June 18, 2015 Community Happenings

Cancer Support

Group to Meet

Sitka Cancer Support Group will meet 1 p.m. Sunday, June 21, at Brave Heart Volunteers in the Pioneers Home Managers House on Seward Street.

Those who are in cancer treatment or are cancer survivors are invited along with families to spend time with others who understand what they are going through. The support group is sponsored by Sitka Cancer Survivors Society. Those with questions or needing transportation may call or e-mail Mary Beth at 623-0842, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

 

Emblem Club Meets

Sitka Emblem Club will hold a social meeting 7 p.m. Thursday, June 25, at the Sitka Elks Lodge. 

 

Father’s Day

Dinner at Elks

Sitka Elks Lodge will host a free Father’s Day dinner 5-7 p.m. Sunday, June 21. The event is hosted by Sitka Emblem Club.

The menu will be longhorn barbecue pork ribs, baked beans, cole slaw, corn on the cob, corn muffins and dessert. 

The dinner is free to fathers; others will be charged $15. The event is for members and invited guests.

 

Sitka High Posts Honor Roll

Sitka High School has released its honor roll listings for spring semester.

Students listed on the high honor roll, earning a 3.50-4.00 grade point average, are:

 

Pickleball to Play

Hames Center is open for pickleball 6:30-8 p.m. Thursdays.

The gymnasium is open to members from 5:30-8 p.m. during Sitka Fine Arts Camp. For more information contact www.hamescenter.org, 747-5080.

 

Basketball Set

At Hames Center

Hames Center basketball is open during Sitka Fine Arts Camp 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays.

For more information go to www.hamescenter.org or call 747-5080.

 

Brewers Guild

Of Alaska Gets

New Director

The Brewers Guild of Alaska has  named Ryan Makinster as executive director.

Makinster brings more than 16 years of non-profit administration, public relations, communications, and government relations experience to BGA.

BGA Board President Rick Armstrong, of Baranof Island Brewing Company of Sitka, said he’s excited about solidifying the organization and moving the Alaska craft brewing industry forward.

“It’s important that as the craft brewing industry expands in the state we have a strong, unified voice, especially in light of the Title IV rewrite proposed in Senate Bill 99,” Armstrong said.

“This is a great opportunity to represent a growing industry in the state that has exploded in recent years,’’ Makinster said. ‘‘Not only is this exponential growth good for our members, it also adds to the unique character and quality of life in Alaska. I believe this is an important component in AEDC’s Live.Work.Play. initiative that can be expanded statewide.” 

Makinster holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the Edward R. Murrow School of Communications at Washington State University.

 

Waterfront Jazz

Tickets on Sale

Tickets are on sale for Sitka Fine Arts Camp’s annual fundraiser, Jazz on the Waterfront, 7 p.m. Saturday, June 27, at the Odess Theater in Allen Hall.

Some of the country’s top jazz musicians will be flown in from around the country. Dinner and dancing with the Sitka Fine Arts Camp Big Band are on the menu.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.. Individual tickets are $65 and are available now at Old Harbor Books or at the Fine Arts Camp office. To purchase a table for eight to 10 people call the Fine Arts Camp office at 747-3085.

 

Coast Guardsman

Miranda to Retire

U.S. Coast Guard Chief Avionics Electric Technician Tony Miranda will retire Friday, June 19, after more than 25 years of service.

Miranda began his career in 1989, going through Coast Guard boot camp in Cape May, N.J.

His other assignments included Coast Guard Cutter FIR and Air Stations Clearwater, Cape Cod and Kodiak, along with two tours at Air Station Sitka.

While serving in Alaska, Miranda earned a number of awards including the Coast Guard Achievement Medal and Commandant’s Letter of Commemoration, along with distinguishing himself as a division chief for avionics and quality assurance.

He, his wife Char and their family plan to stay in Sitka after retirement.

 

Pat Roppel, Alaska

Historian, Author

To be Remembered

The life of Pat Roppel, Alaska historian and former Sitka resident, will be celebrated 1-3:30 p.m. Sunday, June 21, at the Elks Club in Wrangell.

A brief service will be held at 2 p.m.

Pat died of cancer Jan. 6 in Bellevue, Wash., at the age of 76.

She was born April 5, 1938, in Ellensburg, Wash., to Richard and Helen Snowden. She graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in home economics.

She married Frank Roppel, and in 1959 they moved to Ketchikan, where she taught home ec at Ketchikan High. The Roppels moved to Sitka in 1983, and to Wrangell in 1992.

Starting with an article in the Alaska Sportsman in March 1965, Pat wrote more than 100 historical articles and  13 books. She also wrote columns for Southeast newspapers from 1991 until this past fall.

Two of her books earned her the Alaska Historian of the Year Award in 1977 and 2006.

She also was  active in the Alaska Historical Society, and in 1974 was recognized for her contributions with the Beaver Log Award.

When she lived in Ketchikan, Sitka and Wrangell she helped the local museums with exhibits, speakers and programs.

Gov. Jay Hammond appointed her to the Alaska Historical Commission in 1975; Gov. Walter Hickel appointed her to the Alaska Humanities Forum in 1991; and Gov. Murkowski named her again to the Alaska Historical Commission in 2003; she was still a member at the time of her death.

She was a founding board member of the Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture.

Survivors include her husband of 55 years, Frank Roppel; children John Roppel (Michelle) of King George, Va., and Cindy Baird (Carran) of Greenwich, Conn.; grandchildren Samantha and Travis Baird; brother Donald Snowden (Carol) of Yuma, Ariz.; and many cousins, nephews and nieces.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests sending a book (new or gently used, any genre) in her memory to Coffman Cove Library, P.O. Box 18135, Coffman Cove, AK 99918.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to the generosity and expertise of the the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska broadband department, Tidal Network ; Christopher Cropley, director of Tidal Network; and Luke Johnson, Tidal Network technician, SitkaSentinel.com is again being updated. Tidal Network has been working tirelessly to install Starlink satellite equipment for city and other critical institutions, including the Sentinel, following the sudden breakage of GCI's fiberoptic cable on August 29, which left most of Sitka without internet or phone connections. CCTHITA's public-spirited response to the emergency is inspiring.

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20 YEARS AGO

September 2004

Photo caption: Nikko Friedman and Gus Bruhl of the Rain Forest Rascals running team, dressed in skunk cabbage and boots, make their way down Lincoln Street during the  annual Running of the Boots. Scores turned out for the event, a fundraiser for the Dog Point Fish Camp.

50 YEARS AGO

September 1974

The freshmen students initiation will be Friday at the school. Dress will be respectable. ... Suspension of three days will be enforced for any of the following violations: throwing of eggs; spraying of shaving cream; cutting of hair; and any pranks which could be harmful to the welfare of the students.


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