SENATE RESOLUTION

                                 1999-8658

By Senators Kline, Franklin, Snyder, Heavey, Thibaudeau, Fraser, Kohl-Welles and Rasmussen

      WHEREAS, Lacy Steele has been married to Dorothy Steele for forty-six years.  They have one daughter, Mrs. Marché  Steele-Heath, and a grandson, Joshua David Heath.  Mr. and Mrs. Steele have lived in the Seattle area for forty years, thirty-three of which have been in the city of Bellevue; and

      WHEREAS, Mr. Steele moved to the Seattle area in 1959, from Detroit, Michigan, after being recruited by the Boeing Company.  Mr. Steele worked at Boeing for thirty-eight years until retiring in 1997.  Mr. Steele, working his way up the corporate ladder at Boeing, became the first African-American manager in the Defense & Space Group, Quality Assurance Organization; and

      WHEREAS, Since moving to Washington in 1959, he has been volunteering his time, money, and expertise to help others.  His volunteer activities, in the Seattle area and throughout the nation, have benefited and enhanced the lives of many; and  

      WHEREAS, Mr. Steele served as president of the Seattle branch of the NAACP for twenty-six years.  During his tenure as president, he served as chairman on numerous committees and also met with officials from the state, county, and city to develop programs and laws to rid the African-American community of gang violence and drugs and to find ways to curtail the activities of various hate groups.  Currently, Mr. Steele serves on the NAACP National Board of Directors; and

      WHEREAS, Mr. Steele spends approximately thirty hours a week in the NAACP office responding to the needs of people seeking assistance in employment and housing discrimination, helping homeless individuals find shelter and aid, and addressing numerous civil rights issues; and

      WHEREAS, The Seattle branch of the NAACP, under Mr. Steele's leadership, headed the first march and demonstration declaring war on drugs and prostitution in the Seattle area.  He also worked with the late Sam Smith to organize the Black Prisoner's Coalition, which was designed to aid and assist prisoners while they were in prison and after their release, and to ensure that prisoners were treated fairly and provided with some form of training or schooling; and

      WHEREAS, As president of the Seattle branch of the NAACP, Mr. Steele coordinated and headed voter registration drives and has personally registered over two thousand two hundred voters in the state of Washington.  Mr. Steele likes to use the acronym "R.E.P." - Registration, education, and participation to describe his voter registration drives; and

      WHEREAS, Mr. Steele serves as a speaker and seminar presenter locally and nationally, appearing in schools, colleges, and universities to address the perils of drugs, substance abuse, and the importance of obtaining an education; and

      WHEREAS, Mr. Steele is a permanent volunteer at the Central Area Motivation Program Christmas Party which provides refreshments, gifts, and entertainment to over two thousand low-income children in the community; and

      WHEREAS, Over the years, Mr. Steele has aided and assisted many young people in securing scholarship aid to institutions of higher learning; and

      WHEREAS, Mr. Steele is retiring from the NAACP;

      NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate recognize and honor Mr. Lacy Steele for his numerous professional achievements, the significant contributions he has made to our state and our country, and the many lives he has impacted through the years while championing his numerous social causes; and

      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to Mr. and Mrs. Steele.

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

do hereby certify that this is a true and

correct copy of Senate Resolution 1999-8658,

adopted by the Senate March 26, 1999.

TONY M. COOK

Secretary of the Senate