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Class notes and in memoriam Submissions received July 2018-September 2019

Larry Juhnke ’67 wrote “Alaska State March” as a tribute to his first music teacher in Alaska, Ed Berruto. Larry had a clarinet part of Mr. Berruto’s “March Alaska,” which he put into a full symphonic arrangement and copyrighted in January 1959 as Alaska became a state.

Russ Knapp ’69 donated six framed replicas of classic hockey sweaters used between 1925 and 1968 to his alma mater, along with the one he wore as a club hockey player. They are displayed at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks. Read more here. Photo by Theresa Bakker.

George Harbeson Jr. ’70, ’72 published a memoir, “Homesteaders in the Headlights,” in 2010 from Hardscratch Press and a book of short stories, “Shadowed Times: Alaska Stories of Another Age,” in 2018 from Wizard Works.

“I taught in Selawik, Kivalina, Noorvik, Emmonak, Alakanuk, Anchor Point. Other jobs: rock crushing at Kenny Lake, jackhammering footings for Parks Highway’s Hurricane Gulch bridge, stacker/puller on Wrangell lumber mill green chain, bull cook in early North Slope oil era, surveyor’s assistant for Chugach Electric, Alcantra Youth Camp counselor, and education specialist for Alaska Museum of Transportation and Industry.”

Linda Schandelmeier ’71 won a 2019 WILLA Literary Award for her book of poems “Coming Out of Nowhere,” published in 2018 by the UA Press.

Richard Berg ’73 – “My wife, Sue, passed away in late March 2018. Selling home in New Hampshire and moving to Florida. Closing my consulting firm FROST Associates at the end of 2018.”

Barry Brown ’81, ’87 was appointed interim dean of the University of Montana Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library in spring 2019.

Joanne Healy ’83, ’14 – “The special education teacher preparation master's program I started in 2009 was recently awarded Quality Matters Exemplary Online Program status. The UAF master’s in special education is the FIRST and ONLY program to receive this designation in the world. All courses include quality online activities and evaluations that are research-supported and practice-based. All courses have been peer reviewed as a part of the certification. I hope it will survive all the new UA challenges and upcoming changes.”

Elisha Nelson Jr. ’87 – “Totally retired, will be 85 this month and playing golf at least once a week. Keep hope alive!!”

Jeff Roach ’87 completed the Accredited Airport Executive program in spring 2018.

Dave Rausch ’89 recently provided testimony at a hearing of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution. The hearing examined the role of congressional term limits in creating a more accountable Congress. Rausch, the Bivins professor of political science at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, has been studying legislative term limits for almost 30 years. Find more information about the hearing here.

Randy Pommenville ’94, ’12 – “I am the new emergency preparedness battalion chief for the City of Lenexa, Kansas. My previous position was the risk management officer for the Overland Park (Kansas) Fire Department.”

Richard G. “Greg” Ruff ’94 – “Recently retired as director of engineering online and continuing education at Auburn University. Now living in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.”

Paul Sander ’95 was recently elected district court judge in Kittitas County, Washington. He and his wife, Kate Sander ’95, live in Ellensburg, Washington, with their two sons.

Shannon Oelkers ’00, ’06 founded Integrity Environmental LLC, an Alaska-based environmental consulting and inspection firm, in 2010. She oversees a staff of nine, serving clients who store and ship bulk fuel throughout Alaska. Shannon writes that her master’s in rural development from UAF proved invaluable in understanding rural Alaska’s challenging logistics and community dynamics. Integrity is proud to be well respected in every community they serve, from Ketchikan to Adak and everywhere in between.

Jill Osier ’00 is the author of the recent poetry chapbook “from” (Bull City 2018), which received the 2017 Alice Fay Di Castagnola Award. Her previous collections are the chapbooks “Bedful of Nebraskas,” and “Should Our Undoing Come Down Upon Us White.” She is a 2007 National Endowment for the Arts fellow, a 2014 Rasmuson Award recipient and 2015 Alaska Literary Award winner.

Gretchen King ’01 – “I was lucky to be hired as the digital editor of High Country News in August 2018. The magazine covers 12 Western states (including Alaska, of course) and is the leading source for news, analysis and commentary on the American West — an essential resource for those who care about this region. I’m proud of my UAF background and am interested in new stories and perspectives from the state. Share your story ideas here.”

Shane Brodie ’04 – “I’m currently completing a Master of Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School and will return to UAF this fall to start a master’s in Arctic and Northern studies.”

Fé Seymour ’04 was featured in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner in November 2018 and interviewed by BBC World Radio in January 2019.

Sheldon Schmitt ’11 published “Bush Blues” in fall 2018. He recently retired as chief of police in Sitka, Alaska.

Christin Swearingen ’16 – “I am currently the chair of the Sierra Club Alaska Chapter, a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to protecting the environment! Our mission is ‘Explore, enjoy, protect.’”

James Gilchrest ’17 – “While attending UAF and serving as the student veteran organization president, I was invited to apply for the Newman’s Own Foundation Fellowship, which I was awarded. The fellowship allowed me the opportunity to work at Syracuse University’s Institute for Military Families. As the IVMF exists to serve veterans and their families, I was excited to begin. I had seen firsthand the struggles that veterans in Alaska faced, and that motivated me to learn everything I could to help those back home during the difficult transition from military to civilian life. I will carry this experience with me as I return to UAF to complete a master’s in security and disaster management and eventually become a graduate teaching assistant for the UAF homeland security and emergency management program. My ultimate goal of helping veterans and military families still proudly stands. It’s been an honor and a privilege to be a part of a business that strives to help those who have served, and I will strive to continue helping to the best of my ability.”

Anders Ogawa ’17, ’18 graduated No. 1 in his class at the Eugene Springfield Fire Academy in summer 2018. He’s stationed at 11A in Eugene, Oregon.

Lutfi Lena ’19 – Accepted a position as private equity associate at Alaska-based Pt Capital in August 2019.

Mark your calendars for Nanook Rendezvous 2020

More than 100 alumni from at least seven different states gathered on the UAF campus in July for the Nanook Rendezvous, featuring a campus tour and open house day. Mark your calendars for next year's reunion, July 16-18, 2020. UAF photo by JR Ancheta.
From left, Lani Dombroski ’70, Roger Dombroski ’69 and Robert Dean Kendall ’69, along with a fourth classmate Myles Comeau ’69 (not pictured), celebrated their 50th reunion at UAF's Nanook Rendezvous in July. UAF photo by JR Ancheta.

UAF’s first class of veterinary students makes history

In May, the UAF Alumni Association hosted a reception in Fort Collins, Colorado, to celebrate our first graduates from the collaborative veterinary program offered by UAF and Colorado State University. Read more here.

Pictured left to right: Dean Mark Stetter, CSU College of Veterinary Medicine and Biological Science; Liz Millman; Professor Todd O’Hara, UAF College of Natural Science and Mathematics; Jean Acuna; Megan Kelley; Jed Bickford-Harding; Associate Dean and Professor Karsten Hueffer, UAF; Chelsea Huffman, Jessica Ladd; Josh Link; Joelean Kronz; Christopher Clement; Professor Arleigh Reynolds, One Health director, UAF; Capt. Victoria Hammer; Professor Dean Hendrickson, CSU; Associate Dean for Veterinary Academic and Student Affairs Melinda Frye, CSU; Provost Anupma Prakash, UAF; and Professor Raymond Tarpley, UAF. Photo by Cathy Griseto.