Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan called former Senator Ted Stevens a “tireless advocate for the people of Alaska.”
In a statement released on Tuesday after hearing the news of Stevens’ death, Sullivan said he was “deeply saddened by the passing of our good friend Senator Ted Stevens. ”
Stevens and four others were killed in a plane crash north of Dillingham on Monday night. Three of the survivors were flown to Anchorage for treatment. The single-engine float plane was registered to GCI in Anchorage. It was a De Havilland DHC-3T (N455A), according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
“Ted Stevens was a kind, decent man. Alaska and America lost one of its finest today, and I grieve along with the rest of the state” Sullivan said. “Our prayers are with his wife, Catherine, and all the members of the Stevens family.”
“Throughout his long and storied public career, Senator Stevens was a tireless advocate for the people of Alaska, a stalwart defender of the Alaskan way of life and a passionate believer in the future of the state.”
Sullivan said his parents first met Stevens in the 1950’s in Fairbanks where they were “close friends and political allies for more than 50 years. ”
“We lived just down the street from the Stevens after both families later moved to Anchorage,” Sullivan said. “I used to babysit the Stevens children, and my brothers and sisters and I were their friends and classmates. We shared many good times and fond memories with the Stevens family.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all the victims of the crash and their families, as well as the entire GCI family, including its 1,250 employees.”
