Have a question about Alaska and aren't sure where to turn? Alaska journalism pioneer Lee Jordan is now offering his expertise via a new Facebook page dedicated to answering inquiries from anyone who asks, Chugiak-Eagle River Star reports.
Jordan's page, "Ask Lee About Alaska," launched last month, and has since accumulated more than 450 members.
Jordan, 82, has first-hand knowledge of the state ranging back to 1947, the year he first arrived in Alaska on assignment with the Army. He ended up sticking around.
Jordan was working as a typesetter at the Anchorage Times newspaper in 1958 when the news of Alaska's statehood broke, and he personally set up the six-inch "WE'RE IN" headline that would become an iconic image in Alaska history. Jordan went on to found the Chugiak-Eagle River Star newspaper in 1971, has written several books on Alaska history, and was elected mayor of the short-lived Chugiak-Eagle River Borough in 1975.
Jordan originally set up the new Facebook page to let folks from outside the state ask about Alaska's history. "I just wanted to brag about the place I live," he told the Chugiak-Eagle River Star. But so far most of the questions have been posed from locals in Southcentral.
He hopes that more folks from the Lower 48 will ask questions as the Iditarod start date approaches, and is contacting educational groups about how to disseminate his vast knowledge of Alaska to a nationwide audience.
Read more at the Chugiak-Eagle River Star.