Robert Fox is a walking, talking breath of fresh air. Thanks to his unrelenting efforts, people in most public places in the state of Washington — schools, hospitals, shopping malls, restaurants, retail stores, and work places — are breathing smoke-free air. And you have Fox to thank for smoke-free airplane flights in this country.

Fox began his anti-smoke crusade as a supervisor at Boeing in 1971. When he proposed changes in the company’s smoking policy, he faced a lot of angry co-workers, and a very reluctant company structure. Smoking was “normal” and it was everywhere. Even doctors and health insurance executives scoffed at his efforts; practically no one believed that second-hand smoke was a health hazard. “We were called lunatics,” Fox recalls.

Undeterred, Fox lobbied the State Legislature, year after year, for a ban on smoking in public places, facing down hostile tobacco lobbyists and worried legislators whose campaign chests depended on tobacco company contributions.

In 1979, Fox founded Fresh Air for Non-Smokers (FANS). The organization publishes a newsletter and operates a statewide information phone line. Kids are a primary focus for FANS, so group members often speak at schools. “More really young kids recognize Joe Camel than Mickey Mouse,” says Fox, “We’ve got to stop the tobacco industry from getting kids started smoking.”