[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 178 (Thursday, November 7, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6468-S6469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Tribute to Perry Green

  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, it is Thursday afternoon, and that means 
it is one of my favorite times in the U.S. Senate because I get to come 
to the Senate floor and recognize an Alaskan who has done something 
that is great for our State, great for the community, great for the 
country--you name it. I come here and brag about somebody I represent 
in Alaska, and I call this person the Alaskan of the Week. I know the 
Presiding Officer likes it, and the pages certainly do.
  What I like to do when I am starting this speech each week is talk to 
our visitors in the Gallery and people who are watching on TV to give a 
little update on what is going on in Alaska and encourage a visit. You 
will have the visit of a lifetime, guaranteed, if you come to Alaska.
  Right now, as you can imagine, the great white north winter is coming 
in parts of the State. It has definitely arrived in other parts. Winter 
is a great time to be in Alaska, not just the summer. You can ski, 
snowboard, and at the end of the day sit back, drink something warm, 
and watch the northern lights dance in our sky. So come visit. You will 
love coming to visit Alaska.
  What is really nice to do if you come and visit now is to wear a fur 
in Alaska. We have some great furriers in Alaska, but David Green 
Master Furrier in Anchorage is one of the oldest, most well respected, 
and certainly one of the best in our State and, I think, in the 
country. It is an Alaskan institution, and our Alaskan of the Week, Mr. 
Perry Green, one of the kindest, most generous, most patriotic, hard-
working Alaskans, has worked throughout the decades to keep this great 
institution that way.
  Let me tell you a little bit about Perry Green. His father David was 
from New York. He was enthralled with Alaska, a huge fan of the 
characters that Alaska attracts, as well as Jack London's ``Call of the 
Wild.'' So David moved to Washington State to be close to Alaska, where 
he eventually opened stores many, many years ago.
  Perry Green, David's son, was born in Seattle on March 17, 1936. That 
is St. Patrick's Day. How great is that? I always knew Perry had a 
little Irish in him. He recalled:

       My father would come back from Alaska with such great 
     stories, and all the Alaska sourdoughs would come to visit 
     him. They sat at the dinner table and I was enthralled with 
     their tales.

  Anyone who knows anything about Alaska knows those stories, has heard 
about them, read about them--bear attacks, moose charges, frostbite, 
crossing perilous rivers, traversing vast landscapes under the dancing 
skies, wolves howling in the distance, fires barely starting at 40 
below, and countless stories about being saved by the kindness of 
strangers out on the trail.
  Perry also came of age during World War II. His father made fur ruffs 
for the soldiers' parkas, which set the stage for Perry's enduring 
patriotism and support for our troops. He said:

       I remember watching the troops head overseas, the wonderful 
     parades. It all made me swell up with pride.

  I would say that Perry Green is the most patriotic American I know, 
and we have a lot of patriots in Alaska.
  He met his beautiful future wife, the beautiful Gloria, gracious 
Gloria, when they were both young and began dating as teenagers, and 
they have been together ever since. As a matter of fact, that is 63 
years of marriage. That is something to be celebrated. Perry said that 
marrying Gloria was the best decision he ever made. I know Gloria, and 
I would certainly agree with Perry, and I would certainly agree with 
this: Like me, he definitely married up.
  Like his father, he traveled back and forth to Washington State often 
for work. He went to Alaska to work on the Alaska Railroad in order to 
save enough money to buy Gloria a wedding ring. He served in the U.S. 
Army for 3 years, and eventually he and Gloria

[[Page S6469]]

made their way to our great State to forge a life together. They have 
been there ever since, and what a life they have lived.
  Initially, Perry worked at his father's store in downtown Anchorage, 
but for a time he broke out on his own and started the Anchorage Fur 
Trading Company, which became the largest fur dealer in Alaska, and it 
was wildly successful. He traveled all across the State--300 villages 
in all, some of them multiple times--buying furs from the locals. He 
traveled by dog team, by sled, by snow machine, by bush plane, and 
everywhere he went he was greeted warmly and generously by people in 
rural Alaska in these villages. He said:

       I learned so much from the Alaska Native people. I was in 
     awe of their kindness, their respect for elders, and their 
     rich, cultural heritage.

