WHEREAS, Dan Harpole was a leader in the arts community and known
throughout the nation for his strong and devoted public service; and
WHEREAS, He was a prominent advocate for the arts since graduating
from The Evergreen State College in Olympia in 1982; and
WHEREAS, Once graduating from college, Dan moved to Port Townsend,
where he lived for nineteen years and served as a Port Townsend City
Council member from 1994 to 1996 and as a Jefferson County Commissioner
from 1997 to 2000; and
WHEREAS, For eight years he was assistant program manager for
Centrum, a nationally recognized nonprofit arts and creative education
center in Port Townsend; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Harpole was appointed to the Washington State Arts
Commission by Governor Gary Locke in October 1995 where he served as a
two-term member and was then elected Commission Chair in 1998; and
WHEREAS, In November 2000, Mr. Harpole moved to Boise, Idaho when
he was unanimously chosen from 36 distinguished candidates as the new
executive director of the Idaho Commission on the Arts; and
WHEREAS, He was chosen based on his reputation, achievements, and
also for his optimistic, companionable disposition, and his ability to
get things done; and
WHEREAS, While in Idaho, Mr. Harpole also served on the executive
committee of the board of directors for the National Assembly of State
Arts Agencies and was elected president in 2005; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Harpole has been awarded, in memoriam, the Chairman's
Medal from the chair of the National Endowment for the Arts "for
serving the NEA and arts in America with distinction"; and
WHEREAS, In his passing in December 2006, the state of Washington
has lost a nationally renowned leader of the arts;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives
of the state of Washington, on behalf of the residents of the state of
Washington, honor Dan Harpole's life as an arts enthusiast, public
servant, father, and friend; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be
immediately transmitted by the Chief Clerk of the House of
Representatives to the family and friends of Dan Harpole.