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Laura Bergt

February 22, 2023

Laura Mae Bergt (née Beltz; October 1, 1940 – March 14, 1984) was an Iñupiaq athlete, model, politician, and activist for the Iñupiat and other Indigenous Alaskans. Born in the Northwest Arctic Borough of Alaska to bi-racial parents, she grew up in Nome and Kotzebue before attending high school in Sitka. Involved in the Native Olympic movement, she was both a nine-times winner of the Arctic Circle blanket toss event and served as chair of the World Eskimo Indian Olympics in 1966. She worked as a promoter for the new state of Alaska attending trade shows and making marketing appearances as a spokeswoman and guest on radio and television programs. From the 1960s, she worked in various policy positions at the tribal, local, state, and national level to address issues like disability, education, employment opportunities, housing, and poverty, and promoting the rights of Indigenous people.

Laura Bergt
Bergt in 1969
Born
Laura Mae Beltz

(1940-10-01)October 1, 1940
Candle, Territory of Alaska, U.S.
DiedMarch 14, 1984(1984-03-14) (aged 43)
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Other names
  • Laura Beltz Bergt
  • Laura Mae Bergt
  • Laura Bergt Crockett
Occupations
  • Spokeswoman
  • political and Native rights activist
Years active1960–1977

In 1968, Bergt testified before the United States House of Representatives on the importance of settling Native claims to provide adequate funding for development of programs to address tribal issues and protect Indigenous hunting and fishing rights. Her personal relationship with Vice President Spiro Agnew and her appointment in 1970 to the National Council on Indian Opportunity were pivotal in obtaining passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971. In 1972, she was appointed by President Richard Nixon to serve on a national policy advisory committee of Indigenous leaders, and in 1975 participated on the 15-member National Health Advisory Committee. She also was commissioner of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board from 1976 to 1978 and was a member of President Gerald Ford's United States Bicentennial Council.

At the state level, Bergt was instrumental in pressing for the creation of schools to teach children with disabilities and preserve Native Arts. She served on various housing and rural development initiatives and chaired the World Eskimo Indian Olympics Committee in 1966 and 1967. She was elected in 1973 to a term on the Borough Assembly of the Fairbanks City Council. The sophomore-junior girls' dormitory at her alma mater, Mt. Edgecumbe High School, is named in her honor and she was the inaugural recipient of the Frank Whaley Award, which recognizes outstanding service to the Eskimo Olympics. In 2015, she was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame.

Early life and education

Laura Mae Beltz, whose Iñupiat name was "Mumiak",[1] was born on October 1, 1940, in Candle, Alaska, to Iñupiat-German parents, Fredrica "Rica" (née Reich) and Bert Beltz.[2][3] Her maternal grandmother, Mamie was a First Nations Canadian, who married Louis Reich, a German whaler. They operated a trading post in Kotzebue.[3][4] Her paternal grandmother, Susie was a Native Alaskan, who married a Pennsylvania Dutch miner, John Skyles "Jack" Beltz.[3][5][6] Her father was a bush pilot and a brother of Alaska Territorial Senator William Beltz.[3][7] Beltz grew up in Nome and Kotzebue, where she attended elementary school.[2][3] She graduated from Mt. Edgecumbe Boarding School in Sitka.[2]

Career

Early career, promoting Alaska (1957–1969)

After graduation, Beltz worked as a secretary to the Kotzebue station manager of Alaska Airlines, Neil Bergt. He was born in Tacoma, Washington, but raised and schooled in Anchorage before becoming a pilot.[8] The couple married on November 5, 1958, in Kotzebue[9] and had their daughter Debra Lynne in October 1959.[10] They lived briefly in Point Barrow before relocating to Nome.[8][11] In August 1959, Bergt appeared on the cover of Holiday promoting a featured article in the magazine focusing on the recent Statehood of Alaska.[12] The exposure gave her international recognition and she was invited for several guest appearances on television, including on Lowell Thomas' High Adventure series, The Donald O'Connor Show, and The Ed Sullivan Show.[3][13] In October 1960, she gave birth to twins, Michael Alan and Karen Gail, in Fairbanks[14] and their youngest son, Bryan was born in 1965.[3] That year, Neil became a partner in Interior Airways, where Bergt worked part time as a stewardess.[8][15]

 
Bergt, modeling photograph 1969

In 1964, Bergt was elected as the national committeewoman from Alaska for the Young Republicans on which she served until 1966.[16][13] She also served as an officer on the newly founded Cook Inlet Native Association.[17] She worked as a secretary for the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce and, in 1967, was appointed by the chamber to serve as the chair of the coordinating committee for the World Eskimo Indian Olympics.[15][13] Bergt was a competitor in the games, having won the blanket toss nine times by 1969.[18] She was reappointed as chair in 1967 and simultaneously appointed by Governor Walter Hickel to serve on the Native Claims Task Force and the special task force on Indigenous housing issues.[2][15] In 1967, the family relocated from Fairbanks to Anchorage, when Neil took over the management of the office there for Interior Airways.[8]

From 1968, Bergt worked with the tourism board, the Alaska Business Council, and the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, among other organizations, to promote the state, traveling to Costa Mesa, Century City, and Los Angeles, California, for the annual Alaska Travel and Trade Fair.[18][3] At these events, she made public appearances at civic and fraternal gatherings, broadcast on television and radio, demonstrated Native sporting and skill events, and modeled traditional fashion and arts and crafts.[19] She promoted Alaskan foods and culture, but also talked about issues for Native Alaskans such as the high mortality rates; ecology and environmental protection; housing struggles including the lack of electricity, sanitation, and running water; and limited educational opportunities.[20] In 1969, the Bergts moved back to Fairbanks, when Neil was promoted to president of Interior Airways.[21] Bergt worked as the office manager for the Alaska Federation of Natives and secretary to Emil Notti, president of the federation. She also worked for the Tundra Times and served as a director on the newspaper.[2][22] In March 1970, she attended Expo '70 in Japan to promote Alaska.[20]

