Panel to discuss Walter Harper, first man to summit Denali

October 16, 2017

Formal Portrait, Walter Harper, 1916. Yvonne Mozée Collection, Accession Number 2002-98-13, Alaska and Polar Regions Collections and Archives, Rasmuson Library, UAF.

University of Alaska Fairbanks professor Mary Ehrlander will lead a panel discussion about Walter Harper, who she profiled in her most recent book, at Raven Landing Center from 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct 25.

Harper, of Athabascan and Irish heritage, was the first person to summit Denali. He was a member of the 1913 team led by Episcopal Archdeacon Hudson Stuck and Harry Karstens.

Panelists at the Oct. 25 event will include Johanna Harper, Dana Wright, Sam Alexander and Episcopal Bishop Mark Lattime.

Ehrlander's book, "Walter Harper: Alaska Native Son," was released this month.

Mary Ehrlander's book about Walter Harper was published by Bison Books at the University of Nebraska Press in October 2017.

Ehrlander, a professor in UAF's history department, directs the Arctic and Northern studies program. Her previous publications have reviewed alcohol’s introduction to the circumpolar North and other topics in Alaska history.

The history department is part of the College of Liberal Arts, the largest of UAF’s academic units. It comprises arts, humanities, social sciences and language disciplines across 20 departments.

CONTACT: Naomi Horne, 907-474-6464, nehorne@alaska.edu

DOWNLOAD: Mary Ehrlander book presentation