10 YEARS AGO

Feb. 1, 2000 — Morris Thompson, former head of Doyon Ltd. and one of Fairbanks’ most prominent businessmen, his wife of 36 years, Thelma, and daughter Sheryl, were aboard the doomed Alaska Airlines flight that crashed into the Pacific Ocean Monday afternoon, a spokesperson for Alaska Airlines said.

Family and friends of the Thompson family were stunned with grief Monday evening and most were unable to talk about the impact of their deaths personally and for the community.

“The loss is incalculable and I just have an empty space in my heart right now,” said Will Mayo, senior adviser to the governor on rural policy, and former president of Tanana Chiefs Conference.

“Morris was a statesman and ambassador for the Athabascan people in the Interior, and from our perspective he was always a gentleman and also a fighter for us. We’ll never forget him for that.”

25 YEARS AGO

Feb. 1, 1985 — Animals between Mile 5 and Mile 15 of Chena Hot Sprigns Road are under quarantine until March 1 after a rabid dog was discovered in the area Thursday afternoon. Under the quarantine, animals are restricted to an area between the mileposts and five miles either side of the road, said Greg Strong, borough chief executive director.

Borough animal control officers will be patrolling the area, Strong said, and any dog that is not “secured” will be “impounded, chased home or destroyed.”

However, dog mushers in the quarantine area who wish to race their animals can transport them as long as the dogs are properly vaccinated and owners have the proper documents, said Don Moor, borough public works director.

A rabies vaccination clinic will be held at Anders Cache between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday. Animals will be vaccinated free of charge.

According to Don Ritter, chief of the Northern Region Laboratory of the Alaska Division of Health, this is the first case of rabies ever reported in the Tanana Valley.

50 YEARS AGO

Feb. 1, 1960 — All that foreboding on the part of the U.S. Weather Bureau was in vain: it didn’t hit minus 40 last weekend, and the temperature even reached a high of plus 25 yesterday.

Sunday night’s low was just zero, and at 8 a.m. today it was plus two. High for today — Monday — will be plus five, and tonight the mercury may slip to minus 15.

75 YEARS AGO

Feb. 1, 1935 — Accompanying a Presidential message to Congress today, the report of the Federal Aviation Commission, declaring air defenses should be established in Alaska, is now before national lawmakers.

The President in his special message recommends that all civilian aviation be placed under control of the Interstate Commerce Commission.

Immediately after the message had been submitted and read, the Senate placed a bill extending airmail laws, which were to have expired at midnight last night, to September 1.

The Federal Aviation Commission’s report, which was received with the president’s message, in citing the defense possibilities of aviation, declared that “air defense is particularly applicable to Alaska and Hawaii.”

Oceanic commercial air service, the commission’s report states, is no longer a “romantic dream” but is approaching reality. The report adds:

“The United States should claim its share of this business, particularly with respect to the Pacific Ocean.”

Hawaii is envisioned by the commission as at the crossroads of all trans-Pacific air travel.

100 YEARS AGO

Feb. 1, 1910 — Robert W. Service, famous as the author of the “Songs of a Sourdough” and the “Ballads of a Cheechaco,” has severed his connection with the Canadian Bank of Commerce. He will devote his time exclusively to writing.

Mr. Service will remain in Dawson this winter and probably all of next summer. He has taken a cabin which he is fitting up for his home and den, and there will spend most of his time while in Dawson.

Had Mr. Service chose to remain with the bank, a promotion awaited him. In fact, his resignation scarcely had been sent to the home office when he received notice that he was to be given charge of a branch of the big financial institution. This shows how well he succeeded in his work aside from his writings.

It is six years since he entered the service of the Canadian Bank of Commerce. He began in the Victoria branch, and since then has served also at Whitehorse and Dawson. He has been here a year and a half.

The royalties which Mr. Service receives from his writings are understood to be equivalent to the salaries of some of the men in highest positions of responsibility in Dawson, and now he feels that there is more awaiting him in the world of letters. And, further, Mr. Service prefers writing to finance.

Mr. Service was born 31 years ago in England, and was taken to Scotland by his parents when too young to remember much of it. After being educated at Glasgow, spending some time at the Glasgow University, he came to Canada, when 20 years of age, fighting against damnation from city to city until he came to the Pacific slope, where for five years he wandered up and down the earth from Mexico to British Columbia, working at all manner of things. Six years ago he accepted a position in the Victoria branch of the bank which he is now serving. He had written classic verses when young, but later became disgusted over them, and his idea now is to write something which the ordinary workaday man or woman can read and appreciate, something which will come within his scope and approval as a matter of reality. His first publication aside from occasional verses was two years ago, and now his works are greatly in demand.

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