There are some people I'd like you to meet. Some of them are dead so we'll just have to chalk them up to missed opportunities. The others you need to know about because they're still around and you might bump into them and then won't have to take my word for it that they're worth meeting.
Why do I think you should know these people and why now? You should at least know about these people during the 50th anniversary of the Washington Chapter of APWA because they got us here. They weren't the only ones and I don't want to offend anyone by leaving them off the list but I have to stop somewhere. I've chosen to include only people I've actually met most of whom aren't able to participate in chapter events much anymore.
When Jack Pittis and Dick Warren and I started our activity in this chapter we were the kids (except for Dick who's always been the same age and is now younger than I am). Now we're the old guard (some would use a different term) and some people look to us for a link to the past. But we're not the past. We're the third wave. Before us were the founding fathers who were followed by the promoters that made this chapter great and enlisted us in their cause.
I only know one founding father but he's the best one to know. Roy Morse was the ultimate gentleman who was also an effective leader. He epitomized the professionalism that we all strive for and he was kinder to me than I had a right to expect. If you can acquire a copy of the oral history of Roy Morse. Read it. Twice!
Chet Woods was a fixture in the organization when I first joined. He was always gently putting the arm on you to contribute to the scholarship fund. We don't pass the hat anymore but we had to in the beginning and he took it on. He also did all the paperwork to win National awards for the Chapter. Sometimes he made up the committee reports he submitted but they were what the committee chair would have done if he had been as smart as Chet was. Chet once told me a story about the spring conference that had no program because someone dropped the ball. He and some other folks put the conference together on the fly using people recruited from the attendees to put on the sessions. That conference could have been a bust and caused people to lose interest in the organization. Instead Chet and others set an example for innovation that is still with us in many ways.
Ed Kortnik served two terms as president because Joe Thornton died before he could complete his term. Ed held the organization together through a difficult time that thankfully we haven't seen repeated.
Dominic Rolleto is someone I'll always remember as the guy who made the whole chapter laugh. He had a way of saying things that forced you to listen because you didn't want to miss anything. I don't remember any of his jokes but every time he said garlic, everyone burst out laughing. I heard the garlic story but can't repeat it because I don't remember it. It was the way Dominic told it that kept you coming back for more.
Garth Anderson was almost a founding father but more importantly he was a kind of positive virus that infected the whole next wave of leaders who promoted the chapter and made it grow in the 70's and 80's.
June Rosentreter Spence is one of those people who Garth encouraged to join APWA. I'm writing this now because I was asked to say a few words about June at the Yakima Conference before the June Rosentreter Spence award was presented. I blurted out something about our needing to know more about trailblazers like June who was the first woman president of the chapter and national APWA because there are still plenty of trails that need blazing and we need to learn how they did it. This article is my small attempt at doing just that.
Larry Southwick is a gentleman in the mold of Roy Morse. He quietly did more for this chapter than anyone knew. Larry and June R. Spence put together the first conference guidelines in the 70's.
Jan Rosholt was the chapter leader that every young manager wanted to be like. He taught me so much but I didn't realize it until I had lunch with him last year. We talked about public works stuff and I realized that things I thought were my idea, I'd actually learned from him.
Al Kimbel was the main reason I got involved in APWA. He was my boss and my mentor and someone who was always working to promote the chapter and make it better.
Lee Sphar was the gentleman who gave the chapter the Sphar fangled banner. When our old chapter banner got to be too small to hold all the awards the chapter had won, Lee built outriggers to hold new banner cloth for additional glories. He'd still be famous if we hadn't purchased a newer, larger banner.
Gwen Maxfield was as active in National APWA as in the Chapter and kept volunteering us to serve on national committees and task forces. Much of our involvement in National was generated through her.
Jan Klippert was another quiet leader whose dedication to this chapter doesn't get enough publicity. We wouldn't have a history of public works in Washington without the efforts of Jan Klippert & Dick Warren.
Dick Warren and I have traded barbs for many years at chapter meetings. I think I've usually gotten the last word and would like to again. For all that I kid Dick, I respect him for all that he's given to APWA over the years. Dick always has a new, hot idea. Without his ideas we wouldn't have gotten into half the trouble (oops I'm doing it again) or accomplished much of what we've accomplished. He also knows all the people I've listed and more. Ask him about them when you see him. Or ask the other folks on my list if you can find them. In fact, read the history book and learn more about them and others. Then try to live up to the standard they've set for us.
As usual, comments or questions can be fielded at ostrowj@pacifier.com.