Scope and Contents Spring 1961. The day of the dedication of the new church building. Bishop William J. Gordon, Jr., of Fairbanks dedicated the building. He now lives in Midland, Michigan. His wife Shirley is standing next to him. On her right is Mary Ann Munroe of Texas, who had come to Fairbanks to be with her cousin Judy Edwards who had been seriously burned in a tragic fire in Tanana that had killed Judy's husband, the Rev. Curtis Edwards, as well as their three children . (Judy later married the Rev. Bob...

Scope and Contents Steven was gone, he worked as a river boat pilot for the river freighters all summer. Catherine was a daughter of Mary Vent, sister to Flora Huntington, Little Sophie Sam. The young man on the left was actually her uncle Jossilin Olin who lived with Steven and Catherine after his father, Olin the medicine man, died in 1960. Jossilin was a half brother to Mary Vent. The others are all Catherine and Steven's children. Catherine and Steven still live in Huslia. Steven has been school janitor...

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They were later divorced and I believe Shirley remarried Herbie Vent. George Jr. had already won several major dog races by 1962. Shirley was a daughter of Abraham Oldman of Hughes and is a sister to Eleanor Sam (wife of Wilson).

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Fred is a half brother of Jimmy and Sidney Huntington. Jacob, on the left in the sailor hat, was I believe, Edith's brother. He was not one of their children. Their daughter Lucy had been drowned the summer before and so Fred had stopped going to Hog River to work in the summer. He was a janitor at the school for years.

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Mary had several grandchildren who were the same ages as these children. Her husband, Bobby was away working. Grandma Mary took in our children several times. Bobby was a good dog racer; might even have won the Iditarod once.

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Annie was a daughter of Fred Bifelt. Willy, brother to Bobby Vent and Lucy Sackett Lawrence. Willy had a military pension from injuries received during World War II. Sam White, pioneer pilot for the Fish and Wildlife and Wien Airlines, was the custodian for that pension. Willy died several years ago.

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Alberta was from Hughes. I believe her maiden name was Beetus and that she had one year of high school before marrying Warner who is the son of Bobby and Mary. Warner was also a dog racer.

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Freddy, son of Bobby and Mary. Lorna, daughter of Little Sammy and Big Sophie. Young man (boy) on the right is Lorna's nephew Percy (I think?) Wholecheese, son of Peter and Julia Wholecheese. I believe this young man was murdered in Huslia in July 1986 by Little Edwin Henry. If not him, then his brother who is in the group with Big Sophie and Little Sammy. (Our daughter Mary Keller was in Huslia at the time, staying with Wilson and Eleanor Sam, while doing some work as a Mellon fellow.)

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Marie was the daughter of George Sr. and Eliza Attla. I believe they were later divorced. Their oldest son, Wilbur, was deaf and at one time was attending a school in the West (Utah or Arizona?) for children with disabilities. Marie was a very serious young mother; hard working and somewhat distanced from other young women her age in town.

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Brother of George and Patrick and half brother of Angeline Derendoff. Wonderful sense of humor.