ear Editor: Hello Sitka, my name is Rick Shabo, a 1966 Sitka High graduate. I spent my youth in Sitka before I was invited into the Navy SeaBees. I am a third generation Sitkan.
My cousins still live in Sitka so I still have fond ties to home.
My concern is the lack of elocution that I have been hearing for some time. Sitka has become popular on the National Weather Channel Coast Guard Alaska (Sitka).
I dearly love watching this, seeing places I use to canoe and boat and hike with the Bagley boys. BUT like finger nails on a chalk board the name of my hometown is being slurred. Sitka is pronounced with a T not Sika. Some time back I sat in KCAW to be recorded for radio addressing this topic. It did not air. Some may say this is an insignificant miscarriage of elocution but I believe Sitka should be pronounced properly to represent itself in the great Alaska culture we are so proud of. I did a Facebook poll on this subject on the “You know you’re from Sitka if” and got 35 comments supporting this subject.
Frederick Shabo, former Sitkan
