Colleagues Remember Chris Birch
“This is a devastating loss to our state. Chris was a good, principled man of character, one who treated everyone with dignity and respect. You could always count on him to stand up for what’s right, regardless of the political consequences. His absence in the Capitol will be keenly felt by all who had the privilege to know him.” — Senate President Cathy Giessel “Chris’ passing came as a shock to us all. He was extremely fit, in both mind and body. Chris never met a hiking trail he didn’t like and could often be found on top of a mountain range, rain or shine. He carried that same mindset to the Senate floor and didn’t shy away from the tough topics. Instead, he worked hard for Alaska’s best future, while always maintaining a positive outlook. He was my colleague, my hiking partner, my dear friend. I will miss him deeply.” — Senator Natasha von Imhof “Chris and Pam have been friends from our days in Fairbanks so many years ago and have shared with us a lifetime of adventures. Our families raised children together and spent countless days enjoying Alaska’s great outdoors. He was al- ways proud to be the only mining engineer in the Legislature.” — Representative Jennifer Johnston “Pam and her family were childhood friends of my family and I met Chris his Freshman in the legislature... wished I had known him longer. Neat guy, smart as a whip and knew half the peo- ple in Alaska it seemed. Huge loss for Alaska. Just a shocker as he was like a mountain goat, climbing mountains here in Juneau.” — Scott Spickler “A great friend and a great loss. One thing that Chris stated on various occasions was that he was conceived at the Indepen- dence Mine at Hatcher Pass where his dad worked, and his parents lived in the mine camp.” — Steve Borell “Chris always had a friendly face, a thoughtful word, and a good story. His sudden passing reminds me that we all have an expiration date on the milk bottle of our lives, so to speak, and to be always ready to meet our Creator. Remembering a good public servant.” — Doug Isaacson “Very sad news indeed. He contributed much to the state and was as staunch an advocate for the mining industry as we could hope for.” — John Shively “Thanks for the opportunity to share thoughts and memories for our industry from one of our greatest allies. As you saw at the only Anchorage Branch meeting I’ve attended, he loved anything that had to do with getting young Alaskans engaged. He was so generous with his time to come and speak with the students.” — Graham Neale “I first met and worked with Chris Birch during the Reagan presidency on the BLM Advisory Council. We enjoyed many spirited exchanges on the Council when dealing with tough and thorny issues facing Alaska - from a Federal land man- agement perspective. I admired the way he always spent time during the breaks talking with and trying to gain insight from those folks that he disagreed with on various issues we were discussing. He always had my respect ... and was a good teacher and colleague in the ensuing years of our friendship.” — Charlie Boddy
Chris Birch was proud of his career and legacy in the mining industry and took every opportunity to work with Alaska’s miners.
Chris also was eager to teach and share ideas with young Alaskans, as he’s doing in this classroom.
At last year’s AMA convention, Chris posed for a photo with Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Laddie Shaw, who Chris often called “my representative.”
www.alaskaminers.org I The Alaska Miner I September 2019
13
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease