Gov. Proposes Funding for Stevens' Records

Press Release

Governor Sean Parnell will submit a budget amendment seeking funding to preserve, digitize, and allow the public to access Senator Ted Stevens' records, notes and photographs. The request comes after the governor's work with the Ted Stevens Foundation to secure funding for the Ted Stevens Papers Project.

"Senator Stevens was a tireless advocate for Alaska and an instrumental figure in our state's history," Governor Parnell said. "I urge the Legislature to join me in supporting this worthy historical endeavor to preserve these important documents and ensure all Alaskans can access the senator's legacy work."

Over the course of his more than 40 years serving the people of Alaska in the United States Senate, Senator Stevens amassed a collection of more than 4,700 boxes of official materials. The Ted Stevens Papers Collection consists of roughly 4,400 cubic feet of files, thousands of photographs, films, video tapes, and other types of recordings.

Governor Parnell will request $1 million for the project and to act as a catalyst for additional private funding.

"The papers are the history of virtually every issue the state faced from the late 1960s to 2008," Timothy McKeever, chair of the Ted Stevens Foundation said. "The funds the governor has proposed, and which we hope the Legislature will appropriate, will allow the processing of the papers to continue, so the history they reveal can be used to build a better future for Alaskans."

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