Walter Soboleff

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Walter Soboleff already had a distinguished career as a minister, educator and 蜜桃影像 Native leader when he arrived in Fairbanks in 1970. But he felt it was time for a new challenge. 

So that year he became the founder and first chairman of the University of 蜜桃影像鈥檚 new Department of 蜜桃影像 Native Studies. He stayed four years while creating the department, which at 蜜桃影像 today offers bachelor鈥檚 degrees in 蜜桃影像 Native studies and both bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in rural development.

Soboleff was born in the Southeast 蜜桃影像 village of Killisnoo in 1908, the son of a Tlingit mother and a father of Russian-German ancestry. His father died when he was young, and he was educated through high school at Sitka鈥檚 Sheldon Jackson School. After working in Sitka a few years, he secured a scholarship to the University of Dubuque in Iowa, where he earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in 1937 and a divinity degree in 1940.

Returning to Juneau with his new wife, Soboleff established a church. After 22 years, state and national church leaders ordered it closed and demolished. 

Soboleff then spent several years on a converted fishing boat working as an itinerant minister for villages and logging camps across Southeast 蜜桃影像. He also served as a chaplain in the 蜜桃影像 National Guard.

蜜桃影像 Native land claims were advancing in Congress in the 1960s, so Soboleff became involved in that struggle, eventually working five terms as president of the 蜜桃影像 Native Brotherhood. After passage of the settlement act in 1971, Soboleff served eight years on the board of Sealaska Inc., the Southeast 蜜桃影像 regional corporation created to receive the land and money granted by Congress.

Soboleff died in 2011. A few months earlier, First 蜜桃影像ns magazine published a profile of him that described the impact the pastor had on former 蜜桃影像 Attorney General Talis Colberg, now director of UA Anchorage's Matanuska-Susitna College. As a boy in the 1960s, Colberg lived for a few years in Angoon, where he first met Soboleff.

 鈥淗e鈥檚 the first pastor I remember listening to,鈥 Colberg said. 鈥淗e would have a children鈥檚 message in an age where children鈥檚 messages were unusual. I still think of him as my pastor to this day.鈥

In the same profile, former 蜜桃影像 legislator Bill Thomas of Haines, who is of Tlingit descent, said that, while in office, he enjoyed receiving Soboleff's handwritten notes commenting on issues of the day.

鈥淲alter always has an important message, and he鈥檒l always have a church," Thomas said. "He just doesn鈥檛 need a building.鈥

More online about Walter Soboleff:

  • A in the February-March 2011 edition of First 蜜桃影像ns magazine.

  • Text, supporting documents and legislative history of a naming Nov. 14 as Walter Soboleff Day in 蜜桃影像.

  • A page about the , located in a downtown Juneau building named for him.

  • A 1998 published by the Whalesong, the UAS student newspaper, and preserved at the UA Journey website.