It reminds me of a road trip I once made from Minnesota to Oregon and spotting my first Idaho number plate on fellow road users vehicles. Under the registration number, it said: "FAMOUS POTATOES". I thought it was a joke, or just one proud farmer boasting about his agricultural qualities, until I noticed more and more of these number plates. An amazing people, the Idahoans...
But, back to the purpose of this blog. I quote from the Library of Boise web site:The son of Basque immigrants, Pete Cenarrusa was elected to public office 17 times—9 times as a state legislator and 8 times as Idaho Secretary of State—compiling a record of 52 years of continuous public service, the longest tenure of any officeholder in Idaho history.
In a career spanning the entire second half of the 20th century, from 1950 to 2002, Pete Cenarrusa became one of the most popular politicians in the state. Over the course of that half century, both he and his wife Freda were active in numerous political, civic, and cultural causes, and Pete Cenarrusa used his influence as a senior American statesman of Basque descent to work for peace in his ancestral homeland.
The Pete Cenarrusa papers at Boise State University document an extraordinary political career, both in Idaho and on the international stage.
Daan, I enjoyed seeing a fellow Idahoan, Pete Cenarrusa, on your blog. Pete and my father were old friends and I was priveleged to have some wonderful lamb dinners with the Cenarrusas when I was young. I also visited Pete's Secretary of State office with my father several times over the years where Pete always kept a supply of basque berets.
ReplyDeleteYours,
Brian Goller