Oliver Leavitt and Ed Rasmuson were born and brought up in two different worlds. They were thrown together by the growing pains of Alaska and became close friends as a result. They both had reverence for the history of their families, but were able to focus on the future. They did not wallow in past stories and ways of life; rather, they found ways to make it better and easier for Alaskans.
I remember Oliver telling stories when questioned about the oil money coming to the North, and how it was destroying the Native culture. He would laugh and say he did not miss getting up in the dark and hauling driftwood into their small home to heat up the water, which had frozen overnight. He remembered the days when there was only one phone in the village at the town grocery store; now there’s WiFi in every home.
He did not miss having to get permission for a medevac plane to land to evacuate a sick person.
There’s now a public airport, schools, and a hospital. Oliver was a part of this growth.
Oliver promoted using the best of modern conveniences to make life easier, and he quietly encouraged the youth in embracing everything good in their Native culture through his actions.
To be on his whaling team was an honor and a learning experience. Use a fast snowmachine
and a skin boat — it works! Sing songs, dance and share the bounty of a captured whale — but go get your education. Go to school, get a job, and have a family.
Oliver and Ed were good friends. They had the same quiet sense of humor— you had to listen to what they said to capture the story and the tone. Theyshared their wealth of knowledge and history and gave their personal time to any group that asked. They were leaders and greatly respected.
These two men were kind men — stern men who got things done. Everyone they touched knew Oliver and Ed were good men.
They were loved and admired by so many. I imagine the two of them sitting down by the edge of the ice, sharing some of Ed’s smoked salmon telling stories and having intense discussions about the next step to take for Alaska.
— Cathryn Rasmuson
Anchorage
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