Legislature(2013 - 2014)CAPITOL 106
02/20/2014 08:00 AM House STATE AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB262 | |
| HB217 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 262 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 217 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HB 217-DR. WALTER SOBOLEFF DAY
8:32:57 AM
CHAIR LYNN announced the final order of business was HOUSE BILL
NO. 217, "An Act establishing November 14 each year as Dr.
Walter Soboleff Day."
8:33:09 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS, as joint prime sponsor,
introduced HB 217, which he said would designate November
Fourteenth as Dr. Walter Soboleff Day. He said the proposed
legislation is similar to legislation that the committee heard
last year recognizing the late former Governor Jay Hammond,
because both pieces of legislation honor great Alaskans. He
said the late Dr. Soboleff is a revered figure in Southeast
Alaska and throughout Alaska in Native communities. He said he
thinks the testimony that the committee will hear today from
family members and other people who knew Dr. Soboleff will speak
to that.
8:34:27 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GATTIS said she means no disrespect to Dr.
Soboleff, but wants to know if Southeast Alaska could honor a
great Alaskan without proposing a bill.
8:34:55 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS explained that there was a
grassroots movement in Southeast Alaska to create this
particular means of honoring Dr. Soboleff, who was a towering
figure in the Native community. He said there are other ways to
honor someone; there is a building currently being erected in
downtown Juneau by the Sealaska Center, which will be called the
Dr. Walter Soboleff Cultural Center.
8:35:42 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES asked what might happen on November 14 if
Dr. Walter Soboleff Day is established.
8:36:00 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS gave the example of Elizabeth
Peratrovich Day, which is in November, and which prompts schools
to study the history of anti-discrimination legislation in the
state or territory of Alaska. He said it could be a way for
schools and institutions to honor and observe what the person
represented.
8:36:56 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER related that he had the honor of meeting
Dr. Soboleff, and he was impressed by the man's "peaceful, wise
demeanor." He thanked the bill sponsor for bringing forward HB
217. In response to the chair, he said he had met Dr. Soboleff
at his home in Juneau on a social occasion.
8:38:42 AM
ROBERT MARTIN, Vice-Chair, Board of Trustees, Sealaska Heritage
Institute, had his testimony paraphrased by his brother, William
Martin, on behalf of the Sealaska Heritage Institute. Mr.
Robert Martin's written testimony read as follows [original
punctuation provided]:
My name is Robert Martin, and I am a member of the
Board of Trustees of Sealaska Heritage Institute.
In some ways, it's difficult to explain why Walter
Soboleff was a great man. We just know that he was.
He wasn't a lawmaker who passed landmark legislation
or a maverick who changed the financial future of the
state. Rather...he was a person who quietly led by
example and whose small acts of kindness made profound
and lifelong impressions on the people he touched.
He was wise, humble, and kind and as Alaska's first
native ordained priest, he used those gifts to bring
comfort to people across the state - and to unite
people during difficult times. He was the kind of
person we might all aspire to be - an ideal human
being.
He was dear to the Sealaska family. He served as
Sealaska Heritage Institute's chair almost as long as
the institute has been around. His guidance prompted
the institute to make Native language revitalization a
priority 20 years ago. As a fluent Tlingit speaker,
he worked with language students up until the last
days of his long life.
He cherished his countless non-Native friends and
belonged to many civic organizations. He was the
first pastor in Juneau to open his church to all
people - Natives and non-Natives alike - at a time
when segregation was the norm. His delivery was low
key and his message simple: "love your fellow folk,
for love is God." This cost him dearly: his church
proved so popular with non-Natives a political
decision was made to shut it down. But as one person
said: Dr. Soboleff found other ways to minister to
the people. He was a spiritual leader who didn't need
a building.
We named a building in his honor anyway. At his
memorial in 2011, we announced that Sealaska Heritage
Institute's new cultural center would be named for
him. We see the Walter Soboleff Center as a physical
manifestation of the things he held dear - the
perpetuation and teaching of Native languages,
history, and cultures - in a place where all people -
Natives and non-Natives alike - will be welcome.
