Our SNG community grieves recent loss of another beloved member
Chas has been an active participant and ardent supporter of our SNG community since the early 2000’s. A constant and supportive presence at language, music and cultural events. Chas was a native Seattleite who had gone to Whitman College and then to Harvard Law School. He took pride in helping numerous Seattle community groups to think more coherently about their aims, their audience, and the archival records they would need. His grace with the English language and knowledge of the law were invaluable. He was able to see beyond the urgent needs of the moment to consider broader issues of the past, the future and beyond the boundaries of metro Seattle.
Chas joined Seirm in 2004 and was a faithful member through the end of 2019 and traveling to Scotland with Seirm for the Royal National Mòd in 2017. He held deepest respect for our musical traditions, so was quick to remind us to keep them going, whether it be singing "Chì mi na morbheanna" at the end of a céilidh, "Òran a' Challainn" at each First Footing home, or reminding us to sing a song at a recent virtual céilidh.
Chas served on the Board from 2003 - 2010 and 2017 - 2018; and as the Gaelic Education Officer from 2003 - 2010. He had already established himself as a driving force on the Gaelic Education committee prior to his appointment as Gaelic Education Officer by the Board in 2003. He recognized the ineffectiveness of unrelated Gaelic educational events at the time, so worked in tandem with Seumas Gagne to work out the structure for the initial Z2G2 "Zero to Gaelic in Two Years" program launched in Fall 2004. He continued working with the committee throughout his tenure to refine the Gaelic educational program now known as Z2G.
He also reactivated the Library and Archives Committee with Ted and Nancy Neveln by completing an inventory of the hard-cover books in Slighe nan Gaidheal's library in 2004. He had a dream to not only organize the library items in a way that was convenient for members to use, but also to organize the records of the organization into an accessible archive. The Board recognized that those two goals were too massive for one small committee to achieve, so changed the committee to focus on the Library's needs. Unfortunately, Chas' dream for an archive has yet to be realized.
Chas was chosen as the recipient of the 2010 Alexander MacRae Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to Gaelic Culture in recognition of all his behind-the-scenes contributions to Slighe nan Gaidheal. Although he had retired from his official duties in 2010, he continued to be involved with the Gaelic Education and Library committees throughout the subsequent decade.
Although Chas wasn't a solo singer, he did enter Mòd Vancouver's literary competitions, winning the storytelling competition in 2005.
Much more could be said. In fact Chas was a true character in the best sense of the word, and if you didn’t get the chance to know him ask someone who did - there are many fun and colorful stories to share. Suffice it to say that Chas contributed significantly to making Slighe nan Gaidheal a better organization and his presence will be deeply missed.
We’ll close with a quote and image from one of Chas’ favorite books ‘The Gruffalo’
