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Frank Reed papers

Guide to the Frank Reed papers
1905-2009

Collection number: HMC-0206.
Creator: Reed, Frank.
Title: Frank Reed papers.
Dates: 1905-2009.
Volume of collection: 4.15 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Collection materials are in English.
Collection summary: The papers of an Anchorage businessman and civic leader.

Biographical note:
Frank Reed was born in Seattle in 1912. He attended the University of Alaska (1931-1932) and obtained his bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Washington (1937). He was Vice President of the Anchorage Light and Power Company (1937-1942), leaving to serve on active duty in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Following the war, he held various managerial positions which included President of the Alaska Electric and Equipment Company (to 1950); Secretary-Treasurer and Manager of Turnagain Arms Apartments (1950-1956); Manager of General Credit Corporation (1956); Branch Manager of the Alaska Small Business Administration (1958-1960); and Senior Vice President of the Alaska Bank of Commerce. He also served as Director of the Anchorage Broadcasters, Inc.; Director of Alaska Fish and Farm, Inc.; Director of the Life Insurance Company of Alaska; and President of Alaska Hotel Properties (later Alaska Microfast Software Corp.). Active in civic affairs, Frank Reed served on a number of boards, councils, and commissions including the Anchorage Area Charter commissions; the Salvation Army Advisory Board; Anchorage Federated Charities; Anchorage City Council; Anchorage Planning Commission; Executive Committee of Greater Anchorage, Inc.; Anchorage School Board; YMCA Building Fund; Operation Breakthrough; Anchorage Chamber of Commerce; and Anchorage Civic Opera. Frank Reed was elected to the Alaska Hall of Fame in 1969. In 1976, he was named Outstanding Alaskan of the Year by the Alaska Chamber of Commerce, and received a Community Service Award from the YMCA in 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1978. Frank Reed died in Anchorage in 2012.

Collection description:
The collection consists of the personal and business papers of Frank Reed, Sr., as well as his files on Operation Breakthrough, the 1959 and 1975 Anchorage charter commissions, as well as records related to various Alaskan public policy and civic organizations. There are also reference material files on the subjects of Alaskan business, economics, and social and cultural organizations. The papers and other records consist of documents concerning Frank Reed’s various business interests and his active participation in various public policy, civic, social, and cultural organizations.

Arrangement: The collection is divided into five series:
Series 1: Personal papers; 1936-2009
Series 2: Civic organization records; 1923-1996
Series 3: Business and investment records; 1920-1984
Series 4: University records; 1977-1978
Series 5: Correspondence and subject files; 1905-1998

Digitized copies: Selected items have been digitized and can be viewed on Alaska’s Digital Archives. For information about obtaining copies please contact Archives and Special Collections.

Rights note: Materials not authored by Frank Reed may be subject to copyright restrictions.

Preferred citation: Frank Reed papers, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.

Separated materials: Published materials were removed from the collection and added to the Rare Books and ephemera collections.

Related materials:
Alaska Hotel Properties records; 1959-1981. HMC-0017
Matanuska Valley Bank records; 1947-1965. HMC-0480
First Interstate Corporation of Alaska records; 1963-1989. HMC-0473
Maxine Reed papers; 1900-1994. HMC-0443

Acquisition note: Papers were given to the Archives by Frank Reed in batches from 1982 to 1997. Some of the papers were transferred to the Archives by representatives of his estate in 2012.

Processing information: This collection was initially arranged and described by Jeffrey Sinnott in 1999. The guide was reformatted to current standard (most of series 1-4) and the 2012 accession of materials (series 5) added to the guide by Arlene Schmuland in 2016.

Container list:
Series 1: Personal papers; 1936-2009. 0.2 cubic feet.

Box/Folder Description Dates
1/1 Alaska Children’s Services Campaign ’80 records (includes correspondence) 1980
1/2 Alaska Repertory Theatre letter 1977 November
1/3 Anchorage Coalition letter 1975
1/4 Correspondence 1981-1982
1/5 Don M. Dafoe letter and mailing list 1976
1/6 Ernest and Clark Gruening letter 1980
1/7 Letter to IBEW Local #1547 1963-1965
1/8 Providence Hospital Expansion Fund letter 1977
1/9 Republican Party of Alaska correspondence and state convention materials 1976
1/10 School papers/reports: “A study of Alaskan utilities” and “Franchise regulation in Alaska” 1936-1937
1/11 United Good Neighbors/United Way service citation 1959
4/3 Oral history 2009
4/4 Club membership records (primarily Petroleum Club) 1963-1996

Series 2: Civic organization records; 1923-1996. 2.5 cubic feet.
Documents are grouped by organization, by type of record and date of record within.

