Alaska loses pioneer and banking leader: Daniel Hon Cuddy passed away in Anchorage May 12.

• Position: OBITUARY - Obituary

Alaskan pioneer Daniel Hon Cuddy passed away in Anchorage, Alaska on May 12, 2015 at the age of 94. His was a life well lived. He was born on February 8, 1921 in Valdez, Alaska, a thriving community of nearly 500 residents. His parents, Warren and Lucy Cuddy, ventured north separately, but with the common goal of adventure. The couple met in Valdez in 1916, and quickly became an integral part of the growing territory. This spirit of adventure and commitment to being a productive part of community was instilled in Dan at an early age.

Dan had many adventures with his older brother, David and his parents. He, along with many other Alaskan legends such as Alaska's first governor, Bill Egan, Alaska Permanent Fund Chairman, John Kelsey, judge and statehood proponent Anthony Dimond, and Anchorage Mayor George Sullivan all got their start in Valdez.

Warren was the US District Attorney for the territory, but was replaced when President Roosevelt was elected, and the politics changed. Warren moved his young family to Anchorage in 1933. A road to Anchorage did not exist, so Dan experienced his first plane ride with Bob Reeves as his pilot. Warren set up a law practice in Anchorage, a town of nearly 2,000 at the time. He began buying stock in the First National Bank of Anchorage, ultimately attaining controlling interest and assumed the role of president.

Dan attended Anchorage High School and was very involved in various school activities. Both he and his brother were on the basketball team. Dan broke his nose during one of the games--when he ran into his brother's head.

Dan and David continued their wildlife adventures, running a trap line along Ship Creek, duck hunting on the Cook Inlet mud flats, and sheep and moose hunting in the Chugach Mountains. As a young boy, Dan served as grounds keeper of the golf course at the Park Street and later as an employee of the Emard Packing Company, rising quickly from the "slime line" to supervisor in 1938.

Dan attended Stanford University, but World War II interrupted his education. He was assigned to the 1255th Engineer Combat Battalion and advanced very quickly in rank, rising from private to captain in eighteen months. Dan fought in the Battle of the Bulge and assisted in the closing of the concentration camp at Buchenwald, Germany. Dan had tremendous respect for his fellow soldiers, and always referred to them as "The Heroes."

Dan returned to Stanford after the War. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in...