[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 51 (Tuesday, April 20, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4156-S4157]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF ALEC BRINDLE

 Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I would like to take a few 
minutes to offer a tribute to a very significant figure in one of my 
State's largest industries: seafood processing. This man is Alec 
Brindle, who was for many years with Wards Cove Packing Company, and 
who has now entered retirement. In addition to having played an 
important role in the development of Alaska's salmon industry, Alec has 
also been a friend of mine, and of my family, for many years. It seems 
to me that anyone with the stamina and perseverance to work in the fish 
business for 50 years deserves some recognition.
  Although Alec was born in the Seattle area, his life has long been 
tied to Alaska's fisheries. Almost his entire extended family has been 
involved in Alaskan fisheries since well before Alaskan statehood. As a 
young boy he spent summers in Ketchikan, at first playing around the 
cannery, and then, at age 13, he began his career as an employee of the 
family salmon packing operation. This was the beginning of a career, 
and a commitment, that would last for 50 years. Alec is one of those 
people about whom you can say, ``He has truly seen it all''. At various 
points in his long career fish prices for red salmon have varied from 
pennies a pound to a point in the late 1980's when a single fish was 
worth more than a barrel of North Slope crude oil. As Alec himself has 
pointed out, the fish business is one where at the beginning of the 
season the processor doesn't know how much fish he will be able to buy, 
what price he will pay, or at what price he will be able to sell the 
finished product. Needless to say, trying to craft and maintain a 
business plan under such circumstances is not an easy task. But Alec, 
to his great credit, was able to maintain his grace and charm in the 
face of all these challenges. He was a true gentleman in a very tough 
business.
  Alec did take enough time off from the family business to obtain a 
law degree. He spent a year clerking for well known Alaska Supreme 
Court Justice John Dimond. Since Alaska had only recently been granted 
statehood, these were exciting times for our young State as we sorted 
through the growing pains of creating a judicial system. As a young 
attorney Alec contributed to this process.
  Most people outside of Alaska aren't aware that the fishing industry 
has traditionally been my State's largest private employer. Each year, 
thousands of fishermen and other workers come to Alaska to help in the 
harvesting and processing of the amazing variety of fishery resources 
of my State. Although most of Alec's career was spent in the salmon 
business, he and his family have also been involved in the crab, 
herring and groundfish sectors. Many fishermen and processing workers 
have spent their entire careers enjoying an association with Alec and 
other members of the Brindle family.

[[Page S4157]]

  But Alec didn't just make a living from Alaska's fisheries; he also 
gave back a great deal. He was always active in the various industry 
trade associations which work to maintain the sustainability and 
profitability of our fisheries. Among these were the Pacific Seafood 
Processors Association, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, the 
National Fisheries Institute, and the National Food Processors 
Association. Alec's other business activities resulted in his being 
named to the Board of Advisors for Wells Fargo Alaska and becoming 
Chairman of the Board of the Tongass Trading Company.
  Achieving educational goals has always been very important to the 
Brindles and in addition to his law degree, Alec proudly holds an 
Honorary Doctorate degree from the University of Alaska Southeast. And 
the Brindle family has also provided generous financial assistance to 
many young Alaskans seeking higher education through their support of 
the Winn Brindle Scholarship program, named for Alec's father.
  After knowing Alec for so many years, it is hard for me to believe 
that he will no longer be actively involved in the seafood industry on 
a day-to-day basis. However, I know him well enough to say that he 
isn't about to head for a rocking chair. He will undoubtedly continue 
to share his time and expertise with those in the seafood industry, and 
throughout Alaska. He will be missed, but his many contributions and 
achievements will live on for many years.

                          ____________________