Governor Palin Signs House Bill 37 Honoring Susan Butcher Mar 1, 2008 – The Sourdough
Anchorage, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin today honored the late musher
Susan Butcher during a ceremonial bill signing just prior to the start of the
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage. House Bill 37, sponsored by
Representative David Guttenberg, establishes the first Saturday of March as
Susan Butcher Day.
“No one exemplifies the spirit of Iditarod more than Susan
Butcher,” Governor Palin said. “She was a great role model for so
many Alaskans, including me. I greatly admire her perseverance, dedication
and competitiveness.”
Butcher, a four-time winner of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, died in
2006. She will be honored each year on the first Saturday of March, the
traditional opening day of the race that she dominated during a five-year
stretch from 1986 to 1990.
Governor Palin was joined at the ceremony by Susan Butcher’s husband,
Dave Monson, and their two daughters, Tekla and Chisana.
