Boucher Resigns Position as Goldpanner Field Boss
March 11, 1970, Daily News-Miner

The resignation of H.A. (Red) Boucher, founding father of the Alaska Goldpanner baseball program, was accepted by the club's board of directors Wednesday night at the windup of their annual meeting.

Boucher, lone field manager of the team during its 10-year history, was re-elected to the board of directors but gave up the field manager duties because of the press of business.

Last night's action by the board was the official action on Boucher's resignation, tendered to the board at its Dec. 10, 1969 meeting.

Don Dennis ('68-), Goldpanner general manager, said that the position of field manager would be offered to Lyle Olsen ('66,'67,'68,'69,'70), who has served the past four years as Boucher's assistant.  Olsen is head baseball coach at San Diego State College.

Boucher, also mayor of Fairbanks, founded the internationally famous local team in 1960 as the Pan Alaska Goldpanners under the sponsorship of Pan Alaska, Inc., a sporting goods store formerly operated by Boucher and his wife Heida on Airport Way.

The Goldpanners were formed the year after Boucher, a veteran of 20 years in the U.S. Navy, moved to Fairbanks.  In all, the free-wheeling redhead has put in 23 seasons as a baseball manager on several different levels.

The list of accomplishments made by Boucher and his team over the past decade is as long as your arm.

Most notable achievements came for Boucher in 1962 when he was named All-American Non-Professional Manager of the Year by the National Baseball Congress and this past December when the NBC selected him Co-Manager of the Decade.  Boucher shared that coveted honor with Bauldie Moschetti, manager of the Boulder, Colo., Collegians.

The Goldpanners never won the NBC championship but in six visits to Wichita under Boucher never finished lower than fourth.

The 1962 Goldpanners stunned the amateur baseball world when they went into the ninth inning of the national championship game deadlocked with the powerful Wichita, Kan., Dreamliners and lost only on a disputed run.

The 1963 Goldpanners finished third and in 1964 it was again a runner-up finish.  The Panners placed fourth in 1965, again in 1967, and fourth again last year.

The 1966 Boucher team passed up Wichita and went to Hawaii, winning both the Hawaiian Invitational Tournament and the World Invitational Tournament without a loss.   The World Invitational title came on two straight wins over Kumagai-Gumi of Japan.   Then, in 1968, the Panners again bypassed Wichita to make a 17-day, 7-city tour of Japan.

Over-all, Boucher's 10-year record at the helm of the Goldpanners is a fine 337 wins, 118 losses.  The Panners captured the Alaska State NBC title eight of the nine years they competed for it.

Boucher has given unselfishly to the promotion of baseball in Fairbanks over the past 10 years.  in many ways, his program has been the inspiration for expanded youth interest locally.  He also was the driving force in the modernization of the Growden Memorial Park complex.

March 11, 1970, Daily News-Miner