3 minute read
In loving memory
EBEN HOPSON JR.
ASRC mourns the loss of Eben Hopson Jr. from Utqiaġvik, who passed away peacefully on August 29, 2021. Hopson had a profound impact on the North Slope and Alaska through the many leadership positions he held. He served in several capacities at Arctic Slope Native Association (ASNA), including as executive director as well as president and CEO. Hopson believed Alaska Native people had an important right to run their own health care system and was the driving force behind Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital being built in Utqiaġvik in 2013. He also developed various programs at ASNA, including the Iñupiat Child Welfare Program. Hopson held leadership roles with the City of Barrow, Bristol Bay Borough and the North Slope Borough, and served on the ASRC board of directors from 1996 to 2000. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, he was known for his kindness and for being an undeniable champion of Alaska Native people. Hopson’s work was always driven out of a sense of service to people and community, and his humble leadership is an example for all to follow.
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The son of the late Eben Hopson Sr. and Rebecca (Panigeo) Hopson, he was one of twelve children. On February 10, 1985, he married Rosemarie “Rosie” Habeich and together they raised nine children and fostered over 50 children from across Alaska.
RAYMOND PANEAK
ASRC also grieves the August 22, 2021 passing of Raymond Paneak, who served on the ASRC board of directors for more than twenty years. First elected in 1992 representing the community of Anaktuvuk Pass, Paneak brought immeasurable wisdom and purpose into his role as a director before retiring in 2015. He also served as a board member for Arctic Education Foundation for more than five years, supporting its mission of bringing scholarship opportunities to North Slope students and educating the next generation of Iñupiat leaders. In his role on the ASRC board of directors and through his work as a village liaison with the North Slope Borough, Paneak devoted his time and efforts to building a healthy and sustainable future for our people and our communities.
The eldest son to the late Simon and Susie Paneak, he was one of nine children. Having lost his late wife Elizabeth in the early 1990s, and with the passing of one of his sons, Paneak leaves behind one son.
THOMAS NUKAPIGAK
Finally, the Corporation mourns the loss of former board member Thomas Nukapigak, who passed away in his community of Point Lay on October 4, 2021. In addition to serving on the ASRC board of directors for nearly ten years, Nukapigak previously held the position of vice president of the Native Village of Point Lay. He was a whaling captain and served as the representative for Point Lay on the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission. As a whaling captain, Nukapigak contributed to the revival of the traditional whaling customs in his community. In 2009, his whaling crew assisted Julius Rexford and his crew with harvesting a bowhead whale in Point Lay for the first time in over seventy years. Nukapigak was also involved with preparing the umiaq for spring whaling – a custom that had not been practiced in Point Lay since the mid-1930s.
The son of John Nukapigak Sr and Nora Itta, he was one of one of six children. Nukapigak leaves behind his companion Florence Ticket and his four children.
