassment, hate activities and hate crimes. The organization has helped other communities start their own task forces, helped pass numerous antihate pieces of legislation and supports victims of hate crimes. Victoria and Jason Keenan contacted the organization when they wanted to pursue civil action against the Aryan Nations, and in 2000 won a $6.3 million judgment against the hate group. "If we had not existed, where would the Keenans come for action, for civil relief?" said Tony Stewart, a founding member of the task force who now serves as secretary for the board. Every year, the organization also partners with area schools and the institute for a Martin Luther King Day program. This year's topic is "Do the Unthinkable Thing, Change the World." When this year's event is completed, 27,000 people will have been through the program since it began years ago, Stewart said. 'Toe No. 1 thing in hwnan rights work for the future is educating young people against hate," he said.

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Three-time Olympian Harvey Glance and Community Colleges ofÂˇ Spokane hurdles coach Linda Lanker, who also coaches at Coeur d'Alene High School, were members of coaching staff for the United States team at 2006 Junior World Games in Beijing, China. Glance and Josh Culbreath, right, a bronze medalist in the 1956 Summer Olympics, are t he keynote speakers at the " It's About lime" human rights student summit Monday at Coeur d' Alene High School.

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COEUR d'ALENE - They have dedicated their lives to taking on the world - world class, world records, world best - clearing social, political and economical hurdles to chase a dream. They come from different eras within the same vision and now they come together in the Inland Northwest to see if sharing their experiences might help make the world a little better place. United States Olympian and former world record holder Josh Culbreath was part of the American sweep in the 400meter hurdles at the 1956 Melbourne Games. He later set the world record in the 440-yard hurdles in 1957 in Oslo, Norway. Three-time Olympian Harvey Glance was a member of the American gold-medal winning 4x.100.meter relay in 1976 at the Montreal Games. The 16-time All-American equaled the 100.meter world record twice in 1976. Culbreath, who earned a master's degree from Temple·and a bachelor's in political science from Morgan State, and Glance, the only black head coach in University of Alabama history, will be the keynote speakers at the "It's About Time" human rights student summit Monday at Coeur d'Alene High School. "What Martin Luther King Jr. was doing (with the civil righ ts movement), I was doing things of that nature in sports," said Culbreath, who won his bronze medal in 1956 while long-time friend and mentor Jesse Owens looked on from the stands as President Dwight Q. Eisenhower's personal representative. "A lot of young people don't realize what we went through. Here 1 was a three-time (AAU) national champion, but in the South,

Hyou go Others who will be available to share their experiences at the student summit on Monday at 1 p.m. at Coeur d'Alene include (list subject to change): • Bump Wills, Central Valley High graduate, second baseman who played for the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers, son of former major league shortstop Maury Wills • North Idaho College men's basketball players Micheal Timmons, David Johnson and Kene Anusionwu • Former North Idaho College men's basketball players Winston Brooks, Felix McGowan and Marsell Colbert • Anthony Buchanan, two-time Pac-10 champion in the 100 meters from University High • Robert Weir, three-time Olympian in the throws for Great Britian • Ellannee Richardson, three-time Pac-10 heptathlon and five-time AllAmerican at Washington State • Mark MacDonald, All-American in 400-meter hurdles in 1992, currently coaches at Community Colleges of Spokane • Francesca Green, two-time All-American in the long jump for Washington State • Lorraine King, Pac-10 finalist in the 400-meter hurdles for Washington State Admission to the summit is free to students as well as the general public.

we had to go in through the back of a restaurant I think athletics opened a door. Jesse would tell us, all we want is an opportunity. All we wanted to do was represent our country." Heavyweight champion Joe Louis and Owens took those initial strides for Culbreath and others to follow. Glance, who is considered the greatest sprinter in Alabama state history, continued the time line. Glance, a ~ Olympian and gold medalist, became vice president of USA Track and Field in 1988. When his track career came to an end, he went on to become the head coach at Auburn until 1997, then became the head track coach at Alabama He wasn't without his own trials and tribulations. Glance was a team captain on the U.S. Olympic team that was forced to boycott the 1980 Games in Moscow. "I want to talk about what I think is one of the most important facets in life, which is education," said Glance, who was the fastest man in the world in 1976 when he held the world record for the 100-meter dash and the world record in the 100-yard dash in 1978. "Jesse Owens was my idol, not so much because of the running part, but because of his life. Almost every generation gets caught up in its own generation and forgets about those that come before them. When you talk about the history, there was a color barrier that had to be broken and people took a stand and made that happen. They raised consciousness and brought attention to it and made it easier for guys like myself. see SHARING, 83

SHARING from

in Melbourne with gold medalist Glen Davis (50.29) 81 and silver medalist Eddie Southern (50.94) and seeing ''It's about education and three American flags go up raising consciousness that as they played the national when somebody's going · anthem. through a struggle even "I was holding my medal though you have nothing in one hand, but you could to do with it, you can help see, in the Marine Corps, change that." your index finger would be in Where Glance did not the seam of your trousers and experience segregation or that's where my index finger the "whites only" signs, was because, being a Marine, Culbreath did. He rememI was going to stand tall," said bers not being allowed in Culbreath, who ran 51.74 that movie theaters in St Louis day to win the bronze. despite having won three Glance was a coach on national championships, as the 2006 World Junior team well as being the first black that competed in Beijing and man to compete in Florida. will return on the coaching Culbreath, who is also a staff of the 2008 U.S. team. United States Marine, says He is beginning his 10th in spite of it all, one of the season as the head coach proudest moments in his life of the men's track team at was standing on the podium Alabama.

''I am the first and only black head coach in University of Alabama history in 170 years of athletics, so we've made great strides," said Glance. ''I did not live during the time of white and colored bathrooms, but I know of that. If you're not directly affected, then you probably can't relate. ''But that's why it's important to know the history, that it existed and it can still exist if people's minds are not like. , "I'm in hopes that we're better off today and that's what this is about." "It's About Time" is the theme to Monday's student summit on the national holiday recognizing Martin · Luther King Jr.'s efforts. The summit, free and open · to the general public, begins, at 1 p.m. at CHS.

COEUR d'ALENE

North Idaho College celebrates human rights I- 11... o e? Triathlete, double amputee Scott Rigsby featured speaker at Friday program By MAUREEN DOLAN Staff writer

JEROME A. POLLOS/Press

Courtoy Hanson, a student from Fernan Elementary, waits to read her "I Believe" statement Friday at the 23rd annual Human Rights Celebration at North Idaho College.

COEUR d'ALENE - Lights were dimmed Friday morning in North Idaho College's Christianson Gym. CandJes were lit and the voices of nearly 1,300 Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene fifth-graders rose from packed bleachers to join in singing the 1972 Bill Withers hit, "Lean on Me." It was the emotional finale to the 23rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. children's program, a weeklong event that brings the message of the slain civil rights leader into the schools. 'This year's theme, 'Do the unthinkable - change the world'

is from the words and beliefs of Scott Rigsby," said Pam Pratt, Coeur d'Alene director of elementary education. Rigsby, the first below-the-knee double amputee to complete an Ironman triathlon, visited from his home in Georgia to spend time in schools throughout the week. He was the featured speaker at Friday's celebration. Rigsby thanked students for their interest in his message and told them there are things to think about if they want to change the world - one of them is to have a dream - a reference to Martin Luther King ]r.'s 1963 landmark speech calling for freedom and equality for all Americans. Rigsby told the kids it also takes faith to change the world. see RIGHTS, A6

"Nothing worthwhile in this world comes easily."

