1 By: Nadine Winters 2 Introduced: 12/11/08 3 Adopted: 12/11/08 4 5 FAIRBANKS NORTH STAR BOROUGH 6 7 RESOLUTION NO. 2008 – 49 8 9 A RESOLUTION THANKING AND HONORING SENATOR FOR MORE THAN 10 40 YEARS OF PUBLIC SERVICE TO THE OF AMERICA, THE STATE OF 11 AND THE FAIRBANKS NORTH STAR BOROUGH 12 13 WHEREAS, Theodore Fulton Stevens was born November 18, 1923, in 14 Indianapolis, Indiana, the third of four children. Later he moved to Redondo Beach California 15 where he learned to surf along the beaches of South Bay and eventually attended college in 16 Oregon and Montana before joining the Army Air Corp during World War II; and 17 18 WHEREAS, at the young age of 19, Ted Stevens was flying C-46 transport 19 planes over the Himalayas and into China supporting the legendary “Flying Tigers”. He left the 20 Army after achieving the rank of Lieutenant and in recognition of his bravery received the 21 Distinguished Flying Cross; and 22 23 WHEREAS, Ted Stevens eventually attended Harvard Law School and 24 eventually carved out a life for his young family in the Alaska Territory; and 25 26 WHEREAS, while working for the Department of the Interior in Washington DC in 27 1956 Ted Stevens made the fight for Alaska statehood his principal work. A sign on Stevens' 28 door proclaimed his office "Alaskan Headquarters" and Stevens became known at the 29 Department of the Interior as "Mr. Alaska”. The Alaska Statehood Act became law on July 7, 30 1958 and Alaska formally was admitted to statehood on January 3, 1959, when President 31 Eisenhower signed the Alaska Statehood Proclamation; and 32 33 WHEREAS, In December 1968, after the death of Senator , Governor 34 appointed Ted Stevens to the U.S. Senate. In a special election in 1970, Stevens 35 won the right to finish the remainder of Bartlett's term. He won the seat on his own right in 1972, 36 and was re-elected in 1978, 1984, 1990, 1996 and 2002; and 37 38 WHEREAS, there is a long list of Senator Steven’s accomplishments. They are 39 quite literally as vast as the State of Alaska itself. In Fairbanks alone, tens of millions of dollars 40 can be seen in military hangars, training facilities and housing and no one has done more for 41 the U.S. Military than Senator Stevens; and 42 43 WHEREAS, other Interior projects supported through funding secured by Senator 44 Stevens include the Alaska Railroad, sometimes bringing as much as $25 million a year; 45 millions in funding to the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center and the International Arctic 46 Research Center, the University of Alaska Museum of the North, the downtown parking garage, 47 Hutchison High School, Birch Hill Recreation Ski Lodge; grants to Fairbanks Summer Arts 48 Festival and funding to local treatment programs for chronic inebriates. This list represents just 49 a small portion of the projects brought to Fairbanks with the help of Senator Stevens; and 50 WHEREAS, extensive groundwater flooding occurred in the North Pole and 51 Moose Creek areas after water was impounded in the Chena Lakes Flood Control Area in 1992 Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska RESOLUTION NO. 2008- 49 Page 1 of 2

52 due to extensive Spring runoff, damaging many homes. Senator Stevens was influential in 53 securing arrangements with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) so that 54 property owners could obtained flood insurance under the National Flood Insurance Program; 55 and 56 57 WHEREAS, Senator Stevens was instrumental in facilitating the transfer of the 58 Alaska Railroad to the State of Alaska in 1983 and in the enactment of the Magnuson-Stevens 59 Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) 1976, and reauthorized in 2006, as the 60 primary law governing marine fisheries management in United States federal waters. This Act 61 aided in the development of the domestic fishing industry by phasing out foreign fishing thereby 62 not only protecting fishing rights of Alaska but all of the United States; and 63 64 WHEREAS, Senator Stevens will always be known as a proponent for women 65 and girls educational and sports opportunities which can be seen through his work on Federal 66 Title 9 issues; and 67 68 WHEREAS, lest we forget the work Senator Steven did to secure the signing of 69 the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act; an act that dramatically improved America’s energy 70 security and secured the economic future of Alaska; and 71 72 WHEREAS, Senator Stevens has attributed much of his success to the love and 73 support of his family; his first wife Anne and beloved second wife Catherine; his six children and 74 11 grandchildren; and 75 76 NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Assembly of the Fairbanks North 77 Star Borough thanks and honors Senator Ted Stevens, history’s longest serving Republican 78 member of the United States Senate. 79 80 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED Senator Stevens’ motto has been “To Hell with 81 politics, do what’s right for Alaska” and do right for Alaska he has. The people of Alaska are 82 better because of his noble service, and its future, although bright, will be dimmed ever so 83 slightly by his absence on Capital Hill. 84 85 PASSED AND APPROVED THIS 11th DAY OF DECEMBER 2008.

86 87 Ayes: Brown, Beck, Blanchard II, Musick, Sattley, Hopkins, Wilson, Winters 88 Noes: None 89 Excused: Stringer

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