Native affairs, land claims (1968–1972)

 
Bergt with officials of the National Council on Indian Opportunity in the office of the Vice President of the United States, 1970

In 1968, Bergt served as a member of the State Tourism Advisory Board, was on the Alaska state Committee on Children and Youth, Health, and Welfare (state chapter for the White House Conference on Children and Youth), and was appointed to the Alaska State Housing Authority Board.[23][24][3] The board was responsible for managing the joint state-federal program to improve housing in rural villages.[23] The same year, she was part of the first delegation to appear before the United States House's Subcommittee on Indian Affairs regarding settlement between the Indian Claims Commission and Native demands.[25] The claims resulted from disputes over ownership and equitable settlement being paid by the state and federal governments for taking traditional Native land.[26] The settlement was critical, as the Natives were asking for monetary amounts to be used for capital development, the creation of villages of their own, and protection of their hunting and fishing rights on federal lands.[27] Since 1966, Stewart Udall, Secretary of the Interior, had halted any state land patents, impacting oil and gas leases proposed for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, until Native claims were settled.[28] For the state, this meant a substantial loss of revenues.[29] In her testimony, Bergt stressed that despite government programs, there were inadequate medical facilities and health services, difficulties of communication with remote villages, poor housing and sanitation, and extreme poverty among Indigenous people.[30] She also testified in 1969 before the subcommittee calling for the creation of tribal corporations which would allow Native people to control and manage their own development and resources.[31]

Bergt was invited to attend the inauguration of President Richard Nixon, who named her to join the National Council on Indian Opportunity (NCIO) in August 1970 for a two-year term.[2][32][33] The NCIO was chaired by Vice President Spiro Agnew, whom she had met in 1968 during his trip campaigning in Alaska.[32][34] That year, the Mt. Edgecumbe Boarding School named the sophomore-junior girls' dormitory in her honor.[3] On July 8, 1970, Nixon delivered a speech reversing the government policy of tribal termination in favor of allowing their self-determination.[35][36][37] Negotiations between the NCIO and the government produced seven bills by October to modify the federal and state roles with regard to Native people. One allowed Native authorities to sue the federal government if their interests in natural resources were damaged or jeopardized by governmental actions. Another permitted federal lending to tribal authorities, while one bill gave tribes the ability to manage federal programs and services, such as health, welfare and education projects for their communities. Two others allowed Indigenous people to transfer their civil service status if they changed from federal to tribal programs and to control livestock which trespassed on their lands.[37][38] The speech also resulted in planning a conference to discuss the bills by the National Congress of American Indians in March 1971 in Kansas City, Missouri.[36]

 
Bergt giving an Eskimo kiss to Vice President Spiro Agnew, 1971

During the Kansas City conference, Bergt taught Agnew how to Eskimo kiss. The kiss was widely publicized, and Tlingit leader, John Borbridge Jr watching her, said, "each one of those kisses was worth a million acres" for Native Alaskans.[2][39][40] Bergt also urged Agnew to meet with Native leaders and the officials of the Interior Department, which was agreed would be held on March 12.[34][41] Among those present were Agnew; Bergt; Raymond C. Christiansen, an Alaska State Senator; Al Ketzler, chair of the Tanana Chiefs Conference; Don Wright, president of the Alaska Federation of Natives; Fred Bracken, legal counsel for the Department of the Interior; Harrison Loesch, assistant Interior secretary; and Boyd Rasmussen, representing the Bureau of Land Management.[41] From the Native perspective, according to Bergt, the meeting marked a turning-point in negotiations, as thereafter government authorities allowed their counsel to participate in the drafting of bills and gained a clear understanding of their demands for land and compensation.[42] The American Indian Movement, pressure from oil companies, and on-going Native advocacy, resulted in the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971.[43] Bergt used her personal relationship with Agnew to continue pressing for focus on funding for educational training initiatives of Indigenous people during the post-settlement period.[44]

Later career (1972–1983)

After her two-year appointment to the NCIO expired, Nixon asked her to serve on a six-member national committee of Indigenous leaders, which included Frank Belvin (Choctaw) of Muskogee, Oklahoma;[45][46] Harold Shunck (Yankton-Sioux) of Rapid City, South Dakota;[45][47] Neal McCaleb (Chickasaw) of Edmond, Oklahoma; John C. Rainer (Taos Pueblo) of Albuquerque, New Mexico;[45][46] and John Seneca (Seneca) of Washington, D.C. The advisory board was to focus on prioritizing and advising Nixon of the needs of Native Americans.[45] Among Bergt's many local initiatives were advocacy for textile and animal husbandry training, housing proposals, and employment of Native Alaskans on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System.[48] She also worked on initiatives to promote care for children with disabilities, including provision of housing and rehabilitation services.[3] In 1972, she began pushing the legislature to fund schools for children with special physical and mental needs, as there were no such facilities in the state.[49] She advocated for establishing three regional schools to provide specialized education for children who had learning disabilities or were blind or deaf.[49] She was called to a hearing on the matter and Governor William Egan appointed her to serve on the Hard-of-Hearing Task Force.[50][51] He also selected her as a member of the Rural Affairs Commission.[51]

In March 1973, Bergt was nominated by Egan to fill the vacated seat of Don Young in the Alaska Senate.[2][51] Party members refused to endorse her candidacy, rejecting her because the appointment did not follow established protocols of coming from the prospective list supplied by the Fairbanks Republican District Committee.[2][52] After the initial rejection, Egan resubmitted her name to fill the seat and the Senate rejected the appointment a second time.[53] In May, Egan appointed Bergt to serve on the Reapportionment Board, which had been ordered by the Alaska Supreme Court to establish a permanent redistricting plan in accordance with the state constitution.[54] Bergt was elected to serve in October 1973 on the Fairbanks City Council's Borough Assembly representing the North Star Borough.[2][55] She did not seek re-election when her three-year term on the Borough Assembly expired.[56][57]

