With a 36-0 vote on Friday morning, the Alaska House of Representatives named its judiciary committee meeting room after Max Gruenberg, Democratic representative from Anchorage who died last week.
Many rooms in the Capitol are named after deceased legislators, including 124 (Ramona Barnes), 203, (Bettye Fahrenkamp) and 205 (John Butrovich).
Speaking in favor of the resolution, Gruenberg’s fellow lawmakers said it was appropriate to name the judiciary room in honor of someone who spent more time in there than anyone.
Gruenberg, a Vietnam War veteran and family lawyer, was elected to the House in 1985 and served until he made an unsuccessful run for Senate District H in 1992. After losing that race to Johnny Ellis, he stayed away from elected office for a decade. In 2002, he defeated Republican Randy Smith by just 31 votes to win House District 20. Though redistricting changed the boundary lines, Gruenberg stayed in office, serving on the judiciary committee throughout his first and second stints in the Legislature.
Memorial services are scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Juneau and for 5:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at Temple Beth Sholom in Anchorage. The public is invited.