Please support HB 217 and make November 14 Dr. Walter
Soboleff Day.
WILLIAM MARTIN, Grand President, Alaska Native Brotherhood
(ANB), recollected that as a young man, growing up in Kake,
Alaska, his parents and grandparents would sit by the radio on
Sunday mornings and listen to Dr. Walter Soboleff's message,
which was delivered in Tlingit. He said the people in all the
villages of Southeast Alaska would make time to listen to Dr.
Soboleff's message.
8:42:33 AM
MR. W. MARTIN, in response to Chair Lynn, offered his
understanding that the reason for the shutdown of Mr. Soboleff's
church, referred to in Mr. R. Martin's testimony, was because it
became so popular that "the regular church that the Non-Natives
went to wasn't doing quite as well" as a result.
8:42:58 AM
SELINA EVERSON, Member, Executive Committee, Alaska Native
Sisterhood (ANS), explained that her membership in the Executive
Committee means that she once served as grand president. She
said Dr. Soboleff was originally from Killisnoo, Alaska, outside
of Angoon, and he meant everything to the Native communities.
She said she grew up knowing Dr. Soboleff, who performed the
marriages of the Native people and offered comfort to those in
sorrow. She said, "He stood by us." She acknowledged that
there is a building in downtown Juneau that is being erected in
his name, but said all Native Alaskans bear Dr. Soboleff's name
in their hearts. She emphasized her thanks to the sponsors of
[HB 217]. She added, "It's like somebody uplifted our heads
like he did by his very birth, his dedication to his church and
his people." She thanked the committee in Tlingit.
8:45:17 AM
MS. EVERSON, in response to Chair Lynn, said Dr. Soboleff was
102 when he died.
8:45:53 AM
PETER NAOROZ, President/General Manager, Kootznoowoo, Inc., said
Kootznoowoo, Inc., is the village corporation for the community
of Angoon, Alaska. He related that in the past he had been
recruited by Byron Mallott to leave the Virginia retirement
system to come work for the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation.
He said he did not know how much Alaska meant to him until he
met Dr. Soboleff, who he said was a past president of
Kootznoowoo, Inc., and is its president emeritus. He said
Kootznoowoo, Inc., has approximately 1,000 shareholders, a third
of which live in Juneau. He said Dr. Soboleff mentored him and
set one goal for him to accomplish: to make sure the energy
costs in Angoon were low enough that a bakery could be built, in
which bread would be baked for all of Alaska; a lofty goal he
indicated stood for providing "the economic engine to contribute
to the overall state in a meaningful way." Mr. Naoroz noted
that Dr. Soboleff was born in 1908, shortly after the Tongass
was made a national forest. He commented that the Tongass has
much changed.
8:49:01 AM
MR. NAOROZ referred to a piece written by Dr. Soboleff for the
Juneau Empire, [dated Tuesday, April 8, 2008, and included in
the committee packet], in which he talks about the economics of
building homes and societies. He indicated that Dr. Soboleff
wrote the piece after asking him how he could help him reach his
goals. He said Dr. Soboleff also introduced him to John Sandor,
a person interested in the resources of the state. He talked
about the Tongass, in terms of broken promises and moving "from
here to there in a positive way." He concluded, "I would take
this day and mark it on the calendar very boldly, so everyone
can remember ... where we come from and what we still need to
do."
8:51:45 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES speculated that those living in Southeast
Alaska would be aware of the aforementioned building being
constructed to honor Dr. Soboleff, but people in the rest of the
state may not. She said she thinks what she has heard Dr.
Soboleff stood for would be good for children around the state
to learn about. She said for that reason she supports HB 217.
8:52:25 AM
MR. NAOROZ added that not only was Mr. Soboleff a gentle person,
civil rights advocate, and spiritual leader, he was also a
businessman.
8:53:29 AM
SUSETTNA KING said she is originally from Angoon, Alaska; her
parents are John and Theresa Howard. She said, "We spent a lot
of time with Dr. Soboleff and his wife and some of the grandkids
that went over to Tenakee."
