118 Graduate at Edgecumbe’s
16th Annual Commencement
Making the right choice from day
to day, based upon one’s sense of
values, is the key to a happy life.
So spoke Dr. William R. Wood,
President of the University of Al
aska, to 118 graduating seniors at
Mt. Edgecumbe High School’s 16th
Annual Commencement on May 10.
The school located on Japonski
Island in Southeast Alaska is op
erated by the Bureau of Indian Af
fairs and is the principal school-for
native youth in Alaska. Some stu
dents in Alaska journey as far as
a thousand miles to attend.
In an address entitled, “The
Happy Tomorrow,’’ Dr. Wood stress
ed that each person is subject to
the burden as well as the oppor
tunity of choice.
“Each must learn to steer as well
as paddle his own canoe," he said.
‘ Life is an endless chain of choices
for you to make and every choice
involves your personal sense of
values," he stressed.
He said life was also a set of
skills, of education, preparation, for
one to be good enough to do suc
cessfully the things he should
choose.
“Many fail to find a happy to
morrow,” he said, “Because they
have no definite goal. They drift
along like the autumn leaf, turn
ing here, touching idly there, just
drifting, hoping sometime, some
how, to come upon the never-never
land of their vague dreams.”
Of the 118 graduates, he said
about 15 per cent or one out of 6
or 7 would go on to college. Next
year he said he hoped the figure
would rise to 25 per cent, and 35
per cent the following year.
By 1967, the centenial year of the
acquisition of the Great Land from
the Czar of Russia, he said, “may
the number grow to 40 per cent or
even 50 per cent.
“Happiness is the outcome of
things you do — for others as well
as for yourself. It doesn’t happen
all at once; the Happy Tomorrow
is no pot of gold at the end of the
rainbow. It is made up of little,
everyday, positive actions on your
part," he said.
“Why Higher Education,” was the
title of the address by Edna Ahgeak,
of Barrow, class valedictorian and
Roger Seetot, class salutatorian,
epoke on "Education in the Future.”
Robin R. Dean, superintendent of
Mt. Edgecumbe, introduced the
commencement speaker, Dr. Wood.
Tom R. Hopkins, head of the
Academic Department, presented
the class and William Jackson, prin
cipal, presented diplomas and scho
larship awards.
Scholarships awarded from the
University of Alaska went to Helga
Eakon, $900; Elizabeth Saccheus,
$400; Bill Atseriak, $600 plus a two
year room scholarship; Edna Foss,
$300; William Shane, $400; Agafon
Krukoff, $700; and Lillian Mercu
lief, $400.
The Lions Club Scholarship of
$500 went to Edna Ahgeak, the va
ledictorian: the Business and Pro
fessional Women’s scholarship of
$200 also went to Miss Ahgeak.
The Community Church at Mt.
Edgecumbe awarded a scholarship
of $200 to Adeline Katongan. The
Home Economics Department of Mt.
Edgecumbe School awarded four
scholarships of $100 each to each of
the following: Edna Foss, Helga
Eakon, Edna Ahgeak, and Adeline
Katongan.
BIA scholarships to the Arkansas
City Junior College were awarded
to Martina Andrews and Briget
Washington.
Those who were graduated are:
(Women) Ahgeak, Edna, of Barrow;
Allen, Marjorie, of Tatilek; Anoso
gak, Ebba, of Koyuk; Anderson,
Katie, of Clarks Pt.; Andrews, Mar
tina, of St. Michael; Ashenfelter,
Winona, of White Mt.; Avoonganna,
Isabelle, of Barrow; Carle, Gene
vieve, of Klawock; Carteeti, Rosa
lind, of Hoonah; Constantine, Mary
Ann, of Tyonek.
Dick, Cornelia, of Hoonah: Dush
kin, Pauline, of King Cove; Eakon,
Helga, of Unalakleet; Ellanak, An
geline, of Ouzinkie; Ferguson, Mary
F., of False Pass; Foss, Edna, of
Pedro Bay; Gould, Beverly, of King
Cove; Hunt, Josephine, of Kotlik;
Hunt, Monica, of Kotlik; Hunter,
Eunice, of Fortune Lodge.
