Seward Post 5 was originally named after Issac Evans when the post first applied for their charter.  Evans was a US Marshal in the Alaskan Territory stationed in Seward and was the sole individual for law and order in this frontier town.  Evans  was brutally murdered by a known criminal William Dempsey in August 1919.  Evans was a huge part of the Seward Community and the 23 original signers of the charter elected to name the post after him.   Later in a subsequent charter When the post was "formally" renamed to Seward Post 5 the name Issac Evans had to be removed as Evans did not meet the criteria to have the post named after him.  Evans was not a legionnaire and a post must be named after a deceased legionnaire.

H. Everett Hoy, a man of many talents, and as a matter of background at age 21 served in WWI, discharged from Navy in 1919, 16 years before he joined the American Legion, 1935 joined Post 269 in Chicago Illinois, in  1944 transferred to Post 5 Seward in the Oddfellows Hall, performed as 1^st Vice Commander, during the war years no convention was authorized and in 1945 Seward Post 5 was to hold the annual department convention within the month, as they had bid for the convention prior to the war breaking out.  He rewrote the articles of incorporation, and in January 1^st 1945 purchased the four lots from the city of Seward for $1.00 each and put them in the name of Seward Post 5.  Wrote to General Atkinson, Commanding General Alaska department of US Army for the purchase of the log cabin  on these lots for $500.00 (July 5, 1945), served as the post commander 1946, served as post adjutant in 1947 and 1959, plotted out the extensive interest in the Legion cemetery, served on various appointments and post committees.

Hoy served on Department and National Committees for many years. Served as the Department Convention  Chairman for 1958 giving Seward Post 5 the credit for the best convention ever held in the state.  The convention was advertised throughout the world and published in pictorial souvenir magazines.

Hoy, never to be told "no", arranged through the US Navy the largest rendezvous of naval craft ever assembled in the Resurrection Bay in peace time to coincide with the 1958 American Legion Convention which was held in Seward that year.

In the late 1940s, he began growing a beard as a result of a tavern bet.  His full, snow-white beard was so eye-catching, it involved him in all types of new activities.  He became the official “Santa Claus” of Seward, and during the Fourth of July and other special days, he assumed the persona of “Sourdough Bill,” dressed for the part in heavy trousers, parka or plaid shirt, boots and fur trapper’s hat, with a six shooter at his side.

Hoy, attending the 40^th National Convention in Chicago Illinois in 1958, expanded his Alaskan Sourdough reputation and traveled in incognito as Old Sourdough Bill which this year he also served as the Western District Adjutant.  He also created and  publicized  the Department of Alaska’s Western District “Inter-Comm” a mimograph newspaper as well as continuing to produce the Seward Post 5 Newspaper which achieved the prestigious Jack RC Cann Award of the American Legion Press Association for the Best Paper produced by a Duplicating Process in 1960.

 He was behind the effort to spearhead  the membership campaign with resulted in Seward post surpassing its’ yearly quota in 45 days and surged the membership to 159 members, and by National Convention time he wired this information to the Department Commander Floyd R. Johnson who was also a member of Post 5, while he was in attendance at the National Convention in Minneapolis MN.  His “wire” was read on the convention floor which then turned the assembly into a turmoil.  

 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Raymond Doyle enlisted in the US Army from Leadville, Colorado.  He had a musical background and pursued that through college where he attended the University of Notre Dame, and he did radio work prior to attending college at a Denver radio station KOA an NBC affiliate.

During his second year at Notre Dame, while majoring in music and English he did part time announcing at Station WSBT, South Bend Indiana. 

After college he worked as a musical director and counselor for two seasons at a mountain camp for underprivileged children near Denver.   Later he traveled southwest and worked at s several radio stations in that part of the country.

In 1940 he enlisted in the US Army and was assigned to the 10^th Engineer Battalion, 3^rd Infantry Division as assistant company clerk.  Later became the Company Clerk.

Shortly after Pearl harbor he was transferred to the Adjutant General’s Office of the division.

