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Thu, April 14, 2016

Fairbanks History Lecture: April 20, 2016


 The Tanana Yukon Historical Society
presents
The 7th program of the 2015-2016 Season

Wednesday, 20 April 2016
7 p.m.
Pioneer Hall at Pioneer Park, Fairbanks

“Armed and Alert: Living and Working at Nike Missile Sites in Alaska”
Presenter: Karen Brewster

Site Summit Above Anchorage. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Laura Turner)

Site Summit above Anchorage. U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Laura Turner)

Alaska’s location made it a key strategic player during the Cold War. Missile sites and radar stations were established around the state to help protect American citizens. For security reasons, much of what happened at these locations was shrouded in secrecy.

The personal stories from men who worked at Nike Missile Sites around the state tell us about Alaska’s role in the Cold War and impacts on Alaska and Alaskans, but also offer understanding of what life was like at remote missile sites, the pressures that young soldiers were under, and the impact of the 1964 Earthquake on nuclear missiles in Alaska.

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Karen Brewster is a Research Associate with the Oral History Program/Project Jukebox at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She has conducted oral history interviews around Alaska for twenty-five years on a variety of historical and cultural topics. She serves on the Alaska Historical Society Board and is the author of two life history books about pioneering Alaskans.

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Prior to this evening’s lecture, we will hold a VERY BRIEF Annual Meeting of the Society, at which we tell you about our accomplishments in 2015 and our plans for the future.  We hope you will attend and offer your comments and suggestions. All TYHS events are free and open to the public.

For more information about this and other lectures sponsored by the Tanana Yukon Historical Society, please call 488-3383, or e-mail tyhs@alaska.net

Check out our website http://fairbanks-tyhs.org/ or “friend” us on Facebook: Tanana-Yukon Historical Society