[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 129 (Friday, September 21, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6621-S6622]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING BARNEY UHART

 Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I was saddened to learn that 
Barney Uhart of Anchorage, AK passed away on September 8, 2012 after a 
long battle with cancer. Barney was President Emeritus of the Chugach 
Alaska Corporation, one of the thirteen regional Alaska Native 
Corporations. Chugach Alaska Corporation is owned by over 2,300 
shareholders of Alutiiq, Eskimo and Indian heritage.
  Barney was elected President and CEO of Chugach Alaska Corporation in 
May 2000 and served in that role until July 2012. In July he announced 
his retirement to focus on his health and spend time with his family. 
But the Chugach Alaska Corporation board would not let him go. That is 
how Barney earned the title of President Emeritus.
  Barney was a master in administering Base Operations Services 
contracts, a field he entered into on something of a lark. As the story 
goes, while living in Hawaii he was delivering furniture with a friend 
to a company called Kentron International. This was back in 1979. He 
wondered what they did and slipped a resume under the door. A few days 
later he learned that they managed remote sites and was on his way to 
Wake Island. Over the course of his career Barney came to know more 
about places like Wake Island, Midway Island and Amchitka than anyone I 
know. He would return to Wake Island many times over the course of his 
career, helping his successor employers win that Base Operations 
Support contract. You might even call him the Mayor Emeritus of Wake 
Island.
  Barney joined the Chugach Alaska family in 1993 as an Operations 
Manager with Chugach Development Corporation. Known as a charismatic 
leader and a hard worker, he quickly rose through the ranks. Those at 
Chugach Alaska tell me that his dedication to the company, its people 
and employees

[[Page S6622]]

was steadfast. His hard work and commitment helped provide real, 
tangible, and ongoing benefits to the Native shareholders of Chugach 
Alaska. He strove tirelessly to help fulfill the promise of the Alaska 
Native Claims Settlement Act. His work in opening up the 8(a) program 
to meaningful participation by Alaska Natives, Lower 48 Indian tribes, 
and Native Hawaiians is recognized throughout the Native American 
contractor community.
  Barney Uhart will be remembered as a leader, a friend and a champion 
of doing the right thing and doing things right. I express my 
condolences to his wife Randi, his children Jordan, Abigail and Jacob, 
and the shareholders of Chugach Alaska Corporation on the loss of this 
exemplary Alaskan.

                          ____________________