Uploaded January 2019 | Updated September 2026, 8 minutes ago
Governor Dixie Lee Ray, PhD, spoke to the Eagle Forum in 1993, a quarter of a century ago: "Environmental Overkill: what to do about it?"
Dixie Lee was one of the great women in contemporary American history. We first encountered her in 1964 when we were taking a course in oceanography at the University of Washington (Seattle) where Dr. Lee was a professor of biology, known to be irascible. At the age of 12, Miss Lee was the youngest girl to climb Mt Rainier, just a few miles from her native Tacoma. At 16 she legally changed her name from Marguerite Ray to Dixie Lee Ray in honor of Robert E. Lee, Commander of the Confederate States. This in a Yankee state, mind you.
Dixie Lee worked her way through university (until eventual fellowships) as a waitress and cleaning woman. One of her primary concerns was the public's education on science issues.
A known enthusiast of nuclear energy, Dr Lee was persuaded by President Nixon In 1973 to head the Atomic Energy Commission. After a three year stint in government (after Nixon's impeachment, President Ford appointed her Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. She quit after six months). In 1976 she ran for governor of Washington State (as a Democrat), and won a 4-year term. In 1991, Dixie Lee published her second popular book on scientific issues, Trashing the Planet: How Science Can Help Us Deal With Acid Rain, Depletion of the Ozone, and Nuclear Waste (Among Other Things). See Brian Lamb's C-SPAN interview with the brilliant and sadly missed Dixie Lee Ray. Her talk at Phyllis Schlafley's Eagle Forum was one of her last public talks.
(Thanks to Seahorse1976 (youtube) for reposting this vid) 10 years ago.)
yoryevrah
Governor Dixie Lee Ray, PhD, spoke to the Eagle Forum in 1993, a quarter of a century ago: "Environmental Overkill: what to do about it?"
Dixie Lee was one of the great women in contemporary American history. We first encountered her in 1964 when we were taking a course in oceanography at the University of Washington (Seattle) where Dr. Lee was a professor of biology, known to be irascible. At the age of 12, Miss Lee was the youngest girl to climb Mt Rainier, just a few miles from her native Tacoma. At 16 she legally changed her name from Marguerite Ray to Dixie Lee Ray in honor of Robert E. Lee, Commander of the Confederate States. This in a Yankee state, mind you.
Dixie Lee worked her way through university (until eventual fellowships) as a waitress and cleaning woman. One of her primary concerns was the public's education on science issues.
A known enthusiast of nuclear energy, Dr Lee was persuaded by President Nixon In 1973 to head the Atomic Energy Commission. After a three year stint in government (after Nixon's impeachment, President Ford appointed her Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. She quit after six months). In 1976 she ran for governor of Washington State (as a Democrat), and won a 4-year term. In 1991, Dixie Lee published her second popular book on scientific issues, Trashing the Planet: How Science Can Help Us Deal With Acid Rain, Depletion of the Ozone, and Nuclear Waste (Among Other Things). See Brian Lamb's C-SPAN interview with the brilliant and sadly missed Dixie Lee Ray. Her talk at Phyllis Schlafley's Eagle Forum was one of her last public talks.
(Thanks to Seahorse1976 (youtube) for reposting this vid) 10 years ago.)
yoryevrah
