Redington bronze dedicated at Iditarod legend’s namesake school

KNIK — An approximate 3,300-pound, life-sized bronze casting of Iditarod co-founder Joe Redington Sr. was officially unveiled at his namesake junior-senior high school in Knik Friday afternoon. Palmer artist Patrick Garley told the gathered onlookers he was proud to be a part of “Joe Redington Sr. on the Trail.”

Borough, Mat-Su Borough School District and other officials joined a large contingent of the Redington family as well as a good-sized crowd at the dedication.

“It just fit and was as simple as could be,” Garley said. “It came by itself.”

Garley said he was honored to be chosen for the project.

“I never got to meet Joe but you feel like you know him. He’s part of the history of the whole state,” Garley said. He credited his crew and his wife and thanked them for letting him be an artist.

Barb Redington told the crowd it was great to see the father of the Iditarod’s legend live on.

“We see it in the material things left behind. His three grandsons who participate in the Iditarod,” Redington said. “This is pretty awesome!”

Redington also unrolled a large scroll, longer than she was tall, at the podium. On the scroll was a list of things she and her family share with daily visitors from around the world to the Iditarod headquarters in Wasilla.

“I have another thing I can tell the tourist about the Iditarod when I talk about Joe Redington Sr.,” she quipped.

Iditarod CEO Stan Hooley took the microphone stating he thought of a lot of things to bring up about Redington “…in the all too brief six-year period of time I had to work with him.” Hooley noted that this June marked the 18th year of the patriarch’s death.

“Without Joe, there wouldn’t have been an Iditarod. This school would have a different name,” Hooley said. Hooley said Redington’s grit and determination and the desire to see his dream come to fruition lives on in the annual race from Anchorage to Nome.

“His life impacted us in a lot of different ways,” Hooley said. “My hope is this remarkable bronze statue will cause everyone who walks by — whether that be the young people who come here for their education or those who visit less frequently — to be reminded of the place in history that Joe played in making the Iditarod a reality. More importantly, I’m hoping they will develop an understanding of his life. That they make a connection in his undying spirit to pursue a dream. I believe that inspiring others to stay focused on their dreams at times of adversity may very well be his greatest contribution to us all.”

Borough Mayor Vern Halter, and Mat-Su Assembly members Dan Mayfield and Randall Kowalke joined several others in presenting a $25,000 check to the Iditarod Committee. The donation was made to help race officials with the continuing issues at Rainy Pass. Halter said Kowalke and Mayfield were instrumental in securing the funds. Halter said not having the race restart in Willow, he thought, would hurt Redington’s feelings.

In accepting the check, Hooley said the last thing the committee wants to do is move the race’s start from the Valley to Fairbanks, which has happened in recent years because of poor conditions at Rainy Pass in the Alaska Range. He said committee officials work as hard as possible to use the traditional trail. He said there really isn’t anything like a marked trail for areas of the race.

“We create a trail every year,” Hooley said. “This funding is absolutely critical to get the resources in place to (make trail improvements). This will go a long way toward getting a lot of work done in a critical area.”

A ribbon-cutting ceremony wrapped up the event but not before Barb Redington took the podium one last time. She told the crowd that this fall, Joe Redington’s great-granddaughter, Ellen Redington, will be the first family member to attend the school.

Contact reporter Chris Ford at 352-2270 or chris.ford@frontiersman.com