Great Alaskan Earthquake

I was born in American Fork, Utah on St. Patrick's Day, 1956. As the fourth of five children, I grew up subject to all the joys of family life. My older brother used to tell me, among other things, that I was weird because the United States had done a lot of nuclear testing in 1956 and the radiation had "affected" me. At the tender age of six, my family moved to Alaska and opened up the Holiday Motel in Anchorage. We later changed the name to the Barratt Inn.

Our family struggled to make a business of the hotel until the Great Alaskan Earthquake of 1964. The earthquake destroyed most of Anchorage. It was a harrowing time for all Alaskans, but we were fortunate in the fact that our hotel was only slightly damaged. When my parents realized how serious the situation was for our guests and neighbors, they opened the doors of our hotel and helped many, many people. It was an experience I have never forgotten.