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RIGHTS A1

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"Dr. King said having faith is like taking a step when you can't even see the staircase," Rigsby said. The athlete told students once they have a dream, they need to be dedicated to it and ready for hardship and challenges. "Nothing worthwhile in this world comes easily," Rigsby said. "Dr. King said, 'Human progress is neither automative or inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." Students representing each of the four participating schools took the stage and shared their thoughts on the combined messages of Rigsby and King. "Both of these men sym-

bolize that when one takes small steps to accomplish a dream - change will hai>pen," Winton Elementary School fifth-grader Adelle Kincel said. International exchange students attending St Maries High School this year spoke to the fifth-graders also. • Ondrej Slansky, from the Czech Republic, said there is just one Christian religion in his country - Catholicism , - which he adheres to. "I was surprised when I came to St. Maries. There are 17 different Christian churches," Slansky said. 'That's what I like about · USA, the freedom of religion." Students from Skyway, Winton and Bryan elementary schools sang songs and performed percussion pieces for their peers also. "It's an honor for me to be · able to invest in these kids," Rigsby said.

B SATURDAY JANUARY 19. 2008 THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Elementary students vow to 'do the unthinkable' BY TARYN HECKER Staff writer

It was unthinkable at one time: A woman and a black man vying for the presidency. Fifth-grader Kyle Hawk said he wonders what Martin Luther King Jr. would think of the slate of candidates for the 2008 presidential race. "Do the unthinkable ... change the world" was the theme of Friday's 23rd annual Human Rights Celebration at North Idaho College. Students from each of the 14 elementary schools in Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene vowed to change the world in their own small - and some really big - ways. Hawk, who attends Hayden Meadows, said he could do that by "being a risk-taker and being open-minded"

Two said they wanted to become doctors and cure cancer. Several addressed hunger. "I can do the unthinkable and change the world by giving food and money to kids in Africa who aren't as lucky as kids in America," said Benjamin Crotinger, of Ponderosa Elementary. Students talked of overcoming disabilities and doing what they can to support people who face all sorts of challenges. Many were inspired by speaker Scott Rigsby, the first double amputee to finish the Iron.man triathlon. Rigsby spent the week visiting fifth-graders at each of the schools and spoke again to the crowd of 1,250 students who gathered at NI C. He encouraged students to hitve a dream. Rigsby lost both legs in a 2005 accident. It was, be said, the worst time

Skyway Elementary students watch the lighting of the Friendship Flame on Friday during the 23rd annual Human Rights Celebration at North Idaho College.

BRIAN PLONKA The Spokesman-Review

ofbis life. "I said, 'God, if you open up the doors for me, I'll run through them,' "Rigsby said. ,He surrounded himself with good people, kept bis faith and worked hard. "Expect hardships, expect challenges, expect struggles," he told the students. "Nothing worthwhile comes without hard work." Friday's assembly was the 23rd year fifth-grade students have gathered at

Con!,ad the City Desk: (509) 459-5400: fax (509~459-5482; e-mail news(Q)spokesman.com

NIC to celebrate human rights. Some children are the second generation to have gone through the program. Organizer Tony Stewart said 27,000 students have participated over the years. "This is the answer to human rights," Stewart said. "Through education."

Reach Taryn Hecker at (208)765-7121 or by e-mail at tarynh@spokesman.com.

Online regional news: www.spokesmanreview.com

THE SPOKES MONDAY , JANUARY 21 , 2008

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REVIEW SPOKESMA NRE VIEW .COM

MLK missing from the map Unlike 800 other cities, Spokane and CdA haven't honored King BY KEVIN GRAMAN Staff writer

Also today Street-naming proponent optimistic

It's too expensive. It's inconvenient It's not a black neighborhood. There are many reasons not to name a city street after Martin Luther King Jr. and just one to do so: to honor the memory of the civil rights leader. Despite the hurdles, nearly 800 U.S. communities have chosen to name streets for King. Neither Spokane nor Coeur d'Alene is among them.

2008 could be the y~r/A12

tionaJ Association for the Advancement of Colored People. "They all go 'We Shall Overcome,' but once the march is over we go our separate ways and live our separate lives. "It's as if Spokane doesn't want to rock the boat. When you hit Eastern Washington, it remains status quo." In North Idaho, where the comJESSE TINSLEY The Spokesman-Review munity came together to oppose a white supremacist movement, there Ivan Bush, left , and the Rev. Happy Watkins admire the

Today, the communities again will march, make speeches and sing to commemorate the life of King, who was assassinated 40 years ~go. "We celebrate him. Everybody gets involved," said V. Ann Smith, president of the Spokane chapter of the Na- See RENAMING, AS

Michael Anderson statue by the INB Performing Arts Center last week. Watkins is an organizer of King day activities.

~Âˇ"

RENAMING

Continued from A1

has been no effort to name a street for King since 1995. That year, Tony Stewart, of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, proposed renaming Rimrock Road, where the Aryan Nations compound then stood, to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The effort to torment Aryan Nations leader Richard Butler was short-lived, despite earning support of Spokesman-Review humorist Doug Clark, who wrote: "What better way to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Nuremburg Trials than to tweak our own Hitler-loving hairballs?" But at the time, renaming a road in Kootenai County required the approval of every affected property owner, even the Nazi ones. The unanimity rule is not uncommon. and while it apeears to be egalitarian, it is anything but, according to an authority on the subject of naming streets in honor ofKing. "It is a really easy way for local officials to keep from making controversial decisions," said Derek Alderman. a cultural geographer at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. But streets are public spaces. "Even though those who live on the streets have a vested interest, they are not the only ones that use the streets," Alderman said. Renaming a street "is a citywide decision." In 1999, the Rev. Lonnie Mitchell, pastor ofBethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Spokane, filed an application with the city to rename an important corridor through the South Hill. Martin Luther King Jr. Way would have begun at Second Avenue and Arthur, continued as the arterial changed to Newark and then Perry to the intersection ofSoutheast Boulevard. But as with a 1991 proposal by then-Mayor Sheri Barnard to rename portions of Market, Greene, Freya, Thor and Ray in honor of King, Mitchell's plan quickly folded at the first sign oforganized opposition.

Business owners in the South Perry Business District said the name change would be too confusing to customers and too costly 1 to change signs, printed material and advertising. Further, they said they were trying to capture the historic nature of the area, ' which they said dated to the 1890s, according to SpokesmanReview stories about the proposed change. ''People didn't want it, and we didn't want to divide the community," Mitchell recalled last week. "There would have been some animosity." There almost always is, according to Alderman. In the Northwest, Portland, Seattle and Tacoma overcame opposition to name streets for King. "Often, it is easy to feel this resistance only happens to us, but it is a constant pattern across the country," Alderman said. "It is not so much a resistance to King or his reputation. although there are still a fair number of people who do not see eye-to-eye with King's vision." Polls show a general respect for King among most Amer-

icans.

"With the exception of white supremacists, it's hard to find people opposed to his notion of

equality and racial integration." Alderman said. "But personal identification with King is another matter." Part of that has to do with the stigma of streets named for King running through economically depressed areas. It is a stereotype Alderman and his colleagues found to be false in a study published last March in the "Social Science Quarterly." "We are not suggesting some of these streets don't have economic issues or struggles," Alderman said. "What we are saying is that King's name in and of itself is not bad for business." In many cases, the streets chosen are in parts of town that are poor to begin with, mostly black neighborhoods that support the name change. Aldennan calls this "a segregation of King's memory."

