Senator Dennis Egan - Legislative Corner

Volume 5: Issue 6

March 14th, 2013

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Legislature’s Centennial Celebration

Sen. Egan with former Sen. Bettye Davis at the Legislature’s centennial celebrations.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Alaska Legislature. The Alaska Legislative Centennial Commission recently hosted three days of public events celebrating the centennial. They were held at Rockwell restaurant, which used to be the Elk’s Lodge. It was a key location where Alaska Territorial legislative sessions occurred from 1913 until 1931, when the Capitol was finished. The programs ranged from a reenactment ceremony of the Territorial Legislature’s first bill, women’s suffrage, to talks by former legislators on everything from equal rights to women’s leadership, to prohibition in territorial days. I attended many of the events, and was pleased to see so many former members of the legislature in the capital city for the occasion. One of the products of the centennial commission is a ‘100 Years of Alaska’s Legislature’ website. Check it out at: http://100years.akleg.gov/.

SLAM
The giant crane towering above Juneau’s Willoughby district is a sign of progress toward the new State Library Archives, & Museum building. There’s a hum of activity on the site as construction crews work on the first phase of the project. A vault will be the first structure to go up, and artifacts will be transferred there via sealed tunnel.

The crane on the construction site of the new State Library, Archives & Museum building.

The project will double the museum’s exhibit space and triple its storage area, while actually cutting operating costs. I’m working to secure funding this session for the remaining money needed to complete the project.

For more information on SLAM, visit: http://museums.alaska.gov/lam/slam.html.

Kudos from Juneau

Thanks to these community members for helping make Southeast a great place to live!

Southeast Regional Basketball Champs
Congrats to the Thunder Mountain High School Falcons Boys Basketball team for winning the Region V title. This is the first regional championship in TMHS history! Developing a sports program like this doesn’t happen overnight and I expect big things from this team for years to come.
The Juneau Douglas High School Girls Basketball team won the Region V this past weekend in Sitka, too. Both teams compete in the state championship March 21-23 in Anchorage. Good luck to both teams!

Mary Joyce inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame
Longtime Juneau personality Mary Joyce was recently inducted into the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame for her accomplishments in business and adventure. Mary Joyce helped run the Taku Lodge in the 1930’s, and later opened the Top Hat and Lucky Lady bars in downtown Juneau. She’s most famous for her 1000 mile sled dog trip from the Taku Lodge to the Fairbanks Winter Carnival in 1935. She led the statehood parade in Juneau, and cut the ribbon for the first Iditarod race in 1973. A nurse, radio operator, pilot, candidate for Alaska Territorial Representative, and entrepreneur, Mary Joyce is very deserving of this honor. For more information on her life or to nominate a woman for the Class of 2014, visit www.alaskawomenshalloffame.org.

Thanks for reading Legislative Corner. I hope you'll always feel welcome to contact my office. Just call, write, or use one of the links at the top of this newsletter.

Sincerely,
[signed] Dennis Egan

Dennis Egan
Alaska State Senator
District P
Web Site: http://egan.alaskasenate.org/
Email: Sen.Dennis.Egan@akleg.gov