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March 2006On the Road Againby S. Brooke Taylor, WSBA President I have a confession to make. At about 10 p.m. on January 27, I was feeling a little sorry for myself. As I drove off the ferry at Kingston on the Kitsap Peninsula, it was dark and the winter rain was pounding on my windshield as it had done throughout my week on the road. I was tired, and a long way from home. This was a departure from my normal habit of flying to Seattle for WSBA business, because I had too many places to go, and too much stuff to pack. And what had become a familiar pattern had played out again that evening: whether flying or driving, I had been required to leave an enjoyable evening event prematurely to catch either a plane or a ferry. This was the final leg of a three-day circuit through Olympia and Seattle, with two nights at the Mayflower Hotel, just a short walk from the WSBA office at Fourth and Blanchard. It had been a three-suit trip, one of which I was still wearing, and it looked like I had forgotten to take it off during that last night at the hotel. It would be at least 11 p.m. before I got home, and both Saturday and Sunday would be consumed by hours at the office doing the work my clients deserve. I drove off into the night, just one in a long line of red taillights heading west, worrying primarily about staying awake, and thinking about the events of recent days. Before I reached the Hood Canal Bridge, my mood had changed from gloom to joy and pride, as I reflected on where I had been and what I had done. Early departure from the annual awards banquet of the Latina/o Bar Association of Washington (LBAW) detracted little from a wonderful event, attended by lawyers, judges, and law students from across the state, together with numerous dignitaries, including Governor Christine Gregoire and New Mexico Attorney General Patricia Madrid. It was a positive, energetic, and inspiring evening. The event reminded me of all the wonderful work our minority and specialty bars do for their members, our profession, and their constituent communities. Earlier in the day we had welcomed the founding members of our newest minority bar to WSBA headquarters: Attorneys with Disabilities Bar Association. Disabilities include blindness, paralysis, and crippling illness. What these colleagues have accomplished in the face of unimaginable adversity is beyond inspiring. You could not contemplate their courage and feel sorry for yourself. These lawyers are committed to serving those who face similar obstacles in their lives. My pleasant reflections also carried me back to when I committed to the Board of Governors, that, if elected president, I would visit every county bar association that would extend an invitation. This was an idea that my predecessor, Ron Ward, had immediately embraced, and that led the two of us, together with Executive Director Jan Michels, to visit several counties throughout the state during his term. The second round of visits had started during this week that had just ended and would carry me, President-elect Ellen Conedera Dial, and our executive director to at least Whitman, Asotin, Spokane, Grays Harbor, Snohomish, Jefferson, Clallam, Chelan, Douglas, and Kitsap counties — and hopefully more. By the time I crossed Hood Canal to the Olympic Peninsula, the traffic had thinned, but the driving rain continued. As I pressed on into the night, my thoughts turned to events earlier that week and the week before, which included two days in Olympia working on WSBA issues. It involved delightful interactions with students at two of Washington's fine law schools, and a lunch meeting in Moscow, Idaho, with members of the Whitman and Asotin county bars. One Pullman lawyer was moved by my remarks to volunteer his services in my initiative for the year. One second-year student at Gonzaga thanked me for remarks that inspired her all over again. After eight days on the road out of the last 10, I was reaping the rewards that make the position as your president the great privilege that it is. This is what every president should do. This is what I signed on to do. This is the most rewarding work I have ever experienced. Thank you for letting me do it.
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