Tales of Crazy Gail

During the period when Alaska was a poor new state, the oil discovery on the North Slope had just recently been announced, and in many ways Fairbanks was literally the end of civilization in North America, I first met Gail. In the early 1960’s, after a few years in the Merchant Marine, he had come to Alaska. I’ve never before or since encountered a person who was so nice but capable of doing such outrageous things and never getting in trouble! These true stories are from the period before, during and after the Trans-Alaska pipeline construction. The stories are also very, very funny. Many of Gail's exploits would certainly land him in jail if repeated today.

During the period when Alaska was a poor new state, the oil discovery on the North Slope had just recently been announced, and in many ways Fairbanks was literally the end of civilization in North America, I first met Gail. In the early 1960’s, after a few years in the Merchant Marine, he had come to Alaska. I’ve never before or since encountered a person who was so nice but capable of doing such outrageous things and never getting in trouble! These true stories are from the period before, during and after the Trans-Alaska pipeline construction. The stories are also very, very funny. Many of Gail's exploits would certainly land him in jail if repeated today. Gail worked in Fairbanks as a TV repairman until the pipeline construction started. He joined the Laborer's Union and worked on various portions of the pipeline until it was completed, then again after the pump station downstream from Fairbanks blew up, and finally in the Aleutian Islands. Gail had a love/hate relationship with a State Trooper, had the craziest bassett hound you can imagine, built a log cabin near Denali National Park, eventually married and raised 2 sons in his bush cabin. His exploits are still ledgend from Fairbanks to Healy and Denali National Park, and one still hears a few of these stories, often greatly enhanced. This book contains many stories previously unknown about Gail's activities and misadventures.

Born in Oregon in 1944, Mike Angelo obtained his BS is Chemistry from Oregon State University in 1966, then moved to Fairbanks, Alaska. He attended the U. of Alaska, then worked as a Chemist for the EPA. Moving to a job with a consulting firm he did computer programming involving the design of the Trans-Alaska pipeline, then worked as a Laborer building the pipeline from the Yukon River north to Prudhoe Bay. During the pipeline Mike acquired property on the NE corner of Denali National Park, built a log cabin and lived in the bush for a couple of years after the pipeline construction was completed. He then moved to Juneau to work for the State of Alaska until he retired. In Juneau he met Victoria, the love of his life, married and had a wonderful daughter who is now married and expecting our first grandchild. Mike is still living with his wife and dogs in Juneau.