HUMAN

Name: Dewey Halverson

Residence: Seldovia, Alaska

Age: 70

Occupation: Retired

Years involved with Iditarod: 50 years

Past Iditarod Roles: Driving dogs and being on the rule’s committee and the board of directors for a while.

Current Location: Settler’s Bay Lodge in Wasilla, Alaska
Date of Photo: March 1, 2022

Temperature: 68 F Indoors

What, who or how and when did you first get involved with the Iditarod?

So I first got involved in Iditarod in 1973. I was working with a group called Ad Hoc, that were trying to garner support from Vietnam veterans. So we would meet them out at the airport, international airport, when they were coming overseas from Southeast Asia. Always treated them with utmost respect, which was really a shame during the Vietnam era, how we treated our veterans, it was disgusting. And treated them with the respect and kindness, offered them a beer and said, “What do you think about the war?”. And if they said it was total bullshit, what we did was reference them and say, “Let’s say you’re from Cleveland. Okay. Here, get ahold of this person just for the anti-war effort to stop the Vietnam war.” And we were over in Mountain View in a place called the Warehouse and Chancy Croft, which was a legislature for that area, showed up with this guy that was with this Oklahoma accent. His name was Joe Redington and Joe Redington made a presentation. And he said, “We got this thing called the Iditarod and it’s going to be coming around this year and we need support. We need a headquarters. We can’t be associated with you because you’re very left, but we need your support. And are you willing to do that?” And we went in a meeting and we came out and we said, “Yeah, we’ll support that.” So that’s how I got introduced to the Iditarod in the 1973 after meeting Joe Redington. I said, “I’m going to run that race someday.” And I did in 1977. So, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

What was one of your most memorable Iditarod experiences?

My most memorable experience on the Iditarod I think; that was challenging and maybe life and death was 1985. We were running through an area called Moose Alley, the first night at Iditarod. I felt very comfortable because I saw set at a runner tracks ahead of me. So I knew somebody else was sweeping the trail. Came over a hill on a blind curve and heard somebody shouting in the middle of the night, “Help, help.” I could tell it was Susan Butcher, threw my sled on its side, grabbed my 44 handgun ran up. Here I see Susan Butcher and in the front of the team was this moose stomping and menacing her team. I aimed my handgun. I fired four times completely missed her and hit the moose by accident. And it was some of the worst shooting I’ve ever done in my life actually. But anyway, so that’s how I…

What does the 50th running of the Iditarod mean to you?

Knowing this is the 50th Iditarod, it makes me feel good.

What do you know for sure?:

What I know for sure life is unpredictable. And just because you’re intelligent, doesn’t mean you have wisdom. And it’s the one thing that I think, in retrospect, I’ve been blessed with is wisdom. It’s the greatest gift that’s ever given.