While in North Africa he requested and received a transfer to the radio department to the Morale Services Division, which later became the Information and Education Section.

In October 1944 he had the single honor of writing the first newscast over “GI” Network on the continent of Europe, from Marseille France.

In early 1945 he was sent to Paris to assist that office and station.  Finally work came for him to report to London, England where he became the “NIGHT NEWS EDITOR” for the entire network of “GI” stations then known as the American Forces Network.  This was his final assignment before being discharged in September 1945.

Upon returning to civilian life he went to work for station KFEL Denver Colorado.  In 1948 still having wanderlust he came to Alaska.  For a short time he wrote news and advertising for station KENI, Anchorage, and in 1957-1958 he was a staff announcer for KFQD in Anchorage.

In 1958 he came to Seward and has remined here with his family.

At the election of officers in 1958 at the Seward Post, the new commander Harold L. Sonnaband appointed Comrade Doyle as his adjutant and also assigned him the duty as radio commentator for all public work sponsored by the post.

His work as adjutant had been so outstanding for that the Western District Commander, Jack Hoogland, appointed him as his adjutant for the ensuing year.  This also put him as the editor in chief of the Inter-Comm, the Western District mimeograph newspaper which also had its birth in 1958  during the commandership of Ralph Rider.  H. Everett Hoy was the first publisher and it was conceived and printed in the office of the Seward post News.  Each year the publication traveled from city to city throughout the district.

 Because of Comrade Doyle’s extensive radio knowledge and experience, his name had been submitted to the Department of Alaska by the Seward Post as a candidate for the office of Department Radio Chairman.  His assuming this position and his extensive radio knowledge allowed the Legion radio program to return as it had died a slow death over the previous two years due to neglect and inaction.

 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Seward Post News in the May-June 1961 edition reported that Jack Hoogland was elected to take over the head of the District for the year 1961-1962 during the Department Convention in Anchorage in June.  Hoogland, the youngest Korean War Veteran ever to hold the office of District Commander for Western District, and even with his youth his year as District Commander was an outstanding one.  The highlight of which the post acquired its quota by National Convention time.  The post almost topped its all-time high of 255 members.  With Hoogland’s selection it brought the total to four Seward Post Legionnaires who have been elected Commander of Western District.  Past Dept Commander Floyd R. Johnson; Past Post Commander Ralph Rider; Comrade George Galloway who later resigned his position before his tenure was completed. 

 Commander Hoogland’s story is like many Alaskans.  He moved to Seward from Montana with his parents in 1945, as again as most Alaskans do, he found jobs that were available and well-paying in the area including working on the Alaska Railroad and longshoring.  In 1950, the draft became imminent and he went to Seattle and enlisted in the Navy, spending most of his time in Japan as a chaplain’s yeoman.  After his honorable discharge in 1954 he returned to Seward and began working on the docks and became involved in Post #5. 

Jerry Blair was a 55 year member of the American Legion  and was the Deparment Commander of Alaska in 1985.  Of note his older brother Robert G. Blair from Post 17 in Kodiak was also a Department Commander.   he further started the Sons of the American Legion for the Department of Alaska in the early 1980s.  Jerry grew up on the family farm, with three generations in the house, including five brothers and one sister. He married Nancy A. Cantlin in Lebanon, N.H. on June 30, 1951. Jerry joined the US Army in 1953 and served in the Korean War. After being discharged in 1958, he and Nancy moved to Alaska. He was an active member of the American Legion for the rest of his life, serving as Post 14 Commander in Petersburg, Alaska; Southeast Alaska District Commander; and State Department Commander. He played a major role in forming the Sons of the American Legion squadron of Post 5 and increasing the influence of the Sons for the State. He was instrumental in organizing many parades and banquets, maintaining the cemetery, and performing weekly chores at the Legion were some of his contributions.

Seward Post 5 is unique that it is located in a coastal Alaskan town and the membership varies from the locals to many who are recurrent visitors from out of the area and out of the state.  Our post is very active in a town of 2700 people and serves as the remaining service organization that helps our veterans, their families and the vibrant community of Seward Alaska.