Bergt was selected in 1973, as part of the Board of Regents for the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.[2][58] In 1974, she began working for the federal Indian Arts and Crafts Board on a study to determine the feasibility of establishing an arts institute for Alaska Natives. Also on the committee were Mary Jane Fate and author Thomas Richards, Jr.[59] They traveled throughout the state to evaluate if cultural preservation should focus on traditional or contemporary arts, possible locations for a facility and student housing options, and whether curricula should include courses on marketing and technological training as well.[60] With the assistance of Howard Rock of the Tundra Times, the committee was able to secure federal funds to establish the Institute of Alaska Native Arts.[61]

In 1975, Bergt was appointed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Caspar Weinberger to serve on the 15-member National Health Advisory Committee.[62] That year, she was also named by President Gerald Ford to serve on the United States Bicentennial Council to plan the 1976 celebrations in honor of the 200th anniversary of the American Revolution.[2][62] She was selected in May 1976, for a two-year term as the commissioner of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board of the Department of the Interior.[2][63] In December, she was appointed to the Executive Committee of Organization for the Management of Alaska's Resources.[64]

In her later life, Bergt continued to work with the State Tourism Advisory Board, served on the boards of many organizations, and made numerous public appearances.[2][65] She appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson three times,[2] and on one memorable 1973 episode she presented Carson with an oosik, the reproductive organ of a male walrus, causing stunned silence from Carson and much amusement for the audience.[48] She also took New York Senator James L. Buckley on a whaling expedition to Point Hope and made numerous appearances with activist Mary Jane Fate.[2][66] The Bergts divorced in 1977, and the following year on September 23, she married a Hawaiian attorney, William Crockett.[67][68] Their marriage lasted two years and marked a point after which she usually lived in Hawaii during the winter and in Alaska during the summer.[67]

Death and legacy

Laura Bergt Crockett died on March 14, 1984, in Honolulu from kidney failure.[67][69] Her remains were cremated, and a service was held on March 25 at the Holy Family Cathedral in Anchorage.[69] She is widely remembered for facilitating the discussions which resulted in the drafting and settlement of the Alaskan land claims.[69][70] Richards wrote in 1973, that the Alaska Federation of Natives and its representatives struggled to gain consideration of their land claims for years. He credited the appointment of Bergt to the National Council on Indian Opportunity as the catalyst for overcoming differences between Native leaders and convincing the Nixon administration to support their claims in 1971.[71] In 1984, she was posthumously bestowed the inaugural Frank Whaley Award of the World Eskimo Indian Olympics, which honors outstanding contributions to the organization.[72] In 2015, she was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame in recognition of her contributions to the state.[73]

References

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Laura Bergt.

Citations

  1. ^ Tundra Times 1969b, p. 3.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Richards 1984.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1970a, p. 5.
  4. ^ Death Record 1941, p. 186.
  5. ^ US Census 1930, p. 1B.
  6. ^ Marriage Certificate 1909, p. 56.
  7. ^ Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1961, p. 7.
  8. ^ a b c d Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1967b, p. 9.
  9. ^ The Nome Nugget 1958, p. 6.
  10. ^ Gregory 1959, pp. 1, 7.
  11. ^ Gregory 1959, p. 1.
  12. ^ The Nome Nugget 1959, p. 6.
  13. ^ a b c Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1966, p. 7.
  14. ^ The Nome Nugget 1960, p. 2.
  15. ^ a b c Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1967a, p. 5.
  16. ^ Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1964, p. 3.
  17. ^ Arnold 1978, pp. 109–110.
  18. ^ a b Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1969b, p. 5.
  19. ^ Tundra Times 1969a, pp. 1, 6.
  20. ^ a b Savoy 1970, p. 4, Section IV.
  21. ^ Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1969a, p. 5.
  22. ^ Tundra Times 1969a, p. 6.
  23. ^ a b Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1969c, p. 8.
  24. ^ US House Subcommittee 1968, p. 198.
  25. ^ Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1968, p. 20.
  26. ^ Berry 1975, p. 38.
  27. ^ Anchorage Times 1968, pp. 1–2.
  28. ^ Berry 1975, p. 49.
  29. ^ Anchorage Times 1968, p. 2.
  30. ^ US House Subcommittee 1968, pp. 198–199.
  31. ^ McClanahan 2006, p. 37.
  32. ^ a b Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1970b, p. 3.
  33. ^ National Journal 1970, p. 2004.
  34. ^ a b Berry 1975, p. 154.
  35. ^ Peroff 2006, p. 7.
  36. ^ a b Berry 1975, p. 153.
  37. ^ a b Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1970c, p. 1.
  38. ^ Tundra Times 1970, pp. 1, 6.
  39. ^ Berry 1975, pp. 8, 154.
  40. ^ Hanrahan & Gruenstein 1977, p. 93.
  41. ^ a b Tundra Times 1971, p. 1.
  42. ^ Tundra Times 1971, p. 6.
  43. ^ Arnold 1978, pp. 139–140.
  44. ^ Tundra Times 1972b, p. 1.
  45. ^ a b c d The Oklahoman 1972, p. 39.
  46. ^ a b Albuquerque Journal 1972, p. G1.
  47. ^ Taylor 1972, p. 157.
  48. ^ a b Lund 1986, p. 66.
  49. ^ a b Bowkett 1972, p. 1.
  50. ^ Tundra Times 1972a, p. 1.
  51. ^ a b c Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1973a, p. 1.
  52. ^ Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1973b, p. 1.
  53. ^ Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1973c, p. 2.
  54. ^ Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1973d, p. 1.
  55. ^ Pratt 1973, p. 1.
  56. ^ Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1974, p. 3.
  57. ^ Fairbanks Pioneer 1974, p. 2.
  58. ^ Tundra Times 1973, p. 1.
  59. ^ Tundra Times 1974, p. 1.
  60. ^ Tundra Times 1974, p. 4.
  61. ^ Morgan 1988, p. 223.
  62. ^ a b Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1975, p. 16.
  63. ^ Tundra Times 1976, p. 1.
  64. ^ Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1976, p. 18.
  65. ^ Tundra Times 1976, pp. 1, 6.
  66. ^ The Fort Lauderdale News 1974, p. 10C.
  67. ^ a b c Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 1984, p. 3.
  68. ^ Marriage Record 1978.
  69. ^ a b c Anchorage Times 1984, p. 15.
  70. ^ Blewett 1981, p. 4.
  71. ^ Richards 1973, p. 9.
  72. ^ Lund 1986, p. 68.
  73. ^ Restino 2015.

