PEOPLE

     The Customer Service Legend Award is the highest honor that an Alaska Airlines employee can receive. At a dinner Jan. 9 in Seattle, eight of our co-workers were feted as the newest Legends of Alaska Airlines. Said CEO John Kelly, each is the personification of what has made Alaska great for 69 years — a unique blend of spirit, resourcefulness, integrity, professionalism and caring.

Terry Smith
Captain, Anchorage
       They called it the Friendship Flight—the 1988 mission of goodwill from Nome to Provideniya that thrust Alaska Airlines into the national spotlight because it broke through a long-closed Soviet border.
     In retrospect, it was only fitting that the flight—a flight that brought people together—be captained by Terry Smith.
     His home is always open for friends and colleagues. As the base chief pilot in Anchorage, Terry is known as the go-to guy. Need advice? Have a question? Want some help? Terry’s always there.
     Having grown up in the small town of Bethel, Terry knows first hand the unique transportation needs of Alaskans. So it’s no surprise that he worked tirelessly developing the flight procedures and training programs that would extend Alaska’s reach to Dutch Harbor and other special airports in the state.
     Terry’s love of the Great Land and flying go way back. Family lore has it that his dad, a DC-3 pilot, took his son aloft for the first time at 12 days old. A few years later, Terry learned to fly the family’s beloved Goose Widgeon.
     From it all, Terry learned lifelong lessons about commitment, professionalism and pride in a job well done.
     Dedicated, caring, a problem solver, but more than anything, Terry is a trusted friend—and now, an Alaska Legend.

June Ulz
Lead Customer Service Agent, Fairbanks
     A friend says that June Ulz is, "someone who does all the things the rest of us have good intentions to do, but don’t."
     Coming from a classic Boston Irish-Catholic family, June learned at an early age the importance of service—as a girl scout and candy striper, a nun for two years, a Jesuit volunteer, a music teacher.
     June’s commitment to serving others took an interesting turn in 1989 when she joined our team at the ticket counter in Fairbanks. A frequent traveler sums it up this way: "June Ulz takes charge. Acting as if she is CEO of Alaska at the Fairbanks ticket counter, she solves our problems."
     This mother of four and grandmother of one gives selflessly of her time and energy: A kind word here, a fresh baked cookie there. She’s even been known to burst into song to brighten the day.
     In trying times June is a calming presence. One passenger wrote: "June is just like family to us. When we needed to travel on an emergency, she even hand-delivered our tickets."
     Outside work, June is active in hospice, helping families of terminally ill patients. And her garden club efforts can be seen all over town. Recently, June was honored by the Girl Scout Council as a "Woman of Distinction," because she’s such a role model.
     Tireless efforts to help those in need—that’s June Ulz, a patron saint of customer service.

Tom Dermenci
Lead A&P Mechanic, Los Angeles
     Teamwork! For 18 years Tom Dermenci has been inspiring his team to do the very best they can.
     For him, work is like his favorite hobby, soccer. And he’s the captain, leading by example.
     The past year has been an especially challenging one for Alaska’s Maintenance & Engineering group. In many ways, Tom’s spirit, integrity and professionalism serve as a metaphor for the way the department responded.
     During one especially hectic period, which happened to come at the start of a family trip, Tom flew his wife and three children to their destination, got them settled, and then flew back to work to join his people on the front lines. When things were back on an even keel, he rejoined the family.
     Now that’s commitment—to both of his families. Such dedication—indeed, such spirit—comes naturally to Tom. You don’t last long on the youth soccer fields of his native Istanbul without them. To excel means developing the intangibles—anticipation, discipline, camaraderie. That’s how Tom is at work. He heads off challenges before they arrive. He’s a stickler for the tiniest of details, and he helps nurture an environment where committment is second nature.
     Reliable, professional, committed to quality—that’s Tom Dermenci, a legendary team captain in M&E.

