K+t&w- 'Ifo-uA, 'UtUoesviity
(concluded)
On June 15, 1935, Dr. C. Earl
Albrecht arrived in Anchorage—
a brand new Cheechako. Little
-did he know then that, in the
next 15 years, he would become
one of Alaska's
best-known cit
izens, a crusad
er for health, a
colonel in the
Army and a
Regent of the
Territory’s un
iversity.
Dr. Albrecht
was the third
doctor to come
t o Anchorage.
He joined Dr. J. H. Romig and
Dr. A. L. Walkowski, physicians
*at the Alaska Railbelt hospital.
(Anchorage now has two score
M.D.’s in the area.)
Albrecht’s arrival was timely.
The health problem in the newly
established Matanuska Colony
had become acute. Scarlet fever
had broken out, and the colonists
were in a state of anger and ter
ror.
Dr. Romig and Col. O. F. Ohl
son, then general manager of the
ARR, made a special trip to the
Valley, found the situation so
-critical that they wired Algrecht
to proceed there immediately.
The young doctor was given four
hours, from 6 to 10 p.m., to col
lect equipment, medical supplies
and three nurses, and have them
aboard a special train.
: “At 2 a. m. — just as soon as
>enough of the hospital had been
hoarded in—we took in our first
patient—a boy about 10 suffering
from chicken - pox and asthma.
"We had four more patients that
alight. As we worked, we as
sured the colonists that their
loved ones would have the best
.medical and nursing care pos
sible. You could see and feel the
tension go out of the people,” Al
brecht said.
A special committee sent out
from Washington, D. C., decided
that a modern hospital should be
built in Matanuska at once. The
committee asked Dr. Albrecht to
become the resident physician.
After consulting Dr. Romig, Al
brecht signed on the dotted line.
With a permanent job, a com:
munity he liked, and an already
impressive tally of new babies to
his credit, Dr. Albrecht did “what
•comes naturally.” He wired a
nurse technician at the Abing
don Memorial Hospital in Phil
adelphia, asking her whether
she, too, would like a permanent
job in Alaska. On September 6,
1935, Miss Blanche Smith and C.
Flarl Albrecht were married in
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C. Earl Albrecht
| Anchorage by Dr. J. H. Romig,
t Moravian medical missionary,
j who had been Albrecht’s inspira
| tion throughout his formative
years, and his boss since coming
to Alaska.
In later years Dr. Romig bap
tized the two Albrecht children.
The groom took his bride to
; the tent town of Palmer. The
j Albrechts lived in a tent uijtil
i February 1, 1936, when the hos
i pital residence was partially com
j pleted.
• The next four years, Dr. Al
| brecht ministered to the physical
needs of the people and “harvest
ed” Matanuska’s best and surest
crop—the babies of the Valley.
For four years he was also physi
cian for the children at the ANS
vocational school at Eklutna. Dr.
Albrecht was a prime mover in
getting the dairy industry of the
Valley onto a Grade “A” basis,
with good stock, clean barns and
highest prices for quality milk.
As a reserve officer in the Med
ical Corps, Albrecht was called
into service December 1, 1941, a
week before Pearl Harbor Day.
He fought the war at Fort Rich
ardson. Literally scores of med
ical corpsmen and doctors on the*
Chain were products of Albrecht’s
instyrction. He entered the Army
as a captain, was discharged a
full colonel.
The 1945 Territorial Legisla
ture established the position of
Commissioner of Health as a full
time job, and, by unanimous vote
of the Board of Health, Albrecht
was offered the job.
It was a most difficult decision
to make,” Albrecht said. “My old
job at Palmer was waiting for me,
and I thoroughly enjoyed the ac
tive practice of medicine. But the
opportunity of helping to solve
the major health problems of
Alaska was the deciding factor.”
Two months after he accepted
the position, Dr. Albrecht aroused
the citizens of Alaska with his
“Analysis of the Health Problems
of the Territory.” This document
exposed the high incidence of tu
bersulosis, the startling percent
age of crippled children, poor en
vironmental conditions of many
communities and a total lack of
basic research in the medical sci
ences in Alaska.
An extraordinary session of the
legislature was called in 1946,
and a quarter-million dollars ap
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JUAN P. MILLER
Box 1528
Mountain View
Mac's Plumbing
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Located in Basement of the Ward Bldg.
j propriated for an all-out fight on
1 TB. Time magazine gave the ap
propriation large display. Com
missioner Albrecht made success
ful trips to Washington with
Alaska Native Service executives
to get money for TB hospitals.
Result: a 200 - bed hospital at
Sitka, a 400-bed hospital at An
chorage and TB control units at
Bethel, Kanakanak, Kotzebue and
Point Barrow. Dr. Albrecht
worked with the U. S. Health
Service in persuading Congress
to provide $1,300,000 for health
and sanitation in Alaska.
Dr." Albrecht received a signal
honor in 1948 when he was given
the Moravian College Alumni As
sociation award for “the most dis
tinguished graduate.”
A year later his leadership was
again called on when he was
named to the Board of Regents
of the University of Alaska. His
energy and ideas have made him
a valued member of the Board.
Since Dr. Albrecht has been on
the Board of Regents (one of
eight members), a new president
has been selected for the Univer
sity, an active building program
has been energized, Eielson Me
morial Hall has been completed,
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Palmer Gold Storage
and Looker Service
and a half-million-dollar school
of mines building approved.
Faculty salaries have beer
raised, summer school sessions
established, a graduate school
approved and a broad program
authorized for “bringing the Uni
versity to the people” through
adult education courses for credil
in the major towns of the Terri
tory and the establishment of jun
ior college instruction.
HOME FROM HOSPITAL
Mr. and Mrs. William Heckei
took their small daughter, Patri
cia, home from the Valley hos
pital last week. Patricia hac
LADIES AID MEETS
FOR APRON SEWING
Members of the United Protes
tant Ladies Aid met at the home
of Mrs. Aaron Remple last week.
The ladies spent the evening sew-'*
ing aprons that will be displayed
at a future sale to be sponsored
by the ladies Aid.
IS IN SEWARD
Wallace C. Moffitt is in Sew
ard helping with the ice harvest
for a packing company. Mr. Mof
fitt is expected to return to his
i home here in the Valley either
! this week or next.
| been hospitalized for pneumonia.
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Palmer, Alaska
Open Friday Evenings—5 to 7 P. M.
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