The grace of elegance
To say that I love Alaska’s harsh grandeur is an understatement. Yet that doesn’t blunt my appreciation for classy sophistication. One of the high points of Spring 2015 was the Inaugural Ball for our newly elected Governor Bill Walker and Lt. Governor Byron Mallot. My own wife and I had had the good fortune to play small roles in organizing the Ball, and in using decorations and lighting to transform the huge barren ballroom into a seemingly magical palace. Yet most amazing were the Ball’s two Cinderellas, First Lady Donna Walker and Second Lady Antoinette Mallot. Then and now, their personal charm has graced our fair and fierce homeland as elegantly as leading ladies grace Hollywood. This was never more evident than on Dec. 19 at Kenai’s Cannery Lodge when Walker and Mallot returned to the Peninsula on this leg of their run for re-election. The Lodge was rustic; the ladies were exquisite.
Stephen F. Stringham
Soldotna