Unequivocally home: Blair Butterworth’s open letter to Washington state
Blair Butterworth passed away recently. As is reflected in his last article below, he was involved in many of this region’s major steps forward. I had the opportunity to work with Blair on some of the campaigns he refers to. His last article gives an eloquent overview of what makes Seattle special, and the work we have to focus on now in the all-important area of Education.
– Tayloe Washburn
Unequivocally home: Blair Butterworth’s open letter to Washington state
By Blair Butterworth
“I was powerfully struck by the sheer physical beauty of our state. So many wonderful natural attractions, such a variety of outdoor activities. In the wake of the 1962 World’s Fair, Seattle was also a vibrant model of civic achievement. But it was more than these things.
Beyond what lay all around me as I explored every corner of Seattle and our state, was what I found within the people here. I was welcomed, included and accepted. Me, an East Coast nomad who’d never known any other permanent address besides “c/o.” I was finally and unequivocally home.
Here I found a remarkable, open-minded diversity of thought, interests and people. A rich environment for meaningful civic dialogue. A conviction that such meaningful dialogue is both precursor to and stimulus for action and progress. Here I found a generosity of spirit, where I would be judged not as an outsider, but by my competence, merit, work and humanity. I knew this was where I belonged.”