HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 91-4677, by Dellwo, Anderson, Appelwick, Ballard, Basich, Beck, Belcher, Betrozoff, Bowman, Braddock, Bray, Brekke, Broback, Brough, Brumsickle, Cantwell, Casada, Chandler, Cole, Cooper, Day, Dorn, Ebersole, Edmondson, Ferguson, G. Fisher, R. Fisher, Forner, Franklin, Fraser, Fuhrman, Grant, Hargrove, Haugen, Heavey, Hine, Hochstatter, Holland, Horn, Inslee, Jacobsen, P. Johnson, R. Johnson, Jones, J. King, R. King, Kremen, Leonard, Lisk, Locke, Ludwig, May, McLean, R. Meyers, Mielke, Miller, Mitchell, Morris, Morton, Moyer, H. Myers, Nealey, Neher, Nelson, O'Brien, Ogden, Orr, Padden, Paris, Peery, Phillips, Prentice, Prince, Pruitt, Rasmussen, Rayburn, Riley, Roland, Rust, Schmidt, Scott, Sheldon, Silver, D. Sommers, H. Sommers, Spanel, Sprenkle, Tate, Valle, Vance, Van Luven, Wang, Wilson, Wineberry, Winsley, Wood, Wynne and Zellinsky

     WHEREAS, It has long been recognized that the wealth of a people lies in its youth, since it is they who one day will take up the responsibilities of our society and provide us not only with a productive work force, but with the moral, intellectual, and political leadership so necessary for the continuance and improvement of our way of life; and

     WHEREAS, Our schools, churches, and families are all deeply involved in the progress of our youth from children to young adults, and these institutions both give to and benefit from this process of growth; and

     WHEREAS, The Olympia community is fortunate to have a considerable number of young people who have demonstrated an exceptional ability to return more to these nurturing institutions than could have been foreseen; and

     WHEREAS, Derek S. Miller, a senior at Capital High School, had proven himself to be one of this select group of young people who make an outstanding contribution to society; and

     WHEREAS, Derek had distinguished himself in many ways, among them being chosen as the most-improved member of the cross-country running team, achieving an academic record that placed him fifteenth in his class, and serving as Junior Class President in the previous school year; and

     WHEREAS, Derek had set high goals for himself and had focused his considerable energy and abilities in ways that had already achieved many of those goals and made it clear that he would most certainly go on to achieve many more of them; and

     WHEREAS, While he was deeply committed to self-achievement, Derek always took the time to help other young people achieve their fullest potential, sometimes by direct assistance and counsel, other times by leading by example and inspiring others to do the best of which they were capable; and

     WHEREAS, The recent accidental death of Derek S. Miller has deprived our community of an exceptional young person, a fine example of a young man who had already demonstrated an ability to contribute to society; and

     WHEREAS, While the loss of this fine young man has been deeply felt by our entire community, and will continue to be felt for many years to come, Derek will long be remembered by his friends, his school, and his family for the times of trial, growth, joy, and discovery that they shared with him throughout his eighteen years;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives extends its deepest condolences to Derek's family, his father Edward, his mother Christel, and his brother Daryl, on the loss of their beloved son and brother, and expresses its sincere wishes that their burden of grief be eased somewhat by the knowledge that Derek will be remembered as an exceptional young person who had already returned a significant contribution to his community and our society.

             I hereby certify this to be a true and correct copy of

              Resolution 4677 adopted by the Rules Committee of the

                    House of Representatives April 16, 1991.

                         ________________________________

               Alan Thompson, Chief Clerk, House of Representatives