News from Our Shareholders

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The stories below may differ from the copy printed in our Shareholder newsletter. To view PDFs of previous Shareholder’s, please visit our Newsletters page. To view older news from our shareholders, please visit our Archives page.

Shareholder Receives Bachelor’s Degree

With a will to succeed and a dedication to his studies, shareholder descendant Joshua L. Jackson recently received his Bachelor of Arts in elementary education from the University of Alaska Southeast.

Jackson maintained straight A’s during primary and secondary school, made the dean’s and chancellor’s lists in college, and received an invitation to join the NASA Space Program, proving to himself and his family that he could achieve anything he set his mind to.

With his newly acquired bachelor’s degree in elementary education, Jackson is now able to act on his desire to become a teacher and work with children to help them realize and fulfill their own dreams.

Jackson is the son of proud parents Royal and JoAnn Jackson.

Descendant Serves as Veterinarian for the Iditarod

Ask Samantha Yeltatzie what she liked best about the Iditarod—the annual dog sled race across more than 1,000 miles of rugged Alaskan terrain—and she does not hesitate.

“The best part, hands down, was the dogs,” Yeltatzie said enthusiastically. “The dogs were awesome! They love their job and they love what they do.”

The same is obviously true of Yeltatzie, chosen as one of 45 volunteer veterinarians for this year’s Iditarod out of hundreds of applicants. During the race, from March 1 to March 16, Yeltatzie worked at three checkpoints along the route, providing check-ups and treatment as the dogs arrived with their mushers.

Yeltatzie is a Haida and Tsimshian descendant. She is the daughter of shareholder Larry Yeltatzie.

Scholarship Recipient Dedicated to Native Community

For descendant Rachelle Goldenberg, a scholarship from Sealaska Corporation was just the start.

Goldenberg graduated with honors from the University of Oregon, received a master’s degree from the University of California Berkeley and is now working for Contra Costa County, Calif., as a TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) and Tribal TANF policy analyst. She previously worked directly with the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians in California to help develop the band’s new Tribal TANF program.

Goldenberg, whose academic studies included an emphasis on Native American studies and child welfare, is originally from Wrangell, Alaska, and is Tlingit.

“I truly am thankful for the scholarship I received, and I continue to serve the Native community,” she said.

Shareholder's Artwork to be Included in Exhibition

A print by Aleut weaver and printmaker Lois Thadei was accepted into a show in Moscow next this that will feature works by artists worldwide.

Thadei’s hand-cut linoleum print, Cariboo Passing Through, will be among pieces exhibited during “In Transition Russia 2008,” from Oct. 16 to Dec. 22, 2008. The show will include works by 140 artists from 35 countries and is part of a conference aimed at creating dialogue about displacement caused by war, globalization and socio-economic, class and other tensions.

Thadei’s print has been featured in several other exhibits, including: Art on the Vine, a fundraiser at Oregon College of Arts & Craft in Portland, Ore.; a juried show at the Redding Rancheria in Redding, Calif.; the Our Story Native Art Show at the Squaxin Island Tribe Museum in Shelton, Wash., and the Artist Trust show at Seattle Center.

Thadei, who lives in Olympia, Wash., is a shareholder. Her father, Louis Thadei, Jr., was born in Ketchikan and worked as a hand troller, while her mother worked for Alaska Sportsman Magazine.

Her grandfather Louis Thadei, Sr., owned a seiner named the MV Sophie after Thadei’s grandmother, Sophie Chichinoff Ford Thadei. Thadei is the step-daughter of Olive Natkong.

Shareholders in the Military

Name: Julia Raye Burlison
Rank: 2nd Class Petty Officer stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Petty Officer Julia Burlison is stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where she works as a cryptologist assigned to the guided missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon. Burlison previously served in the Persian Gulf.

Burlison is Aleut and hails from Salem, Ore. She is a shareholder and the daughter of proud mother Kathleen Burlison and the granddaughter of Mendora Swetzof.

Shareholder Releases CD

Archie Cavanaugh released his second album entitled "Love Birds." “Love Birds,” along with Cavanaugh’s first album, “Black and White Raven,” are available for purchase online.

Cavanaugh’s first album was previously reported in the August 2007 eNewsletter. He is Tlingit and was born in Wrangell and raised in Kake, Alaska.

To learn more about Cavanaugh or to listen to his music, visit his website.

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