“It’s about time.”
That was the response Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (CCTHITA) President Richard Peterson received when he made the announcement that Dr. Gilbert Truitt — who was an educator at the same school Peterson attended — would be the fourth annual recipient of the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
“It is a great honor for me to recognize this man who not only left a lasting impression on me, but on the area and the state,” Peterson said before calling Truitt to the stage during the CCTHITA President’s Awards Banquet at Centennial Hall Thursday.
Truitt is Tlingit from Wooshkeetaan (Shark) Clan of the Ch’áak’ (Eagle) moiety. He was born and raised in Sitka, but suffered the hardship of being orphaned at 15. Despite this, Truitt never lost sight of his education goals. He graduated from Mt. Edgecumbe High School, where he was a member of the school’s first graduating class in 1948.
Truitt said the difficulties he experienced early in life gave him plenty of excuses not pursue higher education. He mentioned that he felt “he wasn’t smart enough” and, “did not have the support or money,” but one excuse really stood out to him.
“I would miss the Gold Medal (Basketball) Tournament,” Gilbert said. “But when I went to college all of those things disappeared. Going to college was the best decision I have ever made.”
Gilbert, who waited four years to attend high school, decided to go to college because of the support he and a few other classmates received from faculty in high school.
“They told us we had a lot to offer and not to waste our talent,” Gilbert said. “They told us to go to college, come back here and work with these young people.”
That is exactly what Pruitt did. He became the first person from Mt. Edgecumbe High School to receive a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts Degree at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas.
Truitt returned home to pursue a life as an educator. He worked at Mt. Edgecumbe as a teacher, basketball coach and administrator from 1957 until his retirement in in 1990. Truitt also helped establish the Region V Basketball Tournament at Mt. Edgecumbe. Students and graduates still affectionately refer to Truitt as “Mr. Mt. Edgecumbe” and the City of Sitka also named a street — Gil Truitt Court — after him.
Peterson said that while he attended Mt. Edgecumbe High School as Truitt was leaving, his presence was always felt. Peterson also said he felt insecure about being a leader at a young age. However, when he was at a conference through his travels, it was Truitt who made him feel successful.
“Dr. Truitt was speaking and he stopped and said ‘there is one of mine,’” Peterson remembered while holding back tears. “It was the first time I felt like I achieved something.”
The awards and honors Truitt has received include: Honorary Doctor of Laws from University of Alaska Anchorage; commendation by the State of Alaska; citation from Alaska State Legislature; Public Service Award from Aleut Corporation during the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention; and inductions into the Alaska School Athletics and Activities Association and Harding University Athletics Halls of Fame. Truitt said while he appreciates the awards he has been honored with, it was never his intention as an educator.
“One does not become a teacher for recognition, or to be rich or to be popular,” Truitt said. “But believe me when those recognitions come along, it is worth every second and every dollar spent to work with the children.”
The Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest award bestowed by the President recognizing an individual’s significant lifetime achievements.
The award banquet is a fundraiser held in by Central Council to help raise money for its languages programs.
Others honored at the awards banquet included: Culture Bearer: DonnaRae James, of San Francisco; Emerging Leader: Eva Rowan, of Klawock; Hold Each Other Up: Barbara Franks, of Anchorage; Inspiring Educator: Ronnie Fairbanks, of Craig; Language Warrior: Ben Young, of Ketchikan; Tribal Ally: Nancy Barnes, of Juneau; and Youth Mentor: Barbara Dude, of Juneau.
• Contact reporter Gregory Philson at gphilson@juneauempire.com or call at 523-2265. Follow him on Twitter at @GