- Robert Atwood
Robert Bruce Atwood (1907–1997) was the long-time editor and publisher of the "
Anchorage Times ", and a proponent ofAlaska statehood.Biography
"Bob" Atwood was born
March 31 , 1907 inChicago, Illinois . He graduated fromClark University , and in 1932, married social worker Evangeline Rasmuson. They had two daughters, Marilyn and Elaine.Anchorage Times and Alaska statehood
Atwood moved to
Anchorage, Alaska in 1935. With the help of his father-in-law, he purchased the struggling "Anchorage Daily Times". Under his guidance, it became Alaska's largest daily newspaper.In 1949, the Alaska Territorial Legislature formed the Alaska Statehood Committee, appointing Atwood as Chairman. His pro-statehood lobbying efforts included visits to
Washington, D.C. and a steady stream of articles in his newspaper, such as a 1955 editorial where he argued that whereas commonwealth status was "wonderful" forPuerto Rico , "it wouldn't give Alaskans self-government, control of resources, tax exemptions or any of a number of benefits claimed by its supporters here."In 1954, Atwood partnered with brother-in-law
Elmer E. Rasmuson to invest in the lease of potential oil fields on theKenai Peninsula . The investment was to yield a fortune afterRichfield Oil (merged intoARCO in 1966) discovered oil in 1957 near theSwanson River .On
June 30 ,1958 , theUnited States Senate passed the bill admitting Alaska into the Union. Atwood's "Anchorage Daily Times" celebrated with a headline in six-inch type: “WE’RE IN.”On
January 3 ,1959 , Atwood was present (along with SenatorsEdward L. Bartlett andErnest Gruening , RepresentativeRalph J. Rivers and Territorial GovernorsWaino Hendrickson andMichael Anthony Stepovich ) in theWhite House Cabinet Room when PresidentDwight Eisenhower signed the proclamation that made Alaska the 49th state admitted into theUnited States .Philanthropy and retirement
In 1962, Atwood endowed the Atwood Foundation to promote education and the arts. In 1979, he established the Atwood Chair of Journalism at the
University of Alaska Anchorage .In 1987, Atwood's wife, Evangeline Rasmuson Atwood, died. The
Alaska Center for the Performing Arts was constructed in 1989, with the largest performance space designated as the Evangeline Atwood Concert Hall.In 1990, Robert Atwood stepped down as editor and sold the "Anchorage Times" (as the "Anchorage Daily Times" had been renamed) to Bill Allen of petroleum services giant VECO.
Atwood's daughter Marilyn died in 1994. Robert B. Atwood died on
January 10 ,1997 .Legacy
At the time of his death, Robert Atwood was collaborating with journalist John Strohmeyer on a biography. After Atwood's death, Strohmeyer completed the work under the title "Alaska Titan". But before it could be published, Atwood's daughter, Elaine, sued to prevent it from being distributed. In 1999, Strohmeyer and Elaine Atwood entered into an agreement giving Elaine Atwood two years to produce her own biography, to be entitled "Bob Atwood's Alaska". "Bob Atwood's Alaska" did not appear until after Elaine Atwood's death in 2003.
In 1998, the Robert B. Atwood Building at 550 W. Seventh Avenue in Anchorage was named by the Alaska State Legislature. The Atwood name also appears in the Atwood Center at
Alaska Pacific University .References
* [http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/7588786p-7499964c.html Profile from the Anchorage Daily News' "Alaska Scrapbook"]
* [http://www.alaska.edu/creatingalaska/StatehoodFiles/whoswho/alaskans/atwood.xml Profile at "Alaskans for Statehood"]
* [http://www.alaska.edu/creatingalaska/newsarchive/index1.xml?id=14 "Commonwealth Not For Alaska"]Bibliography
* Atwood, Robert B. "Bob Atwood's Alaska: The Memoirs of a Legendary Newspaper Man" 2003 (ISBN 0-9740036-1-1)
External links
* [http://www.atwoodfoundation.org/ Atwood Foundation]
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