Inga, Olga, of Old Harbor; Joe,
Barbara, of St. Michael; Jones,
Dianne, of Kasaan; Joseph, Lillian,
of Fairbanks: Joseph, Shirley, of
Rampart; Katchatag, Pearl, of Una
lakleet; Katongan, Adeline, of Una
lakleet; Kosbrug, Agnes, of Perry
ville; Kunaknana, Marie, .of Bar
row; Kuzakin, Tanna, of King
Cove: Lekanof, Carol, of St. Paul;
Lekanof, Dora, of St. George.
Malutin, Mary, of Karluk; Mer
culief, Lillian, of St. George; Han
lon, Christine, of Hoonah; Henry,
Evelyn, of White Mt.; Hopson, Ruth,
of Barrow; Nagaruk, Maggie, of
Elim; Naumoff, Eunice, of Larsen
Bay; Okitkun, Emily, of Kwiguk;
Paul, Ethel, of Eagle; Roberts,
Roberta, of Klawock; Shane, Ma
bel. of St. George.
Stalker, Annie, of Kotzebue; Tee
luk, Ursula, of College; Walker.
Marie, of Shageluk; Wilson, Vir
ginia, of Scammon Bay; Murculief,
Stephanida, of St. George: Morri
son. Dorothy, of Hydaburg; Muller.
Judy, of Ouzinkie; Nashaknik, Eli
zabeth, of Barrow; Nusunginya,
Beverly, of Barrow; Oustigoff,
Pauline, of St. Paul.
Philemonoff, Gladys, of St. Paul;
Saccheus, of Elim; Sours, Ruth, of
Kotzebue; Swetzof, Olga, of St.
George; Trader, Minnie, of Em
monak; Washington, Bridgett, of
Stebbins; Workman, Anastasia, of
Shageluk.
Men: Herbert Albert of Tanana;
Johnny Alfred of Minto; Sidney
Ashby of Kotzebue; William Amuk
toolik of Elim; Chester Ayakiak
of Unalakleet; Billy Atseriak of
Quinhagak; Timothy Ben of Stev
ens Village; Nathan Bekoalok of
Shaktoolik; Roy Bekoalok of Shak
toolik of Elim; Chester Ayalgiak
lage: Charles Brower of Barrow;
Peter Boskoffsky of Egegik.
Roman Fratis of St. Paul Is.; Wil
lie Goodwin of Kotzebue: Harry
Gould of King Cove; Charles Hop
son of Barrow; Ernest Harry of
Yakutat; Herbert Ivey of McGrath;
Edward Ipalook of Kotzebue;
George Itta of Barrow; James Itta
of Barrow; Xavier Joseph of Alaka
nuk; Agafon Krukoff, of St. Paul:
Melvin Koso of King Cove; Bertram
Bremner of Yakutat; Melvin Char
lie of Minto.
Caleb Dotomain of Shaktoolik;
Ernest Demoski of Anvik; Larry
Davis of Hoonah; Gabriel Eognuk
of Golovin: Tommy Foss of Pedro
Bay; Adolph Friendly of Quinha
gak: Sheldon Nagaruk of Elim;
Warren Peel of Hydaburg; Arther
Panamaroff of Karluk; William
Shane of St. George Is.; Philip
Stalker of Kotzebue; Reynolds Skan
of Klawock: Patrick Suvulu of Bar
row; Gabriel Takak of Shaktoolik.
Allan Upicksoun of Point Lay:
Donald Long of Barrow; George
Malcolm of Eagle; Jonathan Mike
of Mekoryuk; Donald Marvin of
Hoonah; Tony Mitchel of Shungak;
Tommy Mills of Hoonah; Curtis Mc
Neill of Klawock; Alfred Nanouk
of Unalakleet; Rex Okakok of Bar
row; Eugene Peele of Hydaburg;
Roger Seetot of Teller Mission;
Fred Seegok of Elim; Lorry Schu
erch of Kiana; Sylvester Swan of
Kivalina; Marion Tokianna of
Wales; Ronald Tukle of Barrow:
Walter Wells of Kiana.
Since Mt. Edgecumbe High School
was founded 20 years ago, a total
of 1,377 persons have graduated
from the school. There were 48 in
the first graduating class 16 years
ago and less than 100 in each of the
first nine graduating groups.
Tanana .. .
Continued from Page 1)
Division of Lands, Anchorage:
Colonel Kenneth Sawyer, chief of
the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Alaska.
