A. P. McDonald is a Vietnam War Marine Corps veteran. He is also the owner of Parks Highway Service and Towing. I met him a year ago along with other participants and organizers of Epic Warrior Training. The program aims to help vets and active service members deal with the emotional burdens of war through … Continue reading War Classics

It’s fair to call University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysicist Carl Benson one of the school’s superstars. A veteran of World War II, he joined the university in 1960. His former student and now colleague and friend Matthew Sturm and I decided to capture some of Carl’s memories this past summer. Over five conversations, at first … Continue reading Extreme Researchers: Carl Benson and Matthew Sturm

Months of congressional wrangling over a followup economic stimulus package seems to have ended with President Trump’s signature on the bill. But questions remain how effectively it will stimulate the economy and what it means for Alaskans. In with analysis are UAF Political Scientist Alexander Hirsch and University of Alaska Press Director Nate Bauer.

In November, Alaska lost a widely respected researcher. Dave Klein was a game biologist who began his work when Alaska was a territory. He was also a seminal professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, mentoring and minting scores of graduate students into scientific colleagues. Oral historian and author Karen Brewster collaborated with Dave on … Continue reading Building a Legacy, Losing Ice

I learned this afternoon that Terrence Cole passed away earlier today. He was a friend and mentor for me and for many. Lively and curious as a researcher, professor and fundamentally as a human being, Terrence was also the wonderfully chaotic presence on KUAC’s Any Old Time shows when he and his twin Dermot along … Continue reading Fare Forward, Voyager

Last month brought hard news. First, one of my favorite authors died unexpectedly from a brain tumor. Sherry Simpson was funny, genuine and penned thoughtful and elegantly wrought works about Alaska. She was 60 years old. Sherry’s friend and colleague Frank Soos talks about her life and work. Days after learning about her death, I … Continue reading Celebrating Legacies

Last week I learned the gifted and humble ultra-marathoner Drew Harrington passed away. I talked with Drew two years ago on the eve of the Equinox Marathon. Drew was rescovering from surgery and treatment for a brain tumor. He was optimistic, but last week he succumbed to the illness. He was 40. In memory, we … Continue reading Northern Soundings: The Last Mile