SENATE RESOLUTION

                         2000-8781

By: Senators Rasmussen, Fraser, Jacobsen, McCaslin, Roach, West, Winsley, Hale, Haugen, Morton, Snyder, Spanel, Loveland, Kohl-Welles, Goings, Long, Swecker, Sheldon, B., McAuliffe, Wojahn, Benton, Franklin, Bauer, Zarelli, Rossi, Prentice, Kline, Patterson, Hargrove, Gardner, Eide, Sheahan, and Thibaudeau

     WHEREAS, Secretary of State Ralph Davies Munro has served his home state of Washington for more than two decades, bringing the highest level of public service and professionalism to the Office of the Secretary of State during his five terms of office; and

     WHEREAS, as Chief State Elections Officer, he has assured fair and accurate election processes; has worked tirelessly to increase voter participation; has promoted voter understanding of ballot measures; and was successful in establishing a Presidential Primary Election to make Washington=s voice heard early in the presidential selection process; and

     WHEREAS, as our State=s Diplomat Extraordinaire, he has worked selflessly to promote international understanding, trade and economic development for the state through his diplomacy and trade missions; and

     WHEREAS, he has served on the State Capitol Committee, the Capitol Campus Design Advisory Committee, and the Legislative Building Preservation and Restoration Commission, reflecting his life-long appreciation of this magnificent symbol of our state and its history, stemming from the fact that his grandfather was a stone carver artisan who worked on the Legislative Building; and

     WHEREAS, Ralph Munro has worked tirelessly to create coalitions to address challenging state issues,  setting a national example of clean, positive, across-the-aisle, problem-solving, and creative politics that promote citizens= faith in their government; and

     WHEREAS, Ralph Munro has set the highest example of public service and volunteerism, bringing public attention to the crisis of millions of North Koreans facing mass starvation; and

     WHEREAS, Ralph Munro has earned international praise for his work in Russia and the Russian Far East, having received the Order of Friendship in 1998 from President Boris Yeltsin C the highest award given by Russia to non-citizens C for the Adevelopment of friendship and cooperation between citizens of the Russian Federation and the United States@; and

     WHEREAS, Ralph Munro received the highest award given to a non-Spanish citizen, the Order of Civil Merit, from King Juan Carlos of Spain for his work promoting trade with Spain and bringing the Talgo trains to Washington State; and

     WHEREAS, Ralph Munro has received many other distinguished awards throughout his career from groups such as: the Washington State League of Women Voters, the Progressive Animal Welfare Society,  the Seattle Municipal League, the World Affairs Council, the State Historical Society, and many more; and

     WHEREAS, Ralph Munro has advanced support for the disabled community, advocating for their care, help for their needs, their education; and their job opportunities; and

     WHEREAS, Ralph Munro has demonstrated that C yes C real men really do wear kilts, opening legislative sessions and kicking off formal events attired in his ancestral Scottish kilts and playing his beloved bagpipes; and

     WHEREAS, Ralph Munro and his wife, Karen, have made AFree Willy@ a successful crusade, in their efforts to end the capture of Orca Whales in the Puget Sound and mount an international campaign to release captive whales, including Lolita, the only surviving killer whale caught in the sound and now on display in Miami; and

     WHEREAS, Ralph has immersed himself in Washington State History; saved Ranald MacDonald=s cabin; brought early morning animation to the very successful Heritage Caucus; and gave leadership and inspiration on the Bi-Centennial Commission in 1989; and

     WHEREAS, Ralph Munro provided superb leadership in Washington State=s throwing a memorable 100th birthday party as Co-chair of the Washington State Centennial Commission, from 1987-1990; and

     WHEREAS, Ralph Munro has earned the respect from U.S. veterans for his work on the campus memorials honoring American veterans from the Vietnam, Korean War and World War II; and

     WHEREAS, Ralph Munro has, in the execution of his corporate registration duties, consolidated business licensing, updated corporation laws, and promoted the landmark legislation allowing for the use of digital signatures in electronic commerce; and

     WHEREAS, Ralph Munro demonstrated outstanding leadership heading the State=s Dignitary and Protocol Committee during the 1999 World Trade Organization conference in Seattle, working sometimes twenty-four hours a day to welcome 2,000 delegates from more than one-hundred fifty nations, showing the world that Washington state=s leaders could maintain their professionalism, composure, and sense of humor even amid rocky circumstances; and

     WHEREAS, Ralph Munro announced he would not seek a sixth term in office, and;

     WHEREAS, Ralph Munro can now devote more time to his son George,  his loving and long-time wife, Karen, who has patiently tolerated her husband=s flair for Celtic haberdashery and long absences on overseas trade missions and other important matters of state;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Washington State  Senate recognizes the many outstanding contributions made by Secretary of State Ralph Munro, serving the people of Washington State, the Washington state government, and the institution of the Office of the Secretary of State.

I, Tony M. Cook, Secretary of the Senate,

do hereby certify that this is a true and

correct copy of Senate Resolution 2000-8781,

adopted by the Senate March 21, 2000.

TONY M. COOK

Secretary of the Senate