The Observer, January 2008

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Volunteer Profile: George Skladal, here since committee’s beginning, is planning to stick around for the end, as well

By JACQUELYN OLSON
Project Manager Assistant

No matter what it is or where it’s at, the odds are pretty good that George Skladal has been there, seen it, or done it.

Skladal, 74, is a member of the council’s Terminal Operations and Environmental Monitoring Committee. Skladal was born in the Philippines, where his father was stationed with the American military. In 1939, his family moved back to the United States into his first U.S. home which included a 180-acre farm and 100 yards of driveway (to later be hand-shoveled, every winter) in Woburn, Mass.

Skladal learned to adapt to regular changes of environment as the family continued moving. He attended a military high school and college, and then spent the next 20 years in the Army as an Airborne Ranger officer. He served in such widely-scattered points as Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Japan, Kansas, Korea, Vietnam — and Alaska. Mostly he worked in logistics – the part of the Army that makes sure the troops get the food, fuel and gear they need.

Skladal’s specialty was petroleum-related facilities like pipelines and tank farms, which would later dovetail with his interest in serving on the council’s terminal operations committee.

In 1967, the Army sent Skladal to Alaska. He drove up the Alcan to become a petroleum officer on the joint staff of the Alaskan Command, helping supply Army, Navy, and Air Force facilities in Alaska by ocean tanker and 700 miles of pipelines. In addition, he coordinated oil spill clean up of Canadian lakes with Canadian officials and received a commendation for his role in logistical relief efforts during the 1967 Fairbanks flood.

In 1970, he was posted to Vietnam to command a petroleum battalion at Cam Ranh Bay, a sprawling facility that served American operations in the middle section of the country. He spent 18 months there, overseeing 2,500 people and enduring many restless nights from enemy rocket attacks. Although no rocket ever hit one of his fuel tanks, a pump at the docks was struck one night. “We had to step over unexploded rockets to get in and fight the fire,” Skladal said.

In 1971, he received the Bronze Star for outstanding performance of duty as the leader of the logistical battalion in Vietnam.

His stint there ended that year with his return to Alaska, where he once again worked in Army logistics. However, when Skladal retired in 1974, at age 41, boundless opportunities lay before him. He narrowed it down to two choices: become a lawyer, or a professional engineer?

When he learned the engineering track would require a five-year apprenticeship under a practicing professional, the choice was easy. “As a lawyer, you’re knighted immediately,” he said. “You don’t have to work under anybody.”

He went to law school in Texas, and now is licensed to practice law in federal court and in the state courts of Texas and Alaska, as well as the U.S. District Court in Alaska, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition, he teaches math at a private school in Anchorage.

When Skladal heard after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill that the citizens’ council was forming a committee to oversee operations at the Valdez tanker terminal, he was one of the first to volunteer. That was in 1990 and even now, Skladal is still going strong as a TOEM committee member, recently volunteering for a joint committee project to assess the state of tanker fire-fighting capabilities at Alyeska and the Valdez Fire Department.

“I had operated terminals and pipelines in the Army,” Skladal said. “I thought I could make some contribution with my knowledge of operations, and I was also familiar with environmental concerns.”

With his background as a lawyer, a petroleum and civil engineer, the experience acquired in the Army, and his passion to alleviate environmental concerns, Skladal is a noteworthy asset to TOEM, said Bob Benda, who chairs the committee.

Now, some 18 years later, how long does Skladal plan to be a part of the citizens’ council?

“As long as it lasts,” Skladal said. “I cannot think of a better organization to be a part of with excellent staff, board, volunteer members, and overall goal. Together, we are doing an outstanding job in protecting the environment, health, and welfare of the Valdez people, Alaskans, and the United States.”

In 1993, Skladal began taking art lessons – first painting, then drawing, and now sculpture and hand-thrown ceramics. It was a childhood interest, but one that he never had time to develop. His masterpieces can now be found on display at UAA, up for high bidding at fund raising events, or throughout his home.

Another hobby of his includes swimming 1,400 miles each year. And he plans to stick with that, too.