Audrey Weltman Kelly moved from Wisconsin to Alaska in 1967 and lived in Palmer, Juneau, and Wasilla before settling in Anchorage in 1997. In Juneau, Audrey developed an interest in Alaskan history while studying North Pacific Coast Indian culture and the history of the development of the territory of Alaska. She was involved in the Travel and Tourism industry from 1974 to 1998.
As a teenager in Seattle, Bruce Kelly developed a keen interest in Alaska history and made a vow to live here, which he kept when he arrived at Fort Richardson in 1962, at the age of 18. He took night classes at the old Anchorage Community College. including memorable classes in Alaska history, and after his discharge from the Army he lived in Indian, worked full time, and completed his B.A. degree at the University ofAlaska-Anchorage in 1972. He left Alaska to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand while working for the New Zealand government. Seven years later after earning his masters’ degree he returned to Alaska to stay. Bruce worked for the State of Alaska and retired in 1998.
In the early 2000’s Audrey led Walking Tours featuring historic buildings in downtown Anchorage and she and Bruce began working with John Bagoy on his cemetery tours. They have conducted these tours for 18 years now, continuing what Bagoy started since his death in 2005. In 2010 Audrey received the Kay Linton Volunteer in the Arts Award, and Bruce was awarded the Mayor’s Award for the Arts. Both Audrey and Bruce have served as members of the Board of Directors of Cook Inlet Historical Society. They are members of the Alaska Historical Society and in 2013 each received that organization’s Contributions to Alaska History Award. Linda Benson is one of Anchorage’s favorite actors. She has performed roles that are often challenging and always spot-on in numerous productions at Cyrano’s Playhouse and Anchorage Community Theatre, like RKP’s “Night Mother” and The Women of Lockerbee.” She has also directed plays and served on ACT’s Board of Directors, Long active with The Storyteller's Guild, Linda has been praised by newspaper reviewers for her extensive, varied repertoire and for bringing her background of formal training and experience as an actress to her storytelling. In the summer of 1999, Linda created and performed a mostly one-woman show called “Women of the Frozen North” in which she portrayed nine women of the Gold Rush era, complete with onstage costume changes.
Dick Reichman is a long-time Anchorage resident and prominent member of the Alaska theatre community. He has been particularly active with Cyrano’s Theatre Company and RKP Productions as a playwright, director, and actor. Dick was honored as the recipient of this year’s Jerry Harper Service Award at the annual Valdez theatre conference. Dick worked in radio most of his life, and as a part-time harpsichord and piano tuner. He and his wife Christine and his wife have three adult children.
The 4 July Forum Zoom video can be found here - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ze2lmxbsut52jkc/20210704_0900.mp4?dl=0
