In celebration of National Library Week, Cathy Cronlund & Sue Paulsen sit down to reminisce about their lifetime love of libraries and their careers as school librarians. This interview was recorded at the Petersburg Public Library on April 4th, 2025 by Kari Petersen.

Logan Haley speaks with long-time educator and librarian Sue Paulsen. The interview centered on her growing up around educators and becoming one herself, as well as what Petersburg was like in the 1950s and ‘60s. This interview was recorded in April 2024 as an assignment for Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History class at the Petersburg High School.

Leslie Schwartz discusses with Kesia Luhr what it is like to be a Baha’i in Petersburg, Alaska. She shares pieces of family, Petersburg, and World History and how it relates to her journey as a Baha’i. This interview was recorded in April 2024 as an assignment for Kesia in Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History class at the Petersburg High School.

Rick McKay talks to his grandson, Zander Jones, about living in Petersburg and his lifetime of working at the local cannery. This interview was done as an assignment for Zander in Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History class at the Petersburg High School.

Charles “Chuck” Thynes talks to his granddaughter, Alysa Thomassen, about his lifetime of commercial fishing in Alaska. Alysa inquires about the changes he’s seen in commercial methods and regulations over the years. This interview was recorded in the Spring of 2025 as an assignment for Alysa in Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History class at Petersburg High School.

John Wikan talks to his grandson, Jakob Wikan, about his time working in Washington State and then moving back to Petersburg to open his own business, Wikan Enterprises; a staple marine diesel mechanic shop in Petersburg, serving the local fishing fleet for several decades. This interview was recorded in the Spring of 2024 as an assignment for Jakob in Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History class at the Petersburg High School.

Diane Marsh talks to Kinley Lister about the Homestead Café, the family owned business she and husband, Ottis, ran while raising their family. The Homestead Cafe was a well loved Café in downtown Petersburg where community members, including captains and the coffee crew, would gather and visit. This interview was recorded in the Spring of 2024 as an assignment for Kinley for Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History class at the Petersburg High School.

Irene “Ikie” Roundtree talks with Kieran Cabral and Shannon Peeler about life in Petersburg running a seaplane business while raising 3 kids with her legendary husband, Alaska bush pilot Lloyd Roundtree. This interview was recorded in the Spring of 2024 as an assignment for Kieran in Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History class at Petersburg High School.

Shalene McCollum talks to her daughter, Mattea McCollum, about growing fishing in Alaska and using Alaska’s natural resources. This interview was recorded in May of 2024 as an assignment in Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History class at the Petersburg High School.

Derek Lopez talks to Cheyenne Steele about life in Petersburg, his career, and what he enjoys about living in Petersburg. This interview was recorded in April of 2024 as an assignment in Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History class at Petersburg High School.

Bryana Ratliff talks to her mother Dea Ayriss about numerous topics covering, being born and raised in Alaska, her favorite hobbies while growing up, and to now. This interview was recorded on May 12, 2024 as an assignment for Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History class at the Petersburg High School.

Renown Alaskan Artist, Ray Troll, talks to Kari Petersen about his new book Spawn Till You Die: The Fin Art of Ray Troll, a collection of his life’s work. Mr. Troll also talks about his love of paleontology, a podcast he started with a friend called Paleo Nerds, and all that inspires his lifetime of art. This interview was recorded in September 2024.

Elijah Whitacre talks to Renaker D. Parks about his time working for the Alaskan Pulp

Company as a logging engineer in the 1990s and working for the Forest Service as a

silviculturist in the 2000s. This interview was recorded May 4th, 2024 as an assignment for Mr.

Shumway’s Senior Alaska History class at the Petersburg High School.

Diana Owens talks to Lakell Deinhardt about coming to Southeast Alaska with her husband and raising their family in logging camps around the region during the height of logging on the Tongass. This interview was done in the Spring of 2024 as an assignment in Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History class at the Petersburg High School.

