Ode to Arreta

By Elsie Whitmore and Virginia Wingo
July, 1970

From out of the West, came Arreta and Tom
In the Early 30’s, before the bomb.
To Jesse Lee Home, a place of reknown,
Becoming in the process, the busiest gal in town.

A pillar of the church, a Sunday School teacher,
A cooker of dinners, a friend of the preacher.

She sewed for Bazaars, she painted the Church,
She broke her leg, when she fell from her perch.

She swished her skirts to a Western beat,
And even I this was excessively neat.

As was her house, ’twas a star in her crown,
It was homey and right for the busiest in town.

A weather taker, come rain or come shine,
No matter the meeting, was always on time.

An Eastern Star, a Homemaker too,
With the Library Board she had much to do.

She baby sat without a frown,
And Rainbow made her the busiest gal in town.

She made a good chief, and an Indian Grand,
A positive woman, never bland.

She has kept the same old husband from the very first,
Always implied he was best not worst.

She has two sons of which she is proud,
And Grandsons praises she sings aloud.

Now she’s retiring and with her things,
In a sliver trailer will spread her wings.

She’ll travel and visit all over the land,
Many a journey she has planned.

Now Arreta, my dear, we’d like you to know,
How much we’ll miss you, wherever you go.

No one can ever fill your gown,
Or take the place of the busiest gal in town.

Tom and Arreta Howell have traveled the country enough for a while now, and have settled near their son Harold. If you’d like their winter address it is: 16 Triplet Way, Marysville, California, 95901.

Jesse Lee Home

I am so ready for this project to be done. For the buildings to be finished. For high school juniors to be wandering the music filled halls. For tourists to be snapping photos of the Alaska State flag on the pole it was first raised on. Elders quietly making their way down the halls, giggling as they recall the more entertaining moments of their youth, proud as they discuss the domination of the Mount Marathon race by the Jesse Lee Home kids - and how that tradition continues.

I am so ready to be cutting blue and gold ribbons with Arliss and Paul standing next to me as we listen to an overjoyed Dr. James Simpson offer a few measured words on his hopes for the future, and glancing at ME and Barbara as they start to tear up. I am so ready for Kirsten to walk her mother through the crafts room and watch the kids making a totem pole with a master craftsman. I am so ready.

Friends of Jesse Lee Home minutes

THE FRIENDS OF THE JESSE LEE HOME
Minutes
June 21, 2007

Attendance:
Barbara Donatelli, CIRIhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.bold.gif
Doug Gasek, DNR
Olen Harris, NPRHA
Anne L. Henry, grant writer
Jim Jager, CIRI
Dorene Lorenz, Seward
Alexandra J. McClanahan, CIRI, secretary
M.E. Rider, consultant
Arliss Sturgulewski, former senator
Tom Swann, Seward Historic Preservation Commission
Kirsten Vesel, City of Seward (via teleconference)

Agenda/Minutes: The meeting was called to order by Barbara Donatelli at 1:42 p.m. The minutes from the May 17 meeting were approved on a motion by Dorene Lorenz and seconded by Jim Jager. The agenda was informally approved.

Communications: Alexandra J. McClanahan read an email from Sam Combs, indicating he could not attend the meeting and attaching a letter from the Alaska Association of Historic Places that the Jesse Lee Home was again on the 10 “most endangered” list.

McClanahan also mentioned an email from Carol Lee Cooper who said she and three of her sisters were residents of the Home in 1947-48 (Marianne, Anne, Carol Lee and Judith Miller) and that they would appreciate receiving JLH photos. McClanahan said she emailed some photos.

She also distributed an email from Bonnie Jack, announcing that Jackie Pels will be the featured speaker at the organization’s July 11 monthly meeting in Anchorage. Pels will talk about her research and two-volume book on the home.

Donations: Marcia Hastings was traveling, and so there was no report on donations.

Anchorage Daily New interest: Barbara Donatelli reported that Matt Zencey, Anchorage Daily News editorial page editor, had indicated he was interested in the project. She said it was a cordial discussion. (The ADN published a favorable editorial on June 22.)

State Capital Budget: Sturgulewski said she was concerned about the fact that Gov. Palin may veto a number of capital projects passed by the Legislature and said it might be a good idea to send a letter to her. Lorenz offered to contact Lt. Gov. Parnell to follow up. There followed discussion the timing of a possible editorial by Zencey, and Jim Jager volunteered to contact him. Palin will make her decisions on any vetoes by July 4.

Seward 4th of July: Jager distributed a mockup for panels for the Jesse Lee Home Float for the Seward 4th of July parade, and all agreed it was an excellent design. Swann suggested that the wording of the JLH color flier motto – “Preserve Alaska’s Past, Build Alaska’s Future” – be added to the panels.

Jager also noted that more buttons have been ordered, as well as the color flier. At Sturgulewski’s suggestion, it was decided that a smaller, less expensive flier would be created for the parade and other such gatherings.

Lorenz noted that Friends members are encouraged to participate in the parade or simply go to Seward to view it. She said the parade line-up is at 1:00 p.m. near 2nd Avenue. Swann said he would see whether it would be possible to obtain blue and gold taffy to distribute from the float.

Lorenz volunteered to take publications and the float panels to Seward when they are ready.

Seward July 9th flag day event: There was discussion of who might consider traveling to Seward for the city festivities on July 9, and it was agreed that McClanahan should contact Paul Ongtooguk to find out whether he would consider representing the Friends. (He later agreed to do so.)

Other upcoming meetings, events: M.E. Rider said there are other upcoming events and meetings in Seward, and she volunteered to coordinate that. Lorenz agreed to contact the “breakfast group,” an informal business group of Seward leaders.

Stakeholder meeting: At Rider’s suggestion it was agreed that there is a need for a major one- or two-day meeting of stakeholders. This was tentatively set for Oct. 8-9.

Engineering Committee: Rider said she was pleased to report that an RFP has been prepared, thanks in large part to Olen Harris’s assistance.

Legislative Committee: Sturgulewski said the key concern she has heard from legislators is that they do not want so many charter schools in Alaska that the regular school system is weakened.

Academic Policy Committee: Henry said that while the education group has not met, there have been important discussions with Wendy Battino, executive director of the Re-Inventing Schools Coalition, and that a meeting was planned with Roger Sampson, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. She said one issue that will need to be researched is what percentage of the Jesse Lee Home charter school students will be classified as “at-risk.”

When Sturgulewski asked what the total number of students would be at any given time, Henry said it’s likely it would be 50 to 75 students. She also noted that there are only three residential charter schools in the nation, and that the Jesse Lee Home school would be the fourth.

Discussion followed on what the annual costs might be, and it was agreed that this cannot be determined at this time.

Purchase of Flags: Swann distributed flags to Friends members, and all expressed gratitude for his work and the quality of the flags. Swann urged members to sell as many as possible and also to let him know of any groups or individuals that might be interested in selling the flags, which come in boxes of 24 and retail for $10 each.

Other business: Sturgulewski, Rider and Lorenz said they would be talking to people who might be of assistance in furthering the project, such as the founder of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, as well as landowners who have land near the Jesse Lee Home. Lorenz noted that Doug Lechner of Seward expressed interest in entertaining an offer for his nearby property.

Kirsten Vesel suggested that key points about the project be developed, and Rider volunteered to have a draft ready by the next meeting for review.

Next Meeting: The next meeting was set for Thursday, July 26, at 1:30 p.m. at CIRI.


To make tax-deductible contributions to the Jesse Lee Home Restoration Fund:
Mail contribution by check (payable to ACF- Jesse Lee Home Restoration Fund) or money order to:
The Alaska Community Foundation
301 W. Northern Lights Blvd., Suite 408
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
Credit Cards:
Contributions can be made to:
The Alaska Community Foundation
Phone: 907-334-6700
Fax: 907-334-5780
(ACF will need type of credit card, account number, expiration date, name on credit card, billing address and zip code for card holder, amount of contribution.)