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  • "Senate Deadlocked over Laura Bergt". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Fairbanks, Alaska. Associated Press. March 24, 1973. p. 2. Retrieved October 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "State Indians to Aid Nixon". The Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. July 13, 1972. p. 39. Retrieved October 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Talented Laura Bergt—". Tundra Times. Fairbanks, Alaska. October 17, 1973. pp. 1, 6. Retrieved October 7, 2022 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  • "Twins Born to Neil Bergts". The Nome Nugget. Nome, Alaska. November 28, 1960. p. 2. Retrieved October 3, 2022 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  • "Vice President Agnew Briefs Laura". Tundra Times. Fairbanks, Alaska. July 26, 1972. pp. 1, 5. Retrieved October 7, 2022 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  • "Villages Selected for ASHA Housing". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Fairbanks, Alaska. December 2, 1969. p. 8. Retrieved October 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Women Are Named to Housing Board". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Fairbanks, Alaska. May 26, 1967. p. 5. Retrieved October 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

  • Bergt on Johnny Carson August 1, 1973 (She is introduced at 13:20)

February 22, 2023
laura, bergt, laura, bergt, née, beltz, october, 1940, march, 1984, iñupiaq, athlete, model, politician, activist, iñupiat, other, indigenous, alaskans, born, northwest, arctic, borough, alaska, racial, parents, grew, nome, kotzebue, before, attending, high, s. Laura Mae Bergt nee Beltz October 1 1940 March 14 1984 was an Inupiaq athlete model politician and activist for the Inupiat and other Indigenous Alaskans Born in the Northwest Arctic Borough of Alaska to bi racial parents she grew up in Nome and Kotzebue before attending high school in Sitka Involved in the Native Olympic movement she was both a nine times winner of the Arctic Circle blanket toss event and served as chair of the World Eskimo Indian Olympics in 1966 She worked as a promoter for the new state of Alaska attending trade shows and making marketing appearances as a spokeswoman and guest on radio and television programs From the 1960s she worked in various policy positions at the tribal local state and national level to address issues like disability education employment opportunities housing and poverty and promoting the rights of Indigenous people Laura BergtBergt in 1969BornLaura Mae Beltz 1940 10 01 October 1 1940Candle Territory of Alaska U S DiedMarch 14 1984 1984 03 14 aged 43 Honolulu Hawaii U S Other namesLaura Beltz BergtLaura Mae BergtLaura Bergt CrockettOccupationsSpokeswomanpolitical and Native rights activistYears active1960 1977In 1968 Bergt testified before the United States House of Representatives on the importance of settling Native claims to provide adequate funding for development of programs to address tribal issues and protect Indigenous hunting and fishing rights Her personal relationship with Vice President Spiro Agnew and her appointment in 1970 to the National Council on Indian Opportunity were pivotal in obtaining passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971 In 1972 she was appointed by President Richard Nixon to serve on a national policy advisory committee of Indigenous leaders and in 1975 participated on the 15 member National Health Advisory Committee She also was commissioner of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board from 1976 to 1978 and was a member of President Gerald Ford s United States Bicentennial Council At the state level Bergt was instrumental in pressing for the creation of schools to teach children with disabilities and preserve Native Arts She served on various housing and rural development initiatives and chaired the World Eskimo Indian Olympics Committee in 1966 and 1967 She was elected in 1973 to a term on the Borough Assembly of the Fairbanks City Council The sophomore junior girls dormitory at her alma mater Mt Edgecumbe High School is named in her honor and she was the inaugural recipient of the Frank Whaley Award which recognizes outstanding service to the Eskimo Olympics In 2015 she was inducted into the Alaska Women s Hall of Fame Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 2 1 Early career promoting Alaska 1957 1969 2 2 Native affairs land claims 1968 1972 2 3 Later career 1972 1983 3 Death and legacy 4 References 4 1 Citations 4 2 Bibliography 5 External linksEarly life and education EditLaura Mae Beltz whose Inupiat name was Mumiak 1 was born on October 1 1940 in Candle Alaska to Inupiat German parents Fredrica Rica nee Reich and Bert Beltz 2 3 Her maternal grandmother Mamie was a First Nations Canadian who married Louis Reich a German whaler They operated a trading post in Kotzebue 3 4 Her paternal grandmother Susie was a Native Alaskan who married a Pennsylvania Dutch miner John Skyles Jack Beltz 3 5 6 Her father was a bush pilot and a brother of Alaska Territorial Senator William Beltz 3 7 Beltz grew up in Nome and Kotzebue where she attended elementary school 2 3 She graduated from Mt Edgecumbe Boarding School in Sitka 2 Career EditEarly career promoting Alaska 1957 1969 Edit After graduation Beltz worked as a secretary to the Kotzebue station manager of Alaska Airlines Neil Bergt He was born in Tacoma Washington but raised and schooled in Anchorage before becoming a pilot 8 The couple married on November 5 1958 in Kotzebue 9 and had their daughter Debra Lynne in October 1959 10 They lived briefly in Point Barrow before relocating to Nome 8 11 In August 1959 Bergt appeared on the cover of Holiday promoting a featured article in the magazine focusing on the recent Statehood of Alaska 12 The exposure gave her international recognition and she was invited for several guest appearances on television including on Lowell Thomas High Adventure series The Donald O Connor Show and The Ed Sullivan Show 3 13 In October 1960 she gave