For those of you who don't know me, I grew up in Tacoma, the youngest of five kids of Al and Julie Walter. My parents loved to take the family on camping trips, and for me the parks and campgrounds were magical places! The beautiful forests of the Eatonville area gave me that same feeling. I remember staying and helping out on my relatives' farm on Golden Road (now 352nd). I earned a degree in For
est Management at WSU, worked as a firefighter for the Forest Service for three seasons, then hired on as a naturalist at Northwest Trek, becoming Chief of Operations. Later I became Education Director at the Tacoma-Pierce County Humane Society, commuting from Eatonville to Tacoma for 27 years. In that position I emphasized to audiences of all ages, not only the prevention of cruelty to animals, but true appreciation of how they enrich our lives, and how human behavior toward animals is linked to how we treat each other, whether it be with kindness and respect, or with cruelty. That philosophy drove me to found the Humane Coalition Against Violence, bringing together professionals in education, law enforcement, juvenile justice, the courts, child and family services, and animal welfare, to address domestic violence and abuse in a comprehensive way. I continue to advocate for the humane treatment of the vulnerable. Once I became part of the Eatonville community, I immersed myself in the human stories unfolding here - its events, its celebrations and its history. I joined the Historical Society and became president in 2003. In 2009 I chaired the Eatonville Centennial Celebration Committee. There were activities for everyone on that October weekend - including a masked ball, a women's tea, a street fair, a parade, and a tribal salmon bake - but the highlight for me was welcoming back William (Bill) Akiyoshi, who, as an eighth-grader, had to leave his friends and his home town when, after the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Empire, his family and all of Eatonville's Japanese American residents were rounded up and sent to internment camps with 120,000 other West Coast Japanese in May of 1942. Bill was deeply touched by the reception he received by the townspeople. He passed away in 2013. The Historical Society is working to preserve the memory of those mill town days. One of the ways we're doing this is through the Tofu House Restoration Project, for which I secured five key grants. Along with my volunteer efforts in historic preservation, I've served on the Eatonville Regional Trails Committee, helped out with the annual Relay For Life, and the 9-11 Day of Service. I also volunteered for the Eatonville Dispatch as a writer and photographer, and as a reporter for a local news website with my wife, Dixie. She was born in Eatonville and is from pioneer families on both sides. I could see that, at times, the town administration was not working for the equal benefit of all its citizens - present and future - so I ran for town council and was elected in 2013. I haven't missed a regular or special meeting of the council since then. I'll continue to participate in the celebration of the Town's stories and traditions. I love where I live, and want to help it flourish!