Breiland Willis interviews his grandmother, Karen Eddy, on April 17, 2024 to talk about early Petersburg and logging camps in Alaska. She shares her story about life with her husband, the late Jack Eddy, and how they built a home and a family here in Petersburg. This interview was recorded as an assignment in Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History class at the Petersburg High School. 

Elaina Enriquez and Wayne Short revisit early Southeast Alaska as Wayne retells his life story on May 1st, 2024. Coming from the desert of Arizona, Wayne would serve in the Navy during WWII in the Pacific Theater. After the Great Depression, Wayne moved up to the Territory of Alaska. As he became acclimated to life in Southeast Alaska, Wayne lived through adventures he would later write about in his novels! This interview was recorded as an assignment in Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History Class at the Petersburg High School.

James Valentine talks to Anya Pawuk about various topics surrounding owning a business, traveling, coaching, and the advice he would offer for life. This interview was recorded in the Spring of 2024 as an assignment in Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History Class at Petersburg High School.

Vivian Hjort is interviewed by Jonas Anderson and talks about her last 25 years living in Petersburg, Alaska. Her time working with a helicopter company before moving to a position with the United States Forest Service as a dispatcher. This interview was recorded on May 8th, 2024 as part of a project for Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History class.

Rik Cumps talks to his great uncle, John Havrelik, about what brought him to Alaska and his experiences working all over the great State. This interview was recorded in the Spring of 2024 as an assignment in Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History Class at Petersburg High School.

Charlotte Martin speaks with her grandmother Liz Pawuk about programming computers in the 60’s, the foundational era of their development. This interview was recorded in the Spring of 2024 as an assignment in Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History Class at Petersburg High School.

A compilation of songs and poetry readings from past episodes of Homegrown Conversations that celebrate the annual FisherPoets gathering in Astoria, Oregon. Featuring Alec McMurren with additional works by Pat Dixon, Geno Leech, and Nicole McMurren.

Norwegian Dance Instructor, Heidi Lee, and former student, Lilith Odegaard, have a conversation about culture in Petersburg. This conversations was recorded in April of 2023 as an assignment for Lily in Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History Class at the Petersburg High School.

Stan Hjort talks to Axton Kravitz about growing up in Washington State, his time in the U.S. Coast Guard, and moving to Petersburg. This interview was done in April of 2023 as an assignment for Axton in Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History Class at the Petersburg High School.

Brian and Marjorie Paust have committed their lives to serving Alaskan communities as educators  since the early 1970s.  Their dedication and enthusiasm are impressive, as are their tales of life in the Arctic. In this interview, they speak about their early years in Kivalina, a village on the Chukchi sea, where they opened a high school for local children. They also tell of the birth of their son Nathaniel in Kotzebue during a blizzard on Christmas Eve.

Kelly O’Soup talks with her daughter, Meghan, about her work for the USFS. This interview was done in April of 2023 as an assignment for Meghan in Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History class at Petersburg High School.

Martin Susort talks to his grandson, Kyle Biggers, about his time in Petersburg, what has changed over the years and what keeps him here.

Malcom Fry talks with his father, Louis “Chris” Fry, about their family history and Chris’s travels in Southeast Alaska prior to making it his home. This interview was recorded in April of 2023 as an assignment for Malcom in Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History class at the Petersburg High School.

Novalee Thomas talks to Petersburg High School Teacher, Ioana Ward, about growing up in Romania and how it compares to Petersburg. This interview was recorded in April of 2023 as an assignment for Novalee in Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History class at Petersburg High School.

Tina Sakamoto tells Alexus Sakamoto-Quezon about her great grandfather, Harry Sakamoto, when he was taken to Japanese internment camp and how it affected their family. This interview was recorded in April of 2023 as an assignment for Alexus in Mr. Shumway’s Senior Alaska History Class at the Petersburg High School.

Will Ware talks to Kasiah Lopez about owning a small business and living a Lingít way of life. This interview was recorded in April of 2023 when Kasiah was a senior in High School and was done as an assignment for Mr. Shumway’s Alaska History class.