birth to twins Michael Alan and Karen Gail in Fairbanks 14 and their youngest son Bryan was born in 1965 3 That year Neil became a partner in Interior Airways where Bergt worked part time as a stewardess 8 15 Bergt modeling photograph 1969 In 1964 Bergt was elected as the national committeewoman from Alaska for the Young Republicans on which she served until 1966 16 13 She also served as an officer on the newly founded Cook Inlet Native Association 17 She worked as a secretary for the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce and in 1967 was appointed by the chamber to serve as the chair of the coordinating committee for the World Eskimo Indian Olympics 15 13 Bergt was a competitor in the games having won the blanket toss nine times by 1969 18 She was reappointed as chair in 1967 and simultaneously appointed by Governor Walter Hickel to serve on the Native Claims Task Force and the special task force on Indigenous housing issues 2 15 In 1967 the family relocated from Fairbanks to Anchorage when Neil took over the management of the office there for Interior Airways 8 From 1968 Bergt worked with the tourism board the Alaska Business Council and the Alaska Oil and Gas Association among other organizations to promote the state traveling to Costa Mesa Century City and Los Angeles California for the annual Alaska Travel and Trade Fair 18 3 At these events she made public appearances at civic and fraternal gatherings broadcast on television and radio demonstrated Native sporting and skill events and modeled traditional fashion and arts and crafts 19 She promoted Alaskan foods and culture but also talked about issues for Native Alaskans such as the high mortality rates ecology and environmental protection housing struggles including the lack of electricity sanitation and running water and limited educational opportunities 20 In 1969 the Bergts moved back to Fairbanks when Neil was promoted to president of Interior Airways 21 Bergt worked as the office manager for the Alaska Federation of Natives and secretary to Emil Notti president of the federation She also worked for the Tundra Times and served as a director on the newspaper 2 22 In March 1970 she attended Expo 70 in Japan to promote Alaska 20 Native affairs land claims 1968 1972 Edit Bergt with officials of the National Council on Indian Opportunity in the office of the Vice President of the United States 1970 In 1968 Bergt served as a member of the State Tourism Advisory Board was on the Alaska state Committee on Children and Youth Health and Welfare state chapter for the White House Conference on Children and Youth and was appointed to the Alaska State Housing Authority Board 23 24 3 The board was responsible for managing the joint state federal program to improve housing in rural villages 23 The same year she was part of the first delegation to appear before the United States House s Subcommittee on Indian Affairs regarding settlement between the Indian Claims Commission and Native demands 25 The claims resulted from disputes over ownership and equitable settlement being paid by the state and federal governments for taking traditional Native land 26 The settlement was critical as the Natives were asking for monetary amounts to be used for capital development the creation of villages of their own and protection of their hunting and fishing rights on federal lands 27 Since 1966 Stewart Udall Secretary of the Interior had halted any state land patents impacting oil and gas leases proposed for the Trans Alaska Pipeline System until Native claims were settled 28 For the state this meant a substantial loss of revenues 29 In her testimony Bergt stressed that despite government programs there were inadequate medical facilities and health services difficulties of communication with remote villages poor housing and sanitation and extreme poverty among Indigenous people 30 She also testified in 1969 before the subcommittee calling for the creation of tribal corporations which would allow Native people to control and manage their own development and resources 31 Bergt was invited to attend the inauguration of President Richard Nixon who named her to join the National Council on Indian Opportunity NCIO in August 1970 for a two year term 2 32 33 The NCIO was chaired by Vice President Spiro Agnew whom she had met in 1968 during his trip campaigning in Alaska 32 34 That year the Mt Edgecumbe Boarding School named the sophomore junior girls dormitory in her honor 3 On July 8 1970 Nixon delivered a speech reversing the government policy of tribal termination in favor of allowing their self determination 35 36 37 Negotiations between the NCIO and the government produced seven bills by October to modify the federal and state roles with regard to Native people One allowed Native authorities to sue the federal government if their interests in natural resources were damaged or jeopardized by governmental actions Another permitted federal lending to tribal authorities while one bill gave tribes the ability to manage federal programs and services such as health welfare and education projects for their communities Two others allowed Indigenous people to transfer their civil service status if they changed from federal to tribal programs and to control livestock which trespassed on their lands 37 38 The speech also resulted in planning a conference to discuss the bills by the National Congress of American Indians in March 1971 in Kansas City Missouri 36 Bergt giving an Eskimo kiss to Vice President Spiro Agnew 1971 During the Kansas City conference Bergt taught Agnew how to Eskimo kiss The kiss was widely publicized and Tlingit leader John Borbridge Jr watching her said each one of those kisses was worth a million acres for Native Alaskans 2 39 40 Bergt also urged Agnew to meet with Native leaders and the officials of the Interior Department which was agreed would be held on March 12 34 41 Among those present were Agnew Bergt Raymond C Christiansen an Alaska State Senator Al Ketzler chair of the Tanana Chiefs Conference Don Wright president of the Alaska Federation of Natives Fred Bracken legal counsel