OPINION: Celebrate Alaska on Ted Stevens Day

When the Alaska Legislature designated the fourth Saturday of July as Ted Stevens Day, it was a tremendous honor. But it also presented a challenge: How could you celebrate a man whose service to Alaska and the nation had so many facets? He strengthened our national security, protected Alaska’s fisheries, and enhanced infrastructure of all types across Alaska, to name just a few of his many impacts on our lives. To further his legacy and spread some of his strongest passions, a few things stood out: staying fit and healthy and enjoying all that Alaska has to offer. So, we should all get out and play on Ted Stevens Day.

I witnessed his dedication to fitness from my earliest memories, as I have the great fortune of being able to call him Dad. He exercised every day and always took the stairs. Many Alaskans worked with him as interns or staff, and quickly learned to wear comfortable shoes because he moved at a rapid pace. Always. At 86, he whipped a fierce serve over the tennis net and could hike to the top of Alyeska.

He was also committed to supporting amateur sports, in particular ensuring equal support for women and those with disabilities. In 1972, he co-sponsored Title IX of the Equal Education Amendments Act, making it illegal to discriminate on the basis of sex in any educational institution receiving federal funds. It had an enormous impact on working towards equality in sports for women. He was an architect of what is now known as the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act of 1978, which established a foundation for governance of Olympic sports in our country. An amendment he proposed in 1998 expanded the Act to cover the Paralympics.

He spent his 40 years as Alaska’s U.S. senator fighting many, many battles. To recharge, he took time from his grueling schedule to spend time doing the things he loved in Alaska. He fished with his grandkids, he went on hikes, and he chopped wood. He danced in villages, he snowshoed and he soaked up the sunshine.

Dad was killed in a plane crash near Aleknagik in 2010, where he was spending time with friends on a fishing trip. A few years later, my husband and I planned a day on the Kenai. Just before the alarm was set to go off at 4:30 a.m., a brief but strong earthquake shook the apartment. We had a good laugh — even from the beyond, he made sure I was “up and at ‘em” to not miss a minute out on the river.

On Ted Stevens Day this Saturday, July 27, spend some solo time or with family and friends being active and having fun in our great outdoors. I will see you out there.

Lily Stevens Becker is the youngest of Ted Stevens’ six children. She is president of the Ted Stevens Foundation and a mother of three girls who outpace her in following their grandfather’s model of daily exercise. She is also an attorney and founder of Stevens Becker P.C. Learn more about Ted Stevens and share photos of your Ted Stevens Day at www.tedstevensfoundation.org, on Instagram, and on Facebook.

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