Mayor Kendall

This week Mayor Dennis Kendall of Marysville announced his resignation. He was a tremendous asset to the Marysville community.

In 2002 my students and I began working on a four part program to honor veterans. One of the components of our program was the building of a memorial for Killed in Action veterans from the Marysville/Tulalip area. We met with the architect to begin planning in the fall of 2002. The estimate for the cost of constructing the memorial was $15,000-$20,000. We had never raised this much money for a project and never attempted to construct something of this magnitude. A raffle and a ten site “super car wash” were the original plans we had for fund raising.

My students and I made several presentations about the project over the course of the winter and early spring, one of which was to Marysville afternoon Rotary. This group, certainly known for its strong commitment to our community, was very receptive to our program and in particular to helping with the memorial. At the suggestion of Dennis Kendall and Chris Nation we decided to conduct an auction to raise the money. The auction was a huge success; Dennis Kendall was instrumental in that success. He spent several days in our classroom coaching my students through each stage of the process. His communication skills and enthusiasm were tremendous assets. The memorial is like nothing on a high school campus anywhere in the country; it rivals the scope of a state memorial. During the summer the memorial was built Dennis volunteered many hours helping with the construction as well as helping to arrange sub contractors. His deep commitment to our community, his strong leadership, and his willingness to roll up his sleeves and work were all much in evidence these during the duration of the whole project.

Through the years Dennis was a regular visitor to my classroom. He often stopped in to say hello to me and my students. My students always appreciated seeing him and being able to dialog with him so openly.

Seeing the announcement of your resignation brings back so many good memories for me Dennis—so many positive experiences. Thanks you for your years of support to the community and in particular for your willingness to work directly with my students.

I would add, and I do so carefully and respectfully but without specific detail, that I know that Dennis has known adversity and disappointment, the kind that can make a person wonder, “What’s the point of caring?” Some of that adversity was happening while he was in office and helping us. That you maintained a positive attitude and straightened your back Dennis may be the most impressive thing of all. I am always impressed with people who have true emotional stamina. You do Dennis; you most certainly do.

Thank you for all you did for the community Mayor Kendall. I wish you and Sue the best in this next chapter of your life.

It is the weekend. Please be good. Drive your cars carefully. Ride with people who drive carefully. Treat yourself with respect. Spend time with people who treat you with respect. Treat other people with respect. Talk nice to yourself; you deserve it. I look forward to hearing from you or seeing you. Keep yourself whole physically and emotionally.


P