00                          SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 3                                                                        
01 Relating to commemoration of Senator Frank R. Ferguson and other distinguished                                          
02 Senators.                                                                                                               
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE:                                                                                           
04       WHEREAS Frank R. Parraq Ferguson served in both the Alaska State House of                                       
05 Representatives and the Alaska State Senate during a legislative career that spanned 16 years;                          
06 and                                                                                                                     
07       WHEREAS, during his political career, his accomplishments were numerous and led                                 
08 to major improvements in rural Alaska; and                                                                              
09       WHEREAS he was one of the principal legislators establishing a statewide                                        
10 telecommunications system that included direct telephone communications in all rural                                    
11 communities; and                                                                                                        
12       WHEREAS he led the effort to establish the rural educational attendance area                                    
13 education system that allowed rural children to be educated at home in their own                                        
14 communities; and                                                                                                        
15       WHEREAS he helped establish University of Alaska's rural educational system; and                                
16       WHEREAS he led the effort to establish the rural housing assistance loan program,                               
01 which paved the way for commercial lending in rural Alaska; and                                                         
02       WHEREAS he helped establish the delivery of state health care and social services                               
03 through contracting with the Alaska Native regional nonprofit organizations; and                                        
04       WHEREAS he helped establish a village public safety officer program and supported                               
05 search and rescue, emergency medical services, and trail staking in rural communities; and                              
06       WHEREAS he helped bring airport lighting to rural village airports so that life-safety                          
07 and other essential services could be delivered during the long, dark winter months; and                                
08       WHEREAS he helped establish a lower cost rural energy program that included the                                 
09 bulk fuel loan program, power cost equalization, and many alternative energy projects; and                              
10       WHEREAS he helped establish the village health aide program and rural clinics; and                              
11       WHEREAS he helped establish revenue sharing for rural villages and unincorporated                               
12 municipalities; and                                                                                                     
13       WHEREAS he helped establish the Kotzebue and Barrow courthouses; and                                            
14       WHEREAS he was a principal negotiator in establishing the Alaska permanent fund                                 
15 and its current earnings distribution system and was a key figure in oil taxation methodology;                          
16 and                                                                                                                     
17       WHEREAS he was a principal legislator in marshalling the state's financial                                      
18 investment in the port and road facilities for the Red Dog Mine and local hire; and                                     
19       WHEREAS he was known for being a consummate dealmaker with a keen ability to                                    
20 close the session during the days when there was no limit on the length of the session; and                             
21       WHEREAS his contributions to this state are many and are attributable to his ability                            
22 to bring diverse people together for the common good of the state;                                                      
23       BE IT RESOLVED by the Alaska State Senate that a commemorative panel be                                         
24 established on a prominent wall outside the Senate Finance Committee Room for the listing of                            
25 Senators who are specially recognized by the Alaska State Senate for the value of their                                 
26 contributions to the Alaska State Legislature and the people of Alaska; and be it                                       
27       FURTHER RESOLVED that a compilation of the accomplishments of the Senators                                      
28 listed on the commemorative panel be kept on file in the Capitol; and be it                                             
29       FURTHER RESOLVED that the name of Frank R. Ferguson be displayed on the                                         
30 Commemorative Panel of Distinguished Senators.