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John, a native of North Seattle and graduate of the University of Washington, is another riding buddy from my days at KOMO-TV. While we didn’t ride together then, he was a newsroom protégé of mine, picking up the best of my bad habits during the 18 months we worked together. Turns out that was good preparation for John’s next act: becoming King of Alaskan television.

In 1985 John landed a job at KTUU-TV, the NBC affiliate in Anchorage as a weekend anchor, and was quickly promoted to News Director. He made a name for himself with his award-winning coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the cleanup that followed. Because of his decades of on-air television time, John was, and still is, one of the most recognizable faces in all of Alaska. (Take that, Sarah Palin!)

His plans for career development hit a major detour in 1991 when he met his wife-to-be Donna, a now-retired air traffic controller. Together, they embarked on what he calls the “kid-a-decade program,” some sort of crazy Alaska family planning. John and Donna have three adult kids: Cole, a tech nerd who lives near Denver and has put two grandchildren under the Tracy family tree; Taylor, an aspiring actress and artist who’s producing Live Action Role Play events in Austin, Texas; and Sean, an ESports video editor in Denver.

At age 52, John retired from KTUU in 2008 and purchased Alaska’s largest advertising firm, which he sold in 2017. In retirement, John did weekly commentaries on another Anchorage TV station that were compared to listening to your drunk uncle at Thanksgiving dinner. Today, John is a motivational listener for nonprofits offering everything from communications and media training to strategic planning and executive search and transition services.

John previously served on the board of the Alaska State Fair, and was for decades a drummer and singer in the band, “Chill Factor,” a staple at hip Anchorage parties. He’s also president of the Alaska Music Archives, a non-profit dedicated to preserving Alaska’s music heritage.

In 2019, John sold his Anchorage home and moved full-time to his former winter getaway in Mesa. His other big milestone that year: buying his first motorcycle, a black 2019 Harley Street Glide Special.

John rode with me in 2016 and 2019. Sadly, he sold his Harley in March 2021, so he’s now relegated to being a posse voyeur. 

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John Tracy Gallery

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