| Summary: | Carl Ben Eielson (1897-1929) Selected: July 1997 Award Presented: August 26, 1997, Hatton Governor Ed Schafer Portrait Artist: Ann Linton Hodge Pioneer aviator Carl Ben Eielson was born and raised in Hatton, North Dakota. After studying at the University of North Dakota, he enlisted in the Army Air Service in 1917 and completed pilot training. Following his father’s advice in 1921, Eielson enrolled in law school at Georgetown University, abandoning his passion for flying. During his time in Washington, he became friends with an Alaskan representative in Congress, and through him was offered a job at a high school in Fairbanks, Alaska. He quickly realized the value aviation could have for the remote land. He ordered a plane and began flying passengers and supplies throughout the northern territory. Known as the “Father of Aviation” in Alaska, Eielson piloted the first airmail route in 1924. Eielson was later introduced to Captain George Hubert Wilkins, another outstanding pilot, and the two together earned international acclaim for their non-stop, 2,200 mile flight over the North Pole on April 15, 1928. In September of the same year, Wilkins and Eielson completed a 1,200 mile flight in the Antarctic, where they discovered six new islands. In 1929, U.S. President Herbert Hoover granted Eielson the Harmon Trophy, an award presented annually to the outstanding aviator of the year. Eielson returned to Alaska and established Alaskan Airways, Inc. In 1929, he was killed while attempting to rescue passengers and cargo from an ice-bound ship in the Bering Strait. Eielson is the first individual to receive the Rough Rider Award posthumously. Chapter Two - North Dakota almanac 105
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