MAY 15, 1942

INUPIAT PRESBYTERIAN PASTOR MARY ANN IQILAN WARDEN BORN

Raised in Kaktovik, Alaska (AK), Mary Ann went to Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka, AK. In 1978, she earned an Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice at University (Univ.) of AK Fairbanks. From 1979-85, at Fairbanks’ First Presbyterian Church, Warden was: Choir Director; participated in Iñupiaq language services, Presbyterian Eskimo Radio Hour, and prison ministry; and became lay preacher. At the Univ. of Dubuque (UD), Iowa, she earned Bachelor of Science (Sociology, 1988) & Master of Divinity (1989) degrees. On July 29, 1990, Mary Ann became the 1^st AK Native Woman ordained in the Presbyterian Church (PC) and served as: Associate Pastor (AP)/Native Ministries Director, Northern Light United Church, Juneau (1990-98); AP, Utqiaġvik PC (1998-06); and Pastor, Kaktovik PC. Listed in Strathmore’s Who’s Who: Registry & Global Network for Outstanding Professionals she was inducted into AK Women’s Hall of Fame in 2022. Mary Ann died on May 30, 2020 in Kaktovik.

Source: “Mary Ann Warden,” Alaska Women's Hall Of Fame.  Retrieved 1/24/2023, Mary Ann Warden | Alaska Women's Hall Of Fame (alaskawomenshalloffame.org)

Photo:  Courtesy of Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame.  Source: Mary Ann Warden | Alaska Women's Hall Of Fame (alaskawomenshalloffame.org)