Anchorage Daily News endorses Jesse Lee Home

Saving a state treasure
Historic Seward building gets down payment on rescue
Published: June 22, 2007

The Jesse Lee Home in Seward needs a lot more help than this year's Legislature gave it. Not that lawmakers were being cheapskates. The $1 million appropriation, awaiting Gov. Sarah Palin's approval in the capital budget, is plenty welcome. It will help stabilize the hollowed-out historic structure and stave off further ruin. But upwards of $11 million more will be needed to restore the former orphanage to something resembling its original stature.

That's an ambitious goal, but it's a challenge Alaskans from across the state should embrace. The Jesse Lee Home occupies a special place in Alaska history: It is the birthplace of Alaska's flag. Thirteen-year-old Benny Benson lived at Jesse Lee when he entered a schoolchildren's contest to design a territorial flag in 1927. His design won, and the first place it flew as Alaska's official flag was the Jesse Lee Home.

Beyond the Benson connection, the Jesse Lee Home has a special meaning to Alaska Natives. Early in the 20th century, epidemics ravaged many Native areas and left behind many orphans. The Jesse Lee Home, which moved from Unalaska to Seward in 1925, sheltered and raised many of the youngsters left behind.

The building was a stately presence visible to those approaching Seward by sea. It's on the National Register of Historic Places, and for good reason. Alaska just doesn't have many buildings that date from the early 20th century, let alone one with the former grandeur and historical significance of the Jesse Lee Home. What a pity it would have been if the Seward City Council had gotten its way in 1968. Unable to find a buyer after three years of trying, the council voted to burn the home down.

A group called Friends of the Jesse Lee Home has been working to save the building, now owned by the City of Seward. A state study found that the building is still structurally sound, despite 40-plus years of weathering.

The Friends realize the old home needs a modern use to justify the restoration expense and sustain the building after it's restored. They hope it will become a charter school that offers leadership academy training, hosting students from around the state for intensive sessions.

Stage one of the rescue plan -- stabilizing the home against the elements -- will cost another $2 million beyond what the Legislature appropriated. So far, other key supporters include the City of Seward, Cook Inlet Region Inc., Chugach Alaska Corp. and the Rasmuson Foundation.

You don't have to be a financial mogul to help save the Jesse Lee Home. You can make a donation through the Alaska Community Foundation here in Anchorage.

As former state senator and gubernatorial candidate Arliss Sturgulewski says in a fundraising brochure, "Working together as Alaskans, we have an opportunity to create a place where our young people can share their cultures, learn leadership skills and prepare to forge our state's future."

It's an exciting opportunity that deserves Alaskans' strong support.

BOTTOM LINE: To donate, contact the Alaska Community Foundation at www.alaskacf.org or call 334-6700.



Alaska’s Ten Most Endangered Historic Properties Announced

ANCHORAGE – The Alaska Association for Historic Preservation (AAHP) has listed the state’s Ten Most Endangered Historic Properties for 2007. The list is announced each May; National Historic Preservation Month is sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This year’s National Historic Preservation Month theme is “Preservation Works.” Governor Sarah Palin proclaimed the same month as Historic Preservation Month in Alaska.
The properties on the 2007 list are: Kake Cannery National Historic Landmark in Kake, Slikok Creek Archaeological District in Soldotna, Locomotive Repair Shop in Juneau, Clover Pass School in Ketchikan, Nike Site Summit in Eagle River, Jesse Lee Home in Seward, Bureau of Indian Affairs School in Unalakleet, Historic Soldotna Post Office in Soldotna, Government Hill Neighborhood in Anchorage, and Cape Saint Elias Lighthouse on Kayak Island.
The primary purpose of the Ten Most Endangered list is to bring public awareness to Alaska’s threatened historic properties. Heighhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.bold.giftened awareness often leads to increased support for the conservation of endangered historic properties, which are assets important to tourism, economic development, and the cultural heritage of Alaska.
For information, call AAHP at (907) 929-9870 or e-mail: preservation@gci.net.