Guide to the Jack Scavenius papers
1920-1976
Collection number: HMC-0491.
Creator: Scavenius, Jack.
Title: Jack Scavenius papers.
Dates: 1920-1976.
Volume of collection: 1.1 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Collection materials are primarily in English but some are in Danish.
Collection summary: Papers of a pilot and diplomat in Anchorage.
Biographical note:
Jack Frederick Scavenius was born in Denmark in 1904. He studied at the University of Copenhagen before moving to the United States in 1927. He earned a law degree from the University of Chicago in 1954. Scavenius served as an Alaskan bush pilot from 1938-1942, and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1945. From 1946 to 1950, Scavenius served as the owner and operator of McKinley Airways, in Anchorage. He served as a city councilman for Anchorage from 1948 to 1949, and was vice consul for Denmark from 1957 into the 1960s. In addition, Scavenius was a member of various professional, civic, and volunteer organizations. Jack Scavenius died in 1976.
Collection description:
This collection contains papers and photographs related to the life of Jack Scavenius.
Arrangement: The collection is grouped by type of document: papers, photographs, artifacts, and audio recordings.
Digitized copies: Two photographs from the collection have been digitized and placed online in Alaska’s Digital Archives. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Rights note: Archives & Special Collections does not hold copyright to these materials.
Preferred citation: Jack Scavenius papers, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Separated materials: Some books from the collection have been placed into the Rare Books section of the Library.
Acquisition note: The Scavenius papers were donated to the Archives by Dr. Helen Beirne in 2000.
Processing information: This collection was arranged and described by Kathleen Hertel in 2000. The scrapbook was copied and disintegrating original newspaper clippings removed and destroyed. Photograph albums were disassembled and photographs sorted mostly by topic. The guide was reformatted, updated, and edited to include additional undescribed content in 2013 by Arlene Schmuland. Publications were removed to be placed in Rare Books. A large Danish flag was removed from the collection.
Container list:
| Box/Folder | Description | Dates |
| 1/1 | Death certificate | 1976 April 3 |
| 1/2 | Alaska House Concurrent Resolution 126 honoring Jack Scavenius, and related documents | 1976 April 9 |
| 1/3 | Marriage license application | 1949 August |
| 1/4 | Awards and certifications | 1944-1964 |
| 1/5 | Education-related documents | 1924-1954 |
| 1/6 | Passports | 1944-1965 |
| 1/7 | Bankbook (in Danish) | 1924-1955 |
| 1/8 | Income tax return | 1949 |
| 1/9 | Professional correspondence | 1950-1976 |
| 1/10 | Correspondence and documents in Danish | 1924-1955 |
| 1/11 | L. V. Castner Inc. incorporation documents | 1946 |
| 1/12 | Newpaper clippings | undated |
| 1/13 | Event programs in Danish | undated |
| OSF1 | Maps, mostly Denmark, one Canadian Pacific Railways | undated |
| 1/14 | McKinley Airways scrapbook copy and originals of non-newspaper contents | 1920-1949 |
| 1/15 | Unidentified photographs from albums, mostly likely Denmark and other European countries, 217 black and white prints | undated |
| 1/16 | Album photographs from Gakona, Chitina, Valdez, Kennecott, and Anchorage, 79 black and white prints | 1940-1943 |
| 1/17 | McKinley Airways photographs from albums, 31 black and white prints | 1947-1949 |
| 1/18 | Alaska related images from albums, 23 black and white prints | undated, 1930 |
| 1/19 | Boy Scout event (probably Denmark) photographs from albums, 4 black and white prints | undated |
| 1/20 | Family home in Denmark from albums, 13 photographs and prints of drawings | undated |
| 1/21 | Unidentified portrait photographs from albums, 25 black and white prints | undated |
| 1/22-23 | Unidentified framed portrait photographs, 6 black and white prints | undated |
| OSF1 | Unidentified portrait photograph, 1 black and white print | undated |
| 1/24 | Unidentified loose photographs, many probably Denmark, 76 black and white prints | 1920-1940 |
| 1/25 | Postcards, 12 black and white, one color | undated |
| 1/26 | Unidentified negatives, 96 black and white negatives | undated |
| 1/27 | Metal box containing a Masonic apron | undated |
| 1/27 | Cardboard box containing two delegate pins, a patch, and three dogtags | undated |
| 1/28 | American Legion hat | undated |
| 1/29 | Audiotape recordings, unidentified | 1975 |