Guide to the Frank Reed papers
1905-2009
Collection number: HMC-0206.
Creator: Reed, Frank.
Title: Frank Reed papers.
Dates: 1905-2009.
Volume of collection: 4.15 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Collection materials are in English.
Collection summary: The papers of an Anchorage businessman and civic leader.
Biographical note:
Frank Reed was born in Seattle in 1912. He attended the University of Alaska (1931-1932) and obtained his bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Washington (1937). He was Vice President of the Anchorage Light and Power Company (1937-1942), leaving to serve on active duty in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Following the war, he held various managerial positions which included President of the Alaska Electric and Equipment Company (to 1950); Secretary-Treasurer and Manager of Turnagain Arms Apartments (1950-1956); Manager of General Credit Corporation (1956); Branch Manager of the Alaska Small Business Administration (1958-1960); and Senior Vice President of the Alaska Bank of Commerce. He also served as Director of the Anchorage Broadcasters, Inc.; Director of Alaska Fish and Farm, Inc.; Director of the Life Insurance Company of Alaska; and President of Alaska Hotel Properties (later Alaska Microfast Software Corp.). Active in civic affairs, Frank Reed served on a number of boards, councils, and commissions including the Anchorage Area Charter commissions; the Salvation Army Advisory Board; Anchorage Federated Charities; Anchorage City Council; Anchorage Planning Commission; Executive Committee of Greater Anchorage, Inc.; Anchorage School Board; YMCA Building Fund; Operation Breakthrough; Anchorage Chamber of Commerce; and Anchorage Civic Opera. Frank Reed was elected to the Alaska Hall of Fame in 1969. In 1976, he was named Outstanding Alaskan of the Year by the Alaska Chamber of Commerce, and received a Community Service Award from the YMCA in 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1978. Frank Reed died in Anchorage in 2012.
Collection description:
The collection consists of the personal and business papers of Frank Reed, Sr., as well as his files on Operation Breakthrough, the 1959 and 1975 Anchorage charter commissions, as well as records related to various Alaskan public policy and civic organizations. There are also reference material files on the subjects of Alaskan business, economics, and social and cultural organizations. The papers and other records consist of documents concerning Frank Reed’s various business interests and his active participation in various public policy, civic, social, and cultural organizations.
Arrangement: The collection is divided into five series:
Series 1: Personal papers; 1936-2009
Series 2: Civic organization records; 1923-1996
Series 3: Business and investment records; 1920-1984
Series 4: University records; 1977-1978
Series 5: Correspondence and subject files; 1905-1998
Digitized copies: Selected items have been digitized and can be viewed on Alaska’s Digital Archives. For information about obtaining copies please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Rights note: Materials not authored by Frank Reed may be subject to copyright restrictions.
Preferred citation: Frank Reed papers, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Separated materials: Published materials were removed from the collection and added to the Rare Books and ephemera collections.
Related materials:
Alaska Hotel Properties records; 1959-1981. HMC-0017
Matanuska Valley Bank records; 1947-1965. HMC-0480
First Interstate Corporation of Alaska records; 1963-1989. HMC-0473
Maxine Reed papers; 1900-1994. HMC-0443
Acquisition note: Papers were given to the Archives by Frank Reed in batches from 1982 to 1997. Some of the papers were transferred to the Archives by representatives of his estate in 2012.
Processing information: This collection was initially arranged and described by Jeffrey Sinnott in 1999. The guide was reformatted to current standard (most of series 1-4) and the 2012 accession of materials (series 5) added to the guide by Arlene Schmuland in 2016.
Container list:
Series 1: Personal papers; 1936-2009. 0.2 cubic feet.
| Box/Folder | Description | Dates |
| 1/1 | Alaska Children’s Services Campaign ’80 records (includes correspondence) | 1980 |
| 1/2 | Alaska Repertory Theatre letter | 1977 November |
| 1/3 | Anchorage Coalition letter | 1975 |
| 1/4 | Correspondence | 1981-1982 |
| 1/5 | Don M. Dafoe letter and mailing list | 1976 |
| 1/6 | Ernest and Clark Gruening letter | 1980 |
| 1/7 | Letter to IBEW Local #1547 | 1963-1965 |
| 1/8 | Providence Hospital Expansion Fund letter | 1977 |
| 1/9 | Republican Party of Alaska correspondence and state convention materials | 1976 |
| 1/10 | School papers/reports: “A study of Alaskan utilities” and “Franchise regulation in Alaska” | 1936-1937 |
| 1/11 | United Good Neighbors/United Way service citation | 1959 |
| 4/3 | Oral history | 2009 |
| 4/4 | Club membership records (primarily Petroleum Club) | 1963-1996 |
Series 2: Civic organization records; 1923-1996. 2.5 cubic feet.
