For the past 25 years one man has donated vast amounts of money and gifts for children whose families couldn’t afford Christmas presents in Girdwood Valley. He has done so in silence, acting as “Secret Santa.” But now the man behind Santa wants to come forward, due in large part, to the recent Federal investigation of U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens and the remodeling done to his Girdwood home in 2000.And the man behind “Secret Santa” is Bob Persons, owner of the Double Musky Inn Restaurant in Girdwood. Persons is a close friend of Sen. Stevens since they met at the Double Musky over two decades ago, and Stevens is a frequent patron of the popular Cajun restaurant on Crow Creek Road.
Persons, who had the power of attorney in matters related to the construction of Stevens’ first floor addition back in 2000, has been caught up in the federal probe by FBI and IRS investigators scrutinizing the role of oil services firm Veco in the remodeling project. Persons name has frequently been mentioned in local and national news coverage of the investigation and appeared before a grand jury in Washington D.C. in May to answer questions about the work on Stevens’ home.
Persons is a private man, and the attention he’s garnered from the investigation has thrust him into the national spotlight, which he feels has painted a negative image of him and his family. Persons felt compelled to come forward about his role in the community and his work as “Secret Santa” to present another side to the story.
“This is kind of embarrassing for me,” Persons said. “I’ve kept quiet for 25 years (as “Secret Santa”) and once I got caught up in the investigation, I wanted to stand up. I don’t want my reputation that I’ve built up over 25 years being sullied by an investigation. Things that are unproven, things that nobody knows.”
Persons explained that he and his wife, Deanna, have given tens of thousands of dollars for bicycles, tricycles and toys for the children of the less fortunate in Girdwood and dozens of bicycles to the children of “Alaska Women in Crisis”. In addition, the Persons have given money to many people in Girdwood in their moment of crisis and, he said, have always done it without publication or desire for thanks or attention.
“I’m not a bad guy no matter what they say about me,” he said, “and people that know me won’t believe it anyway. But you get painted with an ugly brush and some of the paint sticks.”
Girdwood resident, Judy Basler, is among several people in the community who has worked with Persons to help people less fortunate during Christmas time. She started the “Angel Tree” over 25 years ago, where each angel represents a needy child in the Four Valleys.
“Bob has always been a secret person,” she said. “He’s given bicycles and extra money to go shopping, to make sure every child has gifts under their trees at Christmas time.”
Basler became emotional while describing Persons work, and the work of others in the community who have helped people in Girdwood during the holidays, fighting back tears as she talked about Persons donations and personal commitment to children less fortunate in the valley.
“I started the “Angel Tree” to make sure the children had Christmas gifts because every child needs a gift at Christmas,” she said. “And Bob was the person that made sure they each got a gift. We need to see that goodness in people.”
The Persons attention to the less fortunate in Girdwood goes back to the first years they owned the Double Musky in 1978 when there were no more than 350 people in Girdwood and many of them were struggling to make ends meet. The Persons were struggling themselves and served free sandwiches every Monday night to everyone in Girdwood and did not require the purchase of even a soft drink. In addition, Persons said he has paid for the removal of abandoned automobiles in Girdwood for years and has never discussed it with anyone but the local company that removed them.
“The investigation has been stressful,” said Persons. “All of it has been stressful. But I do not feel any business has been hurt by this. The investigation has nothing to do with the business. I’m a very private man, and I don’t like being a public figure.”
Persons and his wife have first hand knowledge of hard times since his wife’s father died when she was 14, leaving her mother with Deanna and three younger sisters. Persons’ father died when he was 16 leaving him nothing to make a start in life, he said.
“We both know that hard work and sacrifice can get people through a bad patch,” Persons explained, “and we have a natural sympathy for people who are struggling.”
Persons said they are determined that children in Girdwood will always have a visit from Santa. He said that until this moment in his life, he never wanted attention for their acts of kindness and added that he does not even take charitable deductions from their taxes.
“I don’t want to be the victim of false rumors,” he said. “Those false rumors could be anything, rumors can be vicious.”
Aside from the mental strain he has endured during the federal investigation of Sen. Stevens, he said the financial costs have also been burdensome, with legal costs accumulating at more than $35,000.
“It’s like being hit by chip,” he said. “They chip away at the big guys, and then they chip away at the little guy like me.”