TLINGIT REV. WALTER A. SOBOLEFF BORN—1ST PRESBYTERIAN NAT ALASKAN MINISTER
Born in Killisnoo, Alaska, Walter, whose Tlingit name meant “One slain in battle,” loved school. His greatest lesson: “Take care of the old person you are going to become.” Soboleff’s influences included Abraham Lincoln, Booker T. Washington, and Rudyard Kipling. Walter received a scholarship in 1933 to the University of Dubuque in Iowa and earned both a bachelor’s degree in education and graduate degree in divinity there. In 1940, after ordainment, he settled in Juneau as pastor of Memorial Presbyterian Church, but spread his ministry by radio and via fishing boats to villages and logging camps. At age 100, Walter was championing native rights, cultural education, and love for humanity, and was engaged at Council, Sealaska, and in the Alaska Native Brotherhood. Asked what he wanted for his 100th birthday, he first considered a wild game stew, but simply asked for no more wars. “Respect People. Respect yourself, too, and other people will respect you.” Rev. Soboleff died on May 22, 2011.
Source:
Klas Stolpe, "Noted Tlingit elder Walter Soboleff dies," Juneau Empire, 6/22/2011. Retrieved 7/1/2019, http://juneauempire.com/state-local/2011-05-22/noted-tlingit-elder-walter-soboleff-dies
Deirdre L. McGee, “Alaskan Tlingit Elder Leaves Long-Lasting Legacy,” U.S. Department of Agriculture, 6/24/2011. Retrieved 7/1/2019, https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2011/06/24/alaskan-tlingit-elder-leaves-long-lasting-legacy
Photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture, date unknown. Public Domain.
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