COEUR d’ALENE — Two longtime members of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, Marshall Mend and Doug Cresswell, will step down from their positions on the board after more than four decades of service.

“Our board is eternally grateful for the contributions these two gentlemen have given for over 40 years to the success of our human rights group,” said Tony Stewart, board secretary. 

Two new board members have filled the seats vacated by Mend and Cresswell. 

J.J. Jaeger, president of the Best Western Plus Coeur d’Alene Inn, will occupy the business seat previously held by Mend. Dr. Kristine Hoover will occupy the education seat previously held by Cresswell. Hoover is a professor and division chair of the Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership program at Gonzaga University. 

Mend, a real estate agent, arrived in Coeur d’Alene in early 1980. In late December of that year, members of the Aryan Nations vandalized a Hayden restaurant owned by Sid Rosen, a Jewish chef. It was a watershed moment. 

“Marshall immediately said, ‘This is not what we are going to tolerate or stand for,''' Stewart recalled. “He was ready to go from the beginning.” 

In February 1981, Mend and Stewart were among community members who met at the First Christian Church in Coeur d’Alene and emerged from the meeting having decided to create the task force. Their mission was to get hate crime laws passed in Idaho. 

“Marshall became key in that moment,” Stewart said. 

The task force will mark its 45th anniversary in February. It continues its mission to support victims of hate, oppose discrimination and promote education. 

“It’s really amazing to me,” Stewart said. “When we started in 1981, we had no idea we’d be around this long or that we’d do the things we’ve done.” 

Doug Cresswell, a former superintendent of the Coeur d’Alene School District, joined the task force in 1985 and later served as its president for five years. 

Stewart said Cresswell led the task force with dignity during tumultuous times, including the Aryan Nations’ march down Sherman Avenue in 1998, and brought many new people to the group.

“He’s a very wise man and a very gentle person,” Stewart said. 

One of the most significant marks Cresswell has left on the community is the Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Celebration at North Idaho College. The annual event celebrates King’s work for civil and human rights and honors his legacy. 

Since 1986, more than 36,000 fifth graders have participated in the program. 

“They’ve impacted the minds of young people in such a positive way,” Stewart said of Cresswell and Mend. “I don’t think we’d be where we are today without them.” 

    Cresswell