Reading Mary Jo Newhouse’s memorial to Steve Ellis in last month’s Bar Bulletin brought back so many fond memories of Steve’s time as a trustee of the King County Law Library. I was hired as Executive Director of KCLL during Steve’s tenure on the board. Transitioning from the relative quiet and stability of academia to the chaotic, funding challenged world of a public law library was a steep learning curve in more ways than one can count.
One thing I didn’t know coming into the role was that I had a library super-fan in my midst. Steve just loved everything about books and libraries — he would often fondly recall the many hours he spent at KCLL back in the old days and remark on how different things were back then when attorneys would be shoulder to shoulder at the tables and carrels with their piles of books. Even after Steve stepped off the KCLL law library board, I knew that when I saw his name in my email inbox it would inevitably be an inspiring article about the value of libraries and the continuing relevance of the work of librarians.
One of the things I most appreciated about working with Steve on the law library board of trustees is that he was not afraid to ask tough questions or make hard choices. When I took this position, one of my priorities was to establish a foundation to help support the law library. Steve knew that starting a foundation would be a lot of work and was worried about stretching already tight staff resources even thinner. Steve worked diligently to come up with creative ideas for alternative structures and partnerships that might be set up in lieu of a foundation. As we explored options and none turned out to be feasible, Steve then gave his full energy to the foundation start-up project. He enlisted Bob Alsdorf, also a former KCLL trustee, to work with him to successfully raise the start-up costs for the foundation and never looked back. His support for the foundation was constant and unwavering, even after his term ended.
In Mary Jo’s remembrance, she mentioned that one of Steve’s gifts was to foster strong and lasting relationships between people. I have firsthand experience of that gift, and it involved an introduction to none other than Mary Jo. When I was desperately searching for the initial executive board for the foundation, Steve suggested Mary Jo as a great fit to lead our fledgling entity. Mary Jo became the founding president of the KCLL foundation and a fantastic partner to me and the foundation’s executive director Kristie Thompson as we figured out the game plan. Steve knew what he was doing too. The informal monthly foundation check-in meeting that Mary Jo, Kristie, and I held inevitably began as a de facto book club where we each talked about what we were reading and traded suggestions for books. Steve’s gift for getting the right people at the same table writ large.
When Steve stepped off the law library board, KCLL assistant director Rick Stroup wrote the following commemoration of Steve’s service to the law library. I can’t think of a better way to express how we all feel about Steve’s work with and for the law library.
Aloha to Steve Ellis
by Rick Stroup:
Most of us are familiar with the idea that when Hawaiians use the word “aloha”, they can intend it as either a greeting, a farewell or an expression of gratitude. According to teachings in the practice of Huna, there is a code embodied in the word “aloha” which translates something like this: “A” or “ala” indicates alertness, “L” or “lokahi”, indicates working with unity, “O” or “oia’I’o” indicates truthful honesty, “H” or “ha’aha’a” indicates humility and the final “A” or “ahonui” indicates patient perseverance.
The Board of Trustees and the staff of the King County Law Library would like to wish Stephen Ellis a heartfelt aloha, with perhaps more of an emphasis on the gratitude aspect of the word, for the years he devoted to helping us manage and guide our operations. Steve served on the King County Law Library Board of Trustees for seven years. In everything he did as a trustee, Steve exhibited all the qualities embodied in aloha. He was always alert to both the challenges of day-to-day operations, and the need to devote some of our energies toward the bigger picture issues facing public law libraries like ours — issues such as balancing electronic and paper resources, juggling the often-competing needs of a diverse patron base, and the critical matter of retooling to better serve a growing number of pro se litigants.
Steve was always a straight shooter who presented and (when needed) defended his ideas honestly. But he also understood the importance of being a team player and the value of compromise when it suited the law library’s best interests. Though he might (with tongue in cheek) argue otherwise, Steve always tempered even his most passionate ideas — and there were many — with a humility born in part from his extensive private practice experience but also from a genuine love of books, writing and learning. This humility also helped to support his patience. Change, even welcome change, can come slowly to an institution with a small staff, on a tight budget, working within a shifting library service environment.
Aloha, Steve. You are missed.
If you would like to learn more about the King County Law Library Foundation please visit https://kcllfoundation.org.
