The Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum
Annual Meeting
Saturday, May 3rd 2025
2:00 – 3:30 pm
At the Sheldon Jackson Museum and on Zoom
Guest Speaker: Mike iqyax̂ Livingston, PhD
JOIN THE PROGRAM IN PERSON:
Sheldon Jackson Museum
104 College Drive
Sitka, AK
JOIN THE PROGRAM ON ZOOM:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88456656142?pwd=LwSTuqfnxTpwSe7nOkzv6aJAp8zt9W.1
Meeting ID: 884 5665 6142
Passcode: flag
This event is free of charge for all attendees.
Doors open at 1:30 pm
The meeting will start promptly at 2:00 pm
Annual Member Meeting Agenda
- Call to Order
- Welcome and Land Acknowledgement
- Introduction of current Board Members, Melissa Fouse, Roby Littlefield, Fred Olsen Jr, Chris Berk, Justin Kaa Shaayí Ketah, Demaris Hudson, Steve Johnson, Rosemary Carlton. Office Assistant, JJ Carlson
- Approval of Minutes for 2024 Annual Meeting (held on April 3, 2024)
- FOSJM President and Finance Report
- SJM Museum Curator Report
- LAM Director Report
- Old Business
- none
- New Business
- Resolution 2025-01 Supporting SJM Name Change
- Board Member Election
- Candidates: Melissa Fouse, Demaris Hudson, 1 more needed
- Thank you to departing board members
- Good of the Order
- Summer Hours at SJM
- 2025 Native Artist Residency Program starting soon
- Adjournment
Presentation by Mike iqyax̂ Livingston PhD, “Honoring Benny Benson on July 9, 2027”
Guest Speaker, Mike Livingston, PhD (Unangax̂)
“Honoring Benny Benson on July 9, 2027”
July 9, 2027 is the 100-year anniversary of the raising of Alaska’s flag by Benny Benson, the seventh-grade Alaska Native boy who won the contest in 1927. Racism against Alaska Natives in the 1920s was in-your-face and aggressive. The panel of three judges in Seward did not want a dark-skinned Alaska Native boy to win the flag contest. What can we do before the 100-year anniversary to honor this 14-year-old Alaska Native boy who rose above and continues to stand tall today as a healthy role model for all Alaskans?
Michael Livingston has thoroughly researched Benny Benson’s family tree and history, publishing several articles about the only US state flag designed by a Native American. Mike served as a police officer in Alaska for nearly 30 years. He also served as a principal investigator with the National Science Foundation and was recognized by US Senator Dan Sullivan as a “detective with a servant’s heart.”
Thank you to our corporate sponsors, including Sealevel Consulting and event sponsor Aspen Suites Hotel Sitka.
To learn more, email friendsofsjm@gmail.com or call (907) 747-6233.