Alaska’s Junior Senator Visits Seniors

It was the early ’90’s. My dad was reading the morning paper and grumbled about some assemblyman in Anchorage and muttered something about Doogie Howser. My college friend and I were joining him for breakfast and I told her that he was talking about Mark Begich. She laughed and asked if my dad knew about my crush on him. My dad looked up in a mock look of condescension and said, “You have a crush on who, Mark Begich or Doogie Howser?” My girlfriend and I laughed and in unison said, “Yes!” My dad was of course only joking. He had…