FIFTY YEARS IN POLITICS

Froehlich Campaign - Mobile Headquarters, Wisconsin 1974

[Published on Newsmax]

Fifty years is a milestone.

It is an important measure of longevity. It marks the memory of a noteworthy event, or the continued existence of a marriage, organization, company, or movement.

Anything that lasts beyond two generations is useful to assess - what sustained it, and what can be learned from it.

On April 22, 1970, as a sixteen-year-old Junior at Wayzata High School, I stood before an assembly of students and faculty to kick-off the first Earth Day, introducing Dr. James Elder, a biologist who worked for my father. He spoke about environmental contaminants.

This was my first public political act. It began fifty years of political activism that led to serving in Congress, the White House, various federal agencies, two Republican National Conventions, three Republican State Executive Committees (Minnesota, Virginia, Wisconsin); and recruiting, managing, or advising 110 victorious candidates for offices at all levels.

I was well-prepared for these fifty years. My mother, Irene Faulkner, instilled a love of reading and a passion for conservative Republican politics. My father, Ki Faulkner, instilled a love of nature and taught me lessons of leadership. They both embedded honesty, integrity, a deep love for America, and the primary life driver being volunteerism - placing the community or a cause before oneself.

My career included superb bosses, who proved you can lead without ego or guile. Fortunately, there were amazing mentors. Brad Nash, Mayor of Harpers Ferry, provided insights about Washington politics from Coolidge to Eisenhower. Who did what to whom for what reason revealed and connected countless and invaluable elements on how things work and why.  Gene Hedberg, office mate in the Reagan-Bush national headquarters, provided similar insights from Truman through Ford. Over many meals at the University Club he connected dots and explained the psyches of Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, Jim Baker, and other moderate Republicans.

During the Reagan Transition and early White House, Bill Wilson and Joe Coors, leaders of the President’s “Kitchen Cabinet”, took me under wing. They made me an honorary member of the Cabinet and shared insights into Ronald Reagan going back into the 1950s.

Other mentors proved that being right is more important than being popular. “Bud” Robb was the only Republican Commissioner of Hennepin County, Minnesota. His lone voice and vote were inspirational. Rep. John Ashbrook (R-OH) proved that expertly using procedural rules could grind the wheels of liberal government to a halt and expose waste and wrongdoing. Gerry Carmen, General Services Administrator, proved that common sense and total commitment to doing the right thing can change everything forever, overwhelming institutional inertia and corruption.

During these fifty years, I went from the youngest in the room to one of the oldest. Learning from others, and from experience, instilled life lessons worth sharing on this anniversary.

Be true to yourself.

Many politicians lose their way when the enticements of power swirl around them. Remember why you entered the “arena” in the first place. No short-term fling is worth risking a lifelong reputation.

Remain outcomes oriented.

The goal should remain incontrovertible while the means to achieving it should be flexible. The effort should always be worth the effort. Strategic success comes from extensive preparation, mastering situational awareness, and deconstructing large actions into integrated tactical achievements.

Think holistically.

Success comes from understanding that everything and person is connected to everything else. Persuading people, mobilizing resources, winning campaigns, implementing substantive and sustainable change, comes from pursuing diverse and sometimes unconventional actions. Allies as well as opponents may arise from the most unlikely places. Doing things that have never been done before may be the most effective means of achieving things that have never happened before.

People equal policy.

Who you work with is the root cause of success or failure. Success comes surrounding oneself with trusted, loyal, capable people. Those who do not make personnel their primary focus will suffer leaks, treachery, and failure.

Check your ego.

You should always think beyond yourself. Fixating on personal gain can be the road to riches, but also ruin. A true leader is comfortable surrounding themselves with subject matter experts who are far brighter and more experienced in their selected disciplines. A successful leader fosters collaboration among these experts, gives them inspirational direction, provides the resources critical for success, and flies cover and buffers their activities from petty politics.

Be nonpartisan.

Neither party has a monopoly on honesty, corruption, intelligence, or stupidity. The greatest achievements transcend partisanship. If the goal is large and important enough, common ground can be found across the political spectrum. Finding those of integrity who aspire to the greater good is the winning edge.

Brad Nash, neighbor and mentor, passed at age 97, actively affecting public policy to the end.

That is my goal as well.

