Former Juneau mayor and Alaska broadcaster Dennis Egan dies at 75

Sen. Dennis Egan hangs on to a display cabinet in the Capitol for support while chatting with a KTVA television crew after doing an interview on Feb. 8, 2018. Egan suffers from multiple sclerosis and severe vertigo, to which he attributed his decision not to run for re-election following the end of his term. Also pictured: KTVA reporter Steve Quinn, left, and camera operator Ken Kulovany. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
Former Sen. Dennis Egan chats with a television crew after doing an interview on Feb. 8, 2018 at the Alaska State Capitol. (Photo by Skip Gray/KTOO)

Former Juneau mayor and state senator Dennis Egan died Tuesday morning in Oregon. He was 75.

Egan served as mayor of Juneau from 1995 to 2000. He was the son of Alaska’s first governor, Bill Egan. He was appointed to the Alaska Legislature in 2009 and served until 2018.

Dennis always listened to his community, was a straight shooter, and truly respected the people around him. Alaska was his home, he put Alaskans first, and his heart belonged to Juneau,” Juneau Sen. Jesse Kiehl said in a statement.

Outside of public office, he was a radio broadcaster and named Alaska broadcaster of the year in 1990. He was inducted into the Alaska Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2001 and was on the board of the Alaska Broadcasters Association.

He married his wife Linda in 1969 and they had two daughters, Jill and Leslie. Egan retired from the Legislature in 2018.

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