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[Pages S216-S217]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REMEMBERING BARNEY GOTTSTEIN
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Madam President, I speak in loving memory of
Barney Gottstein, a patriarch of Alaska's Jewish community, who passed
away on October 21 at the age of 91. He was buried in the Anchorage
Cemetery on October 22, in accordance with Jewish burial traditions.
I suspect that my colleagues might not be aware that Alaska is home
to a thriving Jewish community or that the origins of that community
preceded statehood by generations. One might be even more surprised to
know that Barney was not the first generation of Gottsteins to occupy a
leadership role in prestatehood Alaska, but the second generation. The
Gottstein family is up to four generations of leadership, with a
fifth--the great-grandchildren--now in place.
The first generation, Barney's father, Jacob B. Gottstein, originally
of Des Moines, IA, came to Anchorage in 1915, selling cigars and
confections out of the tent city established to construct the Alaska
railroad. Jake, as he was known, then opened a wholesale grocery and
dry goods business, known as J.B. Gottstein & Co., which made sales
calls by dog sled. You can't get more Alaskan than that. Jake passed
away in 1963.
Barney was born in Des Moines in 1925, but soon moved to Anchorage,
population 2,500, where he was raised. He enlisted in the Army and
served in the Army Air Corps. After the war, Barney went to the
University of Washington, studying to be an aeronautical engineer. That
didn't work out so well. He was told by a counselor
[[Page S217]]
that anti-Semitism would likely prevent Barney from getting a job in
his chosen field, so he switched to business and economics and came
home to work in the family business, but he didn't abandon his love for
flying. Barney was a licensed private pilot who loved to fly around
Alaska and beyond.
By the time Barney returned home, the family business was growing as
fast as the State. The focus had changed from dry goods to wholesale
groceries. Barney took it the next step. One of J.B. Gottstein's
customers was the Carr Brothers Grocery. The rest is history.
Barney partnered with Larry Carr to grow the retail grocery business
and pursue real estate ventures. Carr's Quality Centers sprung up
throughout Alaska, along with an associated chain of Eagle markets. By
the late 1980s, the Carr-Gottstein group of companies was the largest
Alaska-owned business in the State. Barney and Larry sold the grocery
side of the business in 1990 but remained in the real estate business.
Today the Carr's name remains on grocery stores in Anchorage, Eagle
River, and the Mat-Su Valley.
In 1989, Barney was inducted into the Alaska Business Hall of Fame,
and in 1991, he was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree by the
University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Barney's business success in Alaska was deeply respected, but his
community engagement even more so. He was chair of the Alaska Board of
Education and provided financial assistance that enabled hundreds of
Alaska Natives to pursue schooling. He was an inaugural member of the
Alaska State Commission on Human Rights as well.
Barney was active in Alaska's political life as well. He was chairman
of the Alaska Democratic Party, Alaska's Democratic National
Committeeman, and an Alaska delegate to the Democratic National
Conventions.
I mentioned that Barney was one of the patriarchs of Alaska's Jewish
community. An early supporter of the State of Israel, he was the face
of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC, in Alaska for
many years. Today, Barney's son David leads the AIPAC group in Alaska
and, in that capacity, is a frequent visitor to my office. He provided
financial support to enable young Jewish Alaskans to participate in the
``March of the Living,'' so that they might better understand the
legacy of the Holocaust. He visited Israel on many occasions and took
on the cause of supporting Ethiopian Jews who had made Aliyah to Israel
integrate into society and pursue advanced degrees.
Barney was not only a father figure to the Alaska Jewish community.
He was the patriarch of a large family himself. Barney is survived by
Rachel, his second wife, of 32 years, who not surprisingly he met on a
trip to Israel. Barney was father to seven children. Some of Barney's
children have followed in their father's footsteps to achieve positions
of great respect and prominence in Alaska. I am proud to count David,
Jim, Robert, and Sandy among my friends. A fourth generation of the
Gottstein family, the grandchildren, are just beginning to make their
mark, and there are great-grandchildren behind them.
On behalf of my Senate colleagues, I proudly pay my respects to
Barney Gottstein and his wonderful family. May his memory be a
blessing.
____________________
