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John Stuart Watkins ’65 has published a new book of poetry, “Living With a Shadow.” It touches on war, peace, cowboys and cowgirls, and haiku and cinquain poems. He is a retired teacher who enjoys writing poems, short stories and children’s books.

Stuart was an active rifle shooter and won gold in the 1971 Pan American Games held in Cali, Columbia. As a 51�������� student, he made All-American four years in a row and was the collegiate national champion in 1963 in both the small- and large-bore categories.

Stanley Senner ’77 received the 2023 Ralph W. Schreiber Conservation Award from the American Ornithological Society. The award honors extraordinary contributions to bird conservation by an individual or small team.

Stan graduated from 51�������� with a master’s degree in biology in 1977.

For the past 45 years, Stan has led initiatives to protect migratory bird populations. Most recently, as the National Audubon Society’s vice president for bird conservation, he worked with hundreds of conservationists, wildlife and land managers, and policy experts to achieve notable conservation successes for migratory birds in several global flyways.

Stan’s career led him around the country as a leader for many other prominent conservation and governmental organizations. He was director of conservation sciences for the Ocean Conservancy, vice president and executive director of Audubon Alaska, science coordinator for the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, restoration program manager for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, executive director of the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association, professional staff member for the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Alaska representative for The Wilderness Society.

During the past decade, while still working at the National Audubon Society and after retiring from in June 2021, Stan worked tirelessly to develop and advance the Pacific Shorebird Conservation Initiative and to bring attention to the importance and critical status of the birds and saline wetlands of the Great Basin. These efforts resulted in the first major conservation funding efforts for these habitats, which should fortify migratory connectivity across the Pacific Flyway.

John David Rausch ’89 received the 2023 Professional Service Excellence Award at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas. Dave, the Teel Bivins Professor of Political Science in the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences, has been a faculty member at WTAMU since 1998.

Michele Stalder ’97 has retired after 42 years with the 51�������� Community and Technical College and its predecessors. Michele's journey with the university began in 1981 as a program administrative clerk at the Tanana Valley Community College, where she embraced the mission of equal access to education. She was instrumental in the process of TVCC achieving accreditation and merging with 51�������� to eventually become CTC. In 2010, Michele became dean at CTC, where her commitment to the core mission of community-driven education was unwavering.

To continue her legacy of support for students, Michele established the CTC Dean Michele Stalder Endowed Scholarship, which will provide assistance to students and allow them to pursue their academic goals.

Jason Gootee ’05, ’13 received a 2023 Meritorious Service Award from 51��������.

Jason has remained an active part of 51�������� since he graduated in 2005. He is a past president of the 51�������� Alumni Association Board of Directors, currently chairs the 51�������� Chancellor’s Board of Advisors and serves as a director on the University of Alaska Foundation Board of Directors.

Jason, who is Moda Health’s vice president for sales and strategic marketing development, lives in Oregon with his wife, Katie, and their four children but returns frequently to Fairbanks. He is an avid hockey fan and, together with his father, established the Gootee Family Hockey Scholarship to support 51�������� student-athletes.

Sgt. Tim Sherry ’17, an instructor and competitive shooter with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit’s International Rifle Team, won three gold medals at the USA Shooting nationals in Elk River, Minnesota.

During the competition in late May, shooting against top marksmen from across the U.S., Tim claimed the top prize in the men’s 300-meter prone rifle, open 300-meter standard rifle and men’s 300-meter three-position rifle events. 

His performance also earned Tim a spot on the U.S. 300-Meter Rifle Team. He represented the United States, and the Army, at the International Shooting Sport Federation World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, in August.

At 51��������, Tim was the 2014 NCAA national champion in smallbore, a U.S. National Team member, and the Alaska Nanooks’ most outstanding male athlete in his sophomore year, 2013-2014.

Jenna Dreydoppel ’21 is the new choir director at North Pole High School. Jenna graduated from 51�������� with two degrees, one in music education and the other in music performance.

“Coming back home to North Pole High School as the choir director is a dream come true. I have always wanted to be a music teacher, but this school and this job is the best that I could ask for! The room is still pretty much the same, but I've switched my chair and my view!

“Getting my music degrees at 51�������� really set me up for success. In my time at the 51�������� Department of Music, I was able to study and collaborate with the school district. I got to work firsthand in high school choirs in Fairbanks and see exactly what my future job could look like!”