For over three months this summer I visited with some of the leaders who made their mark on the University of Alaska and UAF. The discussions were prompted by the school’s centennial celebrations.  Marshall Lind served as chancellor at UAF from 1999 to 2005, but before that he served 12 years helming University of Alaska Southeast. While those responsibilities were notable, it was his service as Alaska’s Education commissioner that proved to be historic.

In 1971, Lind was appointed commissioner of the Alaska Department of Education, a post he retained until1983. During that tenure, he helped create the Regional Educational Attendance Areas and implemented the so-called Molly Hootch Consent decree, that transformed how the state would provide education in rural Alaska.

Lind received the 2002 Denali Award from the Alaska Federation of Natives, the highest honor AFN gives to non-Natives, for his commitment to serving the educational needs of rural and Native Alaskans.

The audio for this podcast was drawn from the video taken at the live event and there were some microphone level issues during the recording. I began my conversation with Lind looking at 1961, the year he and his wife Lois began teaching with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.