BySenators Liias, Honeyford, Conway, Das, Braun, Brown, Hasegawa, Hunt, Keiser, King, Kuderer, Padden, Schoesler, Sheldon, Warnick, Wellman, Wilson, C., Billig, Carlyle, Cleveland, Darneille, Dhingra, Dozier, Ericksen, Fortunato, Frockt, Gildon, Hawkins, Hobbs, Holy, Lovelett, McCune, Mullet, Muzzall, Nguyen, Nobles, Pedersen, Randall, Rivers, Robinson, Rolfes, Saldaña, Salomon, Short, Stanford, Van De Wege, Wagoner, Wilson, J., and Wilson, L.

WHEREAS, Senator Paull Shin lived a profoundly impactful and extraordinary life dedicated to serving the people of Washington State; and

WHEREAS, Senator Shin embodied the American dream through his lifetime of kindness, leadership, and service which inspired countless others; and

WHEREAS, Senator Shin courageously conquered vast obstacles, which allowed his passion for service to spring from a vision to a reality; and

WHEREAS, Paull Shin was born September 27, 1935, in Kumchon, Korea where he lived on the war-torn streets as an orphan child, begging for food; and

WHEREAS, Paull Shin was adopted by an American GI, Dr. Ray Paull, and given the opportunity to live an American life; and

WHEREAS, Though he had not been taught how to read and write as a child, Paull Shin made up for his lack of childhood schooling and swiftly educated himself in his teenage years, becoming literate in both English and Korean; and

WHEREAS, Paull Shin met the love of his life, Donna, at Brigham Young University and will be remembered as a devoted husband, father, and grandfather; and

WHEREAS, Paull Shin earned a B.A. from Brigham Young University, a M.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington; and

WHEREAS, Paull Shin became a professor in Washington's higher education system, where he inspired generations of students through his teachings in East Asian Studies; and

WHEREAS, Paull Shin was elected to the House of Representatives in 1992 and then elected to the Senate in 1998, nobly serving the people of Washington and the 21st District as the first Korean American elected to the Washington State Legislature; and

WHEREAS, While striving to be active in Washington's community, Senator Shin spent much of his time building relationships with his colleagues in the Senate and with his constituents; and

WHEREAS, Senator Shin was deeply loved and respected by all members of the legislature, regardless of political party; and

WHEREAS, While Senator Shin did not speak on the floor often, when he did, everyone, whether they were Senators, staff, lobbyists, or members of the public, would stop to listen to every word he said, proof of the great amount of respect everyone in Washington had for him; and

WHEREAS, Senator Shin had a deep love for those who were also adopted, like him, and spent much of his time working with and supporting them; and

WHEREAS, Senator Shin's life story informed his deep dedication to expanding educational opportunities, and protecting and supporting our most vulnerable residents; and

WHEREAS, Senator Shin represented Washington ably on numerous trade missions abroad, building relationships with foreign leaders and promoting Washington products and companies; and

WHEREAS, Senator Shin, who was also a veteran himself, never forgot about the sacrifices our men and women of the armed forces have made and was the original prime sponsor of the policy that expanded access to higher education to nonresident service members; and

WHEREAS, Senator Shin was a champion for Washington State's Asian-American community, passing legislation to erase derogatory and outdated language regarding Asian Americans from state statutes, codes, regulations, and other official documents which started the conversation nation-wide; and

WHEREAS, Senator Shin recognized the relationship between business and education, passing legislation to develop customized workforce training, believing that the growth of new businesses was being limited by an unmet need for customized training; and

WHEREAS, Senator Shin had an affinity for doing push-ups and would challenge interns and legislative staff to do more than him even though no one could ever beat him; and

WHEREAS, Senator Shin's affinity for push-ups was so strong that he challenged everyone at his 50th wedding anniversary to do more push-ups than him even though no one stood a chance; and

WHEREAS, Senator Shin's dignity, service, and compassion provided admirable examples for others to emulate;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate mourn the loss of the Honorable Paull Shin, former State Senator of the 21st legislative district and Vice President Pro Tempore; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate recognize and honor the life and work of Senator Paull Shin for his lifetime of contributions to the people and state of Washington; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the family members of Senator Paull Shin.