"Those same boundaries and

lines of segregation still exist," he said. "For all this talk about how street naming is unimportant, it really is an important indicator of where we are in terms of race relations." Whatopponentsofstreet-naming proposals see as economic concerns, proponents often see as racial bias. This dichotomy may be the result of how blacks and whites define racism. Alderman cited the work of sociologist Robert Blauner, who said, "Whites locate racism in color consciousness and its absence in color blindness." Blacks, however, define racism in terms of powe.r , "even in the absence ofexplicitly stated prejudicial attitudes." Whites tend to think of racism in America as a thing of the past, but "when African-Americans can't do the simplest thing such as getting a street named for King, that symbolizes a lack of power and the racism they have had to endure for so long," Alderman said. Instead of thinking about the cost and inconvenience of changing a street name to honor King, perhaps a community should thinkaboutthepriceofnotchangingthe name, Alderman said. "What is the cost of marginalization?"

Contact Kevin Graman at (509) 159-54330, ~evingr@spokesman.com

•" ~

.r. Page AS • Monday • January 21, 2008

RELATED NEWS

This could be the year A civic leader says the time has come to name a Spokane street for Martin Luther King Jr. "We sometimes have to catch communities when they are ready," said Ivan Bush, an equal opportunity officer for Spokane Public Schools. "I have faith that Spokane is ready this year." Though no street has been selected yet, Bush said, in the next few months a grass-roots movement will come forward "folks of good intentions and goodwill who recognize the contributions Dr. King made to our country and our world." In the past, Bush said, there was inadequate work done to build consensus for the proposal. He believes this year will be different. If a proposal is brought forward, it ultimately must win City Council approval. In 2003, council changed the law to put the Plan Commission, instead of the hearing examiner, in charge of the street-naming process. In doing so, council is no longer required to automatically approve a street name change absent an appeal. Nevertheless, Bush remains confident that there will be a street named for King this year, the 40th anniversary of the civil rights leader's assassination. "It's bigger than me, bigger than you and bigger than just a mayor or business person," Bush said. "Good things prevail and I think this will prevail." Kevin Graman

KATHY PLONKA The Spokesman-Review

Tony Stewart, of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, tried to have Rlmrock Road in Hayden renamed for Martin Luther King Jr. in 1995.

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COEUR d'ALENE

Tuesday

www.cdapress.com -

Rising above the hate Athletes share how hurtful behavior drove them to new heights By LUCY DUKES

Staff writer COEUR d'ALENE - Harvey Glance had the choice of giving up when people threw bottles at him as he ran. He could have stepped back when he faced racism.

Instead, he became a !~time AllAmerican, three-time Olympian, a gold medal holder and 100-meter dash world-record holder. "I became the fastest man in the world, driven there by people who wanted to pull me down," said Glance, now the head coach of the men's track and field team at the University of Alabama and coach of the United States track and field team at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Glance, Josh Culbreath and a dozen or so other athletes shared their experiences at the Student

Summit on Monday at Coeur d'Alene High School. The summit celebrated the role of athletics in promoting racial equality. Culbreath and Glance were the keynote speakers at the event, attended by about 100 people and organized by the Human Rights Education Institute. Breakout sessions with various athletes followed their talks. The two also spoke at a Human Rights Education Institute sports-oriented fundraiser later in the day. see SUMMIT, A5

THE PRESS Tuesday, January 22, 2008 AS

SUMMIT A1

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Culbreath was a bronze medalist in the 1956 Olympics in the 400-meter hurdles, and was a 440-yard hurdles world record holder. He has coached many Olympic athletes and has been described as the "Martin Luther King of athletics." During the breakout session, he talked to those gathered around him about what it was like to be the :first black athlete to compete in South Africa, waiting in line with his team at customs and being sent "into the back." "It hurt," Culbreath said. "We had stood in line with other people, but we weren't regarded as other people." Culbreath also told those listening on Monday that

when he ran, he represented Americans, and believed he , was entitled to American freedoms. He told them that at one point he was a champion athlete, but wasn't allowed into a movie theater because of.the color of his skin. Those who heard the two speak said they were grateful to learn about their experiences. "I thought it was really interesting how the things that were supposed to hurt only drove them further," said 16-year-old Matt Harlow, a student at the high school. The event showed that racial discrimination is still present, but that it's becoming less of a problem, said 17-year-old Jay Eborall, another Coeur d'Alene High School student NIC Athletic Director and Student Summit emcee Al Williams said the panel of athletes was "treroendous." 'Tm just in awe of their experiences," he said.

'The Martin Lut~er King of athletics'

JASON HUNT/Press

Josh Culbreath speaks during the Student Summit at Coeur d'Alene High School on Monday.

A2 THE PRESS Friday, February 29, 2008

Adventure o/Woodville continues

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JEROME A. POLLOS/Press

Nora Kennedy, 10, waits to read her part of "The Adventures of Woodville - Oscar Meets the Duchess" during a production Thursday at North Idaho College. Christie Wood, the author of the book, recruited about a dozen children and community leaders to take part in the reading.

The Press, Saturday, March 8, 2008

NORTH IDAHO: SECTION

Courtesy photo

Gregory Carr visits with children in Mozambique, Africa, during a humanitarian visit. Carr will present "The Status of Human Rights on the Global Scenen during the 11th annual Human Rights Banquet Monday, March 17.

Giving back globally Human Rights Banquet to feature presentation Âˇby philanthropist Greg Carr By STACY HUDSON Special to The Press

Philanthropist and Idaho native

Gregory Carr will be the keynote speaker at the 11th annual Human Rights Banquet A reception will be held at 6 p.m. followed by the banquet at 7 p.m. Monday, March 17 at the Coeur d'Alene Inn, 414 W. Appleway in Coeur d'Alene. Carr will speak about 'The Status of Human Rights on the

Global Scene," which will be focused on his humanitarian work in Africa. Carr has pledged $40 million over the next 30 years to restore Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique, which was damaged during a civil war that see RIGHTS, CB

CS THE PRESS Saturday, March 8, 2008

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University's Kennedy School of Government. from C1 He co-founded Boston Technology, the first firm to destroyed thousands of acres sell voicemail to telephone of forestation. ln addition to companies, and served as the environmental benefits, the chair of the international Carr hopes the project will telecommunication company stimulate the depressed through 1998. In addition, from 1996-1998 he was chair ~ - - ~ Mozambique economy of Prodigy Inc., a global through tourInternet service provider. .. ism and develop In 1998 Carr resigned communities from his for-profit boards to surrounding the dedicate himself to humanipark. tarian efforts. Carr was He established the Carr Stewart born in Idaho Center for Human Rights Falls. He attend- Policy at Harvard University ed Utah State University and currently serves as an majoring in history and advisory board chair. He also earned a master's degree in founded and is the chief execpublic policy from Harvard utive officer of the Gregory

North Idaho

"Over the past eight years, Greg Carr has done more for the positive image of Idaho than any other individual. He's a great man." TONY STEWART, HIJTlall Rq,ls E<ilcalion Institute founcilg member C. Carr Foundation, through which he is leading the effort to restore Gorongosa National Park in Africa. Carr is also active in his home state of Idaho, having contributed $1 million to establish the Human Rights Education Institute in Coeur d'Alene. He also bought the 20-acre Aryan Nations compound in Hayden following the court decision that

turned over the property to the victims of an assault by the white supremacy group. Carr then demolished the compound and cleaned up the property before turning it over to the North Idaho College Foundation for use as a peace park. Carr has contributed funds to the University of Idaho for the establishment of the Bill Wassmuth speak-

ers series and donated an 11-foot marble monument to the city of Coeur d'Alene. He gave $500,000 to the Human Rights Center in Boise to open the Anne Frank Museum and $3.7 million to establish the Museum of Idaho in Idaho Falls. "Over the past eight years, Greg Carr has done more for the positive image of Idaho than any other individual," said founding member of the Human Rights Education Institute Tony Stewart. "He's a great man." In addition to dinner and Carr's keynote presentation, the Human Rights Education Institute will also present six civil rights awards to community members at the banquet.

