Redington's legacy is a long and memorial one. Beginning with his youth riding the rails as a migrant worker during the Depression and the Dust Bowl era, followed by service in the U.S. Army in Okinawa during World War II, he found his way to Alaska in 1948, purchasing his first sled dog as he crossed the border into Alaska. Following in a series of adventures involving work for the U.S. Air Force salvaging down airplanes by dog team- one piece at a time; commercial fishing, escapades with dynamite; crashed airplanes; foxes; and a myriad of other interesting episodes.
His most memorable accomplishment was the conception an development in 1973 of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race from Anchorage to Nome.
As was his habit, he ignored those who said it couldn't be done, and with a little assistance from dubious friends, he made it happen, earning him the title, "Father of the Iditarod." The first years were fun, with lots of camping and camaradirie. Later the competition became more fierce, but Redington distinguised himself time after time, finishing in the top five as late as 1988 at the age of 71.
Along the way he encouraged many foreign mushers and is greatly responsible for the growth of long distance dog mushing from Europe to South Africa.
In celebration of the bicentennial in 1976, he organized the largest dog team
which pulled a tour bus filled with passengers, up Knik Road. The bus driver panicked only slightly when, with full brake pressure applied, couldn't stop the bus.
When people said that mushing a dog team to the top of Mt. McKinley couldn't be done, Redington took a personal challenge, and in 1979, at the age of 62, he and his team reached the summit. Dreaming of introducing more people to the thrill of running dogs to Nome, he guided his first group of "Iditarod Challengers," dog mushing tourists, from Knik to Nome in 1993.
The Commemorative Serum Relay Race to Nome in 1995 was his next venture, a rousing success which began a highly successful immunization program for village children.
Throughout his life, Redington subscribed to the philosophy of "Anything the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve." The thousands who have met and to come to love and respect him will remember him for the stories, the wit and his ability to make dreams come true.
