A lifetime of service and change

WASILLA -- Katie Hurley has lived in the same house on Wasilla Lake for 41 years. She has seen the shores of the lake change drastically in that time; where there were once only a few scattered cabins set back in the woods, the shoreline is now accented by a chain of houses, highways and a massive Fred Meyer store.

The house itself -- a two-story wooden structure with the outside paint slowly peeling away -- is a standing symbol of Hurley's enduring, influential presence in the community and the state. She moved into the house in 1963, three years after serving as the secretary of the first state Senate in Alaska.

At a sprightly 83 years old, Hurley has grown up with Alaska. A longtime Valley resident, she literally has watched Wasilla build up around her.

Hurley is only the second person to own her house since the lakefront property was first homesteaded. When she first moved in, there were only a few couples in the area around Wasilla Lake, and Hurley knew them all.

"Wasilla was a small town in those days, even in the late seventies," Hurley said, sitting in front of large living room windows that look out across the lake. "When my daughters graduated from [Wasilla] high school, there was only about 250 students in the entire school."

Now Wasilla High is the largest school in the Mat-Su Borough, and Hurley's view of the lake is framed on all sides by large houses, docks and businesses. Next door, where an old Italian couple once lived in a small cabin surrounded by a field and birch trees, there now sits a Fred Meyer superstore surrounded by a massive parking lot and fast-food chains.

Hurley knows all about change; she was born in Juneau in 1921. After attending business college in Portland, she moved back to Alaska in 1940 and found a job in the office of Ernest Gruening, territorial governor of Alaska. After four years, she became Gruening's chief of staff, a post she held until 1953.

Two years later, Hurley served as chief clerk at the Alaska Constitutional Convention, keeping track of all 55 delegates and recording minutes for 75 days straight.

"It was one of the most exciting jobs I've ever had," Hurley said. "I was watching and observing a great change for Alaska."

Hurley moved to the Butte in 1960 after marrying Jim Hurley, one of the delegates at the convention. Together they raised a family in the Mat-Su while Hurley continued to be involved in local politics and public service.

But Hurley is more than a public servant; she is an advocate for women and children.

After serving on the state Board of Education for seven years, she became the first woman to win a statewide partisan race, winning the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor in 1978; it was the first time she ever ran in an election. With seven other men, she was the only woman on the Democratic ticket that year.

Although Democratic candidate Chancy Croft lost his bid for governor that year, Hurley didn't stay out of politics for long.

In 1980 she was appointed executive director of the Alaska Commission on the Status of Women. During her years as director, and while on the education board, she fought for Title IX and affirmative action. In 1982 Hurley presided over Alaska's first statewide conference on the status of women; it drew more than 1,000 people from across the state.

From working as a legislator in the state House of Representatives, to sitting on the Alaska Judicial Council, to serving on the Matanuska Telephone Association board as recently as this summer, in one way or another, Hurley has been involved in public service since 1941.

Now that election season is over, she will be devoting her time to local schools, helping children learn how to read.

"One of the most important things to do is to learn to read for enjoyment," Hurley said. "Children should have a chance to dream and go places through reading."

Gov. Frank Murkowski honored Hurley's lifelong commitment to education and public service last week at the 2004 Governor's Awards for the Arts and Humanities. At the awards dinner, Hurley received a Lifetime Achievement Award for the Humanities.

And her commitment is still strong. As the Valley continues to grow, Hurley is keeping a watchful eye. The crucial things to preserve, she says, are quality schools and green spaces.

"Development will continue as long as people think this is a nice place to raise a family," Hurley said, gazing out across Wasilla Lake. "You can't just have big building projects and good shopping, it's also important that we have good schools and that we preserve trees and parks. People move here because of the beauty of the place, and that's what will make them want to stay."

Contact John Davidson at john.davidson@frontiersman.com.