2006 Horace Mann Award Recipients

Billy Frank was arrested for the first time at age 14 for fishing near his home on Frank's Landing. It was an event that would propel him to the front-line battles for Native American fishing rights in the '60s and '70s. What Selma, Alabama, was to African Americans, this fight was to Native Americans. It eventually led to Federal Judge George Boldt's landmark ruling that upheld Native American fishing rights. Now the chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, a position he has held for more than 30 years, Frank works on agreements between the tribes of Western Washington and local, state and federal officials to strengthen treaty-guaranteed fishing rights and environmental protection laws. "I've been through seven governors and I don’t know how many agency directors," he says. "Theyre political people and I've got to try to keep 'em on course. If they're all down the middle of the road, natural resources will survive. If they veer off to the left or right, you have problems. You have to stay the course. We have to be careful with what we have so we can protect our working watersheds." Click here to read more.

Wayne Greer, a 2002 graduate of the B.A. in Liberal Studies with teacher preparation program, was given an awesome task when he began teaching at T.T. Minor Elementary School in Seattle's Central District – create the state's only elementary school marching band. Now four years on, the Bullpup Marching Band performs on TV and at events all over the state. And its success has translated into the classroom. Band members learn fractions, Latin and Italian as they learn to read and play music. They also learn about responsibility and gain a sense of belonging. Says Greer, "A lot of people went out of their way to make my schooling a rich experience. Somebody once said to me, 'Want no less for your kids than what you have.' And what I have to give, I bring to them." Click here to read more.

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