Former Southeast state senator and Juneau KINY radio host Dennis Egan died June 28. He was 75. Egan passed away at an assisted-living home in Salem, Oregon, his family reported.
Egan’s daughter, Leslie, and her family, live in Oregon. Egan’s family said his wife, Linda, was with him this week.
Born March 3, 1947, he was the son of Alaska’s first governor, William “Bill” Egan. During high school, and after broadcast engineer training, he worked at KINY in the 1960s. In 1967, Egan graduated from radio operation engineering school. He served in the Alaska Army National Guard from 1967 to 1974.
In 1980, he began hosting KINY’s “Problem Corner.” He continued to host the show until 2010.
Egan, a Democrat, represented Juneau in the Legislature from 2009 until 2019. Health concerns forced his retirement.
He served as the mayor of Juneau from 1995 to 2000, and was a member of the city-borough assembly prior to that.
“Dennis was larger than life. He charmed just about everyone he ever met. I once watched him tell a lobbyist there was no way he’d ever vote for a bill, and the guy still left with a smile on his face,” said Juneau Sen. Jesse Kiehl.
Egan was named as the Alaska Broadcaster Association's Broadcaster of the Year in 1990, and was named to the association’s Hall of Fame in 2001.
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