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Deborah Lawton

Deborah Lawton is a producer and videographer with KUAC radio/tv in Fairbanks, Alaska.
As Videographer
Interview Title | Archive #: Oral History | Project | Abstract | Date of Interview |
---|---|---|---|---|
A. Robert Smith | 2006-15-15 | Alaska Mental Health Trust History |
A. Robert Smith was interviewed by Karen Perdue with videography by Deborah Lawton and Michael Letzring of KUAC radio/tv, Fairbanks on April 29, 2009 in a recording studio at KUAC radio/tv on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. William Schneider was also present during the interview. A. Robert Smith talks about his experience as a young journalist in Washington D.C. in the mid-1950s reporting on the congressional oversight hearings for Morningside Hospital, and the battle over Congress' passage of Alaska's Mental Health Enabling Act. |
Apr 29, 2009 |
George Rogers, Interview 2 | 2008-26 | Alaska Mental Health Trust History |
George Rogers was interviewed by Michael Letzring of KUAC radio/tv, Fairbanks, April 4, 2008 in Juneau, Alaska. This interview was conducted by KUAC staff at the Baranof Hotel in Juneau, Alaska as part of a video documentary project about Alaska's first senator, Bob Bartlett. The interview was videotaped by Deb Lawton of KUAC radio/tv, Fairbanks, and it has been edited from its original for this project. In this excerpt from the second tape of the interview, George Rogers talks about his involvement with the Mental Health Trust settlement period. He discusses his role in land selection, and valuation, serving on the Interim Mental Health Commission and Mental Health Trust Board, and the difficulties he faced during the process. George Rogers was also interviewed by Karen Brewster on May 31, 2006, at his home in Juneau, Alaska. |
Apr 4, 2008 |
John Malone, Interview 2 | 2006-15-07 | Alaska Mental Health Trust History |
John Malone was interviewed by Bill Schneider and Karen Perdue with videography by Deborah Lawton and Michael Letzring of KUAC radio/tv, Fairbanks on April 16, 2008 at the Marriot Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska. John was also interviewed by Bill Schneider and Karen Brewster on March 11, 2008 in Anchorage, Alaska. |
Apr 16, 2008 |
Margaret Lowe | 2006-15-08 | Alaska Mental Health Trust History |
Margaret Lowe was interviewed by Bill Schneider and Karen Perdue with videography by Deborah Lawton and Michael Letzring of KUAC radio/tv, Fairbanks on April 16, 2008 at the Marriot Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska. She has been involved with mental health treatment and services in Alaska since the early 1950's and has been a strong advocate of helping the mentally ill. She was a school teacher with an interest in special education for young children, and earned a masters degree in Special Education at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She has been the chairperson for the Governor's Council on Special Education and Developmental Disabilities, the director of the State Division of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, was Commissioner of the State's Department of Health and Social Services, and was a trustee on the board of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority from 2005-2008. |
Apr 16, 2008 |
Steve Cowper | 2006-15-09 | Alaska Mental Health Trust History |
Former Alaska Governor Steve Cowper was interviewed by Bill Schneider and Karen Perdue with videography by Deborah Lawton and Michael Letzring of KUAC radio/tv, Fairbanks on April 25, 2008 at the Marriot Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska. He discusses his role in the mental health trust settlement. He first became familiar with mental health issues as District Attorney in Fairbanks, Alaska when he traveled around the state. He was the lawyer on the Vern Weiss case in 1982 and in 1986 became Governor of Alaska when the settlement case was being debated in the courts and between parts of the State government. He also talks about his friendship and experiences with John Malone. |
Apr 25, 2008 |
Tom Hawkins | 2006-15-18 | Alaska Mental Health Trust History |
Tom Hawkins was interviewed by Karen Brewster and Bill Schneider with videography by Deborah Lawton and Aaron Elterman of KUAC radio/tv, Fairbanks on June 10, 2009 at the Marriot Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska. He has worked as a land manager for the federal government, the State of Alaska, and Alaska Native corporations. He was an original member of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority board of trustees formed in 1994 and served until April, 2009. He also chaired their resource management committee for many years. In this interview, Tom discusses dealing with the land aspects of the mental health trust settlement when he worked for the State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources, assessing the trust reconstitution, and his role as a trustee with the Mental Health Trust Authority. |
Jun 10, 2009 |
Nelson Page | 2006-15-19 | Alaska Mental Health Trust History |
Nelson Page was interviewed by Bill Schneider and Karen Brewster with videography by Deborah Lawton and Aaron Elterman of KUAC radio/tv, Fairbanks on June 10, 2009 at the Marriot Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska. He is a lawyer with Burr, Pease and Kurtz in Anchorage, Alaska. He was an original member of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority Board of Trustees serving until 2008, and was the board's first chairman. In this interview, Nelson talks about the legal aspects of the mental health trust lawsuit, land selection and settlement, his work with the Disability Law Center, the establishment and functioning of the Mental Health Trust Authority Board of Trustees, and his personal connection with disability services through raising foster children. |
Jun 10, 2009 |
Ella Craig, Interview 2 | 2006-15-17 | Alaska Mental Health Trust History |
Ella Craig was interviewed by Karen Brewster and Bill Schneider with videography by Deborah Lawton and Aaron Elterman of KUAC radio/tv, Fairbanks on June 10, 2009 at the Marriot Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska. This was a follow-up to the first interview (which consists of two parts) to record onto broadcast quality videotape some of Ella's key stories and experiences related to Morningside Hospital, being a social worker in the early days, and the delivery of mental health services in rural Alaska. So, some of this interview may be a repeat of the first interview, or in some cases she may tell the same story in a different way. Ella was also interviewed by Bill Schneider and Karen Brewster on November 13, 2008 at the Mental Health Trust Authority office in Anchorage, Alaska. |
Jun 10, 2009 |
Jeff Jessee, Interview 1, Part 1 | 2006-15-20_PT.1 | Alaska Mental Health Trust History |
Jeff Jessee was interviewed by Bill Schneider with videography by Deborah Lawton and Aaron Elterman of KUAC radio/tv, Fairbanks on November 30, 2009 in a recording studio at KUAC radio/tv on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. Karen Brewster was also present during the interview. Jeff Jessee is the Chief Executive Officer of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority based in Anchorage, Alaska. He talks about being a young lawyer working for the Disability Law Center and how he got involved with the Mental Health Trust lawsuit, the different perspectives of the lawyers for the various beneficiary groups, working on the political side trying to get the Alaska State Legislature to accept the settlement terms, and being chosen to lead the Mental Health Trust Authority. Jeff provides a detailed discussion of the progression of events throughout the lawsuit and settlement period. This interview continues in parts two and three. Jeff was interviewed again by Bill Schneider and Karen Brewster on December 1, 2010 in Fairbanks, Alaska and there are two parts to that interview. |
Nov 30, 2009 |
Jeff Jessee, Interview 1, Part 2 | 2006-15-20_PT.2 | Alaska Mental Health Trust History |
In part two of this three part interview, Jeff Jessee continues being interviewed by Bill Schneider with videography by Deborah Lawton and Aaron Elterman of KUAC radio/tv, Fairbanks on November 30, 2009 in a recording studio at KUAC radio/tv on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. |
Nov 30, 2009 |
Jeff Jessee, Interview 1, Part 3 | 2006-15-20_PT.3 | Alaska Mental Health Trust History |
In this third part of his first interview, Jeff Jessee was interviewed by Bill Schneider with videography by Deborah Lawton and Aaron Elterman of KUAC radio/tv, Fairbanks on November 30, 2009 in a recording studio at KUAC radio/tv on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. |
Nov 30, 2009 |