for the Department of the Interior Harrison Loesch assistant Interior secretary and Boyd Rasmussen representing the Bureau of Land Management 41 From the Native perspective according to Bergt the meeting marked a turning point in negotiations as thereafter government authorities allowed their counsel to participate in the drafting of bills and gained a clear understanding of their demands for land and compensation 42 The American Indian Movement pressure from oil companies and on going Native advocacy resulted in the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971 43 Bergt used her personal relationship with Agnew to continue pressing for focus on funding for educational training initiatives of Indigenous people during the post settlement period 44 Later career 1972 1983 Edit After her two year appointment to the NCIO expired Nixon asked her to serve on a six member national committee of Indigenous leaders which included Frank Belvin Choctaw of Muskogee Oklahoma 45 46 Harold Shunck Yankton Sioux of Rapid City South Dakota 45 47 Neal McCaleb Chickasaw of Edmond Oklahoma John C Rainer Taos Pueblo of Albuquerque New Mexico 45 46 and John Seneca Seneca of Washington D C The advisory board was to focus on prioritizing and advising Nixon of the needs of Native Americans 45 Among Bergt s many local initiatives were advocacy for textile and animal husbandry training housing proposals and employment of Native Alaskans on the Trans Alaska Pipeline System 48 She also worked on initiatives to promote care for children with disabilities including provision of housing and rehabilitation services 3 In 1972 she began pushing the legislature to fund schools for children with special physical and mental needs as there were no such facilities in the state 49 She advocated for establishing three regional schools to provide specialized education for children who had learning disabilities or were blind or deaf 49 She was called to a hearing on the matter and Governor William Egan appointed her to serve on the Hard of Hearing Task Force 50 51 He also selected her as a member of the Rural Affairs Commission 51 In March 1973 Bergt was nominated by Egan to fill the vacated seat of Don Young in the Alaska Senate 2 51 Party members refused to endorse her candidacy rejecting her because the appointment did not follow established protocols of coming from the prospective list supplied by the Fairbanks Republican District Committee 2 52 After the initial rejection Egan resubmitted her name to fill the seat and the Senate rejected the appointment a second time 53 In May Egan appointed Bergt to serve on the Reapportionment Board which had been ordered by the Alaska Supreme Court to establish a permanent redistricting plan in accordance with the state constitution 54 Bergt was elected to serve in October 1973 on the Fairbanks City Council s Borough Assembly representing the North Star Borough 2 55 She did not seek re election when her three year term on the Borough Assembly expired 56 57 Bergt was selected in 1973 as part of the Board of Regents for the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe New Mexico 2 58 In 1974 she began working for the federal Indian Arts and Crafts Board on a study to determine the feasibility of establishing an arts institute for Alaska Natives Also on the committee were Mary Jane Fate and author Thomas Richards Jr 59 They traveled throughout the state to evaluate if cultural preservation should focus on traditional or contemporary arts possible locations for a facility and student housing options and whether curricula should include courses on marketing and technological training as well 60 With the assistance of Howard Rock of the Tundra Times the committee was able to secure federal funds to establish the Institute of Alaska Native Arts 61 In 1975 Bergt was appointed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Caspar Weinberger to serve on the 15 member National Health Advisory Committee 62 That year she was also named by President Gerald Ford to serve on the United States Bicentennial Council to plan the 1976 celebrations in honor of the 200th anniversary of the American Revolution 2 62 She was selected in May 1976 for a two year term as the commissioner of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board of the Department of the Interior 2 63 In December she was appointed to the Executive Committee of Organization for the Management of Alaska s Resources 64 In her later life Bergt continued to work with the State Tourism Advisory Board served on the boards of many organizations and made numerous public appearances 2 65 She appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson three times 2 and on one memorable 1973 episode she presented Carson with an oosik the reproductive organ of a male walrus causing stunned silence from Carson and much amusement for the audience 48 She also took New York Senator James L Buckley on a whaling expedition to Point Hope and made numerous appearances with activist Mary Jane Fate 2 66 The Bergts divorced in 1977 and the following year on September 23 she married a Hawaiian attorney William Crockett 67 68 Their marriage lasted two years and marked a point after which she usually lived in Hawaii during the winter and in Alaska during the summer 67 Death and legacy EditLaura Bergt Crockett died on March 14 1984 in Honolulu from kidney failure 67 69 Her remains were cremated and a service was held on March 25 at the Holy Family Cathedral in Anchorage 69 She is widely remembered for facilitating the discussions which resulted in the drafting and settlement of the Alaskan land claims 69 70 Richards wrote in 1973 that the Alaska Federation of Natives and its representatives struggled to gain consideration of their land claims for years He credited the appointment of Bergt to the National Council on Indian Opportunity as the catalyst for overcoming differences between Native leaders and convincing the Nixon administration to support their claims in 1971 71 In 1984 she was posthumously bestowed the inaugural Frank Whaley Award of the World Eskimo Indian Olympics which