Betty Jane Narver, 67, dies
|
Betty Jane Narver was many things, but first and always a builder — of coalitions, consensus and community.
Ms. Narver, most recently a fellow of the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, was a public-policy expert who brokered relationships across political lines with a unique mix of academic research, friendship and the warm hospitality of her Capitol Hill home.
Her energy and ability to engage the public on issues ranging from school funding to libraries to health care made her one of the most admired and productive figures in recent Seattle civic life.
Ms. Narver died Sunday (Dec. 9) after suffering a stroke earlier in the day. She was 67.
"She knew how to take a group — any group — and turn them into a family. It was innate in her," said her daughter Allison Narver.
The suddenness of her death stunned Ms. Narver's many friends. "We are absolutely grief-stricken," said Marc Lindenberg, current dean of the Evans School.
Hubert Locke, dean emeritus of the Evans School and a close friend for 25 years, said, "This woman had a role that was unique.
"She made the university a real presence in the life of Seattle. The city simply will not be the same."
Kay Bullitt, a friend and fellow advocate on public-school issues, stressed the tireless pace of Ms. Narver's work. "She was very involved with public-school funding, as well as integration and equity issues from the '60s on," said Bullitt. "And she was a wonderful friend. She gave so much. She lived seven lives."
To many who came into her orbit, Ms. Narver is remembered for tackling the biggest, toughest issues of the day, and applying what she learned to help the public understand them.
"In every aspect of political life," said U.S Rep. Jim McDermott, "Betty Jane Narver turned up one way or another. She was involved in working on and studying so many important issues. From the early days of rewriting public-school financing to juvenile justice, welfare reform, economic development — jeez! The list was endless."
Ms. Narver had a long relationship with the UW. She joined the university's Institute for Public Policy and Management in 1976 as a consultant, rising to serve as its director a decade later.
"The institute blossomed under her leadership," said Locke, who appointed Ms. Narver to the post. "She turned it into a public-policy think tank that served the needs of the state Legislature at one level and the needs of a small community group at another."
Ms. Narver retired from the institute last year and immediately took up several projects at the Evans School. "I used to say to her, 'Retired? Who are you kidding?' " recalls McDermott. "She'd just slowed down to 100 miles per hour, that's all."
In the past decade, much of Ms. Narver's energy was aimed at strengthening Seattle's public-library system. She invigorated the civic debate on the need for a greater vision and funding. "It was the place where all of her personal and public-policy passions came together," said city librarian Deborah Jacobs.
In addition to being a founding member and president of the Library Foundation, and a library board member for the past decade, Ms. Narver was currently chairwoman of the national Urban Library Council. "We've been acknowledged for the way we've gone about the work of our libraries in this city," said Jacobs, "and it is really because of her integrity and her strong sense of how important people are to the process."
Along with her duties at the university, the list of city, regional, state and national committees on which Ms. Narver served is staggering. "When I started looking through them, I found I didn't know about half of these things — and I saw her all the time," exclaimed Ms. Narver's son, Gregory Narver. "She was off changing the world in ways I never knew!"
At the time of her death, Ms. Narver was chair of the Washington State Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board and the National Association of State Workforce Board Chairs.
She was a member of the Governor's School-to-Work Transition Task Force; the Washington Business Roundtable Education Committee; National Civic League; and the Campaign for Urban School Reform Board.
Among her many former board and committee positions, Ms. Narver was past chair of the Washington State Temporary Committee on Education Policy, Structure and Management; the Group Health Foundation and the Seattle King-County Municipal League.
She received many awards, including the University of Washington's Outstanding Public Service Award in 1991 and the Museum of History and Industry Historymaker award for community service in 2000.
Ms. Narver embodied the best in civic leadership, said Seattle Mayor Paul Schell. "She had a bright, energetic spirit that was undaunted by any challenge," he said in a statement last night.
Impressive résumé aside, Ms. Narver's friends talk most about the work she did around her own kitchen table. These meetings usually took place over a wonderful meal cooked by Ms. Narver, said Locke. "And then she would plan all sorts of exciting things and resolve all sorts of conflicts." Born in Boston in 1934, Ms. Narver was raised in Corvallis, Ore., where her father was a chemistry professor at Oregon State University. She earned an undergraduate degree in philosophy from Mills College.
Ms. Narver's son and daughter say they are proud of their mother for many things, none more so than her hospitality to countless visitors over the years, many of them foreign students.
"She has provided a home for literally hundreds of people from different countries — students, political exiles, artists, people going through difficult times," said Allison Narver. "Her home has been a community center in the true sense of that word."
She married John Narver in 1960 and they moved to Seattle in 1966. The couple divorced in 1981. She earned a master's degree from the UW in Chinese language and literature in 1973.
In addition to her son, daughter and 1-year-old granddaughter, Kate, Ms. Narver is survived by a sister, Allison Belcher of Portland.
A memorial service will be held at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral at a date and time to be announced. Those interested in attending may call the cathedral at 206-323-0300 for details.