8:54:36 AM
The committee took a brief at-ease at 8:55 a.m.
8:55:08 AM
MS. KING said a person growing up in a village does not really
know what is happening until he/she steps outside the village.
She said Dr. Soboleff prepared her village for what it needed to
do when he got older and moved away. She said he put God first.
She related a story about taking speed boats to Tenakee and
choosing not to race one year, because she had always won in the
past, to which Dr. Soboleff asked her what she would have done
if she had raced and someone had beat her. She told him she
probably would have come back the next year and beat that
person, to which Dr. Soboleff pointed out that she had not put
herself "out there."
MS. KING said she entered into the Alaska Native Sisterhood when
she moved to Juneau. She talked about issues that Alaska
Natives deal with and opined that it is nice when people come
together to deal with those issues. She said at one ANS
convention, Dr. Soboleff invited her to share her thoughts.
When she told him she still had a lot to learn, he told her that
it helps to surround oneself with good people. She said Dr.
Soboleff told her that she "is not here by accident" and one day
she would be ready to run for office.
8:59:31 AM
MS. KING talked about how great Dr. Soboleff was and how he
lived to serve others without regard to the color of anyone's
skin. She indicated that she takes comfort from knowing he
believed in so many people and saw the best in them. She said
everyone should know that; Dr. Soboleff's history should be
shared "so everybody could want that." Regarding
discrimination, she said, "We've come a long way, but it's still
so silent." She said she wished she would have asked Dr.
Soboleff how people can move away from the silent
discrimination. She said in her heart she knows Dr. Soboleff
"left a lot of himself in a lot of all of us." One way to carry
on his legacy, she said, is to allow the entire state to know
what kind of man Dr. Soboleff was.
9:01:49 AM
CHAIR LYNN concurred with the statement that Ms. King said Dr.
Soboleff had made that no one is here by accident.
9:03:32 AM
ROSS SOBOLEFF relayed that [although he is staff to a
legislator] he was testifying on behalf of himself. He shared
his Tlingit and Haida names. He introduced his siblings present
and expressed thanks for the proposed legislation's hearing and
sponsorship. He said he provided a copy of Dr. Soboleff's
obituary to give the committee a sense of what his statewide
impact was. Mr. R. Soboleff quoted Abraham Lincoln as follows:
"If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that
you are his sincere friend." He said Dr. Soboleff was a great
admirer of President Lincoln, and he suggested considering what
Dr. Soboleff's cause was.
MR. R. SOBOLEFF said Dr. Soboleff served as minister of Memorial
Presbyterian Church - considered a Native church - until 1962,
and he ventured that the proposal to have Dr. Walter Soboleff
Day would not be a consideration today if the man's reach had
ended there. He contended that by the end of Dr. Soboleff's
ministry, the church had become a church where all were welcome.
He said Dr. Soboleff told him a person has to feed his/her
spirit, and he thinks Dr. Soboleff did that in many walks of
life: in his church, through his service, and sometimes as
chaplain at the legislature.
MR. R. SOBOLEFF stated, "In the diverse society of Alaska, he
cast a wide net and a long shadow." He suggested Alaskans
remember that Dr. Soboleff was welcoming, inclusive, and lived
his life in many communities, including: Native, Non-Native,
university and academic, military, business, and government. He
further suggested that the proposed day would be used to
remember how Dr. Soboleff lived his life with tolerance, grace,
and courage, and to talk about how Alaskans are living and
working together.
9:08:06 AM
MR. R. SOBOLEFF said Walter Soboleff put together a list of what
has popularly become known as "Native values." It was an
articulation of the values and standards by which Dr. Soboleff
observed the Alaska Native community had lived for generations.
He said he had given a copy of the list to the committee, and he
recommended anyone looking at the list should read it out loud,
because "that's the way that he wrote." He said he has heard
many stories in the halls of the capitol of people who have done
great or small things that have left a mark on the person
telling the story. He posited that everyone has those people in
their lives; people who taught them something or meant
something. He said, "We have a term for these people - a
compliment that we give ... in our state [to those] that we
consider the best of the best: We call them 'true Alaskans.'"
