Legislature(2019 - 2020)GRUENBERG 120
02/20/2020 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB148 | |
| SB144 | |
| HB225 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 144 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 148 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 225 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
SB 144-ESTABLISH JUNE 7 AS WALTER HARPER DAY
3:42:49 PM
CO-CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS announced that the next order of
business would be SENATE BILL NO. 144. "An Act establishing June
7 of each year as Walter Harper Day."
3:43:20 PM
CO-CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS opened public testimony on SB 144.
3:43:29 PM
MIKE HARPER testified in support of SB 144 as the grandnephew of
Walter Harper. He added that 30 living family members of Walter
Harper support the proposed legislation as well. He expressed
his appreciation for the effort.
3:45:12 PM
BILL GORDON testified that his father told him the story of
Walter Harper and Episcopal Archdeacon [Hudson] Stuck when they
were in Fort Yukon; his father piloted planes to the villages.
Harper and Stuck were "friends, mentors, and benefactors" to
each other. His father stressed the importance of Walter Harper
to Alaska's history. He maintained that Harper was a "gift" to
early Alaska's relationship to the Alaska Native people. Even
when discrimination was rampant in the Territory of Alaska,
Harper and Stuck gave a blueprint to future generations to
follow that still serves the state well. He expressed his
support for special days and statutes to tell the stories to
visitors and to Alaskans. He mentioned that passage of SB 144
would help in the effort to erect a statue to Walter Harper,
which is to be dedicated on Walter Harper Day 2021.
3:48:22 PM
KATHERINE TRITT testified that she is a Gwich'in Alaska Native
and expressed her concern that the other Alaska Natives who
assisted with Walter Harper's ascent of Denali are not being
recognized.
3:50:01 PM
JUDE HENZLER testified that three young Alaska Natives were
involved in the ascent [of Denali] - Walter Harper, John
Fredson, and Esiais George. Both George and Harper died young;
John Fredson was the first Alaska Native to graduate from a
university - [Sewanee, The University of the South, an Episcopal
college in Middle Tennessee]. He stated that Fredson was the
author and creator of the Venetie Arctic Village 1.4-million-
acre Indian Reservation. He was the informant for noted
linguist Edward Sapir for the Gwich'in language and authored a
book of 52 Indian stories. He was the father of Lu Young, first
wife of U.S. Congressman Don Young. Mr. Henzler expressed that
his intention is not to detract from Walter Harper, but to
recognize the two other young men who were involved.
3:52:50 PM
JENNIFER HENZLAR testified that her mother is the niece of
Esiais George. She stated that she fully supports SB 144
honoring Walter Harper and his amazing accomplishments; there is
a serious dearth of Alaska Native heroes and heroines who are
included in public school education and who are in public view;
[Walter Harper Day] would help to alleviate that. She said that
she would be amiss by not acknowledging John Fredson's
accomplishments. She expressed the importance of recognizing
Walter Harper but believes that the other two young Alaska
Native men should be recognized as well. It is not known what
Harper and George would have been able to accomplish having died
so young.
3:54:26 PM
MARY EHRLANDER testified that she spent most of her life in
Alaska; she wrote Walter Harper's biography, [Walter Harper,
Alaska Native Son]; and she supports the proposed legislation.
She maintained that being the first person to summit Denali was
just a part of what made Walter Harper noteworthy. His ability
to achieve that feat and to contribute so centrally to the
success of the expedition were due to the skills and character
traits that made him the great Alaskan he was. His superb
subsistence skills, developed as a young person and honed during
his years on the trail and river with Episcopal Archdeacon
Hudson Stuck, along with his stellar character and his
remarkable ability to navigate comfortably in both his
Athabascan birth culture and mainstream Western society, were
admirable. She continued by saying that his capacities and
qualities, especially his strong sense of identity and purpose,
are equally admirable today. She said, "So designating June 7,
the '1913 summit day' as Walter Harper Day will ensure that
Alaskans will know of this great young man, and perhaps most
importantly, it will mean that young people will learn of him
and many will see him as a hero." She maintained that having
strong role models can make all the difference for young people
as they find their way in life. She offered that she can hardly
imagine a more appropriate hero and role model for a young
Alaskan than Walter Harper. She urged the committee to consider
the value of designating June 7 as Walter Harper Day. She added
that she agrees that there should be more recognition of
admirable and heroic Alaska Natives for young Alaskans to
respect and admire; the proposed legislation is not meant to
take away from other people deserving of recognition. She
maintained that the statue [erected] will clarify the roles of
all the participants of the expedition, and her biography
describes the contribution of all key members of the expedition.
CO-CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS closed public testimony.
REPRESENTATIVE SHAW relayed that his experiences on mountains
gives him an appreciation for the accomplishments of the
expedition team. He said, "All efforts in mountaineering are
team efforts, and generally the recognition is given to the
first to summit. Walter Harper was the first man to summit this
mountain ever, and so the recognition to Walter Harper ...
definitely takes nothing away from the team that supported him."
He reiterated that from a historical perspective, all the
individuals will be noted through the biography and the statue.
4:00:38 PM
CO-CHAIR FIELDS moved to report SB 144 out of committee with
individual recommendations and the accompanying zero fiscal
note. There being no objection, SB 144 was reported from the
House State Affairs Standing Committee.