SENATE RESOLUTION

                                      2000-8729

By Senator Snyder, Bauer, Benton, Brown, Costa, Deccio, Eide, Fairley, Finkbeiner, Franklin, Fraser, Gardner, Goings, Hale, Hargrove, Haugen, Heavey, Hochstatter, Honeyford, Horn, Jacobsen, Johnson, Kline, Kohl-Welles, Long, Loveland, McAuliffe, McCaslin, McDonald, Morton, Oke, Patterson, Prentice, Rasmussen, Roach, Rossi, Sellar, Sheahan, Sheldon,B., Sheldon, T., Shin, Spanel, Stevens, Swecker, Thibaudeau, West, Winsley, Wojahn, Zarelli

      WHEREAS, Former Washington State Representative Bob Basich, who served six terms in unselfish, distinguished work for citizens of Grays Harbor, Cowlitz, Pacific, and Wahkiakum counties, and for all people of Washington, passed away; and

      WHEREAS, Affectionately and very appropriately known as "Coach," Representative Basich went peacefully to the next world; and

      WHEREAS, Coach Basich and his wonderful wife, Anita, raised three exemplary children in Aberdeen, the city of his birth made all the better for his years of teaching, coaching, and mentoring; and

      WHEREAS, The students and staff in classrooms all across Washington were always uppermost in the mind of Representative Basich through his unwavering commitment to improve and strengthen our schools; and

      WHEREAS, During a legislative career that will be forever modeled by men and women here and in other state governments, Representative Basich placed maximum importance on protecting and preserving the natural resources that help make our great land so truly magnificent; and

      WHEREAS, A United States Navy veteran of World War II, Representative Basich was a champion for the rights and recognition of servicemen and servicewomen who stood ready to make the ultimate sacrifice, and for those American heroes and heroines who did lose their lives in service to our country; and

      WHEREAS, Coach Basich, our true friend and colleague, was tireless and scrupulous in his work to highlight the importance of self-esteem, personal accountability, and a positive mental attitude on the part of our young people; and

      WHEREAS, The civic-mindedness of Representative Basich was reflected in his Associated Student Body presidencies at Aberdeen High School and Grays Harbor College, and later in his service on the Aberdeen City Council; and

      WHEREAS, The steadfast and honorable perspective of Bob Basich was an honest-to-goodness touchstone for peers and contemporaries in classrooms of learning, in gymnasiums and fields of athletic endeavor, and in legislative halls; and

      WHEREAS, Coach Basich earned All-American honors as a football player at St. Martin's College and is a member of the school's Sports Hall of Fame; and

      WHEREAS, In his years of teaching and coaching at the high school and college level, Representative Basich was a source of inspiration and motivation for thousands of young men and women; and

      WHEREAS, For more than four decades, Coach Basich worked with young athletes of the Grays Harbor communities as an umpire, and as a baseball coach at the Little League, Babe Ruth, American Legion, semiprofessional, and minor league levels; and

      WHEREAS, A remarkable ballroom dancer, Representative Basich, even as we speak, is surely dancing with the angels; and

      WHEREAS, Although the Legislature hasn't been the same without him and now the world won't be the same without him, Representative Basich would be the first to admonish that we not mourn his passing, but that instead we celebrate his life and the time that he laughed, played, and worked among us;

      NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate celebrate the distinguished legislative, professional, athletic, and, most of all, the personal life of Washington State Representative Bob Basich; and

      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the members of the family of Washington State Representative Bob Basich.

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

do hereby certify that this is a true and

correct copy of Senate Resolution 2000-8729,

adopted by the Senate February 18, 2000.

TONY M. COOK

Secretary of the Senate