Friends at the Pioneers of Alaska’s Sunday meeting sang “Happy Birthday” to Layton A. Bennett in anticipation of his 93rd birthday Thursday, April 12. Wife Lou is organizing a family party with sons Lynn Bennett of Juneau and Eric Bennett of Bellevue, Wash.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks has announced the students named to the deans’ and chancellor’s lists for the fall 2011 semester. The lists recognize students’ outstanding academic achievements. John Venables, Jr. and Teslyn Visscher were named to the chancellor’s list for having earned a grade-point average 3.9 or higher. Frances Daly was named to the dean’s list, an honor for students whose grade-point average is between 3.5 and 3.89.
Pam and Randy Sloper were in Mesa, Ariz. for a family trip and to take in spring training baseball games. Daughters Shelly and Lyndsey joined their parents. Shelly is in her first year of a doctoral program at Claremont Graduate University for developmental psychology. Lyndsey is completing her undergraduate degree at University of Alaska Anchorage in business and accounting. Randy’s brother and niece, Marvin and Jennifer Sloper, from Wisconsin, met the family. They caught several spring training games and saw the Milwaukee Brewers, Randy’s home team.
The Badger family, Jessie, Brad, Austin and Jordan, spent 10 days recreating in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. They met niece Abby Jones during her spring break from Peninsula College in Port Angeles, Wash. They saw Skipper and Sabina Sparks who were traveling with son Ryan Sparks. Ryan is competing in the professional bass-fishing circuit and he took Jordan out for some successful fishing trips. Charlie DeWitt took the boys exploring in the hills on his ATV and the family rented jet skis to play on the water.
Get ready to lace up your shoes for SEARHC Wisewoman’s annual Chilkat River Walk, Saturday, May 12. Participants walk all or part of the Haines Highway route from Klukwan to downtown Haines. All proceeds remain local to benefit the Hospice of Haines Chilkat Valley Travel Fund, a fund designed to aid patients and families traveling for cancer treatment.
Haines ladies are home from nine days of touring Italy, sampling regional fare and exploring small villages along the way. Joanne Waterman, Rebecca Heaton and Nelle Jurgeleit-Greene were joined by Nelle’s sister, Douglas Greene, for the trip. They spent six days in Tuscany, where they stayed in a converted farmhouse and filled their days with walking tours and drives in the hills. Far from a “tourist trap,” the farm estate was near a tiny village that still housed a cobbler, blacksmith and glass-worker. They also traveled to Venice, Florence and the west coast region of Cinque Terra. Rebecca discovered a new love for Italian pizza, with the “perfect ratio of bread to topping.”
Joe Parnell is organizing an indoor, adult soccer tournament. It’s set for 4 p.m. Sunday, April 29. To register your team of five or to be put on a team, call Parnell at 766-2447.