Ernie was born in 1914
in Bellville, Illinois.
When he was a school boy in Illinois, he used slate to write on instead
of paper. He played baseball and basketball while he was in high school. He heard of the prospects of Alaska, so he decided to move to
Alaska when he was 22. He came here on a small boat from Seattle and landed
in Ninilchik. When he was 28, he went to fight in World War 2. While he was fighting in the war, he traveled all over Europe and North Africa. After 2 1/2 years in the war, he finally came home in 1944. He worked in the post office on the Kenai Peninsula. Then he was promoted to PostMaster. He was there for over 30 years.
Once he climbed into a volcano, he saw the lava in the bottom. He then climbed down and went home. Two weeks later, the volcano erupted.
On Good Friday, 1964 an earthquake measuring 9.4 occured while Ernie was walking
up a spiral staircase; it was so violent that Ernie jumped up and hit his
head, causing a concusion. He was married and had three daughters. One became a lawyer here in Anchorage. Now he lives in the Anchorage Pioneer's Home. His hobbies are hunting and fishing. He loves Alaska, The Pioneer's Home, and animals. He has traveled all over Alaska.