OLYMPIA – More than 15 years working with the Spanish government on projects from arts to trains and even recognition of a historical fort in a far corner of Washington state has earned Lt. Gov. Brad Owen and a senior aide the highest honor the King of Spain can bestow on a non-citizen: Spanish knighthood.
The lieutenant governor will formally receive the title at an 11:30 a.m. ceremony and reception on April 2 2008 in Senate chambers in the Capitol. One of Owen’s longtime advisors on international relations, Antonio Sanchez, also will receive the decoration.
“I am extremely honored to receive this prestigious title, but more importantly it is a tribute to the great relationship we have been able to maintain with the Spanish government, a relationship that has been of significant benefit to our state and its citizens,” said Owen.
A number of ranking state dignitaries, including Governor Chris Gregoire, are expected to be in the ceremony. The list will include several other elected officials, both current and past.
Spanish King Juan Carlos I will not be at the ceremony but will be represented by Manuel Pradas Romani, the consul general of Spain in San Francisco and Luis Fernando Esteban, the honorary consul of Spain for Washington state.
The ceremony will also be broadcast live on TVW, the state’s public affairs network.
“Through the tireless efforts of these men, many thousands of citizens of Washington state and Spain have been given the opportunity to share their languages, history, culture and business opportunities,” said Esteban. “Together they have built a pathway of understanding and a peaceful and prosperous future.”
Examples of Spanish projects the two have helped foster cited by Consul Esteban include:
>> Securing the high speed Spanish Talgo train for Washington state in the early 1990s. As chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, then senator Owen helped evaluate the train’s feasibility for Amtrak, even riding it at his own expense when it was being demonstrated in the state in 1994. Sanchez visited the production site and helped lead the effort to ensure that the train sets would be assembled in the state. Washington was subsequently the first state in the nation to purchase the train, which began service in 1998 and continues to draw record ridership a decade later.
>> Bringing renowned Spanish art to the state, including the “Catalan Masters of the 20th Century” to the Tacoma Art Museum in 1997 and 1998 and the “Picasso Exhibition” in 1998. Esteban describes work by Owen and Sanchez as “pivotal” in bringing to the state prestigious collections of Spanish royal art and artifacts in recent years, including “Spain in the Age of Exploration 1492-1819” to the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) in 2004. That exhibit was visited by King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain.
>> Coordinating a bilateral agreement with the Minister of Education of Spain and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to improve the skills and credentials of the 1,700 Spanish language teachers in Washington’s public schools. As a result more than 200 teachers were able to attend summer programs at the University of Salamanca west of Madrid. Owen attended the opening of the summer class in 2000 and gave a keynote address to more than 600 teachers from around the world.
>> A decade of collaborative work by Owen and Sanchez that culminated in the opening of the Cervantes Institute at the University of Washington. The institute, one of just four such programs in the U.S., promotes the Spanish language and culture from Spain and Latin America. Also developed and funded by Spain was the establishment of the Spanish library and Center for Spanish Studies at the UW.
>> The development of a memorial park in Neah Bay in collaboration with the Spanish consulate and the Makah Nation. Called Fort Núñez Gaona, the park commemorates the site of the first European settlement in Washington state 215 years ago and also serves as a veterans’ memorial. The park was completed in 2007 and will be dedicated later this spring.
>> Other work includes assistance with the development of a Microsoft research center in Spain and a $260,000 grant by University of Leon the University of Washington’s Department of Spanish and Portuguese to establish a teaching chair.
The title of knighthood has been received by only four other Washingtonians. They include Esteban; Mimi Gates, director of the Seattle Art Museum; former Washington Secretary of State Ralph Munro and Chiyo Ishikawa, chief curator for European art at SAM.
Elected in 1996, Lt. Gov. Owen is currently the longest-serving lieutenant governor in office in the country and, at 32 years, the second-longest serving elected official in Washington state government. He served two terms in the House then four terms in the Senate prior to his current position as second-in-command of state government.
Updated March 28. 2008 The Spanish ambassador is no longer able to attend the ceremony as was stated in the original version of this release.
Source: ltgov.wa.gov
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