Delegates from the following
places have indicated they will at
tend: Ncnana; Chalkytsik; Holy
Cross: Galena; Tanana; Nulato; Gul
kana; Venetie; Koyukuk; Nicholai;
Northway; Kaltag; Canyon Village;
Beaver; Koyuk; Dot Lake; Men
tasta; Minto; Arctic Village; Ft.
Yukon; Cantwell; Betties Field;
Metlakatla; Birch Creek: and Fair
banks.
Some villages are sending more
than one delegate but each village
will have only one vote, according
to A1 Ketzler.
Serious Problem
'Much was acomplished at our
meeting last year because it brought
out our problems in the open," said
Ketzler.
“It made the public aware that
we do have serious problems.”
The forthcoming conference will
be devoted to working on solutions
to those problems, Ketzler said.
Opening Day
On Wednesday, delegates and
guests will be introduced and the
agenda and organizational plans
will be explained. A four-man com
mittee will be appointed to draft
by-laws and a constitution for the
Dena Nena Henash organization.
Later, chairman Ketzler will re
port on action and progress result
ing from the 1962 conference also
held at Tanana.
Wednesday afternoon the bylaws
wil be presented for ratification,
officers will be elected and seated,
and vilage reports will be heard of
problems arising since last year’s
meeting. Committees in various
areas will also be appointed.
Second Day
On Thursday, Lester Oliver, tri
bal chairman of the White River
Apaches, will speak on ‘’Economic
Development” and William Paul,
grand presideht emeritus of the
ANB, will review the recent Alaska
Task Force Report and speak on
native land claims.
William Byler, executive director
of the Association on American In
dian Affairs, will speak on the
Council on Indian Afairs.
Thursday afternoon will be con
sumed by committee sessions. Com
mittees, as last year, will write a
statement to be distributed to news
media and the general public.
Third Day
Firday. the statement and recom
mended plan of action will be read
grand president emeritus of the
manent committees of the Dena
Nena Henash will be appointed and
addresses by special guests will be
heard.
A big authentic native potlatch
will conclude the conference and
signal the beginning of the Nucha
lawoyya festival.
Housing for about 30 delegates
has been arranged in private homes
at Tanana and about 30 bunks for
men will be set up in the old North
ern Commercial Co. warehouse.
Visitors are requested to bring
sleeping bags.
During the conference, the Wo
men’s Auxiliary of the St. James
Episcopal Church will serve meals
for about $4 per day per person.
The Nuchalawoyya committee com
prised of about 25 persons will serve
meals during the weekend festival.
Also for the convenience of per
sons at Tanana will be the “Ra
mona," a floating grocery store.
The store, which serves vilages up
and down the Yukon River, will be
operated by the delegates from Nu
lato, Claud Demientieff.
The largest class of graduates was
160 in 1961.
Mt. Edgecumbe will graduate ap
proximately 165 students in 1964
and if all goes well, 230 will gradu
ate in 1965,” said Robin R. Dean,
Superintendent.
Project Chariot
Really Canceled
The Bureau of Land Managemetn
last week announced in a news re
lease that the chairman of the
Atomic Energy Commission had re
called in entirety the application
of that agency for withdrawal of
• some 96,000 acres of land on Cape
Thompson, Alaska.
The fact that the AEC was can
celing its withdrawal in etnirety
was exclusively reported in the
Tundra Times about a month ago,
on May 6.
The application for withdrawal of
1,109,100 acres of land, an area
I roughly the size of Delaware, was
originally made in 1958 and kept
secret for many months. It was in
correctly recorded as 40 square
miles instead of the true 1600 square
miles.
The land was to be withdrawn
for Project Chariot, a proposed nu
clear blast in the arctic.
The Commission will retain ap
proximately 150 small parcels of
land within the area which will be
developed into study plots, camp
sites, landing strips, storage areas
and other administrative uses.
AEC Study ...
(Continued from Page 1)
birth abnormalities among the cari
bou herds and other genetic studies.
These studies will be in addition
to those being undertaken by the
Division of Radiological Health of
the Department of Health, Educa
tion, and Welfare, in monthly sam
pling of three major caribou herds
in Alaska and from reindeer on
Nunivak Island or on the Seward
Peninsula, ,
Behold. I am with thee and will
keep thee in all places whither thou
goest.—Genesis 28:15.
