Brewster publishes Boots, Bikes and Bombers

May 9, 2012

Marmian Grimes

Karen Brewster, Research Associate with the Oral History Program/Project Jukebox, Alaska and Polar Regions Collections and Archives in the Rasmuson Library, has published a book titled Boots, Bikes and Bombers: Adventures of Alaska Conservationist Ginny Hill Wood (UA Press).

The book is an intimate biography of Ginny Hill Wood, a pioneering Alaska conservationist and outdoorswoman, who served as a Women Airforce Service Pilot in World War II and flew a military surplus airplane to Alaska in 1946. Settling in Fairbanks, she went on to co-found Camp Denali, Alaska's first wilderness eco-tourism lodge; helped start the Alaska Conservation Society, the state's first environmental organization; and was a backcountry guide and advocate for trail construction and preservation. This collaborative life history, based upon oral history recordings, is a valuable contribution to the history of Alaska as well as a testament to the joys of living a life full of passion and adventure.