Project Jukebox Survey
Help us redesign the Project Jukebox website by taking a very short survey!
Hjalmar "Ofi" Olson
![Ofi Olson Ofi Olson](https://jukebox.uaf.edu/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/ofi%20olson.jpg?itok=ZCtX5g39)
Hjalmar E. "Ofi" Olson was born in 1939 in Kanakanak, Alaska to Hjalmar and Mary Olson. Ofi was the eldest of eleven children. He was a lifelong commercial salmon fisherman and an avid pilot who spent many years hunting, fishing, and trapping in Bristol Bay. Ofi earned his private pilot's license in 1957, at the age of 16. He served 22 months in Germany in the US Army, returning to Dillingham, Alaska, in 1961. In 1964, Ofi met Anuska Hansen and they married in 1968. They had three children and five grandchildren. In 1974, Ofi represented the community of Koliganek on the Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC) board. That led to four decades of service at BBNC, including 29 years as the board chairman. In 2009, Ofi retired as the President, CEO and Chairman of the Board. He also served in many other capacities on numerous boards and commissions during a lifetime dedicated to work on behalf of Bristol Bay and its people. Ofi Olson passed away on July 2, 2015 in Dillingham, Alaska. For more about Ofi Olson, see his obituary in the Alaska Dispatch News newspaper.