Junior Achievement Alaska Business Hall of Fame Laureate: Carence Kramer: a man of many talents and achievements, he had his roo

When Clarence F. Kramer died on Dec. 4, 1978, he left behind a legacy of leadership and innovation in the Alaska logging industry. He succeeded in his endeavors despite many setbacks, the first of which was the Great Depression.

Kramer, the eldest son of Anna Laura and Fred Kramer, German immigrants, grew up on the family farm in South Prairie, Wash., a small community southeast of Seattle, near the foothills of Mount Rainier.

COLLEGE BOUND

Accustomed to the hard work of farm life, he graduated from Buckley High School several years ahead of students his own age. At 17 he started work as a logger, helping to support his family. However, Kramer had a goal. He wanted to obtain a college degree, and attended Bellingham National School, now Western Washington University, for one year before the Great Depression hit, and his parents lost everything.

Without money for college, Kramer went back to logging where he learned all that he could about the work, including choker settings, cable-splicing, tree-climbing and heavy-equipment operations. Armed with these extra skills, Kramer worked in logging camps in the Pacific Northwest region, eventually being promoted to foreman.

"He was fearless," said his son, Lee Kramer, "but had a strong streak of common sense. He had a strong sense of what he could do and what was the right time."

"Clarence was just an outstanding and capable man," said John Kelsey, long-time friend and owner of Kelsey Enterprises in Anchorage. Kelsey was also chairman of both the Alaska Chamber of Commerce and the Alaska Permanent Fund, and a former Advisory Trustee of the Nature Conservancy.

"He would climb a high tree carrying an axe," said Kelsey, "cut the top off the tree, called topping, then kick his feet clear, and slide down."

LIFE CHANGES

In 1940, Kramer married Verle Pikha, also from a farming family, and also a one-year attendee of Bellingham School at the same time Kramer had been there. The young couple soon had three children, Lee, and daughters, Sue and Judi. Kramer continued to support his family as a logging foreman until, in 1949, when an opportunity arose that changed his life. Kramer was offered a six-month contract job clearing land on an island near Ketchikan. He liked what he saw and decided he wanted to return there.

FIRST COMPANY FORMED

Within a few years, he and a friend formed their own logging company. While it bid on contracts from both the large timber companies and from the Forest Service, Kramer knew that in order to grow they would have to relocate out of Washington. Alaska was the logical choice.

The new, Alaska company successfully bid on a contract with a large timber company in that state, and Bay Logging Co. was incorporated. At the end of the contract time, Kramer bought out his partners, and formed Kramer Logging.

Kramer realized that with statehood and the growth of the logging industry in Southeast Alaska, it would be prudent for the many small logging companies to form a logging association. He became one of the founders of the Alaska Loggers Association. In addition to providing insurance coverage, safety instruction, and a radio network for remote camps, it also did lobbying.

"My father had a finely tooled sense of politics," explained Lee. "He learned by watching the people around him. He would sit at a meeting and not say a lot, listening."

Kramer was also instrumental in founding the annual Alaska Logging Championships, whose competitions included events in climbing sports and the use of axes, splicing tools and chain saws. He participated in these competitions, frequently winning in the splicing events. He also celebrated his 50th year in logging by climbing to the top of a climbing spar carrying the U.S. flag in the 1976 championships.

OTHER ROLES

Ever the businessman, Kramer understood that reasonable insurance was a necessity among loggers. He went on to form the Alaska Pacific Assurance Co., allowing logging contractors and others in the timber industry to self-insure at a more reasonable rate than could be achieved with Outside insurance companies.

It was a natural development for Kramer to become active in the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce, serving on the board of directors for many years, then as president in the late 1960s.

He was named Alaskan of the Year in the early 1970s. "His was a strong voice for business," said his son. "He took honors in stride."

Around that same time, the United States government engaged Alaskans in a debate over the disposition of Federal state landholdings. Kramer was asked to lead Citizens for Management of Alaska Lands so that the interest of private enterprise would be heard. His efforts were abruptly interrupted in 1978 when he and four other men were killed in an airplane crash in Anchorage.

Kramer, in addition to being an astute businessman, was also well-known for his gift of story-telling and his practical jokes.

"He was a good-natured man, very outgoing," explained Kelsey. "He liked to play tricks on people, especially his wife and friends."

"My father," said Lee, "was often uncomfortable, nervous, wooden in delivery until he figured out that humor is the best lubricant. He had excellent timing and told good jokes."

Print Get the Mag Weekly Updates