Tickets are $30 and are available by mailing a check to the Human Rights Education Institute at P.O. Box 2725, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83816 by Friday, March 14. Along with additional funds from the North Idaho College Foundation, prer ceeds benefit schdlarships for minority students at NIC. The banquet is part of NIC's 38th annual Popcorn Forum and Convocation Series Symposium March 17-21 focused on "Earth in Crisis: A Search for Solutions." Information: 769-3325 Stacy Hudson is public information coordinator with North Idaho

College.

THE REGION

PAGE 83

NEWS FROM NORTH IDAHO. THE VALLEY, SPOKANE AND THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Planned Parenthood unhurt by racism charge Officials say donations, demand remain stable BY ERICA F. CURLESS Staff writer

Planned Parenthood of Idaho has had no decline in donations or demand for health services in the wake ofaccusations that it encouraged a donation aimed at aborting black babies. Officials apologized in February for an employee's "serious mistake" for a.:cepting a pledge from a donor - actually an actor hired by a student magazine - requesting the money go toward aborting a black baby because "the less black kids out there the better." CEO Rebecc.a Poedy criticized The Advocate, an anti-abortion magazine, for using"race-baiting'' tactics an9 deception to smear Planned Parenthood and called it

the "most cynical form of politicking."Yet she said the employee has been suspended during a pending investigation and that the staff has received training to better respond to people who call with an offensive agenda. The University of California, Los Angeles, student magazine hired an actor to make calls in July to Planned Parenthood affiliates in seven states, including Idaho, and portray a donor who wanted his money used to abort a black baby. Conversations in Idaho and Ohio were secretly recorded and released by The Advocate last month. ''In the wake of this incident, Planned Parenthood has received many messages of support from donors, community members and local organizations," Poedy wrote in an e-mail Thursday. ''Most importantly, we have not seen any decline in demand for our health servi_ces or prevention education programs." Jet Tilley, director of public policy for

Planned Parenthood of the Inland Northwest, which provides services in North Idaho and Eastern Washington, said the affiliate hasn't seen any negative effect "Our donors and people who support Planned Parenthood understand the truth about our organization - that we provide high-quality health services for people who tend to fall through the cracks," Tilley said. Last year Planned Parenthood ofidaho provided nearly $300,000 worth of services free to low-income Idahoans. Editor-in-chief Lila Rose, who wrote The Advocate story, didn't return phone calls or e-mails Thursday. In February, Rose told the Idaho Statesman that it's unacceptable for a nonprofit to accept donations that target specific races. "They do not change their ways," Rose said in the Statesman article. "They attack the whistleblower." The magazine also is calling for UCLA

1 MARrn r:V2008

to cut its ties with Planned Parenthood. In a Feb. 29 statement, Peody said the racist donation was never accepted and the staffmember in question immediately notified her supervisor of the suspicious call and prepared an incident report. Idaho Values Alliance, a longtime antiabortion activist and conservative lobbyist, called for the firing of the Planned Parenthood employee. In a press release, Executive Director Bryan Fisher wrote, ''It turns out that blatant racism is alive and well in Idaho, but it's not coming from the Aryan Nation types - it's.coming from way-left organizations like Idaho's own Planned Parenthood. Idaho didn't have room for Richard Butler and shouldn't have room for Planned Parenthood." Tony Stewart, secretary of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, said Planned Parenthood isn't considered a racist organization and that instead an employee made a ''very bad

mistake" aftershewassetup. ''They failed to have all employees trained properly," Stewart said. "I would just have hung up on them." He added that he disagrees that ''blatant racism" is alive in Idaho. ''If that statement is correct then how do they explain that Senator Obama received the largest vote in any state so far with 80 percent ofthe caucus," he said, referring to the Democratic presidential caucus in February. Tilley of the Inland Northwest affiliate said that Planned Parenthood rejects racism and has a long history of social justice. In fact,she said, Martin Luther King Jr. was the first recipient of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America Margaret Sanger Award in 1966.

Contact Erica F. Curless at (208) 765-7137 or by e-mail at

ericac@spokesman.com.

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Greg Carr, president of the Carr Foundation, visits with Marilyn Shuler, former director of the Idaho Human Rights Commission, during the Human Rights Education lnstitute's annual banquet Monday at the Coeur d'Alene Inn.

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Human rights take center stage Philanthropist Greg Carr recently donated $1 million to human rights institute By MAUREEN DOLAN

Staff writer COEUR d'ALENE - Greg Carr received a standing ovation before it was his turn to walk to the podium. It was just one of several sessions of thunderous applause the keynote speaker received from more than 400 people in attendance at the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations' 11th Annual Human Rights Banquet Monday in the Best Western Coeur d'Alene Inn. Carr, an Idaho Falls native and philanthropist, played a vital role in

North Idaho's human rights history. He donated $1 million that was used to create the Human Rights Education Institute's center in Coeur d'Alene. Carr purchased the Stewart land in Hayden Lake that was the former compound of Richard Butler and the Aryan Nations and donated it to the Human Rights Education lnstitute's foundation. Before Carr spoke, NIC political science instructor and longtime area human rights activist Tony Stewart said Carr recently donated another $1 million to the Human Rights Education Institute. In bis speech, Carr took the opportunity to reflect on the meaning of

human rights, how his understanding of it has changed over the years and its relevance in today's society. "What I notice is what people are calling a culture war. There's a huge national debate going on and some of it makes me a little bit sad. You turn on the 1V and you see people just yelling at each other and a lot of civil discourse seems to have stopped," Carr said. He spoke about divisiveness he sees between political parties and conservatives and liberals. Carr said he meets good, intelligent people who disagree all the time and he doesn't understand it "How can the country come back together again? How can we come

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Carr believes Gandhi foresaw what might be happening in our society today - that when people become back to civil discourse? prosperous, the human rights How can we find a common agenda becomes self-cenground and feel like one tered and less giving. country ag ain?" Carr said. He shared briefly Carr said he has looked at about his experiences in human rights ideas and ideMozambique, Africa - the ologies for answers and won- focus of much of his work dered whether human rights today. is a possible bridge. In that country, Carr has He summoned the spirits donated millions of dollars of human rights leaders and and time to help restore the philosophers from Confucius national park and villages to Eleanor Roosevelt devastated by war and povHe spoke about the posterty. Carr said it's a country World War II creation of the where the average lifespan United Nations' universal often doesn't exceed the 30s declaration of human rights. and less than half the chilCarr pointed to what dren are in school. Indian leader Mahatma "I spent time in a jung le Gandhi said when asked living in a tent. I was really what should go in a universal surprised about something. human rights declaration as Everybody was happy. I said, being most relevant today. 'Wait a minute. I'm really "He wrote, 'I think in confused. You don't have anyyour declaration, don't just thing!"' Carr said. talk about rig hts. Talk about Carr said these people responsibilities. Talk about have each other. They still the responsibility that every have the community that we human has to give back to in the West are at risk of lostheir society,"' Carr said. ing. When Carr returned to the states, be saw just bow much happier the people in STOREWIDE Mozambique were than the SAVINGS people in Boston where he lived at the time. "I learned a lesson from that: That as a society we have to give back and we have to be paying attention to each other's needs and not just focusing on our own prosperity or our own rights," Carr said.

