When Dr. John Fenger glimpsed into the operatory in the old Homer Hospital Health Center one day in 1961, he witnessed an unusual tableau: Dr. Calvin Fair, a visiting dentist from Soldotna, stood over a patient, with blood evident on the dentist and on the patient’s bib and mouth. On the floor, unconscious, lay Dr. Fair’s wife, Jane, who had been assisting with the removal of a difficult, impacted wisdom tooth.
on local history by local historian David Reamer. Have a question about Anchorage history or an idea for a future article? Go to the form at the bottom of this story. Over the past century, Anchorage progressed from a muddy, almost nothing of a railroad stop to the economic center of the state. Women played prominent and crucial roles in this evolution. Their professions encompassed the entire range of possibility as did their approaches to city life in Alaska. Yet, the histories of Anchorage have rarely included women in a way that matches the reality of their historical presence and relevance. The following are some not exactly forgotten women, but women who deserve greater recognition than they have received in the past. This article is also the first in an occasional sub-series for Histories of Anchorage focusing on the city’s notable women.