BySenators Liias, Bailey, Becker, Brown, Carlyle, Cleveland, Conway, Das, Dhingra, Frockt, Hasegawa, Hunt, Keiser, McCoy, Mullet, Pedersen, Sheldon, Van De Wege, Wellman, Darneille, O'Ban, and Palumbo

WHEREAS, Paul Allen, a Seattleite and Washingtonian through and through, lived a life dedicated to the great state of Washington and its residents, whom he loved and appreciated dearly; and

WHEREAS, In 1975 he founded Microsoft with his dear friend Bill Gates, whom he met while at Lakeside School; and

WHEREAS, He established the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, alongside his sister Jody Allen, dedicated to bettering people's lives through: Tackling climate change; giving children access to immersive art experiences, and promoting strong education practices; addressing the issues of vulnerable populations; and promoting technological-based change around the world; and

WHEREAS, He saved the Seattle Seahawks in 1997 by purchasing the team in order to prevent our beloved Hawks from relocating to California, and under his leadership, the Hawks made back-to-back Super Bowl appearances; and

WHEREAS, He also saved the iconic Seattle Cinerama from being demolished by purchasing the theater and restoring it; and

WHEREAS, He founded yet another Seattle mainstay, the Experience Music Project – later renamed the Museum of Pop Culture – in order to inspire people through art and popular culture; and

WHEREAS, Paul Allen supported and contributed to the University of Washington in order to build the Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science and Engineering; and

WHEREAS, Then, less than two decades later, he made yet another major contribution to the University of Washington to dramatically expand the University's computer science programs, inspiring the University to name the college of computer science and engineering after him; and

WHEREAS, He then launched the Allen Institute of Brain Science, using a singular approach to uncover the brain's mysteries and share valuable resources with the global community of neuroscientists; and

WHEREAS, Again showing his undying support of Seattle-based sports, he became an owner of the Seattle Sounders; and

WHEREAS, In 2014 he joined the global philanthropic fight against the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, showing that his need to help people knew no bounds; and

WHEREAS, He founded the Seattle Art Fair to show off the beauty of the Pacific Northwest by bringing all forms of art from all over the world to his beloved city; and

WHEREAS, He also was the founder of the Upstream Music Fest + Summit to celebrate music and to support local up and coming artists;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate recognize Paul Allen and all of the accomplishments that he achieved during his life. He was a true philanthropist who cared deeply about education, arts, and people and showed that "as long as we work together – with both urgency and determination – there are no limits to what we can achieve."

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to Paul Allen's sister, Jody Allen, and to the Allen family.