Contributed by Vic Kohring
Next month marks the 56th anniversary of my family's arrival in Alaska. It was only four years after statehood and nine months before the Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964 when we crossed the border from Canada.
As I reflect back, I feel incredibly blessed that my parents moved us to Alaska from a Chicago suburb in 1963. I consider my childhood near-perfect, even though we endured our share of hardship. My upbringing reminds me of the family depicted in the 1970s' television show, The Walton's, a wholesome, Christian-oriented program about an era long gone and relegated to American history when a strong family unit with conservative, Christian values was commonplace.
The Walton's family paralleled mine in many ways - a large, close-knit, church-going household, living very modestly, even off the land to a large extent and relying on each other and our neighbors. We lived in Chugiak at the time, along Birchwood Loop Road, when the area was newly developed and still considered rural while heating our small house with a coal-burning fireplace. Our water source for a time was a creek flowing from the Chugach Mountains. We had no phone service, except for a military crank phone connected with a few neighbors from wires strung through the woods.
My siblings and I were raised mostly on salmon from nearby Peters Creek and Fire Creek, caribou meat from the Nelchina herd by Lake Louise, an occasional moose, vegetables from our large garden and from gleaming area farm fields and from buying other essentials in bulk quantity. Fresh, raw milk was delivered to us in gallon jars. Chickens, ducks, and geese were raised for butchering on our 2-1/2 acre spread.
The Kohring's, like the Walton's, lived a simple, frugal lifestyle, but our clan of seven was happy and comfortable thanks to remarkable parents with an unwavering faith in God who instilled in us the virtues of hard work, humility, a giving heart, and respect toward others. Roughing it made no difference to me as a young man, as I knew no other way of life. It all seemed perfectly normal. So long as I was well fed, warm, safe, had a roof over my head, and the love of family, that's all that mattered. We may have been poor in terms of money, but were rich with devotion to each other.
Sadly, the traditional family unit and building block of society, has waned, serious philosophical differences are common among siblings and church attendance has dropped. I have a good life today and remain close to family but still, long for the days of old and America and Alaska as it used to be. And I long for my formative and pre-adulthood years while growing up in an era that's much different than today. The time of my youth are memories I'll always cherish. I didn't know it then, but they were the best days of my life.
One Walton's episode in particular and my favorite, "The Sermon," initially aired on September 11, 1975. I remember watching it that evening at home on our little black and white TV. The plot involves John Walton, Jr., or "John Boy," preaching on a Sunday, in place of the town's pastor who had just married and was on his honeymoon. John Boy was understandably apprehensive as he never spoke before a large group, let alone lead a church service. But after a week of preparation and reflection, he chose the topic of his family and delivered a wonderfully expressed, highly emotional masterpiece about what God meant to each and every one from their individual perspectives.
I watched The Sermon again on DVD a few days ago, and even after four decades, it still brings tears to my eyes. I'm reminded of my second year in the Legislature when I spoke in front of a church congregation at Gospel Outreach Christian Center in Wasilla. Pastor Mark Campbell asked that I make a presentation in honor of one of his members. As with John Boy Walton, I was nervous about what to say as I stood behind the pulpit in front of a large crowd with all eyes trained on me. But with God's help, my words flowed well. It was no masterpiece, but a fine presentation.
The Walton's episode concludes with the singing of Amazing Grace, a treasured favorite, with a stunning video backdrop of a Virginia forest and sun rays breaking through the trees. It's the most heart-rendering scene I've ever witnessed on television, causing my eyes to well with tears every time. But it also fills my heart with warmth, and I'm left with a greater appreciation of my Judeo-Christian faith and the quality life my father and mother generously and selflessly provided me so long ago.
Vic Kohring is a former legislator and resident of Wasilla.
