Guide to the Jim Wanamaker papers
1960-2009
Collection number: HMC-1108.
Creator: Wanamaker, Jim.
Title: Jim Wanamaker papers.
Dates: 1960-2009.
Volume of collection: 1.25 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Collection materials are in English.
Collection summary: Papers related primarily to transportation and trail issues in Anchorage.
Biographical note:
An attorney, Jim Wanamaker served as an assistant District Attorney and District Attorney for the 3rd District Court in Anchorage in the 1960s. He then went into private practice for 25 years, worked for the Department of Law for three to four years, and eventually became a District Court Judge from 1993 to 2005. In late 1969 he ran for the Anchorage Borough School Board. In 1970, in a response to a reconstruction plan for C Street, he and several others including Kit Crittenden formed the Citizen’s Committee to Save Chester Creek Greenbelt Park, Inc. They sued the federal government over the plans for C Street which cut into the park lands and did not provide for creek or trail access around the roadway. The Committee won the case and underpasses were built on C Street, Arctic Boulevard, and Lake Otis Parkway as a result. Jim Wanamaker continued to be heavily involved in transportation issues in the Anchorage bowl in the 1970s, including advocating against a proposed highway system that would have created a tidewater highway (where the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail runs today) and advocating for mass transit options. As a Judge in the District Court, he was instrumental in forming the Wellness Court as an option for those charged with crimes related to addiction issues.
Collection description:
The majority of the collection consists of records relating to the Citizen’s Committee to Save Chester Creek Greenbelt Park and other transportation issues. It includes court pleadings, correspondence, clippings, and position papers. The collection also includes oversize commemorative plaques, certificates, and awards given to Mr. Wanamaker.
Arrangement: The documents are in labeled folders by topic.
Digitized copies: Digital copies of collection material not available online. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Rights note: Materials in the collection not authored by Jim Wanamaker may be subject to copyright not held by the Archives.
Preferred citation: Jim Wanamaker papers, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Related materials: Additional diplomas and certificates were donated to the Joint Archives of the Alaska Court System and Alaska Bar Association.
Acquisition note: The collection was given to the Archives by Jim Wanamaker in April 2012.
Processing information: This collection was described by Arlene Schmuland in April 2012. Additional material was added to the collection by Gwen Higgins in 2018.