Elijah Morgan Wray was born Feb. 8 in Anchorage to Sydney and Jon Wray. He weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. Sydney drove to Anchorage on her own to wait for the baby’s arrival the same night as the tsunami evacuation warning. Sydney’s mother Christine Davis was there for the birth, and the trio will drive back to Haines together. Elijah joins siblings Jonah, Lyla, and Hazel who are anxiously waiting to meet him.
Donna Catotti and Julie Rae traveled to Manhattan, New York to attend the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club. The CLWAC is a national organization that shows and promotes works by professional female artists. This was the art club’s 121st annual open art exhibition. Donna’s portrait of former resident Carla Earnest was chosen for the show. Donna and Julie also traveled to Ellis Island and toured the Metropolitan Museum of Art where they viewed the Michelangelo exhibit. They attended two Broadway plays, “Kinky Boots” and “The Lion King.”
More than 100 people attended Southeast Alaska Independent Living’s “Have a Heart” event last weekend. Sara Chapell, Sierra Jimenez and Jennifer Marschke organized the event just in time for Valentine’s Day. “The goal of this event was to spread the word about the great work SAIL does, to honor our donors and highlight local artists – who donated the art pieces,” Sara said. Over 40 artists donated original heart art pieces, and local donors wore “I heart SAIL” stickers. Event tables included success stories of locals who have received assistance from SAIL.
Anna and Jim Jurgeleit’s son Alec Jurgeleit has recently graduated from flight training school. He is now a first officer with Horizon Airlines.
Riley and Candace Hall are calling Haines home after recently moving from Wrangell, Alaska. Riley is a mental health clinician at SEARHC and the couple has three children, Eliza, Luke, and Heather. “Haines is such a beautiful place and I knew we would like it when we moved here,” Candace said. The children have been enjoying Tykes and Trikes at the school, storytime at the library, and are excited for the weather to warm up so they can play at Tlingit Park.
Former residents Ella Bredthauer and Nevada Benton participated in the Arches Ultramarathon in Moab, Utah last month. This is the first 50K run for both women.
Leslie Ross and her daughter Rio Ross-Hirsh have returned from a month-long trip to Bali. They spent most of their time in the central town of Ubud but also visited the southern coast of Uluwatu. “We tried to immerse ourselves. We stayed in a lot of homestays, meeting local families. We took language, cooking, art and yoga classes. We ate a lot of amazing fruit and found beautiful swimming pools,” Leslie said. The two spent a week over Christmas on the Gili Islands off Lombok where there are no motorized vehicles; all transport is by bike or horse-drawn carriage. “It was a magical place,” Leslie said. While traveling they met up with seasonal Haines resident Tom Lang who spends winters in Ubud. Returning to the states, they visited family in Ohio, Arizona and Colorado before heading home.
Returning from a DDF meet in Ketchikan, Marley Horner and girlfriend Caroline Hankins joined many Haines residents who were stuck in Juneau due to recent weather-related ferry cancelations. As luck had it, Marley was called in by Perseverance Theater to audition for a role in their new play, “Cyrano de Bergerac.” He will play two parts in the show and help with set-building. Marley studied theater at University of Alaska, Fairbanks and has performed at Perseverance Theater in the past. The play runs March 14-April 14 in Juneau, followed by a two-week stint in Anchorage. To buy tickets visit www.ptalaska.org.
Resident gemologist Janet Lawson has returned from the Tucson Gem Show in Arizona. The convention is the world’s largest of any kind. Other local attendees were Fred Shields, Tresham Gregg, and Audrey Smith. This was Janet’s 30th year attending the show.
Vija Pelekis has returned from Seattle where she visited her parents. While there she ran into Matt Whitman at a home restoration shop downtown. She also went to the San Francisco Bay area to visit her sister and brother.
Bart and Susan Bennett’s 17-year-old son Conner Bennett just received his private pilot’s license in Renton, Wash. His grandmother Lou Bennett was there to see him fly in a Cessna 162 Sky-catcher. His other grandmother, former resident Peggy Ormasen, was unable to attend as she is recovering from an illness but doing well. In addition to training to become a pilot, Conner also attends Bellevue College.