Tundra times., 1962-10-01
Monday, Oct. l, 1o62

Humanitarian -.
 On July 20, 1o62, Miss Laverne Madean, executive director of inc Association American Indian Affairs, met with sudden accident and passed away She was, perhaps the greatest champion of the Natives and fearless fighter for their rights.
 The news of her death was shock and numbng bloto her friends among inc Natives we'll as nonNa-
 lives The loss of agea student of Native matters was most keen The mmedateness of this feeling lett in some of US great void.
 LaVenne Madigan as she was known professionally, was born in New York Her mother, Georgia FareI who survives her. lives there Her faher Dr. George Madigan, has been dead for many years She also survived by her husband HaraId Bordewch, electrical engineer, and her young son, Fergus, whos l4 years o|d Miss Msdiqan was educated at New York University
 where she received her BA and MA degrees She maored in Classics Greek Letin) and English As executive director of the AAA the largest private organization dealing with Indian problems or the lower
 states itvas inevitable that she and the Association would deal with the problems of Alaska Natives. After Alaska became a, state, she made thorough istudy of native problems with visits gathering |firsthand information from te Natives She met with v age councils and talked at length with native leaders,
 After her first field trip in the spring of l960, she
 wrote that ct her main purposes to find out aety wharf.-the ofo ignorance in order that may know what we have to learn before we can form an Alaska policy -
 'TheAssoestion needs spoIicy on Alaska. No one has now and tt dn issue were to come up, the Natives could lose important rights and property while we look frantcay for set of principles which to stand stress the fact that inc Association needs policy, and inc first hand knowledge of the Natives and inc region which sound policy must be based"
 Later Miss Madigan accelerated her field work in Alaska when she received direct appeals from native peo- ole in Alaska for help. For instance, in March of l9o1 when inc president of inc Pt. Hope Village Council David Frankson her expressing and fear for his peoples way of life if Project Chariot were to be carried out, Miss Madigan in company with Dr. Henry S Forbes, now chairman of inc Alaska policy Committee of the AAlA, came to Alaska 10 make on-hespot study of the sU- ation
 About the same time, Guy Okakok began writing questioning inc issuance of hunting and fishing licenses by the of Alaska And then the duck controversy fared into issue and the Association received much lrespondence asking assistance.
 Miss Madgan and the Association came swiftly to id She began research program Project Chariot with direct inquiries to Atomic Energy Commission officials She also met with Representative Ralph Rivers who asked for the Associations help connection with the duck contro- versy
 l Her untirng work helped inmeasurabIy to uncover the facts which ultimately led inc resolving of both the controversial Project Chariot and inc duck controversy in favor of inc natives.
 Upon request by natives for conference of village leaders she assisted in making possible the first such ference held in inc Arctic Barrow last November. The value of that meeting has been great aY f. for inc first time in the history of the Arctic, pointed out in bold manner that many widely separated Eskimo villages have common problems. |