Women Veterans Day in Alaska

Although November 11 is the Veterans Day that many Alaskans will have off next week, November 9 is Women Veterans Day in Alaska, by order of Alaska Statute 44.12.078. Established in 2000, Women Veterans Day was created to "acknowledge and commemorate the sacrifices endured and valor displayed by American women veterans and to recognize their increasing role in the military."

Even before Alaska was a state, women were serving in the United States military. From 1942 to 1944, more than a thousand women served as Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), playing an important role testing aircraft and ferrying planes and supplies to bases around the country, including in Alaska. When the WASPs were recognized for their service with a Congressional Gold Medal in 2010, three Alaska women veterans were among them: Ellen Campbell of Juneau and Virginia Wood and Nancy Baker of Fairbanks.

Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in honor of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, March 10, 2010. Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony by Nancy Pelosi, CC BY

Today, Alaska is the U.S. state with the highest concentration of women veterans in its population (Source: U.S. Department of Labor). There are more than 11,000 women veterans living in Alaska (Source: U.S. Department of Labor). Nearly half of Alaskan vets of both genders served in the Gulf War era and 17% of Alaska's veterans are 20-34 years old (Source: Washington Post). Young women in the military are changing the face of Alaska's veteran population.

Pictured from left to right: Brig. Gen. Deborah McManus, Capt. Allison Snow, Staff Sgt. Christina Cordes, Capt. Laura Grossman, and Maj. Krista Staff. Alaska Guard forms first all-female aircrew by The National Guard.

This Women Veterans Day, we thank Alaska's women veterans for their service and recognize their essential contributions to Alaskan and U.S. military history.

Learn more:

• Female WII Pilots: The Original Fly Girls. March 9, 2010 article from NPR.
• Murkowski: Three Alaska Female Aviators Recognized for their World War II Service. March 11, 2010 from Alaska Business Monthly.
• Daring Dames series on women aviators from Pioneer Air Museum blog. Includes several WASPs in August 2015.
• The Military and Alaska's Economy. December 2013 article from Alaska Economic Trends by the Alaska Department of Labor. Includes statistics about the military in Alaska.

Since You Asked! Episode 1: Alaska Economic Trends

Librarian Julie Niederhauser speaks with Dan Robinson about the Alaska Economic Trends, a monthly publication dealing with a wide variety of economic issues in the state of Alaska. Dan is the Chief Research Analyst for the Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development.

Listen to Podcast (.mp3)
[ 13 minutes ]
Recorded on October 21, 2013

To contact Trends authors or request a free electronic or print subscription:

• Send an e-mail to trends@alaska.gov
• Call (907) 465-4500

Alaska Economic Trends Online Resources:
Subscribe to a hard copy in the mail or view online
Search archived copies online (1978 - present)

Question: What was the population of Aniak in 1950? What was the population of Juneau in 1960?

Answer: Alaska's Department of Labor and Workforce Development offers some U.S. Census reports and data for Alaska for 1900 through 1990 at http://labor.alaska.gov/research/census/cenhist.htm. Here is a direct link to the 1960 report, which includes some of the 1950 data as well: http://labor.alaska.gov/research/census/histpdfs/1960ak.pdf. Table 8 lists cities and towns in alphabetical order, and there, you fill find 1950 and 1960 population data for Aniak and Juneau. More recent data is available from the U.S. Census Bureau's web site. Try using the population finder at http://www.census.gov/population/www/.

Alaska Commissioners of Labor 1959 - Present

Question: What were the names and terms of the Commissioners of the Alaska Department of Labor since Statehood?

Answer: See below for names and terms of office. The Alaska Department of Labor changed its name to Department of Labor and Workforce Development in 1999 as a result of ch. 58, SLA 1999.

Commissioners of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, 1959 – Present

Compiled by Daniel Cornwall, Alaska State Library
August 2007 (Updated April 2015)

• Lewis M. Dischner (1959-1960); Source: Alaska Blue Book 1973, p. 48
• Bjorn “Gil” Johnson (1960-1966); Source: Alaska Blue Book 1973, p. 48
• Thomas J. Moore (1967-1970); Source: Alaska Blue Book 1973, p. 48
• Henry A. Benson (1970-1972); Source: Alaska Blue Book 1973, p. 48
• Robert A. Smith (1972 – December 1974(?)); Source: Alaska Blue Book 1973, p. 48, end date implied by Alaska Blue Book, 1981.
• Edmund Orbeck (January 1975 – November 28, 1982(?)); Source: Alaska Blue Book 1981, p. 15-16, includes small b&w photo. End date is implied by Alaska Blue Book 1985
• Jim Robison (November 29, 1982 – January 5, 1987(?)); Source: Alaska Blue Book 1985, p. 40, includes small b&w photo. End date is implied by Alaska Blue Book 1989-90
• Jim Sampson (January 6, 1987 - January 1, 1991(?)); Source: Alaska Blue Book 1989-90, p. 14, includes small b&w photo. End date is implied by Alaska Blue Book 1991-92.
• Nancy Bear Usera (January 2, 1991 – February 23(?), 1992); Source: Alaska Blue Book 1991-92, p. 14, includes small b&w photo. End date is implied by Alaska Blue Book 1993-94.
• Charles Mahlen (February 24, 1992 – February 12, 1995(?) ); Source: Alaska Blue Book 1993-94, p. 14, includes small b&w photo). End date is implied by Alaska House Journal 1995, p. 399.
• Tom Cashen (February 13, 1995 - December 1998 ); Sources: Alaska House Journal 1995, p. 399 and Governor’s Press Release 99-006 (for end date).
• Ed Flannagan (Appointed January 12, 1999 - 2002); Sources: Governor’s Press Release 99-006 and Internet Archive copies of Alaska Department of Labor at http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.labor.state.ak.us/commish/home.htm
• Greg O’Claray – 2003 – 2007; Source: Internet Archive copies of Alaska Department of Labor at http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.labor.state.ak.us/commish/home.htm
• Click Bishop – (Appointed January 11, 2007 - 2012); Source: http://wayback.archive-it.org/1200/20090706235146/http://www.gov.state.ak.us/archive.php?id=68&type=1, Governor News Release 07-008).
• Diane Blumer - (May 2012 - December 2015); Source: http://www.ktoo.org/2012/05/17/blumer-appointed-new-labor-commissioner/
• Heidi Drygas - Appointed December 19, 2014. Source: http://labor.state.ak.us/commish/

Relocation to Alaska

Question: I'm thinking about moving to Alaska. How much is food, housing, etc. How do I find a job? What should I bring with me?

Answer: The Department of Labor and Workforce Development pulls together a number of great resources aimed at people thinking about moving to our great state. Their page is located at http://labor.alaska.gov/research/relocate/relocate.htm.

It might also be helpful to read the newspaper(s) of the towns you are interested in. Alaska's SLED project has a list of Alaska newspapers that have web versions.