Ladd

CITY OF HOMER

HOMER, ALASKA

RESOLUTION 03-14

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF HOMER, ALASKA, NAMING THE HOMER AIRPORT IN MEMORY OF GENERAL BENJAMIN B. TALLEY, LONG TIME RESIDENT OF THE HOMER COMMUNITY AND THEREFORE PRESERVING FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS HIS PIONEER SPIRIT AND LEADERSHIP THAT DIRECTED THE CONSTRUCTION OF NUMEROUS AIRFIELDS ACROSS THE ALASKA MAINLAND, DOWN THE PENINSULA, AND ON MANY ALEUTIAN ISLANDS IN DEFENSE OF ALASKA AND THE NATION DURING WORLD WAR II, AND PROVIDED ALASKANS A WORKING VISION FOR PRESENT DAY AIR TRANSPORTATION.

WHEREAS, it is appropriate that Alaska’s pioneer history be preserved for future generations through the naming of municipal structures and property after those whose accomplishments made significant and profound contributions to the Last Frontier and communities therein, and

WHEREAS, Brigadier General Benjamin B Talley, long time resident of the Homer area dedicated his life to the construction of airfields and air transportation in Alaska, and

WHEREAS, in September 1940, then Captain Benjamin Talley, became resident engineer in charge of construction of the airfield at Yakutat, and flew to that location with then Governor Gruening where Talley located, and supervised the construction of runways and accompanying barracks, and

WHEREAS, by January, 1941, convinced that the United States would soon be at war, he made a fundamental and very basic decision that construction and paving of Elmendorf Field was necessary to the defense of the nation, and by October of that year under Benjamin B. Talley’s leadership two paved 5,000 feet runways and supporting structures were in place, and

WHEREAS, Benjamin B. Talley also directed and supervised the construction of a similar runway at Ladd Field in Fairbanks, and

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Resolution 03-14

City of Homer

WHEREAS, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Talley was charged with responsibility to determine the feasibility of constructing airstrips on several islands of the Aleutian Chain, which resulted in the building of airfields at Umiak, Adak, Atka, Amchitka, and later Attu and Shemya, and

WHEREAS, during the Battle of Attu, then Colonel Benjamin Talley and his engineers unloaded their construction equipment while the battle raged and began building an airfield for the coming invasion of Kiska that was able to accommodate PBY’s and land-based Ventura bombers as well as Air Force planes within a ten day period, and

WHEREAS, as the Officer In Charge of U.S. Army and Air Corps construction in Alaska he managed the outlay of $300 million for the construction of bases throughout mainland Alaska from January 1941 through June 1943, and

WHEREAS, this being the centennial year of the first flight in which the Wright Brothers made history at Kitty Hawk and it is fitting that the community of Homer celebrate the influence of air transportation and those pioneers who made this form of travel an integral part of daily life.

NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY OF HOMER HEREBY RESOLVES:

1. That the Homer Airport be named “Benjamin B. Talley Municipal Airport” in memory of Brigadier General Benjamin B. Talley whose intrepid personality and character guided the construction of numerous Alaskan airfields which made possible the successful conduct of the air and ground war during World War II and later the further development and growth of Alaska; an

2. That a future ordinance, if needed, recommending the appropriation of funds for signage and a plaque remembering Benjamin B. Talley and his accomplishments will be forthcoming if funding cannot be arranged through private contributions and organizations.

Passed and Adopted by the Homer City Council this 27th day of January, 2003.

CITY OF HOMER

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ATTEST: JACK CUSHING, MAYOR

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MARY L. CALHOUN, CMC, CITY CLERK

Fiscal Note: Price of signage and/or plague may be a partnership, donation and Council appropriating ordinance.