Box/Folder Description Dates
1/12-16 Operation Breakthrough phase 1 records. Includes steering committee records, minutes, reports drafts correspondence, and other materials submitted. 1966-1969
1/17-24 Operation Breakthrough phase 2 records. Includes steering committee records, minutes, reports drafts correspondence, and other materials submitted. 1977-1979
1/25-34 Anchorage Charter Commission records. Includes meeting minutes, drafts, correspondence, lists, and notes. 1955-1959
2/1-32 Greater Anchorage Area Borough Charter Commission records. Includes minutes and agendas, public service announcements, reports, drafts, and notes. 1971-1979
2/33 Anchorage Charter Review Commission report 1990
2/34 Alaska Board of Police Commissioners records. Includes minutes and reports. 1958
2/35-38 Interim Utilities Commission records. Includes minutes, reports, transcripts, and sale records. 1975-1977
2/39-43 State Investment Advisory Committee records. Includes minutes, procedures, memoranda, reports, legislative information, correspondence, and proposals. 1970-1972
3/1-4 Commonwealth North ANWR Committee records. Includes meeting records, correspondence, reports, and reference materials. 1987-1990
3/5 Small Business Administration records. Includes correspondence, memos, and other documents. 1957-1960
3/6 Salvation Army Advisory Board records. Includes meeting records and correspondence. 1952-1959
3/7-10 International Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Building Association records. Includes correspondence and mortgage bonds. 1923, 1950-1965, 1996
3/11-12 Hugh O’Brien Youth Foundation Alaska Leadership records. Includes advisory board and board of directors records. 1988-1993
3/13 Anchorage Civic Opera Board of Directors records. 1979-1980
3/14 Anchorage Lions Club operational records. 1977-1987

Series 3: Business and investment records; 1920-1984. 0.45 cubic feet.
Documents are grouped by company, in order by date or type of record within. Related correspondence may be found in series 5.

Box/Folder Description Date
3/15-27 Alaska Bank of Commerce records. Includes financial statemens, correspondence, marketing records, customer satisfaction survey results 1970-1982
3/28 Matanuska Valley Bank shareholder records. 1961-1972
3/29-30 Anchorage Light and Power records. Includes articles of incorporation, reports, project proposals, blueprints, and photographs 1920-1947
3/31 Central Alaska Utilities Inc. shareholder correspondence. 1977-1984
3/32 Alaska Real Estate Investment Corporation reports. 1957-1960
3/33-34 Reed Building deposit books (rent records) and correspondence 1948-1970
3/35 Alaska Electric Equipment Company deposit books 1949-1951
3/36-37 KFQD shareholder records and correspondence 1956-1962
3/38 Microfast Software Corporation annual report 1982
3/39-40 Simasko Production Company (SIMPCO) records. Includes correspondence and reports 1973-1981
4/37 Turnagain Co. and Reed Building financial statements and audit reports (not comprehensive) 1947-1973

Series 4: University records; 1977-1978. 0.1 cubic feet.

Box/Folder Description Dates
4/1 Alaska Methodist University correspondence and meeting records 1978
4/2 Anchorage Community College correspondence and committee records (additional materials in series 5) 1977-1978

Series 5: Correspondence and subject files; 1905-1998. 0.9 cubic feet.
The files primarily include personal and professional correspondence. They relate to Anchorage Light and Power, Anchorage Hotel, and other business, financial, and personal interests. Descriptions for the files were taken from the original file folders when labels were provided. Files are in the order in which they were received at the Archives.

Box/Folder Description Dates
4/5 Anchorage Light and Power 1929-1946
4/6 Shaw, resident engineer 1929-1930
4/7 Loan application (Hotel Anchorage) 1935
4/8 Mylroie and Co. Lumber 1920-1921
4/9 L.P. Smith and Pemberton and Sons 1931
4/10 Tibbetts 1928-1929
4/11 Paulson, Chester 1931-1932
4/12 Rasmuson, E. A. 1928-1932
4/13 Anchorage Light and Power, general 1931-1935
4/14 Skaggs, C. W. 1931-1934
4/15 General letters 1933
4/16 Contracts 1932-1933
4/17 Reed, letters to and from 1927-1935
4/18 Rasmuson 1926-1931
4/19 General correspondence 1905-1930
4/20 Federal Power Commission license 1928
4/21 Dobbins 1929-1934
4/22 Answered, Alaska Bank of Commerce 1975-1976
4/23 First National Bank of Fairbanks 1975-1977
4/24 Travel 1984
4/25 Microfast Software 1985
4/26 Sydney Laurence painting 1953
4/27-28 General correspondence 1957-1963
4/29 Certificates 1990-1998
4/30 Stevens, Ted 1969-1972
4/31 Anchorage Community College 1980-1981
4/32 General correspondence 1967-1990
4/33 Oil and gas leases 1964-1974
4/34 General correspondence 1976
4/35 Anchorage high school photographs and documents 1930-1931
4/36 Photographs Undated
Oversize Property maps and plans, primarily Turnagain Heights and Fish Creek area Undated

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