Elizabeth A TowerElizabeth Ann (Betsy) Tower, MD was born August 1, 1926, in Cleveland, Ohio, and died September 27, 2010, at her home in Anchorage at the age of eighty-four. After completing their medical residencies in 1954, John and Betsy Tower braved the Alcan Hghway and set up John's pediatric practice in their first home in Anchorage. They were enthusiastic supporters of the statehood movement. With pilot's licenses and a spirit of adventure, the Towers enjoyed hunting, fishing, and exploring Alaska. Their friendships with many other young couples newly arrived in Anchorage during the 1950s lasted their lifetimes. They reveled in the challenges and opportunities of Alaska's first fifty years of statehood while raising their four children. Betsy served as public health officer for the Alaska Division of Public Health for twenty-five years, supervising public health nurses in South Central Alaska, Southwestern Alaska, and the Aleutians. She traveled widely in Bush Alaska and developed a statewide vaccination program for hepatitis B. Upon her retirement from the Alaska Division of Public Health in 1986, Betsy pursued her longstanding interest in history and writing. Her monographs about Stephen Birch, Mike Heney, Sheldon Jackson, Austin E. Cap Lathrop, and William Egan explored the legacy of entrepreneurs and adventurers who shaped Alaska. She received the Alaska Historical Society's 1996 Historian of the Year award for her bookIcebound Empire. Her longstanding interest in Canada led her to write Over the Back Fence: Conflicts on the United States/Canada Border from Maine to Alaska. In 2010, Betsy was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame, which celebrates women who have shaped the state. She led a full Alaskan life. Read More Read Less