[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 17] [Senate] [Pages 23846-23847] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]HONORING REV. DR. WALTER SOBOLEFF Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, when Americans think about what they most admire about my home State of Alaska, the breathtaking scenery first comes to mind. What I most admire about my home State of Alaska are the people, and in particular our Native Elders. Our Elders are the bearers of our uniquely Alaskan culture. They have accepted the responsibility of ensuring that succeeding generations know where they came from. They preserve and transmit the traditions that make Alaska different from anyplace else. Looking at the face of an Alaska Native Elder is like looking at the concentric rings in the trunk of a tree. Every line on that face represents a precious slice of Alaska history. It would be a vast understatement to characterize the Elders as witnesses to Alaska history. They are the living embodiment of Alaska's history. They were the first generation of Alaskans to experience and adapt to the challenge of living in two worlds. They have come to embrace the traditional world of subsistence and the modern world of the Internet in the same breath. Some like the individual I speak about today have devoted their lives to preserving Alaska Native languages as spoken and written languages for all eternity. Today I pay tribute to a most respected Tlingit Elder, the Reverend Doctor Walter Soboleff, who will celebrate his 100th birthday on November 14, 2008. Walter Soboleff was born on a small island called Killisnoo near Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska. His father was the son of a Russian Orthodox priest serving in Southeast Alaska. His mother, a Tlingit Indian. Four languages were spoken in his home: Russian, German, English, and Tlingit. Walter Soboleff was educated at a US Government Indian school on his island and subsequently at the Sheldon Jackson School in Sitka. Several years after graduating from Sheldon Jackson with a high school diploma he enrolled at Dubuque University in Iowa, receiving a bachelor's degree in education in 1937 and a divinity degree in 1940. Ordained as a Presbyterian minister he returned to Southeast Alaska to take the pulpit at the Memorial Presbyterian Church in Juneau. The church, which was built to minister to the Tlingit people, opened its doors to all. Its congregation included Caucasians and African Americans, and Filipinos as well as Haidas and Tsimshians. We take diverse congregations like this for granted in 21st Century Alaska. It must be remembered, though, that Jim Crow racial segregation laws and practices were quite prevalent in pre-World War II Southeast Alaska. [[Page 23847]] Reverend Soboleff emerged a key player in the maintaining and enhancing the Tlingit culture, serving seven terms as President of the Alaska Native Brotherhood and broadcasting church services in Tlingit on the radio. From 1962-1970 he took his ministry to the water traveling on mission vessels to Native villages, logging camps and Coast Guard facilities in the archipelago of islands that make up Southeast Alaska. In 1952, Reverend Soboleff accepted a commission in the Alaska Army National Guard, serving as Chaplain for 20 years, retiring with rank of Lieutenant Colonel on February 1, 1973. In 1970, Walter Soboleff founded the Alaska Native Studies Department at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He taught Tlingit history, language and literature, retiring again in 1974. You may have discovered that it is difficult to use the words retirement and Walter Soboleff in the same sentence. Every time Walter Soboleff retires he embarks on a new and ever more vital project. Awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity by Dubuque University in 1952 and an honorary Doctor of Humanities by the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1968 he continues to serve as Pastor Emeritus of the Northern Lights United Church in Juneau and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Sealaska Heritage Foundation. And lest I forget, he was the first Alaska Native to serve on the Alaska State Board of Education, where he served as chairman. I think I can speak for the entire Senate in wishing the Reverend Doctor Walter Soboleff a happy 100th birthday. We extend our best wishes to Dr. Soboleff for continued good health and good works. ____________________