20% Âˇ75%Off

Alook at the week's Popcorn Forum topics COEUR d' ALENE - North Idaho College's Popcorn Forum continues today. Infectious disease expert Kenneth Alexander, M.D. and Ph.D., will present "Emerging Viral Diseases: A World of Crisis" at 10:30 a.m. in Boswell Hall Schuler Performing Arts Center. He is a leading researcher

and professor at the University of Chicago. Wednesday Denise Pozen, a corporate safety consultant with more than 20 years of experience in consumer product safety, will present "The Threat of Contamination to the World's Consumer Products and Food Supply" at 10 a.m. in NIC's Boswell Hall Schuler Performing Arts Center. Thursday Terrorism expert Jeffrey Simon, M.D., will present "The Growing Threat of Terrorists and Weapons of Mass Destruction" at 9:30 a.m. at Boswell Hall. Philip Crowley, senior fellow and director of homeland security at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C., will present "Understanding Terrorism and Terrorists: Lessons for Our Future" at 10:30 a.m. Friday Leading expert on the history of genocide in the world James Edward Waller Jr., Ph.D., will present "Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing" at noon in Boswell Hall. A special concert by the NIC Jazz Ensemble will explore "A Solution" at 7:30 p.m. in Boswell Hall Schuler Performing Arts Center. A response panel featuring subject matter experts will respond to the keynote speaker's address each day :from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in the Lake Coeur d'Alene Room of NIC's Edminster Student Union Building. All Popcorn Forum events are free and open to the public. Visitor parking permits will not be required on NJC's campus the week of the Popcorn Forum. Information: 769-3325

The Press, Tuesday, May 13, 2008 .,

ony Stewart leavin Plans public farewell Thursday at.college's Molstead Libr.a ry By MAUREEN DOLAN Staff writer

COEUR d'ALENE -After 38 years at North Idaho College, polit-

''He's one of those people that's share the details of "a new position ical science instructor going to be irreplaceable. He's one or responsibility" he has accepted and human rights of a kind," said college communica- with another organizatio)l or instiactivist Tony Stewart is moving on. tions and marketing director Erna tution when he says goodbye publicly Thursday. Stewart announced 1, Rhinehart "North Idaho College Rhinehart said that during has just been so fortunate that he in an e-mail Monday landed in· our lap and decided to nearly four decades at the college, that he will bid a . . stay here for so long." Stewart's passion for education, public farewell to. NIC Stewart Stewart, who did not respond to po_litics and human rights touched and the commuruty at 1 p.m. Thursday in the college's requests for comments Monday, see STEWART, C2 Molstead Llbrary. wrote in the e-mail that he will

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appreciate that he has been a very vital force in enc;our- . from C1 aging political candidates," Reed said. · the lives of countless numStewart is most wellbers of NIC students and known for his association community members. with the Kootenai County Stewart founded the Task Force on Human Popcorn Forum - NIC's Relations. annual lecture series, a 3~ Started in the early 1980s, year tradition that brought S;ewart and the group played prominept'personalities on a pivotal role in figl!~.h~tf;:! campus to discuss cultural crimes and counteracting ~nd political issues on panels the presence of the Aryan and in workshops. Nations in Kootenai County. Since 1970, Stewart hosted The group had a com568 Popcorn Forum lecpound in Hayden. tures that brought nationally Area Realtor and felknown figures like civil rights low human rights activist leader Julian Bond, innovaMarshall Mend has worked tor and futuristic designer alorlgside Stewart ·since the Buckminster Fuller, the group's inception. late vice president Hubert Mend said he and Stewart Humphrey and musical arthave been on ''hit lists" and ist Carole King to the NIC received threatening phone campus. calls and letters and visits He also hosted 1,800 pub- from the FBI. lic television shows filmed at "Tony's got a lot of integNIC over the years. rity. He's a very caring guy. "North Idaho College TV He really is a human rights -Public Forum," a weekly · mega-hero," Mend said. "He show that airs on PBS, is doesn't think anybody should broadcast throughout the be denied any rights, no matNorthwest and Canada. ter what, iiDd he's absolutely Rhinehart said the show right It's tough sometimes is the long~st running colwhen you're going with a lege-produced program in the cause and it's not very popu. country. 1ar." "Qne thing that I don't After Victoria Keenan think people realize is he was and her son were shot at paid as a political science by Aryan Nations members teacher," Rhinehart $aid. "He outside the Hayden comdid all these other ~gs out_ pound in 1998, the Southern of the goodness of his heart Poverty Law Center and and the passion he has for. local attorneys Norm Gissel enlightening us to new ideas and Ken Howard won the and philosophies." · Keenans a $6.3 million settle· Former state senator ment in a jury trial against Mary Lou Reed was a panel- the Aryan Nations. ist on Stewart's television Late Aryan Nations leader show in the early stages Richard Butler was forced when it was broadcast in to hand over the 20-acre black and white. Hayden compound to the Reed, a founding presiKeenans who then sold the dent of the Human Rights property to philanthropist Education Institute, said Greg Carr. Carr donated Stewart has been an outthe property to the NIC standing contributor to the Foundation for use as a peace coinmunity for many years park. · through his human rights advocacy efforts, but also as a political scientist. "I think it's important to

''1 •n)~s responsible for mak:u g that whole thing happen," .\1end said. "Tony's the one who brought this woman (Kt·man), who lived on the binge and was afraid to do auyti\ing, to Norm Gissel.

Tony tincouraged her." Rhi'.•ehart said if it wasn't 'or Sten art, she believes the . \ryan 1.'ations would still be a major ) 'resence in North Idaho. · , "He ha~ work.-~d tirelessly and passio 'lately ~ educate · the comnu nity al out what · human rigl ts are, Rhinehart · · said.

THE SPOKES TUESDAY, MAY 13 , 2008

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SPOKESMANREVL

REVIEW Rights leader retiring-from NIC Stewart helped lead Aryan Nations fight · another organization. Stewart,

BY SHAWN VESTAL Staff writer

66, would not answer questions

Tony Stewart, a longtime champion of human rights as well as a college instructor and public-television host, is stepping down after 38 years at North Idaho College. · Stewart has scheduled a public gathering ThursJiay to announce his retirement and address his future plans - including his acceptance of a new position with

about his plans Monday, saying he wanted to wait until the formal announcement. ''I wish to use this public venue to say goodbye and thank you," he wrote in an e-mail message to the NIC campus, friends and members of the media. "You have been my special family for a very long time." Stewart will leave a legacy as an ec:iucator and foe of racial

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hatred. :ae was among the founders of the KooteWeb first nai County Task · First reported on Force· on Human spokesman Relations, which review.com became the leading voice against" Richard Butler's .Aiyan Nations at a time when the group's Hayden compound was ;ittracting white supremacists and national ·media attention annually. The mother and son who sued the Aryan Nations.- and eventually won a $6.3 million judgment against it in 2000 - worked

closely with Stewart and the task force. At NIC he has organized the annual Popcorn Forum - a lecture series that brings top-tier speakers to town - for 37 years and the Human Rights Celebration for area youth for 23 years. · College representatives say he's b.een a tireless teacher and supporter of athletics, and helped elevate .the status of the school. The public television show he hosts, "The NIC Public Forum," See STEWART, A13

J.he Spokesman-Review

STEWART

Continued from A1

Tony Stewart, left, receives his honorary doctorate Saturday from University of Idaho Provost and Executive Vice President Doug Baker.

