Henry Aristide ‘Red’ Boucher was the kind of man for whom the Alaska myth was invented – no problem was unsolvable, no issue too tough, no limits impassable.
Richard Mauer, Anchorage Daily News
In 1958, after campaigning for an up and coming politician (John F. Kennedy) Henry Aristide “Red” Boucher headed to Alaska. After 20 years of Naval service and a high school equivalency diploma, Alaska must have seemed like the next great adventure.
Red opened a sporting goods store and a few years later, began his career as a public servant with the Fairbanks city council. He would go on to be mayor of Fairbanks, lieutenant governor under Governor Egan, a representative in the state House and later in life, elected to the Anchorage Assembly.
An early adopter of telecommunications, Red envisioned a future where technology connected us. He bought the first iteration of the Apple computer and became engrossed with its ability to communicate. He would become known in the field of telecommunications for his ardent passion for bringing Internet to rural Alaska. He is recognized at the state and national level as one of the pioneers of the Information Age and as an authority on the subject of computer-mediated communication.
In honor of Red, the Red Boucher Scholarship supports outstanding Alaskans pursuing careers in technology education and/or training. The deadline to apply is 9 p.m. on February 7, 2014.
Learn more and apply online.