Alaska senator remembers mentor 1 year after crash

JUNEAU, Alaska – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is remembering her mentor, Ted Stevens, on the one-year anniversary of his death in a plane crash in southwest Alaska.

Murkowski issued a statement Tuesday calling Stevens a "giant" and describing him as the architect and father of Alaska. Stevens was revered by many Alaskans for bringing home federal aid and projects to build up the state.

Stevens served 40 years in the U.S. Senate. He left politics in 2008 when he was convicted on corruption charges. A federal judge later threw out the verdict, citing prosecutorial misconduct.

Stevens was among five people killed in the Aug. 9, 2010, crash. The exact cause of the accident has not been determined.