Brenda Devaney
Flight Attendant, Seattle
     Whether at work or home, Brenda Devaney is moving fast.
     She’s been called the Energizer Bunny by some.
     Growing up on a dairy farm in Enumclaw, Wash., taught Brenda about hard work, resourcefulness and the importance of family. She learned that when you had a job to do you did it the best you could. And when you were done, you looked around to see if someone else needed a hand. In everything she does, Brenda continues to uphold these values.
     For the past 31 years, Brenda has been coming to work with a skip in her step. Whether helping customers or making time to coach new hires, Brenda is there with a big heart and a can-do attitude.
     Making ice packs for a customer with a toothache, calming passengers during turbulence or even dislodging a mint from a choking child—it’s all in a day’s work for Brenda. And on the ground she is busy working on numerous committees, always looking for ways to help make things better.
     Brenda’s spirited approach doesn’t stop at work. On her days off you might find Brenda joining with her two kids, Kimberly and Jake, to think up new ways to showcase her beloved flowers for the garden club.
     That’s Brenda Devaney. No matter how busy she is, she always has time for you.

Jim Tovsen
Ramp Service Agent, Anchorage
     Ever since colleagues learned that Jim Tovsen had earned Legend recognition, they’ve had a hard time concealing their excitement. And it’s no wonder why: Jim’s passion in life is helping others.
     It’s been that way since 1974 when Jim, working toward his private pilots license, decided that it might be interesting to work around larger aircraft. That summer job turned into a life-long labor of love.
     Colleagues will tell you that Jim is truly one of a kind, always going out of his way to improve a situation.
     One example is our Anchorage recycling program, which recently won praise from an Alaska environmental organization. Jim has personally taken ownership of it. Promoting, picking up—he does it all. And the proceeds are used for a similarly noble cause: Helping colleagues who are facing tough health battles.
     Jim’s always there to offer support to those who need it—jumping in to get a flight out on time or coming in on his day off because of an unusually heavy workload.
     Jim’s knack for helping others stretches well beyond the walls of Alaska Airlines.
     An avid pilot for 27 years, Jim is always willing to share his knowledge. So whether you need a hand rebuilding an aircraft or filling one up with igloos, Jim’s your man—a one-of-a-kind Legend.

Nancy Crawford
Asst. Manager, Reservations, Seattle
     You’d never know it from looking, but Nancy Crawford is a bulldog. When she sinks her teeth into something she won’t let go.
     Take the time two years ago when Nancy decided to go on a search. Alaska had a pressing need to expand its reservations sales agent workforce, and Nancy had a long-running goal to make the workplace more accessible to people with physical challenges.
     She researched technologies. She formed a team to assist. She analyzed economics and labored over training and logistics.
     Today, Alaska Airlines employs full-time reservations agents who are blind—a technological and human resources accomplishment that has other airlines asking how we did it.
     The answer, of course, is Nancy Crawford her caring, her resourcefulness and her spirit.
     It’s been that way for 33 years—from her days as a CSA in the Golden Nugget era, to lead reservations agent in the mid 70s, to her role today as assistant manager at the Seattle reservations center.
     Nancy is a mentor to agents and sales team leaders, and a recruiter supreme in hiring people who match the "Alaska Spirit."
     Nancy Crawford is a person who lives her values at work and at home. She’s a true Alaska Airlines Hall of Famer.

Will Watson
Lead Ramp Service Agent, Seattle
     Hired by legendary aviator Merle "Mudhole" Smith, Will Watson has done it all over the last 32 years, from inflight sales to ticketing, load master to relief station manager. But what stands out is the way he’s done it—with caring, pride and spirit.
     Will is a person who never looks at something as a problem, only as a challenge to do things better.
     "I think Will’s success in the eyes of the employees he has worked with has been his diligence, his desire to do a good job and to get it done as efficiently and practically as possible," says retired Captain Jim Polly. "Quite often it would be in the deep Arctic, 60 below, and Will is out there sweating."
     In the late ’80s, Will distinguished himself when Mother Nature put a crimp in the flight schedule. He would head to Boeing Field to set up everything. When jets diverted, we were ready.
     Recently, Will coordinated the redesign of the Seattle baggage sorting system. "He converted our old computer system to the brand new system," says ground ops manager Wayne Newton. "Step-by-step—the planning, set-up and implementation—he was our go-to guy."
     Will’s success is made up of a lot of small pieces—his reliability, attitude, willingness to listen, skill at his job and willingness to learn.
     But most of all, he is a people person, and the absolute epitome of "Alaska Spirit."