honors outstanding contributions to the organization 72 In 2015 she was inducted into the Alaska Women s Hall of Fame in recognition of her contributions to the state 73 References Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Laura Bergt Citations Edit Tundra Times 1969b p 3 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Richards 1984 a b c d e f g h i j k Fairbanks Daily News Miner 1970a p 5 Death Record 1941 p 186 US Census 1930 p 1B Marriage Certificate 1909 p 56 Fairbanks Daily News Miner 1961 p 7 a b c d Fairbanks Daily News Miner 1967b p 9 The Nome Nugget 1958 p 6 Gregory 1959 pp 1 7 Gregory 1959 p 1 The Nome Nugget 1959 p 6 a b c Fairbanks Daily News Miner 1966 p 7 The Nome Nugget 1960 p 2 a b c Fairbanks Daily News Miner 1967a p 5 Fairbanks Daily News Miner 1964 p 3 Arnold 1978 pp 109 110 a b Fairbanks Daily News Miner 1969b p 5 Tundra Times 1969a pp 1 6 a b Savoy 1970 p 4 Section IV Fairbanks Daily News Miner 1969a p 5 Tundra Times 1969a p 6 a b Fairbanks Daily News Miner 1969c p 8 US House Subcommittee 1968 p 198 Fairbanks Daily News Miner 1968 p 20 Berry 1975 p 38 Anchorage Times 1968 pp 1 2 Berry 1975 p 49 Anchorage Times 1968 p 2 US House Subcommittee 1968 pp 198 199 McClanahan 2006 p 37 a b Fairbanks Daily News Miner 1970b p 3 National Journal 1970 p 2004 a b Berry 1975 p 154 Peroff 2006 p 7 a b Berry 1975 p 153 a b Fairbanks Daily News Miner 1970c p 1 Tundra Times 1970 pp 1 6 Berry 1975 pp 8 154 Hanrahan amp Gruenstein 1977 p 93 a b Tundra Times 1971 p 1 Tundra Times 1971 p 6 Arnold 1978 pp 139 140 Tundra Times 1972b p 1 a b c d The Oklahoman 1972 p 39 a b Albuquerque Journal 1972 p G1 Taylor 1972 p 157 a b Lund 1986 p 66 a b Bowkett 1972 p 1 Tundra Times 1972a p 1 a b c Fairbanks Daily News Miner 1973a p 1 Fairbanks Daily News Miner 1973b p 1 Fairbanks Daily News Miner 1973c p 2 Fairbanks Daily News Miner 1973d p 1 Pratt 1973 p 1 Fairbanks Daily News Miner 1974 p 3 Fairbanks Pioneer 1974 p 2 Tundra Times 1973 p 1 Tundra Times 1974 p 1 Tundra Times 1974 p 4 Morgan 1988 p 223 a b Fairbanks Daily News Miner 1975 p 16 Tundra Times 1976 p 1 Fairbanks Daily News Miner 1976 p 18 Tundra Times 1976 pp 1 6 The Fort Lauderdale News 1974 p 10C a b c Fairbanks Daily News Miner 1984 p 3 Marriage Record 1978 a b c Anchorage Times 1984 p 15 Blewett 1981 p 4 Richards 1973 p 9 Lund 1986 p 68 Restino 2015 Bibliography Edit Arnold Robert D 1978 Alaska Native Land Claims Anchorage Alaska Alaska Native Foundation OCLC 2155308 Berry Mary Clay 1975 The Alaska Pipeline The Politics of Oil and Native Land Claims Bloomington Indiana Indiana University Press ISBN 978 0 253 10064 1 Blewett Maureen December 17 1981 Native Women Get Little Recognition Anchorage Times Anchorage Alaska p 4 via NewsBank subscription required Bowkett Norma February 9 1972 Need Facilities for Deaf Blind Tundra Times Fairbanks Alaska pp 1 6 Retrieved October 6 2022 via Newspaperarchive com Gregory Albro October 3 1959 Mercy Plane Saves Baby Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska p 1 7 Retrieved October 2 2022 via Newspapers com Hanrahan John Gruenstein Peter 1977 Lost Frontier The Marketing of Alaska First ed New York New York W W Norton amp Company ISBN 978 0 393 08804 5 Lund Annabel 1986 Heartbeat World Eskimo Indian Olympics 1st ed Juneau Alaska Fairweather Press ISBN 978 0 9608226 2 1 McClanahan Alexandra J 2006 Alaska Native Corporations Sakuuktugut We are working incredibly hard The Land The Money The History of the Alaska Claims Settlement Act of 1971 and How Alaskan Native People Are Writing an Epic Story in Cultural and Economic Development Anchorage Alaska CIRI Foundation ISBN 978 0 938227 07 6 Morgan Lael 1988 Art and Eskimo Power The Life and Times of Alaskan Howard Rock 1st ed Fairbanks Alaska Epicenter Press ISBN 978 0 945397 02 1 Peroff Nicholas C 2006 Menominee Drums Tribal Termination and Restoration 1954 1974 Pbk ed Norman Oklahoma University of Oklahoma Press ISBN 978 0 8061 3777 3 Pratt Fred October 3 1973 Elections See Upset Runoff Two Tight Races Fairbanks Daily News Miner p 1 Retrieved October 5 2022 via Newspapers com Restino Carey February 27 2015 Alaska Women s Hall of Fame Honors Alaska Native Leader The Arctic Sounder Anchorage Alaska Archived from the original on October 2 2022 Retrieved October 6 2022 Richards Thomas Jr January 10 1973 Outline of Claims History Tundra Times Fairbanks Alaska p 93 Retrieved October 6 2022 via Newspaperarchive com Richards Tom March 1984 Laura Beltz Crockett Dies in Hawaii PDF Tundra Times Fairbanks Alaska Archived PDF from the original on July 5 2016 Retrieved October 2 2022 Savoy Maggie March 17 1970 Visitor from the Arctic Thaws Out Alaska s Image The Los Angeles Times Los Angeles California p 4 Section IV Retrieved October 4 2022 via Newspapers com Taylor Theodore W 1972 The States and Their Indian Citizens PDF Report Washington D C Brookings Institution ED 087 583 Archived PDF from the original on March 20 2022 Retrieved October 6 2022 United States House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs Subcommittee on Indian Affairs 1968 Alaska Native Land Claims Hearing Ninetieth Congress Second Session on H R 11213 15049 and 17129 Held July 11 1968 Report Washington D C U S Government Printing Office OCLC 1017241913 Serial 90 29 Report 98 181O 1930 US Census Haycock Village Koyuk Alaska FamilySearch Washington D C National Archives and Records Administration December 12 1929 p 1B NARA microfilm publication T626 lines 26 32 Retrieved October 2 2022 subscription required Beautiful Native Flies through the Air Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska April 10 1970 p 5 Retrieved October 2 2022 via Newspapers com Bicentennial Brings Bergt Appointment Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska March 8 1975 p 16 Retrieved October 8 2022 via Newspapers com Buckley Lauds Whaling Drama The Fort Lauderdale News Fort Lauderdale Florida New York Times News Service June 6 1974 p 10C Retrieved October 8 2022 via Newspapers com Certificate of Marriage Susie Native woman Jak Beltz FamilySearch Juneau Alaska Alaska State Archives May 2 1909 p 58 Fairhaven