KTOO

Juneau Afternoon

Dennis Egan: Broadcaster, businessman, politician and a practitioner of “creative mischief.”

Air date: Tuesday, July 5, 2022 — Radio wake: Remembering Sen. Dennis Egan

Guests: Sen. Jesse Kiehl, Bill Corbus, Bruce Botelho, Beth Kerttula, Jim Powell and Christopher Clark.
A young Dennis Egan poses for a family portrait with his parents, Neva and Bill Egan, circa 1959. Bill Egan was the state of Alaska’s first governor (Photo courtesy of University of Alaska Fairbanks, Ralph J. Rivers Papers 1956-1966, UAF-1972-49-161).

It’s impossible in a one-hour radio show to fully celebrate the life of Sen. Dennis Egan, who died on Tuesday, June 28 at the age of 75.

From an early age, Dennis Egan had a reputation as a “prolific mischief-maker and prankster” (Photo courtesy of Leslie Egan).

But this conversation is a good start. Whether it was his notoriety as Gov. Bill Egan’s mischievous son, or working as a box boy at Foodland, or running a radio station, Egan wore many hats in his lifetime.

He served in the Alaska Army National Guard, as the Mayor of Juneau and as state senator. He also battled multiple sclerosis with humor and determination — and that included greeting his friends and colleagues with some choice expletives, always delivered with affection.

Dennis Egan, at the radio controls with his wife, Linda. Egan was a disc jockey and radio host, whose used the on air name of Jay Roberts (Photo courtesy of Leslie Egan).

Air date: Tuesday, July 5, 2022

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