Coming home once again

When I first arrived in Alaska in 1985 I was fresh off a Ph.D. at Oregon State. Drove up Alcan in a 1977 FJ40 Toyota Landcruiser. Arrived with a quarter-inch of brake fluid remaining in a 4-inch-deep brake fluid well and $300. I’d been a poor graduate student for four years, the only Maguire to have earned a doctorate. That year I flew around the Bush serving families, schools and children with disabilities. I realized at the end of 1986 that I had to get back into university teaching as a career goal. UAA had no positions. I also concluded that Alaska was my home and a credo adopted was “till death do us part.”

From 1986-1991 I worked at Adelphi and SUNY-Cortland and consulted with the Kenai all the while keeping an eye on UAA. In 1991 Tom Besh hired me to help him reconstruct the UAA physical education program to include health and outdoor education. Tom was killed in a plane crash in the Valley in 1993 while spotting sheep.

In 2000-2001 I departed our great state for sabbatical in the College of Health at the University of Utah to study strategies for creating peaceful school communities resulting with the publication of a small book and a new graduate course, Creating Peaceful Schools. After 16 years at UAA it was time to part ways this past year. Recently, I’ve been in Massachusetts supporting a medically fragile family member.

While the media focus in Alaska has been on corrupt politicians, the recession, Gov. Palin and the gas pipeline, etc., there are many of us at the grass roots level who unceremoniously embrace the beauty of our state and it’s citizens by “doing the right thing” (Spike Lee). Daily, we quietly live our commitment to improving the quality of life for all in the Last Frontier.

The new core values that will bring Alaska forward in this century in every venue (i.e politics, education, social services, etc.) include citizen self-determination, empowerment, full-inclusion and meaningful participation.

Of course, these values emanate from traditional core values of trust, honesty and respect. Over the long haul, future generations in Alaska will benefit by hearing stories from seasoned citizens. Maybe the metaphorical lesson from “low brake fluid and $300” is to faithfully build upon and trust the guidance of those with similar intentions who’ve gone before us.

I’m excited to return home to Palmer and my third career in Alaska.

Paul Maguire, Ph.D., lives in Palmer.