JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Nov. 14 of each year would be set aside as Dr. Walter Soboleff Day in Alaska under legislation proposed in the Alaska House.
Soboleff, a Tlingit elder, died in 2011 at age 102.
According to a statement from the House Democratic caucus, Soboleff was the first Alaska Native to be ordained a Presbyterian minister, and the first to serve on the State Board of Education. He also was a director of Sealaska Corp. and was Grand Camp President of the Alaska Native Brotherhood.
HB217 was introduced by Reps. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, D-Sitka, Peggy Wilson, R-Wrangell, Cathy Munoz, R-Juneau, and Beth Kerttula, D-Juneau, the Juneau Empire reports (https://bit.ly/1eP2h6W ).
Kerttula called him a moral and spiritual man who also had a great sense of humor. “I will always remember his laugh and I am proud to be part of the effort to have a special day to remember him and what he stood for,” she said.
Munoz, in the statement, said Soboleff was loved and admired as a spiritual leader and teacher. “He led by example. His words, deeds, and his very presence were imbued with grace,” she said.
The Sealaska Heritage Institute is building an arts center named for Soboleff in downtown Juneau.
In recent years, the Legislature has approved setting aside days to honor other Alaskans, including former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens and former Gov. Jay Hammond.
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