Letter to Editor
St. Paul Island, Alaska
November 19, 1962
Dear Gentlemen and Women of
Tundra Times:
I was very happy to see the ar
ticle I sent you published in the
Tundra Times. I want to extend my
warmest thanks and congratulations
to you people, who have made it
possible for the public to know’ what
is happening here on St. Paul Is
land, Alaska. I hope and pray some
of our problems will be solved
through this paper.
I notice on your heading of Tun
dra Times you have Eskimo and In
dian words. I would like to ask if
it could be possible to print
Aleut words in between the two,
Eskimo and Indian.
Here is the Aleut words I like
to have in the paper. Unungang
Toonooktakuks, "The Aleut Speaks.”
Yes, I will keep you posted on
what is going on here at St. Paul
Island, Alaska.
Thank you again for your kind
ness in printing my article.
Yours sincerely.
Rev. Deacon Smile V. Gromoff
Barter Island
School Prints
Annual Paper
In Kaktovik. Bureau of Indian Af
fairs day school on Barter Island,
pupils publish a school paper once
a year. The publication is called
Akkargik, in Eskimo, meaning,
“The Ptarmigan.”
In the Akkargik the pupils write
about liking school, of liking to eat
walrus meat, helping around the
house, sliding down hills, and other
subjects.
Seventh grader, Bass Gordon,
writes about “Things We Have At
Barter.”
“In Barter Island we have a school
building. The teachslr’s name is
Harold Kaveolook. There are twen
ty-eight pupils in school. There are
beginners to seventh grades.
“There is a post office beside the
school. The postmaster is Archie
Brower. He works at the post office
from six o’clock till seven thirty
in the evening.
“Besides the post office there is a
coffee shop. Once in a while it luns
out of food, but on Saturday the
food comes.
“We also have two little stores.
The owner of one store is Herman
Rexford and the owner of other
store is Fred Gordon.
“We also have movies about three
times a week. Daniel Akootchook
operates the movies.
“In our village there are about
112 people. There is also the village
council who runs the village. Our
village is growing slowly. There
are more houses than there used to
be.” •
THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS AURORA PHOTOGRAPHER—Dr.
Victor P. Hessler, associate director of the Geophysical Institute,
University of Alaska has had his photographs of the northern lights
published throughout the world.
WRANGELL INSTITUTE NEWS
STUDENT ELECTION
This year's Student Council elec
tion at Wrangell Institute was a
rousing affair. It was patterned after
the bona fide political campaigns
in which student candidates had
campaign managers and made
speeches.
Wrangell Eagle, the student pub
lication, reported:
“The boy who was elected treas
urer, Elmer Frankson of Point
Hope, promised all students a free
ticket home if he was elected. El
mer was elected treasurer. Like
some politicans sometimes do
though, Elmer let us know that his
promise was only campaign talk.
CHEERLEADERS
Wrangell Institute recently selec
ted the cheerleader for this school
year. They were picked by Mrs.
White, Mrs. Dow, and Mrs. John
son.
They are: Delores Albert, Gladys
Wells, Charlotte Albert, and An
tionette Evans.
“Delores and Charlotte are South
eastern Indians from Angoon, An
tonionette Evans is an Athabascan
Indian from Rampart, and Gladys
Wells is a Northwestern Eskimo
from Noorvik,” the student news
1 paper, Wrangell Eagle, reported.
JONAS BROS. OF ALASKA
CHRISTMAS SALE
Slippers, regular $9.95, now only $6.95 per pair
Two pairs only $11.75
Mukluks, only $12.95 per pair while they last
Jewelry and Ivory Carvings, 20 per cent off
WORLD NEWS
Wrangell Eagle, student paper
published at Wrangell Institute,
elementary grade school for native
children, covered the world news
in a recent issue.
Bylined by Johnny Noqoka, the
headline read, “U.S., Russia Disa
gree Over Arms In Cuba."
The Eagle continued: “Last week
the Russians wanted to send some
ships carrying guns to Cuba. Our
government doesn't want them to
because they might be using guns
to fight us. Missiles could be sent
from Cuba into the United States.
Russia might not be very friendly
right now. so we want to search
these ships. The Russians do not
want us to come onto their ships."
LOSES SLEEP, GETS FAME
University of Alaska Professor ^
World Famous Aurora Photographer
A very special alarm clock, for
titude in getting out of bed in the
wee morning hours, and perfection
in photography has earned for a ge
ophysics professor at the University
of Alaska the title of the worlds
most famous aurora photographer.
The tall, distinguished looking
professor, just graying at the tem
ples, is Dr. Victor P. Hessler, asso
ciate director of the University's
Geophysical Institute.
Though photographing the north
ern lights is the professor's avoca
tion, he is probably better known
for it than he is for his important
work in geophysics.
Several hundred of his aurora
pictures have been used in news
papers. books, and magazines around
the ’ world. Lockheed Missies &
Space Company recently used one
of his aurora photographs in a Time
magazine advertisement. His photos
have been used in National Geo
graphic, the Life Book of the Poles,
textbooks and science journals.
The professor modestly admitted
that he was the major supplier of
aurora photographs to publishers.
He has two files of correspondence
he has received just concerning his
unusual photographs.
The New York Times science edi
tor once told Dr. Hessler, "When
ever I see an aurora picture, I al
ways look for the credit line and
it is always you.”
One of the professor’s secrets in
taking such spectacular shots of the
aurora is a device which tips him
off when the aurora is brightest. It
is an alarm, or more properly a mic
roswitch, connected to an earth
current recorder at the Geophysical
Institute.
Dr. Hessler lives very close to
the Institute and when there is au
roral activity the sudden current!
upsurge triggers the alarm.
He always has his camera and
heavy clothing ready to jump out of
bed and photograph the aurora
within five minutes.
The camera he uses is a RolliefleX
mounted on a tripod. He photo
graphs the aurora with the camera
lens wide open, uses Tri-X film,
and takes a time exposure from a
15th to a 30th of a second. He uses
a cable release to prevent movement
of the camera.
“If the aurora is moving, I use
the shorter exposure. Otherwise, I
will get only a blur, he says.
During the International Geo
physical Year, sun spot activity was
at a maximum and the professor
jumped out of bed on the average
of three times a week photographing
the brilliant lights.
At the present the sun spot activ
ity is at the minimum and there are
now only about three or four nights
a month when auroras are bright
enough to be photographed well.
Near Fairbanks auroras most often
occur around midnight, according
to Dr. Hessler.
HOWLING CHORUS
On some quiet evenings a lone
husky dog will start to howl. In a
minute or so few hundreds more
in the village will join in.
| It’s one of the strangest, mourn
ful choruses to be heard in the
! Arctic. _
Warm Holiday Greetings
to Our Man/ Friends Everywhere
From
TOMMY'S ELBOW ROOM
Fairbanks, Alaska
Wr
A
> CHRISTMAS
| PRRYERj^
r
, M ay the Christmas message shine
brightly in the hearts of people every,
where, bringing to oil new hope and new
courage, inspiring all with a deep sense of
renewed dedication and devotion to the
fulfillment of the glorious promise of
“Peace on Earth, Good AV ill to Men,
NORDALE HOTEL
FAIRBANKS
A • 3 A.