John Evan Dapcevich (September 26, 1926 – September 1, 2022) was an American politician in the state of Alaska.[1]
John E. Dapcevich | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Sitka, Alaska | |
| In office 1971–1975 | |
| Preceded by | Office established[note 1] |
| Succeeded by | Ben Grussendorf |
| In office 1979–1985 | |
| Preceded by | Ben Grussendorf |
| Succeeded by | Rocky Gutierrez |
| In office 1987–1989 | |
| Preceded by | Dan Keck |
| Succeeded by | Dan Keck |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 26, 1926 Hazleton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | September 1, 2022 (aged 95) Juneau, Alaska, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Janice Dapcevich |
| Children | 6 including Marko Dapcevich |
| Occupation | Accountant |
Biography
editDapcevich was born in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, in 1926 to Savo (Sam) and Stana Dapcevich, immigrants from Montenegro,[2] where his father worked in coal mines.[3] The family moved to Juneau, Alaska, in 1928 living with a Serbian community, with John entering school years later. He was married to Janice and resided in Juneau until his death in September 2022.
Political career
editHe moved to Sitka, Alaska, in 1960 where he served six terms as Mayor during a span of 20 years.[4] During his time in office, Dapcevich worked to successfully unify the City of Sitka with various borough governments.[5] Upon his retirement in 1995, he moved back to Juneau.[3]
He also served in the Alaska Public Offices Commission and Alaska Pioneers' Homes Advisory Board, serving under Governor Steve Cowper. In addition, he previously served in the Territorial Teachers' Retirement System and as a budget analyst in the territory's fiscal and budget management office. Dapcevich also chaired the Southeast Alaska Democratic Party and the State Central Council of the Alaska Democratic Party.[6] He was awarded a lifetime achievement award by Governor Tony Knowles in 2003.
Notes
edit- ^ In 1971, Dapcevich became mayor of the newly-incorporated City and Borough of Sitka, which unified the former Greater Sitka Borough with the former City of Sitka. The final borough mayor was Howard Bradshaw and the final city mayor was Les Shepard.
References
edit- ^ "Six-Term Sitka Mayor and Lifetime Alaskan dies". Juneau Empire. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Courtesy of John Dapcevich (September 29, 2006). "Photo: 80th birthday | Juneau Empire - Alaska's Capital City Online Newspaper". Juneau Empire. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
- ^ a b "Parks and Recreation - Juneau, Alaska". Juneau.org. October 23, 1928. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
- ^ "Serbian History 101 - Famous American Serbs Please understand I use American Serb and Serbian American interchangeably. We were always taught to think of ourselves as Americans first, last and always, but to always be proud of, and never forget our Serbian heritage. Hence in the Pittsburgh area, "American Serb" is the most frequent term used, putting the emphasis on America first". Babamim.com. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
- ^ "Setting the record straight | Juneau Empire - Alaska's Capital City Online Newspaper". Juneau Empire. December 17, 2006. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
- ^ "Juneau man wins achievement award | Juneau Empire - Alaska's Capital City Online Newspaper". Juneau Empire. January 3, 2003. Retrieved January 7, 2012.