Legislative Building, Olympia
(360) 902-4151
Medals of Merit & Valor
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Medal of Merit
The Medal of Merit honors those who gave a lifetime of service to the people of Washington. Recipients have given selflessly of themselves for a better Washington through public service, literature, medicine, and advocacy.
- Laws
- Nomination
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To nominate an individual for the Medal of Merit, please submit a nomination form and accompanying documents to:
Medal of Merit Committee
c/o Secretary of State
P.O. Box 40220
Olympia WA 98504-0220[email protected]
(360) 902-4151 - Previous Recipients of the Medal of Merit
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Year Recipients 1987 - Warren G. Magnuson – Seattle (Senator)
- Dorothy Bullit – Seattle (KING TV Founder and Philanthropist)
- Orville A. Vogel – Pullman (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
- Lester R. Sauvage M.D. – Seattle (Medical Pioneer)
1988 - Edward Carlson – Seattle (Chair, Century 21, United Airlines)
- Dr. William Hutchinson – Seattle (Medical Research)
- Henry M. Jackson – Everett (Senator)
1989 - Julia Butler Hanson – Cathlamet (Congresswoman)
- Belding H. Scriber M.D. – Seattle (UW Medical School)
- Charles Odegaard – Seattle (UW President)
1990 - James E. Reed – Seattle (Law)
- Francis Penrose Owens – Seattle (WSU Regent)
1995 - Dr. Kathleen Ross - Prosser (Founder, Heritage College)
- Michael Copass M.D. – Seattle (Harborview Medical School)
1998 - Dr E. Donnall Thomas – Seattle (Transplant Pioneer – Nobel Laureate)
- Grady Auvil – Orondo (Apple Orchardist and Pioneer)
- Stanley O. McNaughton – Seattle (Business Leader)
- Jacob Lawrence – Seattle (Painter)
2003 - Thomas Foley – Spokane (former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives)
- Leland H. Hartwell Ph.D. - Seattle (Nobel Prize-winning researcher)
- Helmut "Brownie" Braunsteiner – Tacoma (veterans' advocate)
- Ernest K. Gann – San Juan Island (former filmmaker and author)
2007 - Dan Evans – Seattle (Former Governor and U.S. Senator)
- Dale Chihuly – Seattle (Renowned Artist, Teacher and Patron)
- Dr. Linda Buck, Ph.D. – Seattle (Nobel Laureate researcher)
- Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, Ph.D. – Sunnyside (Shuttle Astronaut)
2009 - Bill Gates Sr.- Seattle (Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)
- Wilfred Woods - Wenatchee (Publisher, The Wenatchee World)
- Emma Smith DeVoe - Tacoma (Suffragette)
- May Arkwright Hutton - Spokane (Suffragette)
2015 - Gretchen Shodde - Union (Activist / Founder of Harmony Hill Cancer Retreat Center)
- Billy Frank, Jr. - South Puget Sound (Native American environmental leader and treaty rights activist)
Medal of Valor
The Medal of Valor recognizes individuals who have risked their lives or personal safety to save, or attempt to save, another person’s life. The Medal of Valor cannot be awarded to police officers or fire fighters, or others whose actions are a result of their public duties as a first responder.
- Laws
- Nomination
-
To nominate an individual for the Medal of Valor, please submit a nomination form and accompanying documents to:
Medal of Valor Committee
c/o Secretary of State
P.O. Box 40220
Olympia WA 98504-0220[email protected]
(360) 902-4151 - Previous Recipients of the Medal of Valor
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Year Recipients 2006 - Jim Swett, Skagit County
- Greg Meinhold, Snohomish County
- Travis Jackson, Clark County
- Dennis Kinsey, Clark County
2007 - Timothy Bourasaw, Snohomish County
- Rick Bowers, Snohomish County
- Edward Marsette, King County
- Alana Schutt, Snohomish County
2015 - Community of Arlington
- Community of Darrington
- Community of Oso
- The Sauk-Suiattle Tribe