Indian, Eskimo
Youth Graduate
From University
The University of Alaska held its
Commencement Day on May 27,
during which 146 college men and
women received degrees, including
Louise Tansy and Ambrose Towa
rak. Tansy is from the village of
Cantwell on the edge of the Mc
Kinley National Park. Ambrose is a
native of Unalakleet. The graduates
received bachelor of education de
grees.
Miss Tansy completed her studies
at the end of the fall and winter
semester and became qualified to
teach. She was assigned to the Kot
zebue elementary school and taught
for about four months. She return
ed to Fairbanks to receive her dip
loma. Miss Tansy is the daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Jake Tansy, of
Cantwell. She hopes to get a teach
ing position in Interior Alaska.
Ambrose Towarak is believed to
be the first student ever to gradu
ate from a higher institution of
learning from his village of Una
lakleet, according to A1 White,
White, Principal of Unalakleet
Vovenant High School, from which
Towarak graduated. His mother,
along with Mr. White, flew from
Unlakleet to see him receive his
degree.
Towarak has applied to teach in
the Nome Public School system but
has not yet received an acknow
ledgement. He is planning to work
j for the summer in Ekuk, a village
| near Clark's Point on the Nushagak
' Bay. Andrew is one of ten children.
He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Clar
ence Towarak of Unalakleet.
Also graduated from the Universi
ty with a B.S. in Electrical En
I gineering was Ronald Leask, of
Southeastern Alaska.
Fish and Game Regulation Changes
(Continued from page 11
the resulting food shortages, and
subsequent death from malnutrition
and associated causes, did not ser
iously dent the moose population.
Surveys also reveal that many
families residing within these units
can effectively use two or more
moose per year.
In Unit 19, the season will run
from August 20 through December
31 with antler-less moose legal dur
ing the months of November and
December.
Another important change affect
ing the moose seasons is the im
plementation of a harvest ticket.
All persons desiring to hunt moose
must have a moose harvest ticket.
The tickets are free, and will be
available at all licensed vo-dors
and department offices. The de
partment will attempt to visit manv
of the villages prior to the moose
season to explain the use of the
tickets.
The purpose of this system is to
provide the department with a pre
cise analysis of the harvest. When
such information is available, we
anticipate that we will be able to
more effectively regulate the moose
population.
In some instances, it may result in
further liberalization. In others, it
could result in a shorter season. The
tickets consist of two parts.
One part should be attached to
the moose, and the remaining por
tion completed and mailed to the
Department of Fish and Game. Co
operation of all the villages is re
quested.
Caribou
The caribou season in that por
tion of Alaska north of the Yukon
River will be continuous with no
bag limit. In addition, in Unit 26
only, caribou meat may be pur
chased or bartered.
Unit 26 includes the villages of
Barrow, Barter Island, Wainwright.
and Point Lay, and Anaktuvuk
Pass. The caribou population with
lation is designed to more effec
tively utilize this very abundant
I resource.
It will allow those individuals
working full time to purchase cari
bou meat from local hunters, there
by providing some of the hunters
with a cash income.
Sheep
In the units north of the 'Yukon,
the season will open July 20 and
close September 20. The bag limit
will be two rams having three
quarter curl horns or larger.
Again, the season should allow
some of the the villages an oppor
tunity to utilize more sheep meat.
Last year a sheep harvest ticket
was inaugurated within Alaska,
and proved successful. It showed
that in the entire State fewer than
seven hundred sheen were har
vested, and in the Arctic region,
fewer than one hundred were har
vested.
Since the sheep population in
Alaska is estimated to be approxi
mately twenty five thousand to
forty thousand animals, the pres
in this unit is vast, and the regu
ent hunting pressure is having little
effect upon the welfare of the pop
ulations.
Fur
The only change of significance
concerns lynx. The lynx season
next year will extend through
March 31.
Lynx follow the cycles of snow
shoe hare, are abundant when the
hare are abundant, and scarce when
the hare are scarce. Recent infor
mation indicates that the lynx pop
ulation is at or near a peak of abun
dance. In addition, the fur market
for lynx pelts has been recently
good.
Research has shown that lynx
pelts remain prime into March. The
lengthened season should increase
the harvest of lynx.