Special to The Spokesman-Review

has broadcast 1,800 episodes, the most of any college-produced program in the country. "Myself and the rest of Kootenai Countyit's like we all won the lottery when he. decided to move to Coeur d'Alene, and then to stay," said No~ Gissel, an attorney and friend of Stewart's who helped form the task force and worked on the case that brought the Aryan Nations to bankruptcy. Marshall Mend, another founding member of the task force, said Stewart was a key figure in helping to establish human rights as a value in the commun1ty - after years when many wanted to ignore the issues underlying the white supremacist group's presence and activities. "He definitely is a human rights hero," Mend said. "There was a time when people felt as a human rights organization we were a .little too outspoken, and if we'd just keep quiet the Nazis would go away. Our answer is always that silence gives consent." Stewart was awarded an honorary doctorate Saturday by the University ofldaho. Several people who attended the event with him said he was honored by the recognition - but also a little out of sorts. "He is so humble," said Erna Rhinehart, communications and marketing director at NIC.."He was almost uncomfortable to have that much attention placed on him." The big question now is what comes next for Stewart, though it seems likely it will be in the field of human rights. Some friends of Stewart's said Monday they hadn't !mown he was planning an announcement this week, and they weren't sure what he would do now. , "We're just waiting to hear from him to see where he's going," Mend said. "I just don' t see him getting out of human rights." Bob Bennett, former NIC president and now executive director of the Human Rights

FROM THEFRONT PAGE/BUSINESS Education Institute in Coeur d'Alene, said he hopes Stewart will keep working with the organization but knew of no specific plans. The institute grew up in the aftermath of the Aryan Nations lawsuit - it was created with a $1 million donation from Greg Carr, who also purchased the group's former compound. Stewart has "certainly1left his mark on this community and the college," Bennett said. "He's one of the good guys, as they say." Stewart's upbr~ging in North Carolina is evident in his accent and his courtly manner. Those who know him describe him as unfailingly polite - and unfailingly tenacious in pursuit of a goal. He arrived at NIC in 1970, after earning a graduate degree at the University ofTennessee and spending a year in a doctoral program at Washington State University. He taught political science and chaired the department of social sciences fo:r 14 years. He also established the Popcorn Forum almost immediately; the event has brought in speakers such as architect and thinker Buckminster Fuller, former Sen. Howard Baker, and civil rights leader Julian Bond. 'We have all learned so much from him over the years, from the people and programs he's brought to this campus," Rhinehart said. In past interviews, Stewart has discussed seeing two white boys being cruel to a black child.when he was growing up, and.the lifelong effect that had on him. As the Aryan Nations became more and more established toward the late 1970s and as Butler talked about the creation ofa white homeland in the Northwest, Stewart and others began to organize in opposition. The Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations was formed in 1980. In an in. terview with The Spokesman-Review in 2006, Stewart said the grqup's guiding principle was always to speak out against hate. 'We are a watchdog," he said. "For 25

years the task force has made a deter· n:i- ' nation never to remain silent." 'I;'he work brought him death threats a, well as accolades, but the task force be.came one of several institutions that fonmd the foundation of Coeur d'Alene's humar,-rights network and helped create a focused cc,mmunity effort against hate groups, :.everru. people said. · When. Victoria and Jason Keenan were chased and shot at by three Ary. n Nations guards in 1998, they didn't turn to the police for help. They turned to the task f 1rce - and their lawsuit eventually bankn .pte 1 the group and led to the closure of ·:he !\ryan compound, which had been for yei rs t 1e site of national media coverage of s iff- mned white suI5remacists. "There would have been no Keet an vs. Butler had it not been for the task fow , in my opinion," said Gissell. The compound was also the planni: 1g center for violent and racist acts over the years; at one point, the group's members planned to firebomb Mend's office, according to court tes_timony. Former Aryan Nations members formed The Order, a racist group connected to murder, bombings and arson across the.region during the 1980s. Stewart plans to remain at NIC through July or early August to help with the transition to a new instructor, he wrote in his email message. He said his Thursday annonncement has a threefold purpose - to thank people in the college and community for their support; to outline "several challenges facing NIC"; and to say what he will do next. Whatever it is, his admirers say he's already left a huge legacy in Coeur d'Alene as an opponent of hatred and discrimination. ,. ''He just knew he had to stand up against ' that," Rhinehart said, "and get people to 1 stand with him."

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o some minds, a Southern . accent is a tip-off of potential racial hostility. Don't tell that to native North .Carolinian Tony Stewart. · He will tell you that the closer you are to the challenges of prejudice, the clearer it·is that it's wrong. Still, the soft-spoken political science professor - who steps down today after 38 years on the North Idaho ,College faculty - is a walking paradox. The quiet Southern gentility that · marks his personality, for one thing, seems out of place alongside the personal courage that enabled him to denounce acts of racism as a boy in North Carolina and, later, to defy death threats as a human rights activist in the center of North ldaho's Aryan Nations infestation. If Richard Butler and his Nazi cohort are largely relegated to this region's history now, Stewart had a lot to do with it. Thanks to him and the colleagues who took inspiration from his unbending commitment to human dignity, the Idaho Panhandle that acquired an unwanted national identity with bigotry also won for Coeur d'Alene the first Raoul Wallenberg Community Award for Human Rights. Stewart would tell you he's never been able to keep his mouth shut in the face of injustice. Among the founders of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, he is one of a handful of civic leaders (a term he's uncomfortable

applying to himself) who were determi~ed to eradicate the bigotry that took root in the I nland Northwest. Although they spent decades at it, it was a demonstration of perseverance, not of patience. "I'm afraid that in advancing humanity to the point where we should be, we have been too patient," he said once in an interview. Earlier in his life, he considered politics as an outlet for his passion for human rights, but he eventµally heeded a friend who counseled that he might be more effective working outside the system, speaking truth to power and pricking the consciences of those within. When white supremacists embarrassed Coeur d'Alene with a nationally spotlighted march down Sherman Avenue, Stewart acknowledged their free-speech rights. But he became chief promoter of a "lemons to lemonade" strategy, securing pledges that raised thousands of dollars for human rights causes for every minute the racists · marched. · The official announcement of Stewart's retirement is scheduled for tod~y, and he's promised to disclose the direction his life will take next. If anything is clear on this bittersweet day for NIC, it is that if a chapter of Tony Stewart's life is ending, the book will go on. It would be startling if the next installment doesn't continue in some way to trace the course of human justice. And if there's a cage to be rattled, look for Stewart's hand on the bars.

