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When George E. Fahey led the way, action usually followed.

A founding member of the Board of Trustees of Casey Family Programs, Mr. Fahey grew to become a close confidant of Jim Casey, helping him carry out his vision for the foundation as one that recognizes the need for all children to grow up in safe and stable families.

“A characteristic of (Jim’s) was to build a big idea out of a glimmer of a dream,” Mr. Fahey once said.

Mr. Fahey died March 27 at his home in Anacortes, Wash. Last December, he had celebrated his 100th birthday with friends and family. He was the last surviving member of the original board.

Board Vice Chair Joan Poliak, who served with Mr. Fahey for 10 years, called him “an early, forceful and passionate contributor to the evolution of Casey Family Programs.”

“He was someone we relied upon to be a knowledgeable ‘community voice’ on the board for the children and families we served,” she said. “Direct and determined, he asked tough questions and tenaciously pushed core practice principles, including issues surrounding cultural competence that at the time were quite forward-thinking.”

In selecting the original Board of Trustees in 1966, Jim Casey turned to people he knew – his sister Marguerite, as well as the family’s physician, attorney and banker. None of them understood the intricacies of child welfare or social work, however.

So Jim Casey sought out to recruit the son of Timothy Fahey, the owner of a downtown Seattle men’s clothing store and one of the first businessmen ever to hire Jim Casey’s messenger service to carry packages. Timothy Fahey’s son, George, was a former child welfare worker who ascended to become chief parole officer for the state of Washington.

After Mr. Fahey’s father died in 1945, he and his brother took over Fahey-Brockman, the family's men's clothing business, which also had stores in Portland, Denver and Salt Lake City. The brothers sold the company in 1967, but Mr. Fahey carried his business acumen to the Board of Trustees, where he applied vigorous principles to all financial matters of the foundation.

Mr. Fahey also was instrumental in setting the parameters for program development. He insisted on the requirement that Casey Family Programs hire only social workers with Master of Social Work degrees. He was chairman of the board committee that guided the early expansion of Casey Family Programs to provide services in eight western states.

He also drove recruitment of people of color to the board and staff. He played a key role in making sure that African American and American Indian children were receiving child welfare services that respected their cultural backgrounds. At a board meeting in 1967, Mr. Fahey raised a concern about “the degree of sensitivity our (African-American) families may have being supervised by a Caucasian caseworker.” He wondered “if some consideration to obtaining the services of (an African-American) caseworker would be important when we are ready to expand the staff again.”

Mr. Fahey served on the board through 1991, at which time he received emeritus status.

“He will go down in Casey Family Programs history as an outspoken advocate for children, youth and families,” Poliak said.

View the Seattle Times obituary on George Fahey.