Customer Reviews

Jorgy: the life of Native Alaskan bush pilot and airline captain Holger "Jorgy" Jorgensen

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Jorgy is an unembellished look at Alaskan Aviation through the eyes and actual words of Holger Jorgensen, one of Alaska's most respected pilots. It takes the reader through the ending days of the Nome Gold Rush to the coming of the jet age. If you are an aviation enthusiast, a history buff, or you'd just like to meet an amazing Alaskan Eskimo Pilot who touched many, many lives, this is a must for you!

Jean Lester's book is a wonderful transcription of Holger Jorgensen's oral history. The stories are mostly unedited, kind of random, and the reader gets the distinct feeling that he is sitting with Holger Jorgensen, by his warm fireplace, looking at his photo album and hearing his stories. Jorgy traces his rough beginning in the gold mines to the left seat of jets and turboprops, flying all over the world. Don't expect him to pull punches or mince words. That wouldn't be Holger. For example: suffering macular degeneration late in his life, he talks of flying blind (in more ways than one) on his last flight, a tale that would curl the hair of an FAA inspector.

Good thing there's a statute of limitations!

Jorgy's life story follows the coming of age of commercial aviation in America's flyingest state, Alaska. Holger Jorgensen's leadership and mentoring changed Alaskan aviation and the lives of those he touched for the better, and forever. I heartily recommend this excellent book.

Mike Meiser
Anchorage, AK

Just because one only has an eighth grade education doesn't mean one can't make something of oneself. "Jorgy: The Life of Native Alaskan Bush Pilot and Airline Captain Holger Jorgy Jorgensen" tells of Jorgy's adventures flying over the skies of every continent in the world (except South America and Antarctica) as a runner of equipment for science, among other duties. A straight no nonsense account of a life in the skies, "Jorgy" is as educational as it is entertaining.

If you are interested in learning about a unique portion of aviation history and more about one of the great pilots to come from the villages of Alaska, then this is your book. A must read on all aviation bookshelves.
I was fortunate to be able to fly with Jorgy, or Chief, as he was known around the company at Interior Airways. Jorgy, was not only a great pilot, he was a calm and cool person under pressure, and infused with a great sense of humor. He was also always willing to give a leg up to us struggling neophyte pilots. Jorgy was ever willing to put you in the left seat and let you gain confidence in a demanding world of flying the Bush with a four engine Hercules full of bulk fuel landing on a one way runway on some mountain top or a short ice strip. He has fought his own battles and like all things in his life, all were accomplished with an unsurpassed level of dignity.

A great read. Highly recommended. Also check out Author Jean Lester's other books. She has done a great job on Jorgy...


Captain Terry Reece
Author of Flying North South East and West


Flying North South East and West: Arctic to the Sahara

If you've ever flown in Alaska, thought about doing it, or just dreamed about it, read this book!
I had the privilege of actually doing it in the late 1970s with Jorgy at Great Northern Airlines. I thought I knew how to fly, but he taught me how to REALLY fly. Stick and rudder, yes, but......how to think, use finesse, common sense, stand up for what's right, integrity, have a good laugh, be a mentor, leave a legacy.
When you pick up this book, it's just like sitting down with The Chief over a cup of coffee hearing story after story from his own lips.
A must-read for all ages!

I've read the book and it is a first class read of an accomplished Aviator and a great man. I found one omission I would like to add to Jorgy's biography. He coached me in Little League baseball in Alaska
in the 60's. Thank you Holger Jorgenson....

Back when I traveled the world while home schooling several kids, when we landed into a new country, we learned to head to the local library (or it's equivalent) for advice. "What are the stories about this place we need to read? What will orient us to this country, its landscapes and and weathers, the people who have lived here long and ones who have come lately? What stories do you recommend?"

"Jorgy" is just such a keeper. The story begins with his hybrid parentage, Eskimo mother and Norwegian gold miner father, and the challenges of village life on Alaska's Seward Peninsula prior to World War II. Rich in details about kid's games, schooling, methods of hauling water and wood, hunting, fishing, and mining work, we also get to see the prejudice he experienced from both cultural wings of his heritage and the effect of his mother's remarkable work in independently raising five children after his dad's death in a mining accident. Jean Lester does a remarkable writing job throughout--her perfect invisibility --allows us to simply listen to Jorgy's unfolding story. From the glamor-and risks- of early aviation, wartime changes and post war possibilities via the GI bill, at each step, we see this young village kid making step by step choices into an extraordinary life. Hollywood would be hard pressed to match the appealing glamour we see in many of the photos of Jorgy, his wife, family and of course the many handsome airplanes, but there is grit throughout which underscores the inherent drama of early bush and commercial flying.
Five stars.
(Another gem, about a woman, born a generation earlier on the Seward Peninsula is Edna Wilder's The Eskimo Girl and the Englishman