B FRIDAY MAY 16, 2008 THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

IN BRIEF COEUR D'ALENE

NIC's Stewart to host interviews on KSPS Human rights activist Tony Stewart is leaving North Idaho College but continuing his conversations on big issues as a producer and host for a new series of KSPS public television shows. Stewart, who has taught . political science for 38 years, is volunteering with the Spokane station to travel the Northwest and western Canada and interview academic experts on topics ranging from law and medicine to agriculture and the humanities. "I'm going to have conversations with great minds in the academic world," Stewart, 66, told a standing-room-only 'crowd ga~ered Thursday to hear his future plans, which had been a well-kept secret. Stewart leaves a legacy as an educator and foe of racial hatred. He was among the founders of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, which became the lea.ding voic~ against Richard Butler's Aryan Nations. At NIC he-has organized the annual Popcorn Forum - a lecture series that brings top-tier speakers to town - since the 1970s. Stewart said he doesn't know who. will continue organizing the event. - Erica F. Curless

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Tony Stewart, politicatscience instructor at North Idaho College and civil rights activist,- receives·a hug from a friend Thur~day after he gaye his far~well speech.

Tony Stewart says farewell Instructor, activist will join KSPS 1V to produce, host PBS prograrru:ning By MAUREEN DOLAN Staff writer

· "I didn't want to leave until I had some· . other mission that would be very rewarding." TONY~ART

of more than 100, the 38-year politi-

"I didn't want to leave until I had some other mission·that would be may be leaving North Idaho· College, activist gave a·public farewell speech very rewarding," Stewart said. "I but his work exploring society's intel- Thursday in the NIC library and want to have conv~rsations w.ith great lectual, political and cultural clima_ies announced he will be joining Publib .mind,s throughout the academic while championing human rights is Broadcasting System affiliate KSPS . : world." far from over. · . in Spokt;U1e to produce and host PBS , Before a stanlling-room-only crow:d programs. see STEWART, A11 COEUR d'ALENE -T~ny Stewart cal science·'instructor ·and civil rights

"I' will never be silent when dealing with preiudice and bigotry." TONY SlcWART

AD J STEW KIi A1 1

throughout the country while working on behalf of the from Kootenai County Task Force ori Human Relations and with Stewart, 66, said he is the Human Rights Education creating a consortium of Institute. experts from higher educa"I will never be silent tion institutes throughout when dealing with prejudice the Northwest and western and bigotry," Stewart said. Canada to "tap all these great The farewell announceminds for PBS conversations ment included thank yous to on an ongoing basis." the many people whose lives It's a broadening of the have intersected his through- · work Stewart has done for out the years.' ·1 nearly four decades as a drivHe also took the opportuing force behind nity to make several recomNIC's Popcorq mendations regarding the · Forum lecture future of NIC. series, a signaHe urged residents to ture program· support the proposed educathat brings tion corridor adjacent to the nationally reccollege and pr:aised NIC, ognized subject the city and the Lake City Bell matter experts Development Corporation to.the campus for moving forward with the · 1, · each year to dialogue about project · · societal and ·historical issues 'Toe education corridor and trends. , could make North Idaho Hosting for public teleone of the great education vision is nothing new for . centers of the state leading to Stewart whose show, '111e unlimited economic growth," NIC Public Forum," is one of Stewart said. the most prolific PBS shows He encouraged NIC's deciin the count:(y. · sion makers to find a way to · "It's only been superseded provide "meaningful raises" by 'Sesame Street,"' Stewart for all college employees, to said. continue recognizing human Claude Kistler, KSPS-TV's . rights and to support legislageneral manager, said the station that will change current tion is pleased to c·ontinue its Idaho law and mak'e' tetirecollaboration with Stewart ment benefits available to all Film footage from last faculty. · . • March's Popcorn Forum Priscilla Bell, NIC's presiseries hosted by Stewart, dent, said Stewart has been "Earth in Crisis: A Search for an ~dispensable part Qf the Solutions," was edited into college and the community five one-hour documentaries by bringing change and new pfoduced and set to air on understanding to many, espeKSPS this summer. dally the thousands of stu"Tony has been a resource dents he taught throughout and a treasure," Kistler said. his time at NIC. Stewart will continue "I can tell you not one of speaking at human rights them will forget it," Bell sai, I. events on college campuses "He's an icon." 1

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rhe Press, Saturday, May 17, 2008

>ECTION

"This degree is for everyone who has ever helped us along the way." Dr. D. Tony Stewart

Photo courtesy of Andy Finneâ&#x20AC;˘

Duane B. Hagadone, right, and Tony Stewart, far left, help lead the traditional procession of graduates during commenÂˇcement last Saturday at the University of Idaho.

I'S. ,. now . , , . _ Tony)$iew.art, -b~a~e.}fagadone-·receive_- hofiorary doctorates W .:.i

hen the University ofIdaho awarded honorary doctoral degrees May 10, two-thirds of the recipients were from Co__e_f!,r 4'Alene.

mos_t proud of. While·both men see the summit of their academic honors much the same .way, bow they got there was decidedly different.

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Hagadone, who created and still oversees one of the most diverse . and dynamic business operations in North Idaho College ~structor the entire Northwest, wasn't exactly D. Tony Stewart and busmessm.an your stellar student. Duane B. Hagadone! bo~ Ion~"I spent six inonths at the ~rs from the Lake City, Jomed scie~- University of Idaho and flunked tist and educator Roger D. Ottmar out," he said "Well it's the truth as the university's 2008 honorees. and that's what I toid the students Conferring honorary doctorwhen I spoke to them last weekend. ates at UI dates back to 1894, I quit and came home, and _that was when Idaho {\ttorney General RZ. a huge disappointment for my parJohnson ancl:.Gov. W.J. McConnell ents." received th~ first. In the _ensuing Hagadone, now 75, explained 113 graduation ceremorues, two that his father's family couldn't more goverq_or.s, a .state Supreme afford college for their son, so Burl Courtjustice,;:-a U.S. senator, even Hagadone emphasized the impora prince and;_a princess have been tance of college to Duane that much among the 226 recipients. , more. It's a list relatively short on Duane said all he wanted to do names and really long on esteem. was 'work in the newspaper busi"I would put this absolutely at . . ·ness like his dad did, so Burl sent the top," Hagadone said in ranking him to the Silver Valley to sell the significance of his degree. newspaper subscriptions. That was "On a personal level? Yes, at the akin to a hell dweller being kicked · top," agreed Stewart, noting that his out of his cave to sell matches.·So part in ousting the Aryans remains naturally, Duane Hagadone broke foremost among the activities he's _records selling subscription·s to

hard-drinking miners, and in time he was promoted to the lowest rung of the advertising sales ladder in his hometown of Coeur d'Alene. "I worked on 100 percent commission and within a year was the top salesperson," he said. There are chapters of the rest of his story everywhere around you: The Coeur d'Alene Resort, this newspaper, the multimillion-dollar luxury condos on the lake. His holdings stretch from Wisconsin to Hawaii, but what happened to Hagadone on Saturday was singularly monumental. "I was just extremely proud, and I was emotional," he said. "All the top administrators, the top people from the university were all there. It was extremely humbling for a guy with so little fo~rmal education." While Hagadone and academia nev~fr· quite made 1t as bedfellows, Toriy Stewart has never stepped far from the light of higher learning. He was well on his way to a PhD at Washington State University when, in his words, "I let it get in the background because of other work and · commitments." That other work eventually took .see HONORS, 04

D4 THE PRESS Saturday, May 17, 2008

Homefront

forum program, which airs on half a dozen PBS television stations in the region, making the gentle, soft-spofrom D1 ken figure a welcome presence in thousands of houseStewart into uncharted intel- ·. holds. •'' ·· lectual and ethical territory. "I never missed a proOver the past four decades, gram," Stewart says, and that he has become widely recis about as close to prideful ognized as an outstanding as you will ever hear him. political science professor at He describes his five or so minutes on the Kibbie D.ome North Id h . . - stage, being feted in front · a College, VIs1onof 10 000 people as "rather ary and dri · ' ' h. vmg force behind surreal. It was almost like, . is annual Popcorn Forum, 'Is this happening?' It was a and perhaps most of all, as numb, humbling moment · ~e region's.greatest chamI remember thinking that I pion for human rights. could list all of these people Just this week Stewart who should've been there, recorded the 1 804th . tall rather·than I." ment of his we~kl ~~ Indeed, longtime friend, Y PU c colleague· and anti-Aryan attorney Norm Gissel told · Stewart; "I get a little piece of that degree." Gladly, Stewart said. 1nis degree is for everyone who has.ever helped us along the .way," he said.

