WHEREAS, During William "Willy" Edward O'Neil Jr.'s life as a son,
brother, friend, community activist, conservationist, hunter,
fisherman, and professional colleague, he made countless contributions
to the State; and
WHEREAS, Willy O'Neil served both the State of Washington and the
world of mankind through his passion for the environment, for the
conservation of natural resources, and for his beliefs in the integrity
of life and the well-being of all individuals; and
WHEREAS, Willy O'Neil's legacy is one of unbridled enthusiasm to
serve the State of Washington with an infectious spirit of optimism
that touched us all; and
WHEREAS, Willy O'Neil made numerous remarkable contributions to the
State of Washington; and
WHEREAS, As an advocate for the construction industry, Willy
supported infrastructure improvements that would benefit the economic
vitality of the state, move people safely and more efficiently, while
at the same time seeking to improve environmental awareness and
ecologically sound construction practices within the industry he
served; and
WHEREAS, He tirelessly worked to inform the voters of the need for
a Second Tacoma Narrows Bridge and is recognized as one of the most
important influences in gaining final approval by the voters for the
project; and
WHEREAS, As a believer in conservation practices, Willy was
instrumental in developing the Nonresidential Energy Code and designing
it to be more user-friendly, and as part of the implementation package
for this new code, he put together a public/private partnership to
assist both the building and enforcement communities; and
WHEREAS, He also worked within the construction industry to develop
model soil erosion codes which were subsequently adopted by the State
Building Code Council; and
WHEREAS, As an activist for the disabled, Willy involved himself in
the development of building codes nationally and within Washington
under the Americans with Disabilities Act working vigorously with the
disabled community to test, modify, and always improve accessibility
standards for everyone in need, including accessibility to
recreational, hunting, and fishing sites in federal, state, and local
public grounds; and
WHEREAS, Willy spearheaded the effort to obtain certification from
the United States Department of Justice of the Washington State
Regulations for Barrier-Free Facilities and in 1995, under his
energetic efforts, the Washington State Accessibility Code became the
first Department of Justice certified building code in the United
States, one of only a handful of codes to receive this certification to
date; and
WHEREAS, As a devoted steward of the earth, Willy was an
irrepressible advocate for the volunteer-led small-stream salmon
recovery program known as the Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups,
was a major fund-raiser and manager of various projects supported by
these groups, and diligently worked with legislators and multiple
stakeholders to pass the Salmon Recovery Act which he believed would
serve as the framework for the State's efforts to recover threatened
and endangered salmon stocks; and
WHEREAS, As a hunter, sports fisherman, and avid sailor, Willy
loved the outdoors and having traveled extensively, he always thought
Washington State was the most pristine, adventuresome place to be; and
WHEREAS, He loved to hunt, always worked to promote the
preservation of wildlife recreational centers, and as a fisherman,
supported efforts to protect, recover, and enhance fish stocks of all
kinds; and
WHEREAS, As a sail boat aficionado, Willy was a swashbuckler of a
man who prayed for a strong wind at his back to sail the Puget Sound
waters in a spirited competition of knowledge, skills, and abilities;
and
WHEREAS, As a rules coordinator for the state, Willy championed
citizen involvement in government, preached the importance of
parliamentary procedures, and believed in full disclosure by government
agencies of their practices to the people they served - the citizens of
the State of Washington; and
WHEREAS, As a supporter of efficiencies in government, Willy
painstakingly committed his time and energies to first, the creation,
then, the implementation of the Transportation Permit Efficiency and
Accountability Act, strove to optimize the limited resources available
for transportation system improvements and environmental protection by
working with diverse groups to establish common goals, minimize project
delays, develop consistency in applying environmental standards,
maximize environmental benefits through coordinated investment
strategies, and by eliminating duplicative processes. His common sense
approach and boundless energy in the bill's implementation led to his
nickname - Mr. TPEAC; and
WHEREAS, As a musician, songwriter, and performer, Willy used his
powerful voice and God-given talents in music to craft songs of hope,
passion, love, and humor, permeating his singing with a central theme
of social reform, with lyrics that were at the same time brilliant and
naive, witty and funny, and moving and irreverent in a Dylanesque sort
of way performing with passion, just as he lived his life; and
WHEREAS, As a respecter of heritage, Willy was proud of his Irish
background, whose history gave him a profound sense of the many plights
of human existence, and fought to remove prejudice of any kind from his
life and the society he lived in, was befriended by members of the
Tulalip Tribes as a youth, became an advocate for Native American
causes such as Sovereignty, Treaty Rights and, most important, respect,
and was a rare man of distinction who could live in many cultural
communities; and
WHEREAS, As a man of faith, Willy, born into a Catholic family,
devoutly pursued a life of caring for others, above himself, embraced
the precepts of his church, the love of God and family, was never far
from a fallen friend to assist in whatever way he could and always lit
a candle for those in need, did not fear death, for he lived by God's
promise of a glorious afterlife, and he will always be with us in
spirit; and
WHEREAS, As a man of service, Willy O'Neil always put others first,
changed the world by his actions and in so doing, changed our lives
forever and will always be remembered as bright in personality,
intellect, absolute optimism, and love of life, so we can now rejoice
in the memory of our departed, but never forgotten friend, a bright
shooting star streaking across our universe whose legacy of service
remains as a living testimony to this great, wonderful, endearing
"giant of a man," a friend--Willy O'Neil;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate recognize the
outstanding contributions William "Willy" Edward O'Neil Jr. made to the
people of Washington state and honor him for his ongoing commitment to
promote the betterment of mankind; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution be
immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to William and
Nina O'Neil, parents of William "Willy" Edward O'Neil Jr.