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Tag: Medal of Merit

State presents Medal of Merit, Medal of Valor

State presents Medal of Merit, Medal of Valor

Secretary of State Wyman speaks about the Medal of Merit during the ceremony in the House Chambers to present that award and the Medal of Valor. (Photo courtesy Legislative Support Services Photo Department)  It was a day of applause and deep respect and admiration, as the state of Washington awarded the  Medal of Merit to two game-changing citizens and the Medal of Valor to Snohomish County communities and tribe who responded heroically to the Oso landslide tragedy one year ago….

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Inslee greenlights Medal of Valor for Oso communities

Inslee greenlights Medal of Valor for Oso communities

Gov. Inslee signs Medal of Valor legislation as state officials and OSOS staffers stand by. (Photo courtesy of Legislative Photo Department) One year ago, on the morning of March 22, a massive landslide east of Oso in Snohomish County devastated the landscape and claimed 43 lives.  First-responders and regular citizens from Oso, Darrington, and Arlington and the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe sprung into action. A grateful state will pay tribute to those three communities and the tribe “in honor of outstanding acts…

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What the main attractions said …

What the main attractions said …

Bill Gates Sr., Sam Reed, Wilfred Woods For many people who attended, one highlight of yesterday’s Medal of Merit ceremony in the House Chambers was seeing Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates sitting in the Gallery while his father, Bill Gates Sr., received this prestigous honor. Another highlight was hearing the elder Gates and this year’s other living recipient, retired Wenatchee World publisher and philanthropist Wilfred Woods, address the large gathering. It is no coincidence that these two great men thanked their wives, who were in attendance…

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Spotlight on two Washington suffragettes

Spotlight on two Washington suffragettes

Civic leader and philanthropist Bill Gates Sr. and veteran publisher Wilfred Woods are big-name draws for this year’s Medal of Merit ceremonies at the Capitol next Wednesday, but two heroines of the women’s suffrage movement will be honored posthumously as well. Both women led trailblazing lives and helped earn women the right to vote in Washington about 100 years ago. Before 1910, women in Washington didn’t have the right to vote. After the Legislature authorized the proposed amendment in 1909…

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