UAF announces 2021 honorary doctorates, service awards

February 10, 2021

The University of Alaska Fairbanks has selected recipients of this year’s honorary doctoral degrees and Meritorious Service Awards.

Writer Dan O’Neill and geotechnical engineer James Rooney will receive honorary doctorates. Educator Esther Green, Nanooks hockey pioneer Scott Roselius and arts advocate Kesler Woodward will each receive UAF’s Meritorious Service Award. The recipients will be honored at an event on April 30.

Honorary degree recipients are chosen for their lasting contributions to the state of Alaska or UAF, or for significant achievements in their respective disciplines.

O’Neill will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley in 1972, O’Neill hitchhiked to Alaska seeking adventure. He spent a winter as a caretaker at Chena Hot Springs Resort, built a log cabin and mushed his dog team to Nome. He also became an accomplished researcher and writer, working as a research associate at UAF’s Oral History Program, an adjunct instructor and an opinion columnist for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. O’Neill is best known for the 1995 book “The Firecracker Boys,” which tells the story of the U.S. government’s plan, abandoned in the early 1960s, to detonate nuclear bombs off the coast of Alaska despite concerns from local residents and University of Alaska biologists. He has been widely honored as an author and historian, and his extensive research has been archived in the Oral History Collection at the Rasmuson Library.

Rooney will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree.

Rooney began his Alaska career in 1963 with the Alaska Department of Highways and became a partner in R&M Geological Consultants in 1968. He was appointed president of R&M in 1982, serving in the role until retiring in 2002. Rooney played a critical role in investigating geotechnical conditions for for the 800-mile trans-Alaska oil pipeline system and designing the “haul road,” now known as the Dalton Highway. His pioneering work in permafrost and cold regions geotechnical engineering often required new approaches, establishing many of the best practices in the field. Rooney was among the early engineers to consider permafrost-related hazards associated with climate change and to outline possible approaches for mitigation. Rooney has collaborated with Arctic engineers and permafrost scientists around the world, earning several awards for his contributions to cold regions engineering.

Green, Roselius and Woodward each will receive a Meritorious Service Award, which recognizes service to UAF or its communities.

Green, a Yup’ik elder who lives in Bethel, has been an educator in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta for more than 40 years. Following her retirement from local schools, she joined the rural human services program at UAF’s Kuskokwim Campus as a program elder instructor. For the past 15 years, Green has provided cultural grounding to adult Indigenous students who join the program, which offers social service training and education.

Roselius played on the UAF hockey team from 1978-81 and is a member of UAF’s class of 1981. Roselius helped the program grow into the NCAA Division I team it is today, and he continues to back the Nanooks as an active fundraiser and supporter. He is a member the Nanooks Hall of Fame and the UAF Alumni Association Hall of Fame, and has served as president of the Alaska Nanooks Hockey Alumni Association.

Woodward is a renowned artist, devoted advocate for the arts and UAF professor emeritus. He has served with numerous organizations, including the Alaska State Council on the Arts, the Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation, and the Western States Arts Federation. Known for his passion, focused leadership and ability to mobilize philanthropic support, Woodward has engaged many to believe in the power of the arts in our communities.