05/17/2025 08:30 AM House RULES

             SB 152-HAROLD ESMAILKA AIRPORT AT RUBY                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
10:20:06 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES  announced that the only  order of business                                                               
would be  SENATE BILL NO. 152,  "An Act renaming Ruby  Airport as                                                               
Harold Esmailka Airport; and providing for an effective date."                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
10:20:30 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR MIKE  CRONK, Alaska State Legislature,  as prime sponsor,                                                               
presented SB  152.   He offered brief  highlights of  segments of                                                               
the  sponsor statement  [included in  the committee  file], which                                                               
read in its entirety as follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                
                                                                                                                                
        One of our most important obligations as a State                                                                        
     Legislature is to honor Alaska's community leaders and                                                                     
     extraordinary  citizens.  SB  152 would  recognize  the                                                                    
     contributions of  Harold Esmailka  to the  community of                                                                    
     Ruby and  Alaska's aviation  industry by  renaming Ruby                                                                    
     Airport to Harold Esmailka Airport.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Harold  Esmailka,  of Ruby,  is  a  pioneer in  Alaskan                                                                    
     aviation. Over  his lengthy career  as a  pilot, Harold                                                                    
     flew across  Alaska and  has gotten  to know  people in                                                                    
     dozens   of  Alaskan   communities.   In  1954,   after                                                                    
     concluding his service in the  U.S. Army, Harold bought                                                                    
     his  first airplane  - a  65-horsepower Aeronca  Chief.                                                                    
     Ten years later  he and his wife,  Florence, settled in                                                                    
     Ruby  and  opened  the  Ruby  Trading  Company  general                                                                    
     store,  which  provided  groceries and  goods  for  the                                                                    
     community.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     In  1970, Mr.  Esmailka  opened  Harold's Air  Service,                                                                    
     which grew  to service 63  Alaskan villages and  had 28                                                                    
     aircraft in  its fleet.  Harold's Air  Service provided                                                                    
     medivac  services  to  Alaska's Interior  and  grew  so                                                                    
     large that he  moved its base to  Galena to accommodate                                                                    
     its  commercial needs.  In 1982,  Harold sold  Harold's                                                                    
     Air  Service  with plans  to  retire    but  his  heart                                                                    
     called him back to the  skies; just four years later he                                                                    
     purchased  Tanana Air  Service  and  built the  company                                                                    
     into a small trailblazer for Interior aviation.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Harold  based  Tanana  Air Service  out  of  Fairbanks,                                                                    
     where    it    provided    mail,    cargo,    passenger                                                                    
     transportation  services to  more than  80 communities.                                                                    
     While Harold  operated Tanana Air Service,  he provided                                                                    
     free  transportation  to  the  brothers,  sisters,  and                                                                    
     clergy in  Fairbanks Catholic Diocese as  they traveled                                                                    
     to local villages.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     SB 152 renames the Ruby  Airport to the Harold Esmailka                                                                    
     Airport,  paying   homage  to  an   incredible  father,                                                                    
     husband,  veteran, entrepreneur,  and Alaskan  aviation                                                                    
     legend.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
10:22:39 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STUTES opened public testimony on SB 152.  After                                                                          
ascertaining there was no one who wished to testify, she closed                                                                 
public testimony.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
10:22:59 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KOPP moved to report  SB 152 out of committee with                                                               
individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  zero  fiscal                                                               
note.   There being no objection  SB 152 was reported  out of the                                                               
House Rules Standing Committee.