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If someone were to ask anybody who knew Garland Warren what
was the most admirable quality he exhibited, the answer would
probably be his ability to express his love for people – all
people. Garland was as generous with his love for his extended family
of union brothers and sisters as he was with his time that he
spent working on their behalf.
When you met Garland for the first
time you couldn’t help but feel a little déjŕ vu in the
experience. You
almost immediately felt as though you had been friends for a
while, good friends. Even
though you may have never seen him before, you just knew you
must have.
Never one to turn a deaf ear towards
anybody with a problem, whether it be job related, a personal
problem, a spiritual problem, or maybe just a need to have
someone listen caringly, Garland was there for them.
His ability to acknowledge you while he was listening
to what you said would often be punctuated with a hearty
“Thank You!” which translated to “Yes!
You are right on target and I appreciate your
thoughts.”
Garland’s smile was contagious, and
when he walked into a room he usually had a kind word for
everyone there. His charisma was almost tangible to say the least, and when
you finished talking to Garland you often found yourself
thinking about things in a different light.
Often, you would walk away with a little less of a
burden on your shoulders and you might even be wondering why
you hadn’t felt like that more often. Then eventually you would figure it out as Garland’s gift -
his love for people.
When Garland was hospitalized this
last time preceding his death, a large number of people went
to see him. Though you could tell he was in a physical fight
to stay here on Earth, you could still see and feel the warmth
of his smile and the love and compassion in his eyes.
He would introduce you to the hospital staff in his
trademark gentlemanly way by verbally painting a glorious
picture of your character all the while enlightening the staff
to the fact that you were indeed a great friend and a
wonderful human being.
Garland’s eyes were indeed the
proverbial windows to his soul and you knew you were looking
at someone who remembered where he came from and had a good
vision of where he was going.
His old-fashioned manners and charm added nicely to the
mutual experience of talking, debating or just reminiscing
about the old days.
Garland served two terms in the Army
in Viet Nam before making Alaska his home in 1971.
He worked for Safeway, the Anchorage School District
and for the last 17 years, he worked as a distinguished
Business Representative for Public Employees Local 71, of the
Laborers International Union of North America.
The lives that were touched by this
great man are innumerable.
The jobs and livelihoods he saved, along with the
founding of the Alaska Chapter of the A. Philip Randolph
Institute are just a part of the union legacy he leaves behind.
Whether it was his union work,
his church activities, or his non-stop advocacy on people
issues, Garland worked on each as if were the most important
thing he would ever be doing, and people came to count on him
when he offered to do something because they knew he always
lived up to his promises.
His embodiment of the trade unionist
spirit was steeped in sincerity and will be remembered, and
missed, for many years to come.
Those of us who worked closely with Garland here at
Local 71 will always remember him affectionately.
He and the family members he leaves behind are in our
prayers.
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