This year’s Museum Champion award went to Ron Inouye of Fairbanks, Alaska. Ron has volunteered on the board of the Friends of the University of Alaska Museum of the North (UAMN) every year since 1991, serving as the Friends of UAMN president since 2012. Ron’s genuine devotion, endless enthusiasm, unwavering reliability, and passion for knowledge have made him a cornerstone of our museum community. The Friends group played a major role in securing funding for the museum expansion in the early 2000’s which doubled the building’s size and transformed the ways the museum serves the public. Friends have hosted a giving challenge during holiday seasons since 2017. These contributions paired with community support have raised $217,000 for the museum’s most immediate needs.
Ron also serves as president of the Tanana-Yukon Historical Society, dedicated to sharing the history and continuing story of Fairbanks and Interior Alaska, volunteers for the Alaska Historical Society, dedicated to the promotion of Alaska’s history, and serves on the UAF Elmer E. Rasmuson Library’s Rare Book Endowment Committee.
Director Emerita of the UA Museum of the North Aldona Jonaitis noted in the nomination that, “Ron Inouye is devoted to the museum, and enthusiastically supports the myriad other organizations he works with. He is consistently optimistic, very hard working, and creative as he suggests new ideas that will help the museum. During the campaign for the museum expansion, he led the Friends of UA Museum of the North board to Juneau for discussions with legislators about the museum’s funding needs, which they allocated. He was thus very instrumental in helping finance the museum’s expansion.”
Susie Crevensten served as Friends of UAMN secretary for several years, stepping down in 2021. She reflects, “Ron was always a positive and patient leader. Working with him strengthened my understanding of how dedicated people work with museum collections. His ability to identify many possibilities for the museum kept us active and engaged. Never a dull moment!”
“Ron is able to see the big picture when others are more rooted in their local community,” says Angela Linn, UAMN Senior Collections Manager of Ethnology & History. “When our colleagues in Juneau were working to build the new Andrew P. Kashevaroff Building for the State Library, Archives, and Museum (SLAM), Ron was one of the state’s strongest advocates for getting full funding from the State Legislature. He knew that if those state divisions were strong and well cared for in a new facility, we would all benefit, and he was right! Ron taught many Alaska museum professionals how to be better advocates and how to communicate effectively and respectfully with our elected officials. He is a true supporter of the museum and history communities and we are all better off because of him.”
“Ron’s unbounding enthusiasm and support for the entire field – from the local level to the statewide level is unmatched,” said Dixie Clough, director of Museums Alaska. “His advocacy for museums, as well as his volunteer work, and generosity, have made an indelible impact on the field. He truly is a champion for us all.”
