As King County Executive Ron Sims grew up in Spokane, his fifth-grade teacher at Longfellow Elementary School was one of the adults who inspired him.

Educator Ronald Miller says he counseled Sims and other youngsters to do what teachers expected of them, to be involved and to practice citizenship.

“I told them, ‘Have confidence in yourself, have trust in your ability. Don’t be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. You have the makings to be a good citizen or good person or be successful.’ “

“Ronald Miller believed in me when no one else did,” Sims says. “He saw something in me I didn’t see in myself. He knew it was there and he really wanted to search and find it, and he did. All of a sudden, things bubbled up.”