[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 3 (Thursday, January 9, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S116-S117]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN HONOR OF CAPTAIN JIM BINKLEY

  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I come with a sad heart today because on 
January 3, the City of Fairbanks, where I started my life in Alaska, 
and the State of Alaska lost a great citizen with the passing of 
Captain Jim Binkley at the age of 82.
  Jim was born in our State in Wrangell, on May 16, 1920. His parents 
were gold rush pioneers, and his father was a riverboat pilot on the 
Stikine River in southeast Alaska.
  In World War II, he was a veteran who served on riverboats in Alaska 
and after the war he attended the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. In 
1950, Jim and his wife Mary bought their first boat, the Godspeed, and 
began what would become Alaska Riverways, Incorporated. They ran a 
historic riverboat for tourists who came to Alaska.
  Jim and Mary built and rebuilt many of their company's sternwheelers 
in the backyard of their family's home which was on Noyes Slough, which 
is a river that runs through Fairbanks, AK. It was a great experience 
to go with him on that boat. I have taken many people on Captain Jim's 
boat.
  Alaska Riverways is Fairbanks' number one tourist attraction. Each 
summer, Alaska Riverways' three sternwheelers, the Discovery (I), the 
Discovery (II), and the Discovery (III), ferry thousands of tourists 
down the Chena and Tanana Rivers, following trails to the gold rush 
people and really letting people see what rural Alaska is like.
  Along with being a successful riverboat captain, Jim served in the 
Alaska State House of Representatives for two terms from 1961 to 1964. 
In addition to that service in the Alaska legislature, Captain Jim 
served on numerous community boards and organizations. He received many 
statewide awards, including being named ``Alaskan of Year'' and the 
business leader of the year.
  Jim was a proud father of three sons and daughter Marilee. I know all 
three sons: Johne, Jim Jr., and Skip. They are all riverboat captains 
and they have continued the great tradition of their father, as have 
several of his grandchildren.
  Captain Jim was clearly a leader in the development of Alaska tourism 
and of our State in general. His vision and hard work forever changed 
Alaska's visitor industry, and for that we are very grateful.
  I am pleased to say I have asked that a flag be flown over the 
Capitol today so we may send it to his family, along with a copy of 
this statement.
  (At the request of Mr. Stevens, the following statement was ordered 
to be printed in the Record.)
 Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to speak and honor 
a great Alaskan, and long time family friend, Jim Binkley of Fairbanks.
  Jim, one of the State's great riverboat captains, died last Friday 
after a long and painful illness. I join all Alaskans in expressing my 
deepest condolences to his family and all of his friends across the 
State.
  Jim was born in Wrangell in southeast Alaska 82 years ago and was 
raised in California after his father's death. After high school, Jim 
moved back to Wrangell and worked as a river guide with him uncle, 
learning his craft on riverboats and gaining his love of the water. 
After a few years he moved to Fairbanks to attend the University of 
Alaska.
  It was there during the long Fairbanks summers that he learned the 
ways of interior rivers, working on steamboats, hauling supplies to 
Eskimo and native villages along the Yukon River. While his schooling 
at the University was interrupted by a tour of duty in the U.S. 
military during World War II, he returned to school in Fairbanks after 
the war. There he met his future wife of 55 years, Mary Hall, and they 
were married in June 1947.
  In 1950, Jim and Mary were asked to run riverboat cruises in 
Fairbanks by Alaska tourism pioneer Chuck West. Using the Episcopal 
Church vessel, ``Godspeed'' they began offering tours of the Chena and 
Tanana Rivers. As their business expanded, they needed a bigger boat. 
So in 1955, Jim and Mary, along with their original partner Bill 
English, built the first Riverboat Discovery in their backyard on the 
Noyes Slough in Fairbanks.
  Over his 45 years in the riverboat business, Jim built two more 
boats, helping to launch the modern era of tourism in Alaska's 
interior. But he launched much more for Alaska.
  He helped create Alaskaland, Fairbanks' historic major municipal 
park. He was a founder of the Alaska Visitors Association and the 
Fairbanks Convention and Visitors Bureau. And he showed his commitment 
to public service by serving two terms in the Alaska House of 
Representative in Juneau from 1961 through 1964.
  He was also a pioneer in improving communications in Alaska, serving 
on the boards of Alascom, Pacific Corp. and later Pacific Telecom, 
helping switch telecommunications in Alaska from an era of Government-
controlled long-distance phone service to the modern era of satellite 
communication that included the arrival of live television to all parts 
of the State.
  He received numerous awards, including being named the Alaskan of the 
Year and the Business Leader of the Year.
  While I have lived in Anchorage for the past 25 years, I can never 
forget sitting in my parents' backyard along the Chena River in 
Fairbanks. You could almost tell time by when Captain Binkley would 
pilot the Discovery past our house, always waving his warm welcome as 
we tooted a fog horn in reply as the sternwheeler rounded the small 
bends heading for the junction with the Tanana.
  Alaska has lost a great pioneer and an even greater leader. I want to 
express my deepest condolences to his wife, Mary, to his son Johne, 
himself a former leading member of the Alaska Legislature, to his sons 
Jim, Jr. and Skip and to all his grandchildren. All of Alaska mourns 
his passing.
  Mr. STEVENS. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

[[Page S117]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SANTORUM. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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