Deborah Lawton

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.