Mary Ehrlander News Today

While many others have written about the Athabascan man, a book by historian Mary Ehrlander may be the most complete sketch of the life of Walter Harper.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks 2023 Legacy Lecture will honor author and professor emeritus Mary Ehrlander. The lecture is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, June 5, in the BP Design Theater, Room 401 of the Usibelli Building.

A statue honoring the first climber to summit Denali will be unveiled on Tuesday in downtown Fairbanks. The heavy, bronze statue of Walter Harper has already arrived in town.

Print article My twin brother has slipped away after 67 years, which seems like a long time and yet not nearly enough. “It all went by so fast,” he said in late November from the hospital bed in his living room. He choked back a tear and said, “I know that’s true for everyone.” For the past couple of years, he had often mentioned that his favorite song by singer John Prine featured the refrain, “How lucky can one man get.” Like many of Prine’s songs, the tune is more complica...