Alaska Baptist Convention
The first Southern Baptist church in Alaska was First Baptist Church, Anchorage, organized in September 1943.
The new church had 17 members, including two civilians and 15 soldiers.
The church was founded by soldiers at nearby Fort Richardson, and later started a number of sister churches in Alaska.
The ABC was formed in 1946 as the union of several Alaskan Baptist churches. Although it petitioned the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) for recognition as a state convention in 1947, the SBC did not formally recognize the ABC until 1951, after the ABC had submitted a second petition for recognition in 1950. 
An amendment to the SBC's constitution had been required in order to allow the ABC, and several other small state conventions, to become associated with the SBC. In the meantime, in 1948, the ABC had received assistance from the SBC's Home Mission Board.
American Bandstand
In late spring of 1956, the ABC television network asked their O&O's and affiliates for programming suggestions to fill their 3:30 p.m. (ET) time slot (WFIL had been pre-empting the ABC programming with "Bandstand"). Clark decided to pitch the show to ABC president Thomas W. Moore, and after some badgering the show was picked up nationally, becoming "American Bandstand" on August 5, 1957. One show from this first season (December 18, 1957, indicated as the "Second National Telecast") is now in the archives of Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications.