REALTORS’ president-elect Young salutes ‘Fr. Joe’

Sun., Oct. 1, 2006

James Young SAR President-elect

Fr. Joe Named Spokane, State REALTORS® Citizen of Year

On May 11, the 1,900 members of the Spokane Association of REALTORS® named the recently retired, longtime director of Morning Star Boy's ranch, Father Joseph Weitensteiner, as its "Citizen of the Year" at its annual awards event. This past week he received the statewide award from the Washington REALTORS® Association.

Father Weitensteiner spent a remarkable 40 years as director of the facility for boys ages 10-17. The Catholic priest was introduced at the Washington REALTORS® Fall Business meeting by one of the young men who spent his youth growing up at the ranch — James Young, Tomlinson Black North — who is the Spokane Association's president-elect.

During Fr. Weitensteiner's tenure, the ranch grew from a hand-to-mouth home to one of the most recognized programs in the nation. Today the nearly two dozen residents have access to a horse program, healing arts instruction, specialized education, outdoor recreation and spiritual formation.

Father Weitensteiner was the first child-care worker in 1957. He later left the Ranch to pursue studies for the priesthood, returning in 1966, shortly after ordination as its director — a position he left May 1.

He has been honored by numerous civic, educational and childcare entities. A native of Spokane, he attended Sacred Heart School and graduated from Gonzaga Prep in 1950. In 1975, he oversaw a $1.25 million expansion of Morning Star.

•The adjoining article is James Young's speech introducing Fr. Weitensteiner to the audience at the Fall Business Meeting of the Washington Association of REALTORS®.Young had spent part of his childhood at Morning Star Boys' Ranch.

Before I introduce Fr. Joe, let me share a story about a young man who lived at Morning Star Boys’ Ranch nicknamed the Colonel.

This young man lived at what the boys living there refer to as the “Ranch.” This youngster came from a home where physical and emotional abuse was pretty much a daily routine. With no father in the picture and being in constant fear of abuse it’s not to hard to see how this child would turn to skipping school, fighting, running away, and the first of many encounters with law enforcement, juvenile detention and the court system. The Colonel would spend the next seven years between the ranch and his dysfunctional family.

Like many of the ranch kids I have gotten to know over the years, the Colonel didn’t realize how fortunate he was at the time to be able to call Morning Star Boys Ranch home. To have a clean room and bed to sleep in, three meals a day and the guidance of so many caring people who were often the only ones to believe in them. Many of his joyful experiences were as a result of being able to call Morning Star home.

His first trip out of Spokane was with Fr. Joe to Seattle to see the Space Needle. He also reminisced about learning to snow ski at Mt. Spokane with leather lace-up boots and spending many summer nights at Lake Coeur d’alene. Yes, there were many fun times but then there were days where you were expected to contribute to the good of the order spending time doing yard work, caring for the animals and keeping the place in tip-top shape. Fr. Joe instilled great values in the boys.

Values like hard work, honesty, dependability, leaving things better than you found them and of course believing you have value and can make a difference in the world. So you’re probably wondering if any of these troubled young men — whom some in society consider castaways, too damaged to salvage — have pulled off the big upset. The answer is absolutely YES!

Because Fr. Joe believed in these young men when no one else did some have gone on to become attorneys, bankers, business-owners, a rocket scientist, investors, career military men, and especially great fathers and husbands. Where’s the Colonel today? He pursued a career in real estate.

Morning Star Boys’ Ranch opened its doors in January of 1957 and will soon celebrate its Golden Jubilee of 50 years of service to the Spokane community and the region. Fr. Joseph Weitensteiner or, as he is known to most, Fr. Joe, a Spokane native, has been there from just about the beginning.

Morning Star has weathered a few storms along the way — just as many of us do trying build our business. Fr. Joe recently retired as director of Morning Star and now will have the opportunity to pursue many of his other interests. However, he leaves some mighty big shoes for someone to fill.

Fr. Joe has been honored by numerous civic, educational, legal and childcare entities. Awards have included the Spokane City Bar Association’s Liberty Bell Award; an honorary doctoral degree from Gonzaga University; achievement citation by the Spokane County Juvenile Court; induction into Gonzaga Prep’s Hall of Fame among many other honors.

Morning Star itself has been regarded locally and nationally as a leader in childcare, earning the AGORA Award for Excellence for nonprofit organizations from the Spokane Chamber of Commerce in both 1995 and 2005. Please help the Colonel give Fr. Joe a warm REALTOR® welcome.