In Memoriam of a CFK Sponsor
No idea lasts over three and a half decades without a lot of support and supporters. Especially when the idea is a privately funded curriculum to encourage youth to think about what they can do to improve their environment or prepare for a natural disaster. But this is the land where legends are born, to quote Alaska's official Balladeer Hobo Jim. And one such legend is that of Dick Erkeneff, a gentlemen's gentleman and corporate executive invited to fish the mighty Kenai River by U.S. Senator Ted Stevens.
It's the Spirit of the North who calls those of like heart to the Great Land and when Dick retired, he and his wife Stevie answered that call and bought the Kenai River Raven lodge in Soldotna. Joining the Kenai River Sportfish Assoc. board of directors he soon learned of the Caring for the Kenai curriculum from his daughter Pegge, who would later work for the KPBSD and be a big supporter from district office. He not only liked the unique educational concept but quickly stepped up as a volunteer judge and financial supporter, lending his life experience to teachers and students entering the CFK. He soon became a friend and mentor to the program's creator Merrill Sikorski. "Dick was more encouraging to me than my own father or Sen. Stevens. He donated countless hours to students to help them follow through with their ideas and become successful. I would often overhear him talking with colleagues telling them what a difference he had seen the competition make in a young person's life and that it should be in every school district across the country. When I learned of his sudden passing I cried. He will always be remembered by those whose lives he touched and will always have a page on the CFK website and Hall of Fame," said Sikorski.