UAF to honor alumni at annual Nanook Rendezvous
September 14, 2015
Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
The University of Alaska Fairbanks and the UAF Alumni Association will honor author Sherry Simpson with the 2015 Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Simpson will receive the award Sept. 25 during an awards luncheon, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., at the Wood Center. The event is part of Nanook Rendezvous, the annual UAF alumni reunion, scheduled for Sept. 25-26.
Simpson’s most recent book, “Dominion of Bears: Living with Wildlife in Alaska," won the 2015 John Burroughs Medal, putting her in the company of John McPhee, Peter Matthiessen, Aldo Leopold, Barry Lopez, Richard Nelson and many other internationally known natural history writers.
Simpson grew up in Juneau. At UAF, she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1986 and a master's degree in creative writing in 1995. Her career has included many years as a staff reporter and freelance writer for newspapers and other media outlets in the state. She was a contributing editor to Alaska magazine. She has also authored several travel books and two essay collections. Her writing has appeared in numerous journals, magazines and anthologies.
Simpson is a professor of creative writing in the master’s program at UAA and a faculty mentor in the Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma.
The association will honor seven other alumni during the awards luncheon.
The Alumni Achievement Awards, given in three categories, recognize outstanding work by graduates and former students of UAF.
The 2014 Alumni Achievement Awards for Business and Professional Excellence will go to Vicki McConnell ’95, executive director of the Geological Society of America, and Rockne Wilson '69 and Sandra Wilson '72, partners in Wilson & Wilson CPAs in Fairbanks.
The Alumni Achievement Awards for University Support will go to Libby Eddy ’92, who retired from her position as registrar and director of admissions after 28 years with UAF, and longtime university advocate Ann Ringstad '06, who has held several different positions at UAF and UA.
The Alumni Achievement Award for Community Support will be go to educator and volunteer Toni Mallott ’72. Mallott is a former Alaska Federation of Natives Citizen of the year and is married to Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott.
The William R. Cashen Service Award, which recognizes outstanding service to UAF, its alumni and students, will be presented to DeShana York '95, a lifetime member of the UAF Alumni Association. York has served on the boards of the association and of its Southcentral chapter. She is the director of the UAF Cooperative Extension Service's Anchorage district office and regularly advocates for UAF in her community and with lawmakers in Juneau.
The awards luncheon is just one of many activities scheduled as part of the 2015 alumni reunion. Other events include campus tours, a reception at the Blue Loon, a guided hike or upper Chena River float and visit to Chena Hot Springs, the Blue and Gold hockey game and the Starvation Gulch bonfires. For a full schedule of reunion events and to register or purchase luncheon tickets, visit www.uaf.edu/alumni/reunion/ or call 907-474-7081. The deadline to reserve a seat at the luncheon or to register for the hike or float is Monday, Sept. 21.
ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Kate Ripley, UAF alumni director, klripley@alaska.edu, 907-474-7081.
ON THE WEB:
www.uaf.edu/alumni/reunion/
www.uaf.edu/alumni/awards/