Ethel Lund, one of the founders of SEARHC, died last Friday at age 91.
Ethel Aanwoogex' Lund, a pioneer of tribal health care, died in the early morning last Friday at the age of 91. She was instrumental in improving the quality of care for Alaska Native people and received national recognition for her contributions.
Lund was born in Wrangell in 1931, where she witnessed firsthand the challenges that rural and Native Alaskans faced when trying to access health care. After tuberculosis devastated her community - and put her in the hospital for two and a half years - she "spent her life dedicated to advancing the quality and standard of care available across Southeast Alaska," according to a statement of remembrance from Sealaska Corp.
"Lund held a quiet confidence that could command a room and made a point to ensure that every voice was heard, emphasizing the importance of traditional knowledge alongside modern medicine," the statement reads.
She was a Tlingit of the Raven moiety and Teeyhíttaan clan from the Sun House. Her Tlingit name was Aanwoogex' Shtoo.aak.
Lund received numerous accolades for her work. She was one of the founding members of the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) and served as its president from 1977 to her retirement in 2000. SEARHC now provides services in 19 Southeast communities.
She sat on the Sealaska Corp. board for 21 years and was one of the few directors to receive the honor of director emeritus. She was Grand Camp President and Grand Camp Secretary of the Alaska Native Sisterhood, executive vice president of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Tribes of Alaska, chair of the Alaska Native Health Board and vice chair of the National Indian Health Board.
Lund was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame in 2010 and received a long list of other awards throughout her lifetime.
In 1978, President Jimmy Carter appointed Lund to the President's Commission on Mental Health. She traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark, to speak about Alaska health needs at the World Health Organization's International Symposium on Circumpolar Health.
But to her friends and family, Lund was far more than the sum of her substantial accomplishments. Janet Buness, who worked with Lund at the former Wrangell Medical Center, recalls her "kind and caring attitude."
"She was a wonderful worker and a wonderful person to be around," Buness added.
Ethel Dando, manager at Wrangell Senior Apartments and Lund's goddaughter, knew Lund as the "Big Ethel" to her "Little Ethel." When Dando was growing up, "Big Ethel" was a warm, funny presence who would visit Dando's mother's home for potlucks and singing.
"She was the nicest," said Dando. "Always had great hugs. Always just had a special place for me and my kids." She didn't realize until later in her life how significant Lund's impact had been, not just on her life but on the entire state.
"I was just a little kid," she said. Though she wasn't aware of it at the time, she is "sure my mom and (Lund) were doing important stuff" at those dinners.
Looking back, Dando is impressed by Lund's strength. "Back in the '70s, for a woman to have done all of that, especially a Native woman, she had to have been a really strong, outgoing, determined person with great vision."
"She will be really missed," Dando added. "We all knew this time was coming, but it still ends up being a shock."
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