[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 160 (Thursday, October 5, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6356-S6357]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING ERMALEE HICKEL

 Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to 
Ermalee Hickel, the wife of our late Governor, Wally Hickel, who passed 
away on September 14 at the age of 92. Ermalee was married to Wally 
Hickel for 65 years until his death in 2010. She is buried next to her 
husband in Anchorage Memorial Park, standing up, facing Washington, 
just as Governor Hickel was.
  This is the way the power couple of post-Statehood Alaska desired to 
be remembered. Standing up for Alaskans to

[[Page S6357]]

Washington, DC. A powerful symbol not only to Alaskans, but Washington, 
that the battle for Alaska's sovereignty is far from over and that the 
Hickels, in spirit, stand with Alaskans as we wage this battle to 
conclusion, however long that may take.
  Wally and Ermalee's son, Jack Hickel, remembers these words 
explaining why his father wanted to be buried standing up. ``He said, 
if they don't do it right he's going to crawl out of his grave and 
straighten them out. He thought they were going to screw everything up. 
He wanted to keep his eye on them.'' Now there will be two pair of eyes 
gazing east.
  Ermalee, I should warn you, has two pretty tough eyes. She was widely 
known as ``more beautiful than a butterfly, but tougher than a boot.''
  The history books will mention that Ermalee was twice the first lady 
of Alaska, as well as the wife of a Secretary of the Interior. They 
might mention that she was a strong woman, but that really doesn't tell 
you much about the person, and there is really much more to the story.
  Ermalee was born to Lewis and Aline Strutz. The Strutzes moved from 
Montana to Anchorage in 1924. They bought a house downtown and raised 
six kids in that house: four girls and two boys. Anchorage was a pretty 
small town in the day, but it had plenty of life. As a high school 
student, Ermalee did it all. She was a softball player, editor of the 
school paper, and quite popular. She never missed a dance. She ushered 
at the movie theatre and, unique to Anchorage, worked at a cannery. 
Upon graduation, she went to work on the local base as the secretary to 
a military officer, a very important job for an outstanding individual. 
The Strutz girls were like that--popular, successful, from a really 
good family.
  Wally Hickel, on the other hand, arrived in Anchorage from Kansas in 
1940 with all of 37 cents in his pocket. His family was in insurance, 
but he left Kansas to pursue his passion in boxing. That led him to 
California, and when it didn't work out, Wally booked a ticket in 
steerage on a vessel headed to Alaska. He replenished his bank account 
by winning a $125 purse at a boxing tournament conducted during Fur 
Rondy, the Anchorage winter carnival. Wally married a local girl, 
Jannice Cannon, who went to school with Ermalee. Wally and Jannice had 
a son, Ted. Jannice tragically died in 1943 at the Mayo Clinic. Wally 
returned to Anchorage, a single dad, and took a job inspecting aircraft 
on the ramp of Alaska airbases.
  In 1945, Ermalee and Wally were married in a small Catholic Church 
and went on to build a family. It was a tough time for the both of 
them. Wally still had to pay off Jannice's medical bills and worked a 
second job as a bartender and a bouncer to make ends meet.
  Wally subsequently quit his job on base and told Ermalee that he 
figured it out. Anchorage was growing and construction was its future. 
Turns out, he was right. The family found stability and a modicum of 
wealth. That gave Wally the freedom to pursue his interest in politics. 
Over time, Wally's investments in Anchorage's growth provided a strong 
financial foundation for the family.
  Throughout it all, Ermalee was a steadfast partner--managing the 
house, putting chains on the tires of the car to take the kids skiing, 
even ironing the pants of her hero, Charles Lindbergh, when he came to 
Juneau to address the Alaska Legislature. Lindbergh asked Ermalee if 
she would get ``the help'' to press his pants. Turns out Ermalee was 
``the help.''
  ``Ermalee was calm, empathetic and insightful. Wally turned to her 
and followed her counsel. She guided and protected him, out of sight,'' 
wrote Anchorage author and historian Charles Wohlforth. She read to 
schoolchildren and visited with elders in the Pioneer's Homes. She 
visited the soup kitchens and the juvenile detention facilities. She 
fought for benefits for the disabled, raised awareness of fetal alcohol 
syndrome, and sought to protect seniors from scammers. She did it all 
without ever seeking credit. Ermalee was always gracious and lovely to 
me.
  Wohlforth headlined his column remembering Ermalee Hickel's legacy 
with the words ``Ermalee Hickel led Alaska, too.'' She did with dignity 
and grace from the beginning to the very end. It is an honor and a 
pleasure to share this story of an Alaskan life well lived with the 
Senate today.

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