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| January 30, 2014 Shelton Mason County Journal |  |
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I
OPINION
Komen Comment
The life of 'Mr. Seattle'
t was Dec. 11, 1964, the
dapper man once known as
"Mr. Seattle" stopped off
the boat from McNeil Island
Federal Penitentiary. He had
served 2 ½ years.
Dave Beck was free
to return to his home
in Seattle. He lived
another 29 years,
until his death at
age 99. To this day
he is remembered as
a man who once was
considered one of the
most powerful men in
America.
The pinnacle of his
power came in 1952
when he was elected
president of the Teamsters
Union. He had risen from
driving a laundry truck as a
16-year-old high school dropout
in Seattle in 1910 to become
head of the country's largest
labor organization. And in the
process he became influential
in business, government and
politics from Washington state
to Washington, D.C.
To list his positions he had
just in Seattle is a testament
to the regard in which he was
once held. He was president
of the University of Washing-
ton Board of Regents, he was
on the state Board of Prison
Terms and Paroles, served as
a member of the Seattle Civil
Service Commission and the
Seattle Boxing Commission,
and was even named Grand
Exalted Ruler of the Seattle
Elks. His prominence was un-
questioned.
He was also a very wealthy
man. From his Seattle Team-
stors headquarters he could
look across the street at the
Grosvenor House, a high-rise
apartment complex he owned.
It was one of hundreds of real
estate holdings he bought
and sold, making him a mil-
lionaire many times over. But
the millions he accrued were
greatly overshadowed by the
millions of dollars Seattle re-
ceived through his influence as
Teamsters Union president. It
was said Beck was personally
responsible for bringing $100
million to the Seattle economy.
The heyday of Seattle's love
affair with Dave Beck came on
Dec. 3, 1952. Seven-hundred
of the state's leading citizens
gathered in the Olympic Ho-
tel to honor Beck's election as
president of the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters.
By JOHN
KOMEN
It wasn't just in his home-
town where Beck was revered.
His national stature was so im-
pressive that three presidents
-- Franklin D. Roosevelt, Har-
ry S. Truman and Dwight D.
Eisenhower -- asked
him to serve as U.S.
secretary of Labor. He
said no to all three.
It all changed
when Beck became
the target of the Sen-
ate Rackets Commit-
toe and its chief coun-
sel, Robert F. Ken-
nedy. Accused of mis-
handling union funds,
Beck was called
before the committee
where he invoked the Fifth
Amendment 142 times.
Eventually through a long
and tangled legal process, Beck
was convicted of relatively
minor accusations, one a state
charge of embezzling $1,900
from the sale of a used car
owned by the union and the
other for filing a fraudulent
federal income tax form. In
June 1962, he was sent to Mc-
Neil Island Federal Penitentia-
ry to serve time for both state
and federal convictions.
After serving his 2 ½ years,
still unrepentant, Beck's re-
turn to Seattle was met with
a considerable amount of
goodwill from his fellov citi-
zens. Far from a tragic figure,
his good humor and rousing
pluck made him a favorite as a
speaker at local service clubs.
He wasn't forgotten by
high government officials ei-
ther. Gov. Albert D. Rosellini
pardoned him for his state
conviction in 1965, and Presi-
dent Gerald Ford gave Beck
an unconditional pardon
on the federal conviction in
1975.
In one of his last interviews,
Beck was asked what he had
learned in his long life. "I don't
care how great a fighter you
are," he said, "sooner or later
you're going to get floored.'"
"The most important (rule),"
he said, "is never stop trying."
• John Komen, who lives
on Mason Lake, was for 40
years a reporter and editor, TV
anchorman, national TV net-
work correspondent, producer,
columnist, editorial writer and
commentator. His column, Ko-
men Comment, appears each
week in the Mason County
Journal.
11" Mas0n County 111
USPS 492-800
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mason
County Joumal, Re. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584.
Published weekly by the Mason County Journal
at 227 West Cota Street, Shelton, Washington
Mailing address: Re. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584
Telephone (360) 426-4412.www.masoncounty.com
Pedodicais postage paid a.t Shelton, Washington
Guest Column
bcnool board seeks input on pool repairs
' 'o decision has been
made at this point
.--. - regarding the swim-
ming pool. We are in the
process of seeking a possible
energy grant from
the state and look-
ing at all options.
All five board mem-
bers would like to
find a way to keep
the swimming pool
open. However,
achieving our main
mission of educat-
ing the children of
the school district
must be our num-
ber one priority.
By BRENDA
HIRSCHI
Unfortunately, the pool
is 42 years old and is at or
nearing the end of its useful
life. Just like an old car with
Letters to the Editor
many miles on it, to keep
this pool operational there is
an increasingly higher cost
for maintenance.
Since 2007, we have spent
more than $500,000
in just major main-
tenance repairs,
which does not
include operations.
The day-to-day
operations are an-
other $160,000 an-
nually and includes
salaries, utilities,
chemicals and sup-
plies. The revenues
from the pool are
only about $50,000 annually.
We are now facing additional
repairs that we estimate at
this point may cost another
$400,000 to $500,000 in ma-
jor maintenance.
At the same time, we
have school buildings that
need new roofs. We are fac-
ing competing critical needs
with limited resources and
numerous unfunded man-
dates from the state and fed-
eral levels. Our first priority
is to provide a safe, clean
environment for our children
to learn.
We appreciate the com-
munity's concern regarding
the pool and welcome your
input on all matters related
to the Shelton School Dis-
trict.
• Brenda Hirschi is presi-
dent of the Shelton School
Board. She can be reached at
bhirschi@sheltonschools.org.
Newsp00Lper
coverage
not too harsh
Editor, the Journal
The good people of Mason
County are waiting for Ma-
son County Commissioner
Randy Neatherlin to get his
house in order. You did take
an oath to obey the laws of
the office you serve.
Was the local paper
too harsh in reporting the
faults? I think not. For the
paper to learn and not report
would show either a cover-
up or favoritism.
Correction
Coniey Watson
Shelton
Food stamp cuts
would hurt
Editor, the Journal
I want to voice my con-
cern for the ongoing cuts
to programs for our most
See LETTERS on page A-5
A story on former Shelton City Commis-
sioner Dawn Pannell in the Jan. 16 issue in-
correctly stated that Mike Byrne was on the
Mason County Joumal is a
member of Washington Newspaper
Publishers' Association.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
$37 par year for Mason County
addresses,
$51 per year in stats of Washington
but outside Mason County, $61 per
year out of state.
commission when she joined in 2001; her fel-
low commissioner was Dick Taylor. The Jour-
nal regrets the error.
Owned and publishnd by
41elton-Mason County Journal, In
Tom Hyde, publisher
Newsroom:
Adam Rudnick, editor
Natalie Johnson, reporter
Gordon Weeks, reporter
Emily Hanson, sports reporter
Kirk Ericson, proofreader
Advertising:
Dave Piedk, St. Acct. Executive
Kathy Brooks, ad representative
Lloyd Mullen, ad representative
Front office:
Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper
Rene6 Chaplin, cimulation
Composing room:
William Adams, graphics
Linda Frizzell, graphics
All editorial, advertising and legal
deadlines are 5 p.m. Monday prior
to publication.
To submit a letter to the editor,
email edam@masoncounty.com.
Page A-4 - Mason County Journal- Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014