[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 118 (Thursday, July 13, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3983-S3984]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Remembering Gene Zerkel

  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, as you know, for months now, I have been

[[Page S3984]]

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 this 
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 MarkAir. 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 nine 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.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.