Going Rogue: An American Life (125 page)
Read Going Rogue: An American Life Online
Authors: Sarah Palin,Lynn Vincent
Tags: #General, #Autobiography, #Political, #Political Science, #Biography And Autobiography, #Biography, #Science, #Contemporary, #History, #Non-Fiction, #Politics, #Sarah, #USA, #Vice-Presidential candidates - United States, #Women politicians, #Women governors, #21st century history: from c 2000 -, #Women, #Autobiography: General, #History of the Americas, #Women politicians - United States, #Palin, #Alaska, #Personal Memoirs, #Vice-Presidential candidates, #Memoirs, #Central government, #Republican Party (U.S.: 1854- ), #Governors - Alaska, #Alaska - Politics and government, #Biography & Autobiography, #Conservatives - Women - United States, #U.S. - Contemporary Politics
up the new Parks Highway we got
a much-needed caribou and carried
it back to Wasilla atop the trunk of
our old blue Rambler. Dad would
offer a quarter to whichever kid first
spotted a moose or caribou. Everyone must have had better eyes than I did because I rarely got that quarter.
Courtesy Chuck Heath
MIDDLE: Molly, Heather, and I with
our wonderful family dog, Rufus, a
faithful companion and protector for
thirteen years.
Courtesy Chuck Heath
BOTTOM: Dad shows our Skagway
neighbor Blythe, and Heather, me,
and Chuck Jr. , how to skin a harbor
seal. It was legal to harvest the seals
for their meat until the Marine
Mammal Protection Act of
1972 banned hunting them (a 1994
amendment allowed for hunting by
Alaska Natives). Grandma Sheeran
sewed coats and mittens for us out of
the hides.
Courtesy
Heath
Growing up, I was of the mind that
basketball was life and the rest was
just details. I was cocaptain and point
guard of the Wasilla Warriors 1982
State Championship team. It was a
season that changed my life.
Courtesy
Jackie Conn
BELOW LEFT: My fellow track teammates Katy Port, Chris KoenemanTriplett, and Kim “Tilly” Ketchum standing in front of me in our school
parking lot, where we had to practice
all events during spring breakup seasons .
Courtesy Chuck Heath
Our state cross-country running meet was held in the snow at Settlers Bay Golf Course . Dad and Dan Giffen were our coaches and inspired us to be not only determined runners but good students too. The whole team was on the honor roll. I’m in the first row, far left; Heather is the blonde on the far right. Behind us are Lincoln Fischer, Rocky Moreland, Benny Welch, Elwyn Fischer, Curtis Menard, Darin Swift, Grant Smith. In front stand Dena Ludington, Marie Carter, Chris Erickson, Michelle Carney, and Karen Bush.
Courtesy Chuck Heath
May 1982. Todd and I walked together in
Warrior colors at Wasi lla High School’s
graduation ceremony. Twenty-eight years
later, we’re still walking together, but
maybe have picked up the pace a bit.
Courtesy Jim Palin
LEFT: Graduation day, 1987, at the
University of Idaho. I loved my years in
college as a Vandal but was ready to return
to Alaska and get busy on a fulltime career.
This picture is in front of “The Tower,” an all-girls dorm where I lived for three years.
Courtesy Anna DeLaCueva
RIGHT: Spring of 1982 . I’m standing in front of the rig that Todd took great care of-his 1972 Ford Mustang Grande, which he bought from his hip grandma in Oregon , Margaret Denny. And I’m sure I looked pretty hip in the Members Only
jacket I borrowed from Todd for this
picture .
Courtesy Faye Palin
My group of lifelong girlfriends, the “Elite 6”-as we jokingly refer to ourselves, because we’re anything but “elite.” I’m on the far left, and special needs assistant Patti Ricker sits by me.
ext are EMT/ambulance driver Sandy Hoeft and personal trainer Juanita Fuller. On the floor are investigator Amy Hansen and food bank volunteer and election poll coordinator Deb Remus. We’ve been through tragedies and triumphs, births and deaths-together. They’re trustworthy, faithful, down-toearth
true
friends, and they help keep me grounded despite the politics that constantly swirl.
Courtesy Deb Remus On July Fourth, 1994, while visiting
the Menards, I take to kayaking on
Memory Lake with Bristol and Chuck
Jr. to try to kick up the contractions.
Baby Willow was overdue, and I
thought it would be great for her to be
born on the Fourth ofJuly, but alas,
I must not have paddled hard enough
because she wasn’t born until the next
day.
Courtesy Linda Menard
LEFT: Here
ick Carney and I
take the ·oath of office as we’re
sworn in as Wasilla City Councilmen in City Hall, in 1992. Finance Director Erling Nelson
administered the oath. I used to
babysit Erling’s kids when I was
a teenager.
Courtesy Todd Palin
R I GHT: After serving my first term on
the City Council, I was ree lected in
1995 to serve another term, before I ran
for mayor. It was a pleasure serving my
hometown, and I wouldn’t trade the
experience for much of anything.
CourtesyJudy Patrick
BOTTOM: Our 1996 campaign for mayor
took to Palmer’s Alaska State Fair parade
right before the local elections.
Our campaign theme, “Positive-ly
Palin,” was delivered with pink and green
signs-because no one else ever used
those colors .
Courtesy Heather Bruce
