James L. Whisenhant

Longtime Fairbanks resident James Lawrence "Whizzy" Whisenhant, 73, died May 26, 2006. He died from complications after surgery at the University of Washington Hospital in Seattle.

Jim was born in Livingston, Texas, on Groundhog Day, Feb. 2, 1933.

Jim served in the National Guard and was mobilized into the U.S. Air Force. He served as a communications operator at Moses Lake, Wash., during the Korean War.

After moving to Fairbanks in 1954, Jim received his master's degree in education/administration from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He and his future wife, Elizabeth, met at Calvary Baptist Church in Fairbanks and were married there on Jan. 24, 1958.

He taught at Denali, Hunter, Main, Ryan and Lathrop schools between 1957 and 1976. In 1974, he founded Beaver Sports. After 25 years of operating the store, friends told him he couldn't handle retirement, but he did. He said he had too many irons in the fire to accomplish.

Jim had been a deacon at University Baptist Church since 1958, as well as chairman of every major building project and dedicated Sunday school teacher since the church's beginning.

He served on the boards of Alaska Baptist Foundation, State Parks, director of Arctic Winter Games International Board 1982-1994, Parks and Recreation Board for 15 years, ski coach from 1965-1976. He was a member of Kiwanis Club, Nordic Ski Club and the Chamber of Commerce.

He received the Governor's Commendation Award in 1994 for services rendered to the Arctic Winter Games; National Science Teacher of the Year; Conservation Educator for the Year for the National Wildlife Federation; Alumni Achievement Award for outstanding community achievement in 2001; and the Governor's TRAAK Award in 1999.

He was honored by having the Birch Hill Trail System renamed the Jim Whisenhant Ski Trails. Cross-country skiing was his favorite sport, but he also enjoyed scuba diving, canoeing, running, bicycling, hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, traveling, his friends and playing "42."

His family said, "He loved all that life had to offer. He taught all of his children to ski and instilled a strong work ethic in them. He also taught us to not sit around and feel sorry about something but to get up and do something about it. He viewed difficulties as opportunities, not problems. He humbled us with his will to survive throughout his illness. We loved him dearly."

He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Elizabeth Whisenhant; children and their spouses, Greg and Jennifer Whisenhant, Brenda and Ted Bond, Chris and Lalaunie Whisenhant and Elise and Yurii Miller; grandchildren, Kyle, Kristina, Bart, Stephanie, Alex, Emily, Elizabeth, Peter and Kirsten; sister, Gladys Wyatt; niece, Dianna Cruz; and nephews, Dennis Campbell and Tony Addison.