Political Quotes

“it is with great honor and respect that today I acknowledge the 80th birthday of a great friend and leader in Alaska. Governor William ``Bill'' Sheffield has been a leader in business and government for most of the 55 years he has lived in Alaska. He served as Governor from 1982 to 1986, following a business career in which he built a company that became one of the largest private employers in Alaska and the Yukon Territory. Governor Sheffield came to Alaska in 1953 as a regional sales representative for Sears Roebuck in charge of television sales and service. He became one of the top salesmen in the nation during the 1950s and began his leadership in business groups such as the Jaycees and the Chamber of Commerce. In 1960, he purchased an Anchorage hotel, and founded Sheffield Enterprises. In 1964, literally the day before the great Alaska earthquake of March 27, 1964, he opened a new hotel in Anchorage. This began an expansion that eventually saw his company grow to 16 hotels with 750 employees. He sold the company in 1987 to Holland America Line-westours, one of the major players in Alaska's growing tourism market.”