Documents are grouped by organization, by type of record and date of record within.
| Box/Folder | Description | Dates |
| 1/12-16 | Operation Breakthrough phase 1 records. Includes steering committee records, minutes, reports drafts correspondence, and other materials submitted. | 1966-1969 |
| 1/17-24 | Operation Breakthrough phase 2 records. Includes steering committee records, minutes, reports drafts correspondence, and other materials submitted. | 1977-1979 |
| 1/25-34 | Anchorage Charter Commission records. Includes meeting minutes, drafts, correspondence, lists, and notes. | 1955-1959 |
| 2/1-32 | Greater Anchorage Area Borough Charter Commission records. Includes minutes and agendas, public service announcements, reports, drafts, and notes. | 1971-1979 |
| 2/33 | Anchorage Charter Review Commission report | 1990 |
| 2/34 | Alaska Board of Police Commissioners records. Includes minutes and reports. | 1958 |
| 2/35-38 | Interim Utilities Commission records. Includes minutes, reports, transcripts, and sale records. | 1975-1977 |
| 2/39-43 | State Investment Advisory Committee records. Includes minutes, procedures, memoranda, reports, legislative information, correspondence, and proposals. | 1970-1972 |
| 3/1-4 | Commonwealth North ANWR Committee records. Includes meeting records, correspondence, reports, and reference materials. | 1987-1990 |
| 3/5 | Small Business Administration records. Includes correspondence, memos, and other documents. | 1957-1960 |
| 3/6 | Salvation Army Advisory Board records. Includes meeting records and correspondence. | 1952-1959 |
| 3/7-10 | International Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Building Association records. Includes correspondence and mortgage bonds. | 1923, 1950-1965, 1996 |
| 3/11-12 | Hugh O’Brien Youth Foundation Alaska Leadership records. Includes advisory board and board of directors records. | 1988-1993 |
| 3/13 | Anchorage Civic Opera Board of Directors records. | 1979-1980 |
| 3/14 | Anchorage Lions Club operational records. | 1977-1987 |
Series 3: Business and investment records; 1920-1984. 0.45 cubic feet.
Documents are grouped by company, in order by date or type of record within. Related correspondence may be found in series 5.
| Box/Folder | Description | Date |
| 3/15-27 | Alaska Bank of Commerce records. Includes financial statements, correspondence, marketing records, customer satisfaction survey results | 1970-1982 |
| 3/28 | Matanuska Valley Bank shareholder records. | 1961-1972 |
| 3/29-30 | Anchorage Light and Power records. Includes articles of incorporation, reports, project proposals, blueprints, and photographs | 1920-1947 |
| 3/31 | Central Alaska Utilities Inc. shareholder correspondence. | 1977-1984 |
| 3/32 | Alaska Real Estate Investment Corporation reports. | 1957-1960 |
| 3/33-34 | Reed Building deposit books (rent records) and correspondence | 1948-1970 |
| 3/35 | Alaska Electric Equipment Company deposit books | 1949-1951 |
| 3/36-37 | KFQD shareholder records and correspondence | 1956-1962 |
| 3/38 | Microfast Software Corporation annual report | 1982 |
| 3/39-40 | Simasko Production Company (SIMPCO) records. Includes correspondence and reports | 1973-1981 |
| 4/37 | Turnagain Co. and Reed Building financial statements and audit reports (not comprehensive) | 1947-1973 |
Series 4: University records; 1977-1978. 0.1 cubic feet.
| Box/Folder | Description | Dates |
| 4/1 | Alaska Methodist University correspondence and meeting records | 1978 |
| 4/2 | Anchorage Community College correspondence and committee records (additional materials in series 5) | 1977-1978 |
Series 5: Correspondence and subject files; 1905-1998. 0.9 cubic feet.
The files primarily include personal and professional correspondence. They relate to Anchorage Light and Power, Anchorage Hotel, and other business, financial, and personal interests. Descriptions for the files were taken from the original file folders when labels were provided. Files are in the order in which they were received at the Archives.
| Box/Folder | Description | Dates |
| 4/5 | Anchorage Light and Power | 1929-1946 |
| 4/6 | Shaw, resident engineer | 1929-1930 |
| 4/7 | Loan application (Hotel Anchorage) | 1935 |
| 4/8 | Mylroie and Co. Lumber | 1920-1921 |
| 4/9 | L.P. Smith and Pemberton and Sons | 1931 |
| 4/10 | Tibbetts | 1928-1929 |
| 4/11 | Paulson, Chester | 1931-1932 |
| 4/12 | Rasmuson, E. A. | 1928-1932 |
| 4/13 | Anchorage Light and Power, general | 1931-1935 |
| 4/14 | Skaggs, C. W. | 1931-1934 |
| 4/15 | General letters | 1933 |
| 4/16 | Contracts | 1932-1933 |
| 4/17 | Reed, letters to and from | 1927-1935 |
| 4/18 | Rasmuson | 1926-1931 |
| 4/19 | General correspondence | 1905-1930 |
| 4/20 | Federal Power Commission license | 1928 |
| 4/21 | Dobbins | 1929-1934 |
| 4/22 | Answered, Alaska Bank of Commerce | 1975-1976 |
| 4/23 | First National Bank of Fairbanks | 1975-1977 |
| 4/24 | Travel | 1984 |
| 4/25 | Microfast Software | 1985 |
| 4/26 | Sydney Laurence painting | 1953 |
| 4/27-28 | General correspondence | 1957-1963 |
| 4/29 | Certificates | 1990-1998 |
| 4/30 | Stevens, Ted | 1969-1972 |
| 4/31 | Anchorage Community College | 1980-1981 |
| 4/32 | General correspondence | 1967-1990 |
| 4/33 | Oil and gas leases | 1964-1974 |
| 4/34 | General correspondence | 1976 |
| 4/35 | Anchorage high school photographs and documents | 1930-1931 |
| 4/36 | Photographs | Undated |
| Oversize | Property maps and plans, primarily Turnagain Heights and Fish Creek area | Undated |