JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - The Alaska Legislature has passed a bill that would set aside Nov. 14 of each year to honor the late Walter Soboleff.
Soboleff, a Tlingit elder, died in 2011 at age 102.
Sen. Fred Dyson remembered Soboleff as a man who lived with dignity and had a tremendous impact on others.
Ground was broken last year by the Sealaska Heritage Institute on the Walter Soboleff Center in downtown Juneau. The center is to be dedicated, in part, to furthering public understanding of Alaska Native cultures.
HB217, establishing Dr. Walter Soboleff Day, passed the Senate unanimously on Saturday. Members of Soboleff’s family watched on in the gallery and gave the thumbs-up upon passage.
The bill earlier passed the House.
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