07.14.17

Sullivan Honors Alaskan of the Week: Gene Zerkel

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) spoke yesterday on the Senate floor in recognition of Gene Zerkel, of Anchorage, a legend of Alaska’s aviation industry who sadly passed away last week. Zerkel was recognized as part of Senator Sullivan’s series, “Alaskan of the Week.”

The following is the statement submitted to the Congressional Record:

TRIBUTE TO GENE ZERKEL

Mr. President, as you know, for months now, I have been coming to the floor to recognize a special Alaskan, somebody who makes my great State a better place for all of us to live, someone we call the Alaskan of the Week, usually an unsung hero who has done great things but doesn't want anyone to tell you about it because they are humble people. Some of these people have been very well known throughout the State, and others, as I mentioned, are doing their jobs in different communities throughout the State, but they are all considered our Alaskans of the Week. Unsung, well known--they all share a love for Alaska for good reason: There is so much to love about our great State.

I know most of the people in this room and watching on TV and in the gallery think of Alaska as a majestic place, majestic landscape. It is true. It is majestic, but it is truly the people of Alaska who make it such a special place, kind and generous people, patriots and pioneers who pave the way for the rest of us and leave a very indelible and important mark on my State and, in many cases, our country.

Today, I would like to recognize one of these very special Alaskans, a trailblazer, someone whose work has touched nearly every corner of the State, someone whom we recently lost, unfortunately, just last week, but his memory will last forever. I am talking about Gene Zerkel, who was a member of the "greatest generation" and an aviation legend in the great State of Alaska.

I don't have to remind you, but many others throughout our country don't know just how important aviation is to Alaska. In my State, our skies are the highways and the roads. We have about 8,000 general aviation pilots in Alaska, which is more than any other State per capita by far, and with good reason: There are no roads and ferry services to over 100 communities in Alaska, including regional centers like Bethel, Nome, Barrow, and Kotzebue. That means everything from mail services to baby diapers has to be flown in by plane, and if someone gets sick and needs to go to a hospital, the only way they get to see a doctor is by a plane.

Our pilots and our airline industry are essential to serving the people of Alaska, and Gene Zerkel has been a part of that service, a legendary part of Alaska aviation, for decades.

Let me tell you a little bit about Gene. He lived life on his own terms and defined it through love of God, family, country, and aviation. The latter--his passion for aviation--took hold when he was just 3 years old, then living in Indiana when he took his first airplane ride with a barnstormer. He was so taken with it, when he grew up, he continued to do some of those kinds of flights, traveling in airshows.

Like so many in the “greatest generation” in our nation, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps during World War II and later joined the U.S. Air Force. He continued his passion for aviation after he left the military. Some of his favorite adventures were flying during the construction of the DEWLine throughout Alaska and Canada in the 1950s.

In 1973, he fulfilled a lifelong dream so many people in America have, which was to come to Alaska and start a family. He started to fly in the great skies above Alaska. We are a better State and a safer State for it.

In Alaska, he owned and operated Great Northern Airlines and became senior VP of operations and maintenance for the legendary Mark Air. He also started Alaska Aircraft Sales and Maintenance, which still operates to this day on Lake Hood in Anchorage, AK.

He was an innovator. He transformed the de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver into what was known as the “Alaska Magnum Beaver,” and he was known for always putting safety first.

In 2007, Gene was awarded the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the FAA in recognition of his more than 50 years--half a century--of promoting aviation safety within the aviation industry, particularly in Alaska.

Gene lived for 90 years. He saw so much and did so much for many of us. His name is written above the skies of Alaska. But most importantly, he was a devoted husband of 48 years to his wife Joyce and the faithful father of ten children.

I had the good fortune of calling Gene a friend and was able to visit with him a few weeks ago. At 90 years old, he was still full of life and spark and energy and passion and optimism. I have also been in touch recently with one of his sons, a young Alaskan hero, Keenan, who has his father's passion for serving our country, with many deployments to Afghanistan as part of the 210th Rescue Squadron of the Alaska Air National Guard.

He is literally a true hero in my State. Keenan carries on his father's passion for aviation, Alaska, and serving in the military.

Gene's love of country, family, and aviation will always be with us. My wife Julie and I pray for his family and his friends during this time.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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