LISTENING PROJECT: When Al met Sally…

Sally Norheim met Al Dwyer up on Alaska’s North Slope during the wild and woolly Alaska Pipeline days. They tell stories of what it was like to work and play under rugged conditions, and how their romance began. It is a compelling tale of the cold, the snow and the darkness and the lively social life that sprang up among the workers.

They tell a hilarious story about getting stranded in Destruction Bay in winter time when their car broke down as they weretraveling to Petersburg to introduce Al to his future mother-in-law.

LISTENING PROJECT: Don Nelson & Bev Hammer

Bev Hammer interviewed Don Nelson about his life in Petersburg and he told riveting stories about what living in town was like during World War II including acompelling description of the blackouts.

Can you imagine the Main Street business windows covered with plywood, so no light would escape, and what it must have been like moving through the darkened streets of town in winter?

Don described the town’s reaction to the Pearl Harbor invasion, and the rounding up of Japanese citizens. He also told how he and Palmer Odegaard ( both age 10) were watching for enemy airplanes from the roof of the old gym, and how they got the MPs that came to guard the docks to let the boys drive their jeeps to town.

He also tells of early years in Petersburg when his grandfather arrived with Peter Buschmann in 1901 and shares some family history along with fond childhood memories. Both Bev and Don share their love of Petersburg in this delightful and informative interview.