Remembering ‘great mountain-woman’ Olene Walker
03.12.2015
My many colleagues at the organizing committee of the International Women of the Mountains Conference and I were saddened to learn of former Utah Governor Olene Walker’s passing on 28 November 2015 in the United States. She was an extraordinary individual, and a great mountain-woman, and a person whom so many people in Utah and the Rocky Mountain region respect and admire.
I personally will remember Governor Olene Walker as a great representative of the State of Utah, who contributed to the development of the partnership with my native country, Kyrgyzstan, and building friendships with the Kyrgyz people.
Governor Walker was the first, and probably the only, sitting Governor from the United States to visit the Kyrgyz Republic. She did it during the summer of 2003 as the head of the extensive delegation from the State of Utah. Her husband, Myron, was with her as well as Dr Rusty Butler, Associate VP for International Affairs and Diplomacy at Utah Valley University with his wife Danielle Butler, the Honorary Consul of Kyrgyzstan in the State of Utah, as well as Russell M. Nelson of the LDS Church, among others. Governor Walker then discussed with President of the Kyrgyz Republic Askar Akaev, how to build ties between two mountain communities living on the opposite sides of the globe, and how she as the first women governor in the state of Utah could contribute to that partnership. She graciously hosted then-President Akaev during his visit to Utah the next year and demonstrated to him great experiences in sustainable mountain development in the State of Utah.
Governor Olene Walker served as the Honorary Co-Chair of the International Women of the Mountains Conferences which have been co-hosted since 2007 at Utah Valley University. Four conferences have gathered since that time, and have served as a vehicle to promote gender and sustainable mountain development agendas of the United Nations in the State of Utah and the entire North American region. During the conferences, Governor Walker was thrilled to share with all of the broad audiences, and students in particular, her experiences as a woman governor in contributing to the success of economic development in the state of Utah, and how family and traditional values and love of education helped her to accomplish that. It was a special pleasure to see how she was able to interact with both local and international guests as well as with fellow women governors from the region, like Governor Judy Martz from the State of Montana among others. Thanks to the leadership of Governor Walker and the contributions from many other women from the State of Utah, the Rocky Mountain region, and North America, the Women of the Mountains Conferences have been transformed into a very successful grass-roots driven international forum promoting both gender and mountain causes in the North America and globally, and have been recognized by the United Nations.
Governor Walker was not able to join us during the last Fourth International Women of the Mountains Conference on 7-9 October 2015 due to her deteriorating health. Her absence was greatly noticed, yet understood by all in attendance at our forum. She was honoured by the students and her numerous colleagues and supporters through the successful hosting of the conference.
Governor Walker will be missed as a woman-leader, a friend, and colleague of all who she touched directly and indirectly in this world. I believe the only true way to mourn her passing is for everyone to carry on her message of education and gender equality for the world. As John F. Kennedy once said: “A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.”
By Baktybek Abdrisaev PhD., Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States and Canada (1997-2005) Lecturer History and Political Science Utah Valley University
Read more
Photo:Facebook.com/thewalkerinstitute
|
