Today, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race bid farewell to Iditarod Artist Bill Devine.

Below are the thoughts of The Iditarod’s Official Photographer Jeff Schultz

Back in the day, if you met Joe Redington Sr., chances are you met Bill Devine also. If you knew anything about Iditarod, you knew Bill. Bill was one of Joe and Vi’s closest friends. Bill was one you could trust with anything — he had the best integrity you ever saw — and Joe Sr. knew that. Bill was entrusted to handle Joe’s estate; Bill was there when you needed him. Bill helped Joe, Vi and Dorothy Page put the Iditarod race together in the early years.

Bill was a commercial artist and he donated a lot of his talent to the Iditarod organization. He drew the official logo for the race, the dog head and “I” which is still used to this day. And he took and donated many photos of the race in the early years. Look back at the old “Iditarod Annuals” and you’ll see his name on many pictures as well as his photo in with the groups of organizers. He took the most famous photo of Joe Redington Sr. and his lead dog “Feets”. The photo was used in countless ads and articles and as the artist reference for the commemorative bronze statue of Joe Sr. now outside of Iditarod headquarters in Wasilla as well as the winner’s trophy given each year. During the 2006 banquet Bill was awarded the “Iditarod Trail Race Founders’ Award” for all he did over the years.

Joe Sr. introduced me to Bill in 1980 before I had photographed my first race. Bill was selfless and always willing to share ideas and give advice and never take any of the glory for it. He gave me a lot of advice on taking pictures of the race and places to go. He told me not to always dwell on taking the pretty picture, but to take photos that record the “moment” in history. It wasn’t long after I met Bill that he told me he had this idea that would make for a great photo. He told me, that I should get Joe Sr. and a team and photograph Joe with Mt. McKinley in the background; the most famous musher in Alaska with the most famous mountain. He & Joe knew of a place called Pirate Lake that would be the ideal place. So I took that idea and ran with it. That idea launched my career as a professional photographer. After I took that photo and it ran in the Anchorage Times newspaper the phone rang off the hook for prints. Bill’s selfless idea and Joe Sr.’s willingness made that possible.

Bill also taught me a value that I still hold to this day… he told me “Jeff, if you live in a community, it’s only right that you should give back to that community in some way. You can’t just take and take, you need to give back. If everyone did that, what a great place we’d live”. Bill most certainly “gave back” to his community. He donated countless drawings for organizations all over the world including many veteran organizations. (He was a Korean veteran himself) His most notable donations of talent and money was to “Dollars for Dogs” in Anchorage— The fundraising arm of the Anchorage Police K-9 unit.

His contributions to our community may not seem like much to some, and go unnoticed by most, but Bill made our community a better place not just for me but for my children and (someday) their children. I can only aspire.

Godspeed Bill Devine.

Jeff Schultz

Bill joined his dear friends Joe Redington Sr. and Dorothy Page on January 16, 2007 at 12:30 pm Alaska time at the age of 77.