Thank You, Coast Guard
Dear Editor: We all know that the Coast Guard saves lives and how lucky we are to live in an area where they stand ready at the drop of a hat to jeopardize their own lives to support and rescue so many in peril.
What some may not know is the Coast Guard is a vital supportive component in our community in so many other ways. They have been regular supporters of Sitkans Against Family Violence for years now – in numerous and creative ways: holding coat drives, painting the inside of the shelter over the years repeatedly, donations of turkeys and hams for holiday parties, women and children’s holiday gifts, and sometimes cash donations for specific projects and requests. Also, the Coast Guard Women have given cash donations for the children’s program, among other things.
Last week, the USCG Air Station held a food drive and the hundreds of pounds of canned and non-perishables goods filled SAFV’s pantry with so many needs for everyday use and holiday cooking.
This is the time of year when folks’ hearts are full of giving and sharing and the women and children who are driven from their homes benefit from the loving generosity.
Thank you for all you have done for SAFV this week and through the years, USCG! We’re glad you’re here!
Vicki D’Amico,
Executive Director,
Sitkans Against Family Violence
One Dollar
Dear Editor: Last week, I read with glee in the Police Blotter that someone had turned in a one dollar bill found on the dock in one of the harbors. That made me smile. A few days ago I learned that that person was Aleah Shull, who of her own instant innocent and honest volition, determined that to be the best course of action; and she was right. I would like to publicly commend the young girl for her honesty and good thinking, and diligence in filling out the paperwork at the Police Station. It is the principle that counts, not the coin. Well done, Aleah!
Karen Lucas, Sitka
Tsunami Map
Dear Editor: The state has issued a new, up-to-the-minute map that shows the terrible damage to the Sitka waterfront and low-lying areas that a tsunami can cause.
Anyone looking at the archives? In 1964, when tsunamis were still called tidal waves, Alaska was hit with the Good Friday quake, a world-class 9.2 earthquake that devastated Kodiak, Cook Inlet, Anchorage, and various other places. What happened in Sitka?
We were then living on Mt. Edgecumbe on Japonski Island when it was connected to Sitka only by shore boats and we had lived there, fresh from Baltimore, only a few months. Word was to head for the highest ground as the wave would hit around midnight. This was around 9:00 p.m. and the Edgecumbe hospital was about the highest ground possible. So we loaded our three sleepy young children and the cat into the car and started up. The cat hated the car and kept leaping around. We did stop and pick up a woman standing by the side of the street. She insisted the cat was fine as it repeatedly sailed past.
Once at the hospital we joined most of the 350 or so other inhabitants of the island and waited. KIFW was broadcasting earthquake news at it came in. We waited and waited. As I recall, just before midnight the station aired “Nearer My God to Thee,” then went off the air.
A bit later we all went home. And what damage was done to the Edgecumbe and Sitka waterfronts? Almost nothing. Afterquakes kept occurring and some tied-up boats were slopped around, but that was pretty much it. A few days later the paper reported there had been a 1” tidal wave from the latest aftershocks.
The Sentinel ran some pictures of previous quakes. The worst seems to have been when a procession from the ANB Hall to the Cathedral was disrupted, but I honestly don’t remember if that was said to be from water or the earth shaking. There was also a Russian account that reported some chimneys had been knocked off. That was about the extent of damage.
Scientific reasons were given. We were told the depth of the water right up to the beach (remember, Sitka is situated on underwater mountains that reach up out of the water around 3,000 ft.), and the presence of all the islands in the harbor rule out the Venturi Effect when waves pile up in a constricted pathway and can do considerable damage. Twelve people were killed in Crescent City, Calif., from this. Sitka was simply in a fortunate position.
All this information is based on my memory – I do hope others who were here will weigh in. And it would be helpful if archives exist of the effect on Sitka of the 1964 quake.
Dee Longenbaugh, Juneau
Holiday Craft Fair
Dear Editor: Two things struck me this past Sunday, Dec. 1 – how fast time is flying and how much fun it is to watch young people and their parents enjoy themselves. University of Alaska Southeast and the Greater Sitka Arts Council again partnered on the Annual Family Holiday Craft Fair at UAS.
It was some things new and some things old. The UAS art room is undergoing changes, so this year we offered silk screening, gingerbread houses (always fun to watch budding engineers and architects), fish prints, stamp-making for cards, felt ornaments and bentwood boxes. Additionally, the Sitka Studio of Dance performed numbers from the upcoming Nutcracker show (Dec. 6, 7, 8), and Dry County (a new blue grass ensemble made up of Ted Howard, Ann and Matt Betty, and Debbie Leveck) picked on the banjo, plucked the bass, sawed the fiddle, strummed the guitar, and warbled the tunes … darn good stuff.
Thank you to the moms and dads and grandparents and aunts and uncles and friends who brought children to the craft fair. Thank you also to Kristina Cranston of Raindance Gallery for supervising the bentwood box table, Shannon Haugland for the stamps, Sandra Fontaine and Daisy Casey for the felt crafts, the National Honor Society members from MEHS and SHS who helped out, the Jesuit Volunteers who ran the gingerbread home project, Liz Zacher and her crew for the silk screening, and Sarah Lawrie and company for the fish prints.
Thank you to the arts council board members – John Stein, Sandra Fontaine, Ashia Lane, Cleo Brylinsky, Pat Hughes, and Liz Zacher, the UAS staff who were so helpful in all ways, the AmeriCorps crew that showed up to help as well. Thank you to the Daily Sitka Sentinel for donating card stock for the stamp cards. This event is a display of talent, skill, and having fun, as well as an example of the great service provided by the volunteers in Sitka.
We hope that we have not forgotten to thank any other people who helped out, and if we have, please know we appreciate all of you who care, help, and contribute to the wonderful community spirit that makes Sitka an extraordinary place to live.
Jeff Budd,
Greater Sitka Arts Council