  That time in rural Alaska was one of the best times of his life and 
laid the foundation for what has been one of Perry Green's biggest 
loves--our State, the great State of Alaska, which he has given his all 
to.
  His company, David Green Master Furrier, is an iconic business in 
downtown Anchorage because they sell some of the best and most 
beautiful furs around, no doubt, but also because of Perry and his 
extended family, who have done such a great job of running the company 
for decades.
  My daughters and I have a little tradition on Christmas Eve. We head 
over to this great store and look for something to buy my wife, their 
mom. It is a fun, fun tradition that we do.
  Perry has been the face of the store for decades. People still 
remember his quirky commercials featuring tarantulas, huge athletes 
chasing him around, and always the tagline, ``If you don't know your 
furs, know your furrier.''
  It seems that all of Anchorage and so much of Alaska knew their 
furrier. It should be noted that they also know this Alaska furrier in 
Las Vegas as well. Perry Green is a very good poker player and has won 
three World Series of Poker bracelets and has made it to the final 
table of the World Series of Poker main event in Vegas two times. How 
about that for an adventurous life?
  It wasn't just his store and Perry's love of a good poker game that 
has endeared him to so many Alaskans. A man of deep faith, he is one of 
the most generous people in my State and one of the most committed 
Alaskans to public service and helping others.
  ``I never was interested in being rich,'' Perry said. ``I wanted to 
do something positive for other people because that's the greatest 
thing you can do.''
  He has sat on nearly every board there is. You name it--the taxicab 
commission, the insurance board, the planning and zoning board, the 
symphony and opera board, the Rotary board, and a member of the Elks 
Club, the Masons, the Alaska Jewish Campus and Museum. The list goes on 
and on in terms of his service.
  He also raises money for numerous causes. ``I can't think of a 
fundraising effort that his name isn't a part of,'' his longtime friend 
Gordon Glaser said about Perry.
  Perry is especially generous in causes that raise money for our men 
and women in uniform. On the eve of Veterans Day, we can't thank him 
enough for that.
  ``Anyone who's been in Anchorage in the last two generations knows 
that if you need something done, Perry will do it,'' his friend Gordon 
said.
  If you are down on your luck or if you need a job, need a place to 
stay, or need some assistance, Perry will help. Every community, every 
State, has leaders like this. We all know those types of people. They 
are very special, and he is one of them.
  Perry and his wife Gloria are also personally generous with their 
house--a lively, happy place open to people all across our State and, 
really, the world.
  Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, another longtime friend of Perry's, 
credits him for teaching him and so many others ``how to be an 
Alaskan.'' What does that mean? According to Mayor Berkowitz, it means 
that he brought the spirit of Tikkun Olam to Alaska. That is a Hebrew 
phrase meaning healing the world. Perry has brought this to our State 
one generous act at a time, one community at a time.
  Perry and Gloria will be honored at Alaska's Jewish Gala next week--
one of our State's most fun and memorable events. It will be next 
Saturday evening, and I will be there for sure. It is a time when we 
all can gather together, celebrate the vital role the Jewish community 
has played in our great State, and be reminded that Alaska is a place 
where we can all come together and take care of each other the way the 
Greens have been doing for decades.
  Rabbi Yosef Greenberg, a good friend of mine and another extremely 
generous man who has given so much to our State, says that the mission 
of the Alaska Jewish Campus that Perry Green has been so generous to is 
``Warming up Alaska!''
  ``In the 60 years of Alaska's statehood,'' said Rabbi Greenberg, 
``Perry Green has warmed up Alaska, not only with his David Green fur 
coats but even more so with the joys of his life, big heart, and 
lending a hand to ordinary Alaskans and anyone in need.'' That is how 
he has warmed up our great State.
  Perry and Gloria have done so much for Alaska. They are highly 
deserving of this recognition they will be receiving at the Jewish Gala 
next week. Congratulations to them and their 5 children, 13 
grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren, and all of the extended Green 
family, so many of whom continue to serve our State and country so 
well.
  Perry, from your friend, congratulations on being our Alaskan of the 
Week.
  I yield the floor.

                          ____________________