Sixth graders at Albert Einstein Elementary School in Redmond had a special guest in the classroom Tuesday morning as Washington’s First Gentleman Mike Gregoire paid them a visit.
Gregoire read Dr. Seuss’s “The Lorax” to students and after navigating through the author’s signature tongue twisters, he spoke a little bit about the story’s message about environmental responsibility and sustainability.
He discussed his childhood in Everett and how the greater Puget Sound area was filled with trees at the time. And while there has been a lot of development throughout the state, Gregoire said he is confident the younger generation will take care of the state’s natural wonders.
“I’m very happy,” he told students. “I’m optimistic.”
Gregoire was set to read to the Einstein students on March 2, Dr. Seuss’s birthday and the National Education Association’s Read Across America Day. His visit, however, was postponed because the funeral for fallen Washington State Trooper Tony Radulescu had been scheduled for the same day.
Karen Ollerenshaw, the sixth-grade teacher who organized the visit for her and teaching partner Karl Olson’s classes, said when they realized the First Gentleman would not be able to make the original date, he and his staff were very accommodating to find a date that would work for everyone.
“They were very flexible,” she said.
Ollerenshaw taught fifth grade last year and brought in Redmond Mayor John Marchione to read to her students. She said she has pretty much the same group of students this year, so she wanted to bring someone new to the classroom to read to students.
Ollerenshaw originally contacted Gregoire’s wife Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire and her office. The governor was not be able to make it, but her husband Mike and his office said he could pay the students a visit.
“I thought it would be a long shot,” Ollerenshaw said about her request. “They got back to me immediately.”
She said she selected “The Lorax” to be read aloud because it ties into their upcoming outdoor education lessons and served as a nice segue.
Ollerenshaw added that she was impressed by Mike’s verbal skills as this was the first time he had read the story.
“He did a great job of wading through those Seuss words,” she said. “For a dry run, he did awesome.”
In addition to discussing the environment, Mike told the students a bit about his duties as First Gentleman of Washington — one of which includes filling in for his wife if she can’t make an event such as the read aloud event at Einstein.
“I’m the backup for the governor,” Mike said.
He said there are not many first gentlemen in the country as there are not many female governors and some are not married. Because of this, he is not as in demand as his female counterparts and can focus on his personal areas of interest, which include early reading, history and military.
As a Vietnam War veteran who was drafted and served three years active duty in the U.S. Army, Mike was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the air defense artillery corps. He served his tour of duty as a platoon leader and convoy commander with the “Delta Express” in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
Ollerenshaw and Olson’s students were very interested in Mike’s military background, thanking him for his service, asking about his experiences in Vietnam and whether he was scared while overseas.
“There were times,” he admitted about his fears as a military man.
Mike told the students he does a lot of work with the military in his current role as First Gentleman and focuses on men and women returning home from war and helps them adjust back to civilian life.
The students were also curious about the state’s First Dog Trooper. Mike said their 6-year-old Shiba Inu — an ancient breed that comes from Japan — is very independent and shared stories of Trooper racing around the Executive Mansion in his own “Shiba 500” after a long walk.
