Every time I am preparing to give a commencement address I go around for weeks asking myself and anyone else who will listen, “What's most important for the graduates to hear about what matters in life?”
Last graduation season I came up with three things. Family, friends, and public service—in that order.
Private life has its rewards but I think it's important—and makes one's life richer—to be a part of something larger.
I have had the privilege of observing some who are masters at the art of being good citizens. One is my longtime friend Dan Evans.
He's been a successful engineer, three-time governor of the state of Washington, United States senator, and a college president. Even today, after more than fifty years of public service, if a tough public issue arises and he believes he can help, he jumps into the fray like a “go to” player in the NBA who always wants the ball when things get tight.
I realized how central his desire for action is to his special brand of leadership the day, many years ago, when he and his wife, Nancy, were visiting us at our place on Hood Canal. They had joined us for the weekend. We had a pretty full schedule of activities planned. However, Saturday afternoon there was a short lull.
We were all sitting on our deck waiting for more guests we had invited to come for dinner. Dan got restless. Like a kid, he said, “Gee, isn't there anything to do around here?” I thought for a minute and then replied that we'd been intending to repaint the stripes on our pickleball* court.
Dan immediately responded: “Great. Where's the paint?”
I gave him the paint and he spent the afternoon on the job.
One thing I learned from observing Dan over the years has become part of my definition of a good citizen. That is: a good citizen is a person who is always looking for something to do.
Dan's life embodies the qualities that elicit respect from others.
He championed environmental issues when doing so wasn't yet popular. He worked tirelessly for a more equitable state tax structure when that wasn't popular either. He won debates and lost debates.
But even those who disagreed with him never questioned his integrity.
I'll never forget the expression of respect that occurred during the opening ceremonies for the Kingdome sports arena in Seattle. Dan had announced shortly before this that he wasn't going to run for governor again, and when he and Nancy were introduced, the entire audience of some sixty thousand people, who had been relatively quiet until that moment, stood and offered a thunderous burst of applause that lasted for a long time.
People were cheering for his honesty and his extraordinary performance throughout a long and distinguished career in public service. He always did what he thought was right, regardless of political pressure.
In my mind he stands as a shining example for both politicians and for the people who elect them.
I once thought I needed to write an essay to leave behind for my children on how crucial it is to always do the right thing.
Then I remembered that they grew up around Dan Evans.
*For those unfamiliar with the great sport of pickleball, it's a family sport played on a court about the size of a badminton court.