I was amused by the politically correct but patently ridiculous article "Biofuels -- Alaska's new power plants?" in the spring 2009 issue of Aurora.

I am a lifelong Alaskan who grew up using every source of heat in his life from anthracite to windburn. We cannot meaningfully grow ourselves out of a near-term dependence on fossil fuel. Old french-fry oil, putting up wind generators (where they will hopefully work), or squeezing fuel out of beans may be green but are hardly worth their contributory effort. Burning barley for fuel -- a food resource a starving world will need more with each passing day -- or wasting land resources, precious water, fuel and fertilizer, growing corn to convert to alcohol for fuel for cars are ideas that don't even warrant being termed unproductive.

The word nuclear is a word that freezes most Americans into inaction. Yet nuclear power plants of a size small enough even to meet remote Alaska village needs are ready and waiting. I would wager in twenty years, under a determined program, added nuclear plants could wean us of a majority of our dependence on world oil suppliers, countries which tolerate America only because we keep them rich by buying their product.

Instead of grinding rapeseed, which doesn't even like to grow in Alaska, how much money, I wonder, is being spent on research into a process for removing the bad stuff from large quantities of coal, turning this almost unlimited source of national and Alaskan fuel into something that would at least rival oil in clean-burning quality? Surely American ingenuity could accomplish that! How about a grant, or even a national competition, leading the way to make this happen, UofA?

Dennis Lattery, '67

P.S. We need to make some big decisions regarding our national energy policy. If we are going to lick this hydrocarbon stranglehold thing we need to concentrate on large-scale energy sources WE have available to work with.

I went thru the issue on the screen without really getting at it. I am in the middle of another effort -- the portion of the history of Auburn engineering -- when I had it so I will look at Aurora more closely later. Initial impression GREAT!! So many things remind me of the wonderful time, people and events from Fairbanks. One on the 50th reminded me of the pope/president meeting when I was selected as protocol chief for the event. (NEVER, NEVER, NEVER ACCEPT SUCH A JOB.) Among other things I had to set the seating for the meal with the president with all the invitees from town. You sure lose friends when you seat them below the salt when someone else gets a better seat. Keep the faith and the job.

Vincent Haneman, dean emeritus, School of Engineering

Editor’s note: President Reagan and Pope John Paul II met in Fairbanks in 1984 while each was on layover. President Reagan gave a speech in the Patty Gym during his stay.
 

We received the Aurora this week and when I read of the 50th season celebration of the Fairbanks Symphony, I had to share a special memory.

My husband, Rev. Dave Crockett, was the pastor of the University Community Presbyterian Church at College during the '70s. He had been asked to perform a wedding at a lodge in the Brooks Range. The wedding party was to fly into the lodge in a small plane. The morning of the wedding it was about 55 below. He packed all kinds of cold-weather gear and headed out to the airport.

Rather than wait around home and worry, I took our three children to a Fairbanks Symphony children's concert directed by Gordon Wright. The auditorium was surprisingly full, but then everyone there had to have two seats -- one to sit on and one for their coats, hats, mittens and scarves. Gordon came out to direct in a wool plaid shirt and knee-high mukluks. If memory serves, I believe Carnival of the Animals was on the program that day. It was a wonderful afternoon, a great diversion, enjoyed and appreciated by all.

My husband returned safe and sound later that afternoon. The small plane had landed safely at the lodge. The pilot told the wedding party, "You've got twenty minutes." A quick wedding, a glass of champagne, and they were off again, and threaded their way through the ice fog on their return to Fairbanks.

Dorothy Tonseth Crockett

Class notes, Aurora spring 2009 -- David Kingsland is principal of Seward Elementary School in Seward.