.HONORS

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Hagaqone and Stewart, starkly dissimilar from !llaDY perspectives, helped one another along the way. Stewart tells the story · of a time when Hagadone donated a tidy sum of money for tennis courts at NIC, and, in typical Hagadone fashion, he nudged the project to

become bigger than organizers had initially considered - big enough to sanction official matches. Hagadone speaks fondly of Stewart as a man who has always Stood up for what he thinks is right, and confesses he's in awe of Stewart's devotion to the Popcorn Forum and the weekly TV program. "I was proud to be up there with Tony," Hagadone said. "His was an extremely deserving honor, and I cquldn't have 'been ·more proud that of three doctorates, two came from Coeur d'Alene." On Thursday, Tony Stewart said he's retiring from NIC to pursue another adventure with public televi- . sion. · Hagadone, meanwhile, will continue to pedal the importance of education, both · through his annual funding of college scholarships and through his words. · ''When I was standing up there it was very much in my mind bow proud - well, the word is 'shocked' - my Dad would be," Hagadone recalled,thistimelaughing about it "What I tell students now is that my success-would have been a lot easier if I'd gotten a college education. Because I didn't, I had to work that much harder."

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Photo courtesy of University of Idaho

F.lanked by President 1im White Oeft) and Provost · o:oug Baker, -Duane B. Hagadone becomes Or. Dua.ne B. fiagadone. , •. cl

Duane B. Hauad·oue: -. . :- :·: Businessman, community leader and philqnthropist Duane Hagadone is a third generation Idahoan who rose from being the neighbor· hood paper boy to chairman and CEO of his own highly successful and diversified corporation, the Hagadone Corporation, based in his hometown of Coeur d'Alene. His business interests have grown to include newspapers, publishing, property management and hospitality services. He is one .of the state's largest private employers with more than 2,500

employees in Idaho, and the Hagadone Newspapers Company publishes 17 newspapers in Idaho, Montana, Washington and Wisconsin. Few people can be said to have changed the course of a community and region, but Puane Hagadone is such a ptrson. He has taken North Idaho from a resource-extraction based economy to a thriving resource-based tourism powerhouse.

see HAGADONE, D4

Photo courtesy of Univer~ity of Idaho

Flanked by President lim White (left) and Provost Doug Baker, D. Tony Stewart becomes Dr. D. Tony Stewart.

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Political scientist and . human rights activist Tony Stewart is a professor, lecturer, author and -courageous community activist His remarkable career of public service, human rights activism and enthusiastic educational outreach has distinguished him as "one of those rare spirits who combines the finest qualities of civility and gentility with

practiced raw courage and moral clarity." Born in Murphy, North Carolina, Professor Stewart earned a bachelor's. degree in social sciences with a concentration in government from Western Carolina University and a master's degree in see STEWART, 04

HAGADONE

from D1

Mr. Hagadone envisioned a world-class destination resort on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene, and· in 1986, The Coeur d'Alene Resort opened to international acclaim. Conde Nast Traveler magazine has cited it as "America's Top Mainland Resort" A golf course with the world's only floating green opened in 1991 and Golf Digest called it "America's most beautiful resort golf course." The Hagadone Hospitality Company continues to enhance the tourism

amenities in Coeur d'Alene and North Idaho by operating restaurants, marine facilities, cruise boats, a · shopping plaza and other . facilities. In 2004, ~e Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, ·me., presented Mr. Hagadone with the Horatio Alger Award. The award bears the name of the popular author, Horatio Alger Jr., whose tales of overcoming adversity through unyielding perseverance and basic moral principles captivated the public in the late 19th century. Through the association's scholarship program, Mr. Hagadone has endowed 60

annual scholarships for Idaho chairman of the Kootenai students to attend colleges County United Way Fund, in and universities in Idaho. 1964 and 2007, and he was In addition, he has been . the founder of Jobs Plus, aP inducte<l into the University · organization to help attr.i:...c of ,Idaho Alumni Hall of new businesses and joLs to Fame and the Idaho Hall of the·Coew- d'Alene area. He Fame, and he received the currently is honorary chair2005 Idaho Businessman of man of#,ie-committee to the Year Award from Idaho build a hew Boys and Girls State University and the 2006 Club for Kootenai County. Idaho Business Leader of the In recognition of a lifetime Year Award. of leadership an.cl dedication Duane and his wife, L9Ia, to the state and the region, have been active supportthe University of Idaho is ers of community organiza- · proud to confer upon Duane tions, including the Kootenai B. Hagadone 't he degree Humane Society, the Coeur · of Doctor of Business d'Alene library Foundation, Administration. the Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre and United Way. Source: 113th University of Idaho Mr. Hagadone was twice the Commencement Program

STEWART·

workshops with personalities that include the late Vice from 01 President Hubert Humphrey, former Senator Howard political science from the Baker, Buckminster Fuller · University of Tennessee. In and Carole King. Stewart addition, he began gradhate also introduced "North Idaho work toward a doctoral proCollege 1V-Public Forum," gram in political science at that airs on six ·PBS television Washington State University. stations in the Northwest In 1970, he began teachand Canada. He has served ing political science and as program producer and advising pre-law students at moderator for more than North Idaho College, where 1,700 weekly programs on he served for 14 years as wide-ranging topics that have chair of the Division of Social elevated the quality of public Sciences and is currently a discourse. tenured faculty meJllber. In the 1980s, Professor Professor Stewart founded Stewart was a pivotal leader and continues to chair the in th~ decades-long grassNorth Idaho College ·Popcorn roots campaign to promote Forum Lecture Series, a sig- human rights in Idaho and nature event for the college the Northwest at a time and community. Since 1970, when the region faced rising the series has featured more tensions from a menacing than 540 lectures, panels and white supremacist threat He

played a key strategic role in the pitched community battle . to counteract the Aryan Nations and helped construct an impressive regional network of human rights organizations and task forces that continue to monitor hate groups and raise awareness about human rights today. H~ was a founding member of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations and the five-state Northwest Coalition .Against Malicious Harassment, and served terms as president of both organizations. He also served as founding board member of the Human Rights Education Institute, is vice chair of the North Idaho College Human Rights and Diversity Committee, and has served for 18 years as faculty adviser of the North Idaho Human Equality Club.

In 2006, Professor Stewart was awarded the Idaho Humanities Council Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Humanities, the latest in a number of prestigious awards granted over the years in recognition of his ongoing dedication to human rights awaren~ss. His tireless civic, journalistic and ·academic efforts to prpmote tolerance, civil discourse and human rights awareness have earned him noted accomplishments regionally as well as nationally. Therefore, in recognition of a lifetime of service to the state and region, the University of Idaho is proud to confer upon Doyle Tony Stewart the degree of Doctor of Human Letters. Source: ~ 13th University of Idaho commencement program