A TRAGIC DEATH IN BARROW

 Just yesterday, I was reminded that I had never written about a tragedy in Barrow.

Paul McCord, one of the new physicians, and his wife Amy came to Barrow.  He fell in love with the North Slope.  He was liked and admired by many people on the slope.  Amy was teaching in one of the local schools.  The schools, which I have probably not mentioned, were extremely well designed and very modern.  The high school has an Olympic sized swimming pool which is open to the public.  I toured the new grade school and in each room was a tiny child sized toilet.  

Dr. McCord was in the habit of driving a snowmobile to Wainwright to attend the local clinic.   One day he took off, actually violating one of the regulations about travel, his destination was Wainwright.  

A blizzard began and the wind was blowing fiercely.  One of the nurses muttered that she didn't like the situation.  Paul wore a two way radio and a locator which beeped faithfully.  When the beeping stopped there was concern that the unit had frozen.  It was uncertain whether Dr. McCord new to keep the locator inside his shirt.  

Search and Rescue took off to go look for him at the last known location.  It was a cabin but Paul was not there.  There was no snowmobile tracks.  He did not arrive at Wainwright.  

One of the doctors came into the medical record department and asked me to find a dictation with his voice on it.  I dug one out and back erased patient names and give it to him.  He in turn was going to give it to Amy.   

His body was never found.  The next year the same doc who wanted the tape for Amy came back in the summer. He searched on his own.  The only thing that ever turned up was Dr. McCord's snow mobile which had washed up on the beach.  

Amy messaged me asking about myself.  She never remarried but had some wonderful relationships. She misses Alaska.  

Alaska can kill you in a variety of ways; the year before I came to Barrow, one of the nurses and a Inupiaq friend went out on the summer ice.  They were never found.  One of the doctors who was a concert flutist, committed suicide once she went home.  We had to try to contract her then gentleman friend who was working in one of the villages to tell him that Clara had died.  Some one was killed when he was welding on a metal tanker.   The corporation was successfully prosecuted for murder.  Strange but true, a friend of mine from the department was on the jury. 

The Inupiaq people often name their babies after a death of either a friend or family member.  I do not know if there were any babies born at that time whose middle name was Paul, but I would not be surprised.  I am very certain there are no babies with the middle name of Royce, 'cuz, I ain't dead yet.