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June Allen Column
 Harold
Gillam: A Tragic Final Flight; Ketchikan remembers the search
- Harold Gillam was among the boldest of those gutsy pioneer
bush pilots who painted Alaska's early aviation history on an
enormous canvas of rugged and unforgiving wilderness often cradled
in the foulest, most extreme weather on the planet.
Oldtime pilots said that there
were three kinds of Alaska weather: clear and unlimited, called
Pan Am weather; then ordinary weather, and lastly, there was
"Gillam weather." While more prudent pilots sat out
the worst days, the quiet-loner Gillam would shake his head and
say, "The weather's never as bad as it looks."
There were, of course, times
the weather was indeed as bad as it looked and Gillam had his
share of heart-stopping takeoffs, hairy landings, and more than
a few minor accidents and serious crashes as well. But it was
said that he had cat's eyes and could fly in the winter darkness
as well as the daylight. Early in his career the lucky pilot
had been given the nickname "Thrill 'em, spill 'em, no kill
'em Gillam." - Read
the rest of this story by June Allen...
Tuesday - August 17, 2004
 Ketchikan's
'Fish House Tessie'; She was proud of the nickname
Fairbanks:
Golden Heart City; A story of its founding
Remembering
'Swede' Risland (1915-1991);The town's most memorable logger
Alaska's
Deepwater Highway; A part of Alaska history
Ketchikan's
American Legionnaires; Here's to 'the boys' of Post #3 -
Ketchikan's
Cruise Ship Industry; A light-hearted look at its origins
Ketchikan's
First City Players; Did you hear that applause?
A
biography of Alaska's herring: A little fish of huge importance...
Read more stories by June Allen...
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