Precinct volume 55 1902 1959 Retrieved October 2 2022 subscription required Drama Tinges Meeting on Claims between Agnew Native Leaders Tundra Times Fairbanks Alaska March 17 1971 pp 1 6 Retrieved October 5 2022 via Newspaperarchive com Egan Picks Laura Bergt for Senate Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska March 21 1973 p 1 Retrieved October 6 2022 via Newspapers com Eskimo Activist Dies in Hawaii Anchorage Times Anchorage Alaska March 17 1984 p 15 via NewsBank subscription required Feasibility Probe Study Commences on Native Arts Institute Tundra Times Fairbanks Alaska October 16 1974 pp 1 4 Retrieved October 7 2022 via Newspaperarchive com Former Demo Now Alaska YR President Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska April 20 1964 p 3 Retrieved October 3 2022 via Newspapers com GOP Senators Reject Appointment of Bergt Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska Associated Press March 22 1973 p 1 Retrieved October 6 2022 via Newspapers com Hickel Airs Native Claims Plan He Suggests U S Give Up Its Own Land Anchorage Times Anchorage Alaska July 11 1968 pp 1 2 via NewsBank subscription required John Rainer Albuquerque Journal Albuquerque New Mexico July 30 1972 p G1 Retrieved October 6 2022 via Newspapers com Laura Beltz and Neil Bergt Are Married in Kotzebue on Wednesday The Nome Nugget Nome Alaska November 7 1958 p 9 Retrieved October 2 2022 via Newspaperarchive com Laura Bergt Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska January 7 1969 p 5 Retrieved October 4 2022 via Newspapers com Laura Bergt Appointed Commissioner Tundra Times Fairbanks Alaska May 26 1976 pp 1 6 Retrieved October 8 2022 via Newspaperarchive com Laura Bergt Appointed to OMAR s Executive Group Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska December 1 1976 p 18 Retrieved October 8 2022 via Newspapers com Laura Bergt Called to Hearing Tundra Times Fairbanks Alaska February 16 1972 p 1 Retrieved October 6 2022 via Newspaperarchive com Laura Bergt Crockett Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska March 15 1984 p 3 Retrieved October 6 2022 via Newspaperarchive com Laura Bergt Four Others Named to Reapportion Board Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska Associated Press May 10 1973 p 1 Retrieved October 6 2022 via Newspapers com Laura Bergt on Council Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska August 25 1970 p 3 Retrieved October 3 2022 via Newspaperarchive com Laura Bergt to Chair NCIO Meeting in Fairbanks Tundra Times Fairbanks Alaska September 23 1970 pp 1 6 Retrieved October 5 2022 via Newspaperarchive com Laura Mae Beltz Is Cover Girl for the August Issue of Holiday The Nome Nugget Nome Alaska July 17 1959 p 6 Retrieved October 3 2022 via Newspaperarchive com Laura May Bergt to Coordinate 1966 Eskimo Olympics during Golden Days Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska March 5 1966 p 7 Retrieved October 3 2022 via Newspapers com Little Filing Action for Local Elections Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska September 5 1974 p 3 Retrieved October 6 2022 via Newspaperarchive com Marriage Records William F Crockett Laura Bergt FamilySearch Honolulu Hawaii Hawaii Board of Health September 23 1978 certificate 7798 Retrieved October 6 2022 subscription required Mrs Beltz Succumbs Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska March 16 1961 p 7 Retrieved October 2 2022 via Newspapers com National Council on Indian Opportunity National Journal Washington D C Atlantic Media Inc 2 37 2004 September 12 1970 ISSN 0360 4217 Retrieved October 5 2022 Native Land Claims Hearing Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska July 17 1968 p 20 Retrieved October 4 2022 via Newspaperarchive com Natives Approve Federal Plan to Alter Role of Government Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska October 3 1970 p 1 Retrieved October 5 2022 via Newspaperarchive com Neil and Laura Bergt Leave Who ll Run Eskimo Games Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska September 29 1967 p 9 Retrieved October 2 2022 via Newspapers com Off to Century City Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska March 4 1969 p 5 Retrieved October 3 2022 via Newspapers com Pert Laura Bergt Captivates Los Angeles Folks During Fair Tundra Times Fairbanks Alaska April 4 1969 p 3 Retrieved October 4 2022 via Newspaperarchive com Pert Laura Bergt to Promote Alaska at Los Angeles Fair Tundra Times Fairbanks Alaska January 3 1969 pp 1 6 Retrieved October 4 2022 via Newspaperarchive com Political Scene Fairbanks Pioneer Fairbanks Alaska September 13 1974 p 2 Retrieved October 6 2022 via Newspaperarchive com Record of Deaths Louis Reich FamilySearch Juneau Alaska Alaska State Archives August 27 1941 p 186 Noatak Kobuk Precinct Death certificates volume 4 1937 1943 Retrieved October 2 2022 subscription required Senate Deadlocked over Laura Bergt Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska Associated Press March 24 1973 p 2 Retrieved October 6 2022 via Newspapers com State Indians to Aid Nixon The Oklahoman Oklahoma City Oklahoma July 13 1972 p 39 Retrieved October 6 2022 via Newspapers com Talented Laura Bergt Tundra Times Fairbanks Alaska October 17 1973 pp 1 6 Retrieved October 7 2022 via Newspaperarchive com Twins Born to Neil Bergts The Nome Nugget Nome Alaska November 28 1960 p 2 Retrieved October 3 2022 via Newspaperarchive com Vice President Agnew Briefs Laura Tundra Times Fairbanks Alaska July 26 1972 pp 1 5 Retrieved October 7 2022 via Newspaperarchive com Villages Selected for ASHA Housing Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska December 2 1969 p 8 Retrieved October 4 2022 via Newspapers com Women Are Named to Housing Board Fairbanks Daily News Miner Fairbanks Alaska May 26 1967 p 5 Retrieved October 3 2022 via Newspapers com External links EditBergt on Johnny Carson August 1 1973 She is introduced at 13 20 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Laura Bergt amp oldid 1135960973, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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