Chuck Heath Jr. - Our Sarah: Made in Alaska

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Copyright 2012 by Charles R. Heath and Charles W. Heath

All photos courtesy of Chuck Heath Sr. collection.

All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the authors intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the authors rights.

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ISBN 978-1-4555-1626-1

To Sally, Abby, Heather, Molly, Kier, Teko, and Sophia.
Thanks for your patience and loving support.

W hen we were kids, our view of life outside Alaska was shaped by the occasional television show and by the even less frequent movies. What we saw on episodes of The Brady Bunch pretty much defined our view of how every kid in the lower forty-eight states must have lived. As much as we enjoyed the show, we never wanted to trade places with those kids. They never had the joy of climbing to the top of Hatcher Pass and breathing in the clean mountain air, swimming in Lake Lucille with ice still clinging to the shoreline, or watching a coastal stream churn with the energy of a salmon run. We were certain those kids from outside (the term Alaskans use for the lower forty-eight) would never last a minute in our world. Even at a young age, our view of what mattered in life had been molded and shaped by the things we encountered on our familys trek from Idaho to the shores of Cook Inlet.

On the surface, our parents were perhaps as different from each other as night and dayDad the tough outdoorsman, Mom the calm caregiver. Yet in many ways they were more alike than any couple Ive ever known. Their consistency and temperament gave us a solid, unmovable foundation from which to grow and mature.

Always the teacher and coach, they used every incident in our lives to instill in us the values we live by todaythose old-fashioned American values of courage, hard work, and fortitude in the face of difficulties. Most of all, they taught us that character matters and that love for God, for others, and for our country are priorities to live by. We learned those values from our parents as we grew up in Alaska, braving the cold for a morning moose hunt, ice-fishing on the lake near our home, and climbing the mountains in the spring to shoot ptarmigan. We also learned that no one accomplishes anything in life solely on his or her own, a point many people seem to have forgotten today.

When we were kids, Wasilla was little more than a cluster of homes. We knew almost everyone in the area. That kind of familiarity created a unique sense of community. More than once I remember our parents stopping on the road in winter to pick up someone whod been stranded by car trouble in subzero weather. Sometimes they were friends we knew well. Other times they were people we knew only by sight. It didnt matter. We scrunched over on the car seat to give them room and off we went to help them get where they were going. Along the way we met some interesting characters and learned to love the Alaskan sense of humoran ironic view of life that, seasoned with a healthy serving of pioneer grit, gives Alaskans the strength to persevere against seemingly insurmountable odds. They also showed us just how much true American ingenuity and entrepreneurship can accomplish.

Dad had a great sense of civic pride and taught us to love and respect our country and those who fought to keep our nation free. Mom made sure we were in church every Sunday and gave us a living example of humility, kindness, and a true servants heart. They both were active in the community and always ready to help with fun runs, charity events, and lending a hand to those in need.

When we were in school, most of our friends came from the sports teams on which we played. For Heather, Molly, and me, that meant basketball, track and field, and cross-country. Chucks friends were mostly from the football team. Later in life our circle of friends continued to expand in different directions as we each developed our own lives. We continue to see many of the people we knew years ago, though our lives have changed and life in the Mat-Su Valley has grown more hectic.

As they worked on this book, Im sure my father and brother enjoyed recalling many memories from our familys journey. Dad, in particular, always relished time spent sipping coffee with old friends while swapping tales about the adventures of days gone by and making plans for the ones yet to come.

Talking about the past is relatively easy compared to the more daunting task of putting those memories on paper. Having written books of my own, I know firsthand how exhausting producing a manuscript can be. And while we may enjoy hearing stories from the past, others are sometimes more reluctant to tell them. Coaxing them to help by opening up their memories often can be a challenge of its own, especially now. Many of our friends have learned the hard way that what they say in conversation doesnt always appear in print the way they meant it, even when its being written by a family member or a friend.

When Dad and Chuck Jr. started on this project, I was a little apprehensive about how things would turn out. Many books and articles have been written about us, and while some of them are honest, most are woefully inaccurate. I knew Dad and Chuck Jr. always had my best interests at heart; but Ive spent my life in public service, and the political side of public service can be quite nasty and especially hard on family members. Consequently, Im very protective of my immediate and extended familyfive generations of good Americans who, like most people, value their privacy.

In the pages that follow, Dad and Chuck Jr. share with you their personal stories and their views of how our family braved the unknown and pushed forward against the harsh climate and terrain of Alaska. Surviving and succeeding in the Last Frontier demands an independent spirit, much like Americas founders expected all citizens could and should share. Along the way, we had many life-changing experiences, made great memories, and developed some even greater friendships. I hope youll be inspired by their stories and by the warm Alaskan spirit they reflect.