He suggested revisiting the list of Native values and
considering it an articulation of some of the values and
standards by which a "true Alaskan" is measured. He stated that
Dr. Soboleff believed that good values are good for everyone.
He said perhaps on Dr. Walter Soboleff Day, Alaskans can also
remember and honor "the great men and women who shaped the human
landscape of our great state" and "transformed Alaska into the
place that we so passionately call our home."
9:10:48 AM
JANET (SOBOLEFF) BURKE opined that the proposed legislation is
"wonderful," and said "we" would be honored if the state would
recognize [Dr. Soboleff's] birth date. She said toward the end
of Dr. Soboleff's life, he moved in with her and her husband.
She said there are many funny stories, because Dr. Soboleff had
a great sense of humor. She related a story in which he made
her sister and her laugh. She said he was not bashful about
speaking "at anything." She said she knew Dr. Soboleff as
"Daddy," and she also was aware that "he knew everybody and
everybody knew him." In response to Chair Lynn, she related
that she is the eldest of four children, followed by her
brothers, Sasha, Walter, Jr., and Ross.
9:13:15 AM
WALTER SOBOLEFF, JR., asked, "What more can you say about the
good doctor?" He added, "I just want to thank you for
supporting my dad." He said thank you in Tlingit.
9:13:43 AM
SASHA SOBOLEFF expressed thanks for the bill hearing and its
sponsors. He acknowledged those who ask why Dr. Soboleff should
be honored as proposed under HB 217 as having asked a good
question. He said, "It does merit some understanding about the
depth of this person or any person." He said he would spend the
month of July with his father in Tenakee, and one time, John
Rockefeller and his family showed up at the doorstep for a
visit. He said Dr. Soboleff served on the United States Air
Force Academy Board, which screened candidates for the Air
Force. He indicated that [he and his siblings] learned to
behave themselves, because no matter where they went, their
father was approached and welcomed. He said the University of
Alaska Fairbanks offered a professorship to Dr. Soboleff, to be
the director of its first Native Studies program, and he touched
the lives of the many students who traveled from their homes to
learn from him. He opined, "And that says something about the
gravity, the insight, that this particular individual has." He
opined that [setting aside November 14 as Dr. Walter Soboleff
Day] says, in today's society, that the man was a person who
stood for something. In conclusion, Mr. S. Soboleff talked
about Dr. Soboleff's belief in God and his encouragement to
people to pray and read the Holy Bible. He said his father
loved God and stood for the doctrine of ["Love your neighbor as
yourself."]
9:18:03 AM
CHAIR LYNN, after ascertaining that there was no one else who
wished to testify, closed public testimony on HB 217.
9:18:17 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER moved to report HB 217 out of committee
with individual recommendations and the accompanying zero fiscal
note. There being no objection, HB 217 was reported out of the
House State Affairs Standing Committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 01 HB 262 v.A.pdf |
HSTA 2/20/2014 8:00:00 AM |
HB 262 |
| 02 HB 262 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
HSTA 2/20/2014 8:00:00 AM |
HB 262 |
| 03 HB 262 Sectional Analysis.pdf |
HSTA 2/20/2014 8:00:00 AM |
HB 262 |
| 04HB 262 OPA Audit.pdf |
HSTA 2/20/2014 8:00:00 AM |
HB 262 |
| 05 HB262 Fiscal Note DOA.pdf |
HSTA 2/20/2014 8:00:00 AM |
HB 262 |
| 01 HB0217A.pdf |
HSTA 2/20/2014 8:00:00 AM |
HB 217 |
| 02 HB 217 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
HSTA 2/20/2014 8:00:00 AM |
HB 217 |
| 03 HB 217 Sectional Summary.pdf |
HSTA 2/20/2014 8:00:00 AM |
HB 217 |
| 04 HB 217 Fiscal Note DOA.pdf |
HSTA 2/20/2014 8:00:00 AM |
HB 217 |