MacDONALDS OF MAINE

Opening Remarks

Interment of Ashel MacDonald, Irene MacDonald Faulkner, and Clarence “Ki” Faulkner

North Brewer Cemetery, June 14, 2019.

We gather today to celebrate the lives of Ashel MacDonald, Irene MacDonald Faulkner, and Clarence “Ki” Faulkner.

They were linked throughout their lives.  Ace and Irene were brother & sister. Irene raised Ace after the passing of their mother, Ida MacDonald.  Irene married Ki.  Ki became part of the MacDonald family, hunting and fishing with Ace, Papa, and Sonny.  We are here because of them.  We are who we are because of them.  We are their living legacy. 

“Ace” served in the Air Force, Ki served in the Army, and Irene was active in the USO, so it is fitting for us to be here on Flag Day.

We celebrate Father’s Day this Sunday, so we celebrate our fathers, Ace and Ki, who raised us.

Just like Ace, Irene, and Ki, we are part of Maine. Our ancestors farmed and fished on the western islands of Scotland, including Mull and Skye.  In the 1840s, they moved to Prince Edward Island seeking better lives.  They settled in Maine around 1900.

Maine shaped them, like it shaped all of us.  

One of my father’s favorite books was “The Maine Woods” by Henry David Thoreau. Ki especially loved Thoreau’s description of canoeing on Moose Head Lake.  He marked other passages, which are appropriate for today: 

On the 31st of August, 1846, I left Concord in Massachusetts for Bangor and the backwoods of Maine,...I proposed to make excursions to Mount Ktaadn, the second highest mountain in New England, about thirty miles distant, and to some of the lakes of the Penobscot, either alone or with such company as I might pick up there.

What a glorious time they must have in that wilderness, far from mankind and election day!

The lakes are something which you are unprepared for; they lie up so high, exposed to the light, and the forest is diminished to a fine fringe on their edges, with here and there a blue mountain, like amethyst jewels set around some jewel of the first water, - so anterior, so superior, to all the changes that are to take place on their shores, even now civil and refined, and fair as they can ever be.

Talk of mysteries! Think of our life in nature — daily to be shown matter, to come in contact with it—rocks, trees, wind on our cheeks! the solid earth! the actual world! the common sense! Contact! Contact! Who are we? Where are we?  

WE ARE THE MACDONALDS OF MAINE!

AMERICAN HERO

Clarence Edward “Ki” Faulkner

September 14, 1923 – April 3, 2017

How does one summarize such an impactful life?

My Dad, Ki Faulkner, saved lives in the middle of a war, saved lives by making airports safer, and saved entire species from extinction.

An Eagle Scout with Troop Number 1 in Brewer, Maine, Ki Faulkner devoted his life to the outdoors.  He loved to hunt and fish, and to simply walk in the woods teaching others about the wonders of nature.

He left after his Freshman Year at the University of Maine, Orono to volunteer for the Tenth Mountain Division.  He quickly rose to acting Platoon Sergeant of 3^rd Platoon in the 86^th Regiment.  The Tenth Mountain Division was specially trained for mountain warfare and led the Allies’ final push in Northern Italy during World War II.

Ki was known for his leadership skills and his acts of bravery.  He earned two Bronze Stars, for rallying his men in turning back a German counter-attack on Riva Ridge and for leading the capture of the German Headquarters in Torbole during the battle for Lake Garda. 

Yet, he was most proud of his Soldiers Medal.  On February 10, 1945, his Platoon was staying in a warehouse readying for a patrol.  A pin popped out of a grenade during distribution of ammunition.  As others froze, Ki rushed forward, grabbed the grenade, and threw it through a ceiling skylight to explode in the air.  He saved the lives of eighteen of his comrades.  The commendation reads:

By his quick thinking, instantaneous initiative, and selfless heroism endangering his own life to save the lives of the other eighteen men, Sergeant Faulkner has earned the highest commendation and praise for his gallantry and valor.

Ki returned home and earned a BS in Wildlife Biology from the University of Maine.  Just as he was starting his career, he was called to duty during the Korean War.  His former Commanding General in Italy, Mark Clark, wanted veterans to “season” new recruits bound for the Korean War.  My Dad designed and led highly challenging field exercises for the 101^st Airborne on Okinawa.

Once back in America, Ki began a 36-year career as the first Wildlife Biologist hired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  On October 4, 1960, he came to national prominence developing bird safety procedures in the wake of the deadly air crash at Boston’s Logan Airport.  His guidelines for removing bird habitats near run ways remain the global standard to this day.

