Jody Stover — Inspired to Help
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Even four months after the tsunami, she saw how much work remained. The displacement centers overflowed with people. As part of the effort to provide housing, Stover joined a group of 22 American, French and Thai volunteers helping lay foundations for homes. What that translated to in actual labor was “slinging cement.” “There weren’t a lot of resources. We were passing buckets of cement by hand.” The climate added another challenge. “The conditions were pretty harsh, not being used to the heat and humidity, and then working for eight hours a day in it.” What made it worthwhile was the Thai people, whom she calls “generous, sweet souls.” She tells the story of the man who owned the hotel where they stayed. Despite having lost his wife and two children, as well as most of his resort, to the tsunami, he donated a portion of their lodging. “He was still interested in taking care of us, feeding us, making sure we had a place to stay. Every Thai that you came across was full of love
Left: The young victims of the tsunami are the reason Stover helping with rebuilding efforts. Second from left: A child’s artwork is a somber representation of the marks left by the tsunami. Second from right: Workers pass buckets of cement to pour foundations for new buildings. Right: Stover, at right, with trip leader and volunteer Mui Kabkrue.
“When the tsunami devastated Thailand, I didn’t differentiate American victims from Thai victims and felt compelled to contribute to the greater good of humanity.” —Jody Stover
and generosity.” She credits her time at UI with exposing her to a diverse array of people and for opening her eyes to “humanity’s core values.” As a result, she states, “When the tsunami devastated Thailand, I didn’t differentiate American victims from Thai victims and felt compelled to contribute to the greater good of humanity.” Having been inspired, her selflessness is now itself an inspiration. I
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That all debts resulting from the World War should be cancelled.” The first World War. Felt was debating on a stage in front of an audience, thinking through a problem. Thirty years later he was standing in a dark garage, hiding from everyone, thinking through another problem. But before he was done with the UI, he had found a wife, too. A few years after he graduated, Felt married Audrey Isabelle Robinson ’37. They then went on to lead their lives in Washington, D.C. In 1972, his longtime mentor, J. Edgar Hoover, died. Felt was a pallbearer at the funeral. A month later the Watergate burglary occurred. Within two days Felt had contacted an acquaintance, Washington Post reporter Woodward, and begun the dialogue wherein he became Deep Throat. Asked about the recent revelation that Felt is Deep Throat, Milner says he’s not surprised. He acknowledges that Felt had been “very disappointed to be passed over when the leadership of the FBI became available.” Then Milner adds, “I am delighted to know [Felt was Deep Throat]. “I am proud of him. He was pretty brave to do that.” Bacon waxes philosophically about Felt’s revelation. It’s not going to hurt anyone now. Mark was a man of his own time, honorable and loyal to his particular position.” W. Mark Felt, with his daughter Joan Felt, waves to the media gathered in front of In his memoir, Felt indicates he was warned of his home in Santa Rosa, Calif., May 31. Felt, the man who revealed himself as “Deep White House suspicions and animosity about his Throat”, has agreed to a book and movie deal about his life, his publisher and agent said possible role as Deep Throat by his new superior, on June 16. Felt and his family have chosen PublicAffairs Books to release the tentatively Gray. Felt denied the charge and Gray accepted titled “A G-man’s Life: The FBI, Being ‘Deep Throat’ And the Struggle for Honor in that denial. The investigation went on. The Post Washington.” (AP Photo/Ben Margot) continued to press the issue. In January 1973, the burglars – one might call them the first line criminals – were convicted Cooper, Deep Throat came back... as W. Mark Felt. of breaking into Democratic National Headquarters at the It took Mark Felt more than 30 years and seven presidencies Watergate. In April, Nixon’s top aides resigned; in May the seven - before the truth about his role in the matter came out. Senate’s televised hearings began. The greatest secret in the history of the American investigative Mark and Aubrey Felt came back to Moscow in 1974 to start press has been solved, and yet questions remain. Did Felt do a tour promoting his memoir. They were happy to be back, Mrs. this because he was passed over? Did he do it because he was the Felt said. Watergate had changed everything, Felt said, about the conscience of the FBI? presidency and the FBI, and perhaps, about his own life. Imagine Felt hiding in the shadows of that darkened parking At that time in 1974, the jig was mostly up. Nixon resigned garage, waiting for Woodward to show up for a 2 a.m. meeting, in August of the next year, a man defeated by secrecy and asking himself the question for which we have no answer: “Now, power. Out of that atmosphere, Deep Throat became a legend, why am I doing this, again?” I not unlike the mysterious Northwest skyjacker D. B. Cooper, disappearing into the night. Only, unlike the pseudonymous
he inspiration to do tsunami relief work struck UI alumna Jody Stover ’89 while reading a magazine article. It highlighted Thailand, where relief funds were plenty but laborers scarce. “It was a desperate country in need,” she says. “And it was something I wanted to be part of.” Her desire to help out immediately meant connecting with a small relief group called the Phuket Project and paying much of her own way, including roundtrip airfare. She used personal vacation time from her job at Hewlett Packard in Boise, where she works in marketing, and left in mid-April for almost three weeks. She traveled to Khao Lak, Thailand, where her first views of the beach were shocking. “I wasn’t quite prepared for the fact that in Khao Lak they hadn’t made very much progress.” One day she helped clean the beach in front of their hotel. “You’re picking up people’s personal effects. Flip-flops, sunscreen, toothbrushes, baby toys. That was very disturbing.”
HERE WE HAVE
IDAHO
BY JEFF P. JONES