Rooke Middy Johnson has family ties to the original 1925 serum run.
Unalakleet musher William ‘Middy’ Johnson is a rookie, but his grandfather, Henry Ivanoff, was on the original serum run in 1925. His nickname Middie is from his younger days when his grandmother called him Mr. William and younger kids who couldn’t quite say Mister, called him “Middy” and it stuck. Johnson says his father carried mail and worked for the army hauling freight with dogs. His father has been gone for many years, but he says dogs have always been in their family.
Photo and Story by Lori Townsend, APRN – Anchorage
Download Audio (MP3)
