[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 84 (Thursday, May 18, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S1740]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING WILLIAM DESHAY ENGLISH

 Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I rise to honor the life and 
legacy of William ``Bill'' Deshay English, an Alaskan who passed away 
on January 11, 2023. The stories of Mr. English's remarkable life began 
on a dog sled in a remote part of our State during the cold, snowy 
depths of winter. After seeing a ``giant mosquito'' buzzing in the sky 
as a child, he saw his passion and would go on to become a pilot.
  Alaska prides itself as the ``flyingest state'' in the Nation and it 
is individuals like Bill English who pioneered that reputation. Even 
today, nearly 80 percent of our communities are not connected to the 
road system, so we rely on exceptional pilots to keep Alaskans safe as 
we travel across some of the most rugged terrain on the planet. Bill 
English was one of the best. Across more than 36,000 hours of 
commercial flight, he maintained a perfect safety record. That led to 
his selection as an Alaska Living Aviator Legend in 2012 and his 
induction into the Alaska Aviation Hall of Fame 2 years later.
  A celebration of life was held for Mr. English in Anchorage last 
week, where guests shared stories and pictures of his life, including 
his service to our Nation during World War II, his flying adventures, 
and his acts of kindness. I join Mr. English's family and friends in 
mourning his loss, while remembering his quintessentially Alaskan life 
and the nearly 100 years he contributed to our beautiful State.
  Mr. President, I request that Bill English's obituary be printed in 
the Record.
  The material follows:


                  Obituary for William Deshay English

       William (Bill) Deshay English's life began on January 31, 
     1923, with an often-told and much-loved story. After going 
     into labor, Bill's mother, Agorak, mushed her dog team into 
     the dead of night and subzero temperatures. She was embarked 
     on a harrowing ten-mile journey from her home in Wiseman, 
     Alaska to Coldfoot where the region's only midwife resided. 
     Charged with running the general store, Bill's father, 
     William Sr., stayed behind in Wiseman while he awaited the 
     arrival of his newborn son. When Agorak drove her team back 
     to Wiseman with infant Bill wrapped in furs, his father's 
     worry burst into a celebration throughout the remote, scenic 
     Arctic village on the banks of the Koyukuk River. It was here 
     that Bill spent his childhood as a happy, active village kid.
       During the late 1920s, aviator Noel Wien made an historic 
     excursion above the Arctic Circle in his open cockpit 
     biplane, landing on a gravel bar near Wiseman. Young Bill was 
     entranced by the ``giant mosquito'' buzzing in the sky, a 
     fascination that would eventually turn into a deep passion 
     for the art of flying and a dream of becoming a pilot.
       When Bill reached adolescence, his parents sent him to live 
     with his father's family in California. Despite the culture 
     shock, Bill excelled academically and developed a passion for 
     track and field. He found that sports offered a way for him 
     to connect with his peers despite coming from a very 
     different background. He graduated from high school in 
     California, after which he returned to Fairbanks and enlisted 
     in the U.S. Army, serving from 1943-1945. Following World War 
     II, Bill was able to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a 
     pilot. He quickly earned his license and applied to work for 
     the very same man, Noel Wien, who had inspired his dream two 
     decades earlier.
       In 1948, Bill married Shirley Nelson, a Seattle-native who 
     moved to Fairbanks in 1946 to study English at UAF. Their 
     romance began when Shirley, watching the planes land at Weeks 
     Field in Fairbanks, spotted Bill, clad in caribou mukluks 
     made by his mother, stepping out of his Cessna 140. Love 
     blossomed, and the two would develop an enduring bond that 
     would last 72 years and lead to three children, Sharon 
     (1949), Bill Jr. (1950), and Tamara (1968).
       After joining Wien Airlines in 1946, Bill became one of the 
     first Native Alaskan commercial pilots and began a 37-year 
     career as Captain that would take him to the far reaches of 
     Alaska and eventually to a seat on Wien's board of directors. 
     Along the way, he became the first Native Alaskan pilot to 
     earn an Airline Transport Rating and the first to serve as an 
     FAA examiner. He retired with more than 36,000 hours of 
     commercial flight and a perfect safety record.
       During his early tenure at Wien in Fairbanks, Bill helped 
     promote the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics and became its first 
     Master of Ceremonies--a position he proudly served in through 
     the early 1970s. After Bill retired from Wien in 1983, an 
     Anchorage businessman seeking a sure, experienced pilot with 
     solid credentials hired Bill to fly his private jet, a 
     Lockheed Jet Star, around the globe.
       Bill was a huge proponent of lifelong education. In his 
     middle-aged years, he earned a Bachelor's in Business 
     Administration degree with a major in Transportation from the 
     University of Washington. He understood the economic and 
     political influence that ANCSA corporations possessed to 
     advance the education and well-being of Native Alaskan youth. 
     In his retirement, he served on the CIRI Board of Directors 
     and the Cook Inlet Housing Authority Board.
       For his long and dedicated career in which he contributed 
     to the evolution, growth, and safety of aviation in Alaska, 
     he was honored in 2012 as an Alaska Living Aviator Legend, 
     and in 2014, was formally inducted into the Alaska Aviation 
     Hall of Fame. In response, he spoke with humility and 
     gratitude for the support he received from fellow Alaskans 
     throughout his life. He was grateful for the opportunity to 
     give back to the State, communities, and people who had made 
     possible the flying career he loved.
       Bill passed peacefully on January 11, 2023--nearly 100 
     years after that first ride in a dog sled. He was at home in 
     Anchorage, surrounded by his loved ones. He will be 
     remembered for his good-natured humor, quiet energy, 
     curiosity, and the enduring peace with which he moved through 
     the world. He will be dearly missed.
       He is predeceased by his parents William and Agorak, sister 
     Dishoo, his wife Shirley, and daughter Tamara. He is survived 
     by his daughter Sharon and son Bill Jr., grandchildren Gretta 
     and Wiley; numerous relatives in the Kotzebue area and in the 
     Oakland, California area.
       Bill's family is eternally grateful to the many individuals 
     and organizations who helped care for Bill and Shirley in 
     their final months including the Providence Hospice team, 
     Alzheimer's Resource of Alaska, and Veterans Affairs of 
     Alaska.

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