SB 144-ESTABLISH JUNE 7 AS WALTER HARPER DAY  3:32:23 PM CHAIR REVAK announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 144, "An Act establishing June 7 of each year as Walter Harper Day." This is the first hearing on this bill. 3:32:51 PM SENATOR CLICK BISHOP, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, sponsor of SB 144, relayed that he read and appreciated the book, "Walter Harper, Alaska Native Son" about a year ago. He said he is a history buff and a member of the Episcopal Church, as was Mr. Harper who was the first man to summit Denali. He said he is honored to carry the bill to recognize June 7 each year as Walter Harper Day. CHAIR BISHOP described Alaska as a large state geographically but small in connections to people. He said he used to hunt and fish just down river from where Mr. Harper's father owned a trading post. Then last year when he was walking through Evergreen Cemetery, he discovered that Walter Harper and his wife are buried there. 3:35:30 PM At ease 3:35:51 PM CHAIR REVAK reconvened the meeting and asked Mr. Peterson to provide his testimony. 3:35:57 PM DARWIN PETERSON, Staff, Senator Click Bishop, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, introduced SB 144 paraphrasing the following outline of the history and accomplishments of Walter Harper: • Walter Harper's name is permanently stamped in Alaska history because he was the first person to reach the summit of Denali on June 7, 1913. • SB 144 proposes to honor this great Alaskan by th designating June 7 of each year as Walter Harper Day. • There were four climbers in Walter's party: (None of these men had technical climbing experience on a mountain like Denali). o Harry Karstens (expedition leader) 35 years old. He was an accomplished outdoorsmen, a miner, a packer, a guide and he ran dog teams and river boats around Alaska. Later became the first superintendent of Denali National Park from 1921 to 1928. o Hudson Stuck (expedition leader) 50 years old. The Episcopal Archdeacon of the Yukon. o Robert Tatum 21 years old. Robert was a theology student from Knoxville Tennessee who was working at the Episcopal mission in Tanana when Hudson Stuck invited him to join the expedition. o Walter Harper The youngest member at 20 years old. He was Stuck's prot?g?. 3:37:46 PM • The expedition members left Nenana on March 13. On April 11, they had their base camp set up and started planning their ascent. • On May 2nd, they had relayed their cache to the midway point of Muldrow Glacier at 10,800 feet when disaster struck. They lost a great deal of their gear, including tents, clothes and food when their cache caught fire. (A match tossed by Karstens or Stuck after smoking their tobacco pipes). th • They continued on and on June 7, Walter was the first human to set foot on the summit of Denali with the other three members of the expedition arriving after him. • Stuck concluded that Walter could have climbed another 10,000 feet based on his condition at the summit. Harry Karstens referred to Walter as "fearless" and Stuck attributed a great deal of their success to Walter's exceptional stamina and his ability to always maintain complete self- composure in the face of any hardship. • As extraordinary as this achievement was, it's not the only reason we should celebrate Walter Harper. • Born in Tanana in December 1892, Walter was the youngest of eight children. His mother was Jenny Albert, a Koyukon Athabascan and his father was Arthur Harper, an Irishman who emigrated in 1847. • Arthur was a well-known prospector and trader in the Yukon basin. In fact, his widespread prospecting, numerous discoveries and his prolific letter writing to outsiders about the gold prospects in the Yukon won him the recognition as the discoverer of gold in the region and [he was] credited with starting the Klondike Gold Rush. • But Walter never knew his father personally because his parents split up when he was two years old. It was Walter's mother, Jenny, who had the greatest impact on his formative years. She raised Walter in the Athabascan traditional way of life and he spoke the Koyukon-Athabascan language. 3:40:02 PM • When Walter met Archdeacon Stuck at a fish camp in 1909, he began attending school at the St. Mark's mission in Nenana. He was 16. • Being so impressed with Walter's ability, Mr. Stuck hired him the next year when he was 17 years old to be his winter trail guide, riverboat pilot and interpreter throughout his travels along the Yukon as a missionary. • The Archdeacon tutored Walter and in the proceeding years, Walter seamlessly integrated into his father's Western culture without forfeiting an ounce of his mother's Athabascan heritage. • After the Denali expedition, in the fall of 1913, Walter traveled outside with Stuck to continue his formal education in Massachusetts where he attended the Northfield Mount Hermon preparatory school through 1916. That same year he returned to Alaska to continue working with Archdeacon Stuck in preparation for college. • In 1917, Walter became ill with Typhoid fever. While he was recovering in the Fort Yukon mission hospital, he fell in love with his nurse Frances Wells, who devoted herself to his care. On st September 1, 1918, they got married in Fort Yukon. • Seven weeks later, the newlyweds boarded the Princess Sophia in Skagway bound for Seattle. They planned to travel to Philadelphia so Walter could attend medical school. After which, the couple planned to return to Alaska so Walter could serve his people as a medical missionary. • Sadly, their future dreams were never realized because they both died along with the rest of the passengers when the Princess Sophia ran aground th in the Lynn Canal on October 25, 1918. • After their bodies were recovered, Walter and Frances were buried beside each other in the Evergreen Cemetery here in Juneau. • Walter's untimely death denied Alaska the legacy of a respected Elder a full life would surely have provided. • However, we feel strongly that passing SB 144 is a fitting tribute to honor this great Alaskan who lived his life with excellence, integrity and resilience. • In fact, Congress saw the wisdom in honoring the accomplishments of Walter Harper. In 2013, Congress passed the Denali National Park Improvement Act that included a bill sponsored by Senator Lisa Murkowski, naming the Talkeetna Ranger Station after Walter Harper. Anyone who intends to climb Denali must first stop at the Walter Harper Ranger Station to get their permit. 