[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 5981]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  REMEMBERING RICHARD ``DICK'' ELIASON

 Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, today I honor the life and 
service of Richard ``Dick'' Eliason. Dick passed away on April 3, 2011. 
He will be remembered for his decades of service to Alaska and his 
steadfast commitment to sensible, long-term management of Alaska's 
fisheries. Dick was the first Alaskan nominated to the 2006 Wild Salmon 
Hall of Fame at the Pacific Northwest Salmon Center for his leadership 
primarily in banning fin fish farming in Alaska and his work on the 
``Wild Stock Priority.''
  Dick was born in Seattle, WA, on October 14, 1925. As an only child 
he spent his childhood fishing between Washington and Port Alexander 
with his parents, George and Elsie Eliason. The family decided to move 
to Sitka in 1939 where he attended Sitka High School. Following high 
school, during World War II Dick spent 3 years aboard a sub chaser in 
the Navy patrolling the Hawaiian Islands.
  In 1950, Dick met Nurse Betty Gemmell from Montana and married her. 
Together they had five children; Greta, George, Ida, Richard, Jr. and 
Stanley. Betty passed away in 1981 and later Dick married Patricia 
McConnell.
  As a young man, Dick was very busy owning a succession of fishing 
boats, bartending at the American Legion, and working for many years as 
a pipefitter. While the early years were tough raising his growing 
family, he certainly succeeded in raising a loving family. He continued 
to work as a commercial fisherman for nearly 70 years.
  Dick entered public service early, serving on the territorial public 
utilities board. He entered the political arena in the early 1960s in 
Sitka where he was elected to the assembly and went on to become mayor. 
At the State level, Dick served as a member of the Alaska House of 
Representatives from 1968 to 1970 and 1972 to 1980 and as a member of 
the Alaska Senate from 1980 to 1992. Dick also worked for his community 
as a member of the VFW, the Elks, the Moose and the Masons.
  In his 22 years in the Alaska Legislature, he championed the 
interests of fishermen and fishing communities. He fought for 
sustainable yield management of our fisheries and the hatchery system, 
and against fin fish farming and illegal high seas fishing.
  Over the course of time, the fin fish farming ban has changed in the 
mind of Alaskans. The universally popular idea in Alaska was once much 
more controversial. In 1988, salmon prices soared to levels not seen 
again until lately giving corporations and other businesses an 
opportunity to compete in the emerging farmed salmon market.
  Dick wisely saw that to protect the wild stocks and the people who 
earned a living off of them was more than a temporary issue. Dick 
recognized the long lasting effects that his legislation could offer. 
His legacy of protecting wild salmon and promoting quality salmon is 
not bound to Alaska: his legacy is enjoyed by those even beyond the 
reaches of this Nation.
  Dick would say that he merely worked to protect a way of life, but it 
was his own way of life that typically allowed him to shine brighter 
than others and to succeed. He was acutely aware of how to communicate 
and bargain among his colleagues. By all accounts, Dick was not likely 
to let his title or power go to his head, even though he had plenty of 
both. He was the consummate statesman. He was fair and knew how to roll 
with the punches in a way that only he could.
  Dick leaves an esteemed legacy that Alaska will benefit from for 
years to come. I extend my sympathies to the Eliason family and feel 
blessed to have known this great Alaskan.

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