Janice Boyd
Lead Customer Service Agent, Anchorage
     It takes skill, patience and an eye for detail to solve the most difficult challenges. Every move sets up the ease or difficulty of the next.
     As scheduler for the Anchorage ticket counter, Jan Boyd approaches work the way one might go about solving a crossword puzzle – creatively and painstakingly.
     For her, the pieces just don’t fit right until the schedule meets the operational needs of the airline and consideration is given to the personal needs of her coworkers. In fact, the CSAs in Anchorage say Jan treats them like they are her very own MVP Gold customers.
     "Jan knows us so well," says one of her peers, "that when it comes time for bid day, she already has a good feel for what shifts will work better for each of us."
     Jan’s unique combination of caring and skill are summed up best by a customer who wrote: "during my wife’s illness, Jan helped me through my time of terror with her expertise and moral support. Alaska Airlines is lucky to have her."
     Jan spends her off hours with family and friends—nurturing, coaching and caring. In many ways, you might say she extends that special touch to all her customers at Alaska Airlines.
     And if you ever need help with a crossword puzzle, Jan will always have good word for you.

Past Legends
The Customer Service Legends Awards debuted in 1991. Since then, 113 Alaska Airlines employees have been inducted into this Hall of Fame:
2000 Gloria Fox-Bell Kenny Hamer Kim Kaiser Gail Neufeld Lowell Reed Gail Spaeth Mike Swanigan George Van Valkenburgh Lulu Wong	1999 Gene Frank Bob Graves Pat Hanson Siegfried Krebs Scott Lautman Louise Logan Patsy Wilkson Dick Zengel	1998 Margaret Daly-Heatwole Jerry Elderkin Kevin Finan Wes Finseth LaNell Hendricks Jeanette Hubbard Betty Morris Ed Peele Art Peterson Helene Shaunty	1997 Anita Davis Sally Keller Kevan "K.C." King Alison Standley Lausten Danna Maros Debbie Olsen Mike Saporito Zip Trower	1996 Al "Smokey" Schnee Ron Locke David Hughes Jeanne Cusick Barry Brooks Sherry Kain Bob Handley Ivan Lee
1995 Cecilia "Ce Ce" Cordon Bille Jean Stephan Susie Davis Rod Frank Jerry Holliman Olga Mitchell Jacquie Witherrite Lin Jauhola Jerry Johnson C.C. Nelson Ski Olsonoski Warren Perry	1994 no Legend awards in 1994	1993 Patti Parr Bea Knott Maria Martinez-Ryan Marion Friedrich Danny McNeil Gary Peterson Steve Day Carole Scallon Sherry Nelson Norm Miller George Knuckey Steve Forsyth	1992 Linda Bearbower John Boardman Brad Burger Ron Calvin Herb Clark Cindy Clore Dolores Donahue Elva Guzman Tom Hawkins Dan Johansson Marlene Lawrence Peggy Noll Gerald "Smitty" Smith David Thompson Kelly Wilhelm Sue Ann Witman	1991 Marcia Broyles Barry Collins Ron Davies Ann Hammon John Hays Fran Henderson Teri Hinshaw Polly Higgins Diana Kerekes Susan Parrish Dona Killeen Helen Loudenbeck Kathy Martin Deena Parker Elaine Powell Stacey Senger George Smith Julie Sparks Joan Spring Michelle Standerwick Les Thompson Bob Wendt