[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Page 26371]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                     REMEMBERING GEORGE M. SULLIVAN

 Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I wish to remember one of the 
great public officials in the history of the State of Alaska, the 
former mayor of Anchorage, George M. Sullivan, who died peacefully in 
his sleep last month at age 87. George served Alaska during a time of 
transition in our State's history.
  A lifelong Alaskan who was born and raised in Valdez, George worked 
for the U.S. Army's transportation corps during World War II in the 
Aleutians. He later won a seat in the Alaska House of Representatives 
in 1964 and 1965, being an excellent representative for Anchorage to 
represent the city's vast economic needs in the State legislature. He 
was a convincing spokesman for Anchorage in securing the aid that the 
city so desperately needed to rebuild.
  George became the mayor of the city of Anchorage in 1967, just 8 
years after statehood, but more importantly just 3 years after the Good 
Friday earthquake of 1964 that destroyed most of downtown Anchorage. 
The city was still in the early phases of rebuilding when George became 
the leader of city government. He guided the city through crafting new 
building and zoning codes as well as implementing land use planning to 
prevent further earthquake damage from occurring in the future.
  Meanwhile, an economic earthquake struck Alaska--the discovery of oil 
on Alaska's North Slope in December 1968. That discovery did more than 
any other event, even the earthquake, to turn Anchorage from a small 
port city to Alaska's largest city and the center of business, 
commerce, and supply in the State.
  In preparation for the construction of the Trans-Alaska pipeline and 
the subsequent economic boom, Sullivan had the vision to see that 
municipal government needed to have greater authority to regulate and 
supervise growth. He led the effort to bring about the merger of the 
city of Anchorage with the surrounding borough to build a unified 
government, helping to write the city-borough's first charter in 1975. 
He then stayed on to guide the young unified city-borough government, 
serving as mayor for 14 years, longer than any other person before or 
since.
  While guiding Anchorage to become the State's largest city, he also 
found time to represent Alaska as the State's first member of the 
executive board of the National League of Cities in 1972. He also 
served as the president of the Alaska Municipal League.
  George also worked tirelessly to represent Alaska's needs during 
congressional consideration of the Alaska lands act that eventually 
passed in 1980. It was then that I first met him since I was working as 
an aide for the Alaska Legislature. George truly was an inspiration. He 
could light up a room in Juneau just by entering it and could influence 
legislation simply with a few words of wisdom.
  George did not speak to hear himself talk, but everyone listened when 
he did talk. That was because everyone who knew George knew he was a 
straight shooter, a totally honest, fair, dedicated and hard-working 
man of outstanding judgment. He was a gentleman in every sense of the 
word.
  He worked tirelessly to develop a complete city, one with services 
for the young which is why the town's sports center the the Sullivan 
Arena--is named after him. He also worked to build facilities for 
senior citizens and low-income individuals and he worked to build the 
infrastructure necessary for a modern city in a cold climate.
  While we had known of his ill health and his battle with cancer for 
some time, there is still a great emptiness at his passing. While his 
wife Margaret passed away 2 years ago, George is survived by nine 
children, one of which, Dan, is Anchorage's current mayor.
  As much as George was known for his leadership in the community and 
State, he was also known to be a family man. He and his wife Margaret 
were married for 59 years and raised nine children. I offer my deepest 
condolences to all of his children and grandchildren.
  George was truly one of Alaska's original pioneers, a giant who will 
be sorely missed. His many accomplishments will live on in Alaska's 
history. Many Alaskans, including myself, will continue to remember the 
good humor, wisdom, and selflessness of the man who will always be 
called Mr. Mayor.

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