Judy Weeden (UAF 1959-1973) and Bob Weeden (ADFG 1959-69; UAF 1970-1990)

Judy and I drove to Alaska in July 1959; “You can’t get lost,” they said, “just stay in the dust plume.” Jim Brooks, Chief of the Division of Game, had offered me a job, and Judy got a teaching post in biology at UAF soon after we arrived.

My job was to design, then supervise, statewide research projects with fur animals, waterfowl, and game birds. My own research involved watching ptarmigan at Eagle Summit along the Steese Highway from May through September for 11 years. I grew with the agency, and had fun. Then, late in the 1960s, the State and the Department of the Interior came to loggerheads over subsistence and new parks. Relations had been collegial among federal and state biologists; now they weren’t. I left ADFG and joined the faculty at UAF in 1970.

I liked teaching. I had a lot of freedom to design new upper-division and graduate courses spanning biology, management, law, politics, and more. However, in 1989 I got a strong hint that I should switch to administration. That made me think about retiring. In 1990 I did.

We retired to Salt Spring Island, near Victoria, British Columbia. We bought a 17-acre former farm. We converted an old pig barn to a pottery studio, and in 25 years Judy has built a wide and appreciative following for her superbly formed and decorated pots. She spends half time (35 hours a week) in the studio; the other half in the garden or tending to home and kin.

I planted an orchard of 200 heritage varieties of fruit trees, mainly apples and pears. Harvests have been growing; last year I harvested about 10,000 pounds. In 1992 I joined the volunteer board of a group raising money for a community arts center. Ten years later we opened an 11,000 sq. ft. performing arts theatre and exhibition space, a real asset in this community of 10,000 people. Meanwhile, I helped start a land conservancy. This spring we celebrated 20 years by opening a nature center on a 40-acre nature reserve that includes a small lake and wetlands. We own other lands protecting about 3000 acres. Great fun!

Mostly, I write. While in Alaska I wrote about 80 science-based articles and a whole bunch of stuff on conservation issues, including a book published by UA Press and another published by Houghton Mifflin. I have turned recently to natural history essays. A bunch of them formed a book (2013, The Country of Heart, Eye, and Hand), and our community newspaper has run one each month for almost 3 years. Judy and I jointly have drafted a book of stories about our family time in Alaska, meant for family and friends.

We are still pretty active, kayaking on quiet days on Salish Sea waters nearby and canoeing on lakes in British Columbia's interior. I play tennis 4 hours a week. We visit our son in Fairbanks every year or so, and try to get to our cabin in Homer. Its detached bathroom, aka outhouse, has the best view in the world.

If you would like to learn more about how your State of Alaska retirement can allow you to enjoy a comfortable retirement, please contact the Division toll-free at (800) 821-2251 or at (907) 465-4460 in Juneau.

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