Moses Lake man passionate about ancestry

Herald staff writer

MOSES LAKE - Anyone thinking history is boring may want to speak to Moses Lake's Chuck Colville.

To listen to him talk about Scottish heritage is to hear someone truly passionate about their background.

"I'm very proud of being an American citizen but I'm also very proud of my Scottish ancestry," he said.

This particular conversation stems from his desire to publicize National Tartan Day, which is held annually on April 6.

The date commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath, in which Scottish barons, lords and landowners wrote to the pope in 1320 declaring Scotland's independence from England.

The document became a framework for another famous declaration.

"Thomas Jefferson adopted portions of it to put into our Declaration of Independence," Colville said.

He said about two-thirds of the signers had Scottish ancestry.

Colville said one was his ancestors was a signer of the Declaration of Arbroath.

Scotland was independent until James VI of Scotland ascended to the throne and became James I of England, reuniting the two countries.

Tartan Day was celebrated by individual counties and states, but the first nationwide observation of Tartan Day in the United States was on April 6, 1997.

The path to the day's national recognition involved several organizations and the passing of legislation.

The Scottish Coalition, a group of national Scottish-American organizations consisting of the American-Scottish Foundation, Association of Scottish Games & Festivals, The Caledonian Foundation, the Council of Scottish Clans and Associations, Scottish Heritage USA, and the Tartan Educational and Cultural Association felt the observance was a way to display Scottish heritage.

In 1998 the U.S. Senate passed a unanimously approved resolution officially recognizing April 6 as National Tartan Day.

Tartan refers to the pattern on woolen cloth distinctive to Scotland, used especially in kilts.

Colville said he's been hoping more people will begin recognizing the day.

"I want people to be aware of the fact that there was such a holiday declared by Congress," he said.

He said he's studied Scottish history and is aware of the impact Scots had on our lives.

"Many things in our everyday life originated from people of Scottish origin," Colville said. "When you drive down an asphalt road it was named for a man named McAdam, who invented the asphalt process," he said.

John Loudan McAdam's advancements in road paving became the basis for modern roadways.

Rubberized raincoats were made using the waterproofing method developed by Charles Macintosh, a Scottish chemist. Telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell was Scottish-born as was Sir Alexander Fleming, discoverer of penicillin and 1944 Nobel Prize recipient. Steel baron and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie also hailed from Scotland, he said.

"And the best known Scot of today is Sean Connery," Colville said.

The actor is respected worldwide and derives his celebrity status from performing as James Bond in several movies and other roles.

Even with his love of Scotland, Colville said his Scottish name is sometimes not recognized correctly.

"People think my name is Indian and no, it's not Indian it's Scottish," Colville said.

The Colville tribal members got their name from Andrew Colville, Scottish founder of the Hudson Bay Company. The Native Americans were living around Ft. Colville, which is in Stevens County. The name was given to them because of their proximity to the fort.

Colville would like to see more people recognize Tartan Day next year and help educate more people to the impact the Scots have had on the world.