Alaskan Hero

Russell Wight Dow '3B, who first made tracks for Alaska in 1935 shortly after leaving Hanover, was reported as having heroed the rescue of ten of the United States Army's skiers there recently. Dow, former Dartmouth skier, is instructing soldiers in the art of the boards.

The ten skiers, testing equipment and methods for possible use in cold-weather warfare, left Anchorage, Alaska, with supplies for five days, intending to make a two-day mush through mountain passes and then retrace their steps. A blizzard over-took them and stretched the one-way trip to four days and an Army bomber and civilian plane were sent on an aerial search for the party. In the meantime, Dow had led the skiers to a railroad section house called Indian, Alaska, and they were able to telephone all safe and accounted for from there.

Dow became familiar with Alaskan territory through frequent trips for glacial movement study and aerial photography. In 1937-38, he was engaged in the advance freighting for the Bradford Washburn Alaskan Expedition.