3:42:54 PM CHAIR REVAK opened public testimony on SB 144. 3:43:17 PM MIKE HARPER, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, stated that he is a grandnephew and one of many Harpers in Alaska who is very proud of Walter Harper and his achievements. He noted that relatively few people knew about the first successful assent of Denali until 100 years later when a team of descendants made a legacy climb in 2013. The University of Alaska also had a year- long exhibit of Walter Harper and the successful summit. He recapped a short history of Walter's life including that when Archdeacon Stuck met Walter, he was so impressed he asked Walter to be his guide, interpreter, riverboat captain, and woodcutter as the Archbishop traveled through Interior and Northwest villages. That led to being invited to be part of the team to climb Denali. He said the sinking of the Princess Sophia deprived Walter Harper of what would likely have been a very remarkable future. He said passing SB 144 is an opportunity to honor this great Alaskan. As a man of Native heritage, he is a reminder to young people of the goals one can attain with great effort and indominable spirit. 3:47:14 PM BRENDA HEWITT, representing self, Meadow Lake, Alaska, stated that she is calling in support of SB 144 because more heroes are needed, and Walter Harper is just that for everyone. 3:48:25 PM BILL DORDON, representing self, Fairbanks, Alaska stated that he feels as though he is a descendent of Hudson Stuck because his father was the Episcopal bishop who followed in the wake of Mr. Stuck. Mr. Dordon said growing up his father told him about Walter Harper and his relationship to the Archdeacon. He related that for decades he and his father flew into Alaska villages. One of the destinations was Fort Yukon to visit the Episcopal hospital where Mr. Harper met his future wife and intended to return to serve as a missionary doctor after completing school. He noted that on these visits to villages his father always arranged to be accompanied by a community leader because he admired the relationship that the Archdeacon had struck up with Mr. Harper years earlier. It was a mutually beneficial and trusting relationship with the Native community. It showed the benefit that could occur between Alaska Natives and new arrivals during a time of rampant discrimination in Territorial Alaska. MR. DORDON reported that he, Mike Harper, and Brenda Hewitt are part of a group that is working to design, finance, and place a statute honoring the team that first ascended Denali South Peak. He opined that Alaska needs more statues to tell visitors and remind Alaskans of the many who paved the way in this state. He said the hope is to be able to dedicate the statute on Walter Harper Day in 2021. 3:52:59 PM ANGELA LINN, representing self, Fairbanks, Alaska, stated support for SB 144 and relayed that for the past 21 years she has been the senior collections manager for ethnology and history at the University of Alaska Museum of the North. In 2013 she was the guest curator for the UAA Museum special exhibit, "Denali Legacy, 100 Years on the Mountain," which commemorated the centennial of the first assent of Denali. She related that the climb diaries that were brought together for the first time in 100 years showed how beloved Walter Harper was for his work ethic, calm demeanor, the ability to learn about Western-based technology and equipment, and intimate knowledge of the Alaskan landscape. He helped ground the team through their most stressful and challenging situations. She opined that it was fitting that he was the first to summit the mountain on June 7th. MS. LINN reported that while curating that exhibit, her team reached out to the living descendants of the expedition. Those interactions made it clear that Walter Harper served as a role model for many in the extended Harper family. She noted that while Mr. Harper's role in the climb was overshadowed by the charismatic Hudson Stuck, more nuanced versions of the climb story have come to light. Creating June 7th as Walter Harper Day would ensure that the expanded legacy of this young Alaskan will continue to be shared. He can stand as a role model for countless young people, particularly young Alaska Natives. 3:56:07 PM CHAIR COGHILL opined that it is most important to recognize Walter Harper's accomplishments even though his young life was cut short. He added that it is also a testament to Alaska and the church men who took it to heart to honor Mr. Harper. That too should be part of the legacy, he said. 3:57:28 PM SENATOR COSTELLO thanked the sponsor and staff for the legislation. She opined that bills like this shine a light on what Alaskans can be proud of. She related that she has visited Mr. Harper's gravestone and has found that walking through Evergreen Cemetery is a walk through the history of Alaska. She suggested that this is a way for Alaska history teachers to talk to their students. 3:59:17 PM CHAIR REVAK thanked the sponsor and staff for presenting the bill and relaying an inspiring story. He opined that it is most inspiring that Walter Harper's goal was to graduate from medical school and bring the discipline back to help his and other communities in rural Alaska. 3:59:48 PM CHAIR REVAK closed public testimony on SB 144. He noted the bill had a zero fiscal note and solicited a motion. CHAIR COGHILL commented that the community of Nenana commemorated the sinking of the Princess Sophia. 4:00:25 PM CHAIR COGHILL moved to report SB 144, work order 31-LS1221\M, from committee with individual recommendations and attached zero fiscal note. CHAIR REVAK found no objection and SB 144 was reported from the Senate Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.