Knowing Woman
Nurturing the Feminine Soul
Jo Mills Garceau, Shamanic Astrologer
Foreword by
Daniel J. Evans, Governor
Washington State, 1965-1977
Daniel J. Evans, Governor
Washington State, 1965-1977
My campaign for governor in 1964 was a campaign of volunteers. We raised money, ran ads, and used television, but it was our army of volunteers who won the race. Jo Garceau was one of those remarkable campaigners who gave extraordinary amounts of time and talent for no pay except the reward of victory.
A few years later, Jo came to work in the governor's office. She quickly showed unusual skills and I asked her to take on a difficult responsibility. In my early years as governor, I found to my dismay that I was responsible for appointing citizens to hundreds of boards and commissions as well as making judicial appointments when vacancies occurred. I knew this offered a real opportunity to expand participation of women and minorities in policymaking positions, but we had no rational process to make selections.
I said, "Jo, make some sense out of this jumble of laws and regulations and help me broaden opportunity for women and minorities in state government." It was one of my best decisions. Over the next few years, Jo created a cohesive system of pending vacancies and lists of outstanding candidates to fill those
positions. Soon we had vibrant, active citizen commissions giving me and department heads innovative ideas that help made state government better.
As I began my third term as governor, I was determined to bring citizens even more closely into policymaking. I initiated Alternatives for Washington and asked Jo Garceau to select a broad cross-section of Washingtonians to begin this effort. Soon, she was deeply involved in what became a remarkable experience of participatory democracy. Hundreds of selected volunteers devised eleven potential alternatives for Washington's future. These were distributed to all citizens in a tabloid insert in every newspaper in the state. We were overwhelmed with 60,000 replies choosing their favorite alternative and usually writing extensive letters in addition.
Soon, communities around the state were creating their own programs and citizen activism was in full flower. Jo was at the center of all of this and we were both disappointed when my time as governor ended and we were unable to continue this remarkable program.
But this book is not just about a lifetime of activity. It, instead, is a remarkable story of a search for faith and the true meaning of life. Each step of that search opened new opportunities for Jo to grow intellectually and to contribute remarkably to the community around her.
I was blessed to have her share a portion of that contribution to me and the citizens of Washington through her pacesetting efforts in the governor's office.
Daniel J. Evans
Governor, Washington 1965-1977
A few years later, Jo came to work in the governor's office. She quickly showed unusual skills and I asked her to take on a difficult responsibility. In my early years as governor, I found to my dismay that I was responsible for appointing citizens to hundreds of boards and commissions as well as making judicial appointments when vacancies occurred. I knew this offered a real opportunity to expand participation of women and minorities in policymaking positions, but we had no rational process to make selections.
I said, "Jo, make some sense out of this jumble of laws and regulations and help me broaden opportunity for women and minorities in state government." It was one of my best decisions. Over the next few years, Jo created a cohesive system of pending vacancies and lists of outstanding candidates to fill those
positions. Soon we had vibrant, active citizen commissions giving me and department heads innovative ideas that help made state government better.
As I began my third term as governor, I was determined to bring citizens even more closely into policymaking. I initiated Alternatives for Washington and asked Jo Garceau to select a broad cross-section of Washingtonians to begin this effort. Soon, she was deeply involved in what became a remarkable experience of participatory democracy. Hundreds of selected volunteers devised eleven potential alternatives for Washington's future. These were distributed to all citizens in a tabloid insert in every newspaper in the state. We were overwhelmed with 60,000 replies choosing their favorite alternative and usually writing extensive letters in addition.
Soon, communities around the state were creating their own programs and citizen activism was in full flower. Jo was at the center of all of this and we were both disappointed when my time as governor ended and we were unable to continue this remarkable program.
But this book is not just about a lifetime of activity. It, instead, is a remarkable story of a search for faith and the true meaning of life. Each step of that search opened new opportunities for Jo to grow intellectually and to contribute remarkably to the community around her.
I was blessed to have her share a portion of that contribution to me and the citizens of Washington through her pacesetting efforts in the governor's office.
Daniel J. Evans
Governor, Washington 1965-1977
