Letter to the Editor

There are Still Kind and Caring Alaskans among Us

To the Editor:

Last Tuesday, I was again reminded of how special some Alaskans are. As a 71-year-old woman, I was deterred by the hurricane-force winds and ice slick roads from coming out for a while I postponed taking my 16-year-old dog to get her nails clipped due to conditions. It needed done badly, so I dug out. When making a left off the Parks Hwy, I got the sensation of washboards on the road. Went to the gas station, and when leaving, got that same sensation. I pulled over and looked. My front driver’s side tire was flat. I approached a few people to pay to have my tire changed. Everyone was pleasant, but busy.

I called a couple of roadside aid businesses and left messages. While waiting, I approached a man named Mark. He agreed to help and didn’t want to get paid for it.

Mark found a 3-inch gash in the tire. It turned into a big production because the spare tire was mounted underneath the van body and wouldn’t come down. Mark is one of the calmest and most patient men I have ever met. Even after struggling with the spare for a long time, unsuccessfully, he never got angry or impatient. He voluntarily called tire shops to find the correctly-sized tire. He spent his time taking my tire to the shop to have the new one mounted.

In that it was 13 degrees, Mark put his portable propane heater in my van so we two old ladies wouldn’t freeze while waiting.

After all that, I still had to insist to give him something. What a kind and generous person.

Since the day was shot, I decided to just pick up my mail and go home, when again I encountered more kindness. The giant berm down the middle of the highway made left turns very difficult, but the right to my mailbox was impassable. I turned left, parked on the frontage road and started walking when a nice man pulled over to ask if I needed help. After crossing the highway, there was another man on a 4-wheeler plowing. He stopped plowing, drove over and asked if I needed help.

So in spite of a terrible day, I was comforted in knowing there are still kind and caring people out there.

Della Dempsey

Wasilla