Ted Stevens was a great man. He cared about Alaska as if it were his child. People complained all the time in the Lower 48 about how much money he was bringing in to the state while he chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Science and Transportation Committee. Time Magazine once had him listed as the fifth most powerful person in the world. He controlled over $200 billion dollars annually in his prime.
Ted Stevens didn’t get egotistical about his position in Government. He cared about Alaska. If it would help the state, Uncle Ted would lend a very powerful hand. You could run into the former Senator at the Mercantile on any given day. He was an approachable guy and realized long ago that being a leader meant talking to your average Joe about what irks him.
He was instrumental in getting the Girdwood Airport to look and work the way it does today. He helped the city of Seward get a state of the art Sea Life Center. This man made Alaska the strongest military state in the country. Ted was best friends with U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, who now holds the position of Senate President pro tempore. Uncle Ted once held that role. It’s a position for a Senator who has served the longest of the majority party in power and a prestigious one at that. It’s also a position that is third in line of succession to the President, only behind the Vice-President and the Speaker of the House.
He and Inouye were World War II pilots together. Inouye was at Ted Steven’s corruption trial in 2008 and always said he would be vindicated, which he eventually was.
Ted helped build the Girdwood Post Office, the Winner Creek Trail boardwalk, the Girdwood community center and library, and helped get funds to pave part of the Crow Creek Road—Girdwood’s first paved road outside of Alyeska Highway.
The large hand of Ted Stevens can be felt locally everywhere.
Stevens called Girdwood his home. He liked going to the Double Musky and having the Idaho Chips appetizer. He’d talk with Bob Persons, the restaurant owner and Stevens’ longtime friend, and he’d say ‘hello’ to just about everyone who was in the place.
Ted could be ornery like a grumpy grandpa, but he always wanted to help. Stevens was eager to make Alaska a better place for its residents. We all have to leave this earth in some manner. It‘s not how you leave but what you leave behind. Every man has a legacy. Stevens’ legacy was this: he helped make Alaska the great state that it is today. He was a leader, an innovator, and most of all, a statesman.
Stevens will forever be recognized as a local guy who looked out for his own. If there was ever a problem, Ted Stevens was there. He loved this state.
Senator Stevens told a friend of mine that he was looking forward to this salmon fishing trip. He said that he hoped the weather would be good. It wasn’t. Why the crash happened at this point makes no difference. All I know is a great man has moved on to better things.
I hope our current Senators can learn a lesson from this man. If you take care of Alaska and its residents, they, in turn, will take care of you. Be humble in your duties, be considerate of others, and most of all be thankful that you get the opportunity to represent the good citizens of Alaska.
Uncle Ted, you are forever remembered. A job well done.