While leading the Midwest Region in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Ki developed and led teams who saved entire species from extinction.  His Wolf experts developed the world’s first radio collars, including inventing batteries, transmitters, and plane based tracking technology, to better understand Wolf behavior, ultimately saving the Eastern Timber Wolf from extinction.  His Eagle experts, collected eggs from healthy birds in Minnesota, then used hot water bottles to keep them warm as they flew to other parts of America to replace soft eggs laden with DDT, thus restoring Bald Eagles in the lower 48 states.  His bird experts perfected ways to drive away Cowbirds in order to save the Kirkland Warbler from extinction.

Ki’s most ambitious effort began with the chance discovery of a Black Footed Ferret in a Prairie Dog town.  Ferrets were thought to be extinct since the 1920s.  His teams charted the tiny population and began a captive breeding and release program that continues to this day in cooperation with the Smithsonian Institution.  In 2015, a male Ferret born in captivity was named after him in honor of his role.  “Ki Ferret” is now happily making little Ferrets after being released into the wild in Colorado.

My Dad’s greatest desire was to have young people, for generations to come, discover their own love for nature and the outdoors.  He founded the first co-educational Explorer Post for Wildlife.  In his final years, he donated all his collections, photos, and papers to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Museum at the National Conservation Training Center near Shepherdstown, West Virginia.  These include his hand tied fishing flies and hand carved decoys, all amazing works of art.

I was incredibly blessed to have Ki Faulkner as my father, and to be guided by him throughout my life, up to just a few days ago.  His legacy lives on through the descendants of those he saved in Italy, the animals who still thrive in the wild, and the generations of young people who will view his collections and be inspired to love the outdoors as much as he did.

Ki married Irene MacDonald Faulkner on June 22, 1946.  She passed on November 6, 2013.  They will both be memorialized and interred during a private family gathering in Maine later this year.

Those wishing to honor Ki Faulkner should make a donation to the Harpers Ferry Park Association; P.O. Box 197; Harpers Ferry, WV 25425.  Make checks payable to “Harpers Ferry Park Assn. Ki Faulkner”.

Scot Faulkner

Son

CURATING YOUR LIFE

What should happen to your family’s “stuff”?

Cleaning out your home as you “down size” or your parents’ home as they enter a retirement home, or pass, is emotional.  Our lives collect an array of physical touch stones. They range from intrinsically valuable to “tchotchke” or junk.  Parting with them tends to be hurried or harried.

 

The cleaning-out process usually ends in dumpsters, Goodwill, yard sales, estate sales, and eBay. There is a sense of loss along with closure.  Except for the rare “Antique Road Show” moment, the cash or tax deduction are a pittance of what it was worth to you and your family.

 

There is a way to turn your cleaning-out process into a life affirming and family bonding event.  Think about curating your family.

 

Look beyond the clothes and the kitchen items.  Look at what your family members have done with their lives.  You would be surprised at what items may be highly valuable to museums, libraries, and universities.  All you need to do is understand the world of the curator and engage your family in the curating process.

 

In my case, my father served in World War II and Korea.  He also spent his life leading wildlife management efforts for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and enjoying the outdoors as an avid fisherman and hunter.  I am lucky to have him healthy and clear minded at age 91.  I am also lucky that he kept his things in excellent condition.

 

The first step was to engage my father as a full partner in curating his life.  That meant having his complete buy-in to donate his artifacts and documents.  We discussed how there was a way for him to control his legacy for generations to come instead of leaving it to the randomness of family members.

 

We worked together on organizing his files and materials.  My father revisited his career as various items triggered poignant memories.  We learned much from each other and had more quality time together than during many previous years.

 

The next step was assessing who wanted to maintain my Dad’s legacy.  Thankfully, the Fish & Wildlife archive and museum is located at the National Conservation Center only fifteen miles from our home.  They were thrilled at receiving my Dad’s conservation materials and spent hours video-taping his recollections as he reviewed his files. 

 

Even more valuable were my Dad’s fishing and hunting materials. His fly fishing equipment included flies he had tied himself - that were works of art, signed custom fly rods, and fishing nets from his family that dated back to the 1920s.  His hunting items included duck and goose decoys he had hand carved, dating back into the early 1950s. They were all in perfect condition.  The curatorial staff was in the process of acquiring loans from numerous private collections for travelling exhibits on fishing and duck hunting.  In one windfall they had complete collections from one source, fully documented.  My Dad’s hunting and fishing items were on public display within days of donation.

 

The multiple meetings with the curators became highpoints in my Dad’s life.  He was the center of attention, with museum and archive professionals weighing on his every word.  These were moments that gave him pride in what he did, a sense of still being relevant, and the peace of mind that one of his life-long aspirations – inspiring young people to love nature – would be fulfilled for generations to come. 

 

The donation of his World War II and Korean War items unfurled the same way.  In this case, it was the U.S. Army’s Heritage Center near the War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania – two hours from my Dad’s home.  My Dad did something unique in World War II.  He brought along a “Baby” Brownie camera to the front lines of the 10^th Mountain Division fighting its way through the mountains of Italy.  His photos of battles, fortifications, liberated towns, German POWs, and his comrades were in perfect condition and had detailed notes on where they were taken and who was in them.  He also had kept his uniforms in mint condition along with a Nazi flag obtained when he led the capture of a German headquarters.

 
Once again, curators spent hours interviewing my Dad.  They were amazed at the quality and quantity of artifacts.  My Dad’s detailed written descriptions and clear recollections provided solid provenance for every item. Once again, my Dad felt honored to be telling the story of his unit and knowing that his materials would help scholars for many years to come.

 

These scenes of making the day of both a loved family member and curators can happen for anyone.  Local museums want to tell the story of their community.  Universities want to preserve the works of their alumni.  National collections want to inspire others with tangible examples of unique cultures, professions, hobbies, and lifestyles. 

 

All it takes is a willingness to learn about your family and to find the right match.  The new memories and new bonds will be rejuvenative and revelatory for all involved. 

A MOTHER FOR ALL SEASONS

Irene MacDonald Faulkner
February 8, 1925 – November 6, 2013

My mom passed peacefully in her sleep around 9:00 p.m. EST on November 6.

Irene had struggled with Alzheimer’s disease since 2007. In-home Hospice care began on October 28 and was a key element in making her final moments comfortable. Amanda and Ki were instrumental in providing 24-7 frontline care during her final weeks.

My Mom not only fundamentally shaped my life, but the lives of all she touched. She was a Den Mother for my Cub Scout Pack in Durham, New Hampshire and the nurse at Camp Flaming Pine for my Boy Scout Troop in Minnesota. More recently, she helped raise Amanda Hunter Newsom. Earlier, she raised her three youngest brothers, Ashel, Ed, and Dick MacDonald after her own mother passed in 1948. As a Nurse-Supervisor at the Eastern Maine General Hospital she oversaw the care of patients during World War II.

Irene lived a rich and diverse life. She grew up on a large farm in Eddington, outside of Bangor, Maine. Her family sold eggs and dairy products to families during the Depression. She hunted (mostly upland game birds), fished, skied, and skated. While living in New Hampshire she scouted out high-bush blue berry patches for making preserves and maintained large vegetable gardens at her various homes. Irene was a creative and gracious hostess – decorating barns for parties in New Hampshire, leading local festivals in Lee, New Hampshire, presiding over family reunions in Maine, and organizing political and community events in Minnesota, New Hampshire, Virginia, and West Virginia.

My mom was a life-long Republican. She was a local organizer for Barry Goldwater during his 1964 New Hampshire Primary campaign. The “This House Sold on Goldwater” yard sign that was on our front lawn proudly hangs in my home office. Irene worked diligently for Rep. Tom Hagedorn, and County Supervisor “Bud” Robb, in Minnesota. In Virginia, she was a Republican leader in Fairfax County helping numerous Republican candidates, including Rep. Frank Wolf, and State Delegate Gwen Cody. In 1982 she was awarded Volunteer of the Year by the Virginia Republican Party. From 1981-1993 she worked as a volunteer in the White House Correspondence Office. She oversaw the issuing of the President’s personal congratulatory messages and assisted in managing the White House Christmas Open Houses and Easter Egg Rolls.

Irene was inseparable to Ki, my father, for 67 years. They remained together through her passing last night. She lives on in the memories we all share, but also in the countless ways she taught us humility, instilled intellectual curiosity and a passion for reading, and fostered community spirit. We are very blessed she was a mother to us all.