SENATE RESOLUTION

                                 2000-8763

By Senators 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, and Zarelli

       WHEREAS, at the end of the 2000 Legislative Session the Washington State Senate will bid farewell to a respected colleague and dear friend; and

       WHEREAS, Senator Al Bauer will retire from this body marking a near-thirty-year career of dedicated elected public service, having served in the Legislature since 1971; and

       WHEREAS, In those three decades, Al Bauer has been the Legislature=s most tireless advocate and leader on behalf of public education; and      

       WHEREAS, His belief in its importance began as a child, as the son of  German immigrants who instilled in Al a fierce pride and a deep commitment to education; and

       WHEREAS, After dropping out of high school to serve his country in the Navy, he returned from the service after six years to receive his diploma, go on to college, and eventually begin his long career as a public school teacher in La Center and Vancouver; and

       WHEREAS, Behind nearly every major piece of legislation that has shaped our system of public education in the last thirty years was Al Bauer, and no governor, superintendent of public instruction or legislator has had more influence on the state=s Aparamount duty@; and

       WHEREAS, Parents, teachers, and students alike can thank him for leading the charge on key education issues and programs such as: the Learning Assistance Program, smaller class sizes in the early grades, increasing parental involvement, bringing technology to smaller, rural communities, and defining basic education -- to name just a few; and

       WHEREAS, His constituents in Clark County will be forever grateful for the work he has done to bring the Washington State University branch campus, attract new high-tech industries that pay good wages, and advocate tax benefits important to residents of the border county; and

       WHEREAS, Bauer Hall, dedicated in 1988 at Clark College, will forever stand as a tribute to the good Senator from first the seventeenth and then the forty-ninth legislative district; and

       WHEREAS, The members of the Senate know that when Al Bauer sets his mind to something or as Al Bauer would say, Awhen he puts his pick in the ground@, you had better get out of the way, for he is determined, committed, single-minded, and, more often than not, right; and

       WHEREAS, Never known to have burned a bridge, Al Bauer has built his credibility and reputation as a gentleman by his true belief in cooperation and his willingness to step across the aisle to get things done; and

       WHEREAS, He reminds us all why we=re here in the first place: not to win, but to do good; not to gloat over victories, but to share the credit; and

       WHEREAS, His humility, loyalty, integrity, and knowledge of this institution are qualities that will be truly missed upon his retirement; and

       WHEREAS, we thank Al Bauer=s wife of forty-seven years, Pat, and his three children, Sue, Jim and Nancy for sharing their husband and father for the past thirty years with the Washington State Legislature.

       NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Washington State Senate do hereby recognize and honor the extraordinary public service career of Senator Al Bauer, thank him on behalf of the nearly one million students in our public schools whom he has helped, and wish him the very best in his retirement; and

       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Secretary of the Senate immediately transmit a copy of this resolution to Senator Al Bauer, a good friend and an outstanding legislator.

I, Tony Cook, Secretary of the Senate,

do hereby certify that this is a true and

correct copy of Senate Resolution 2000-8763,

adopted by the Senate March 8, 2000.

TONY COOK                         BRAD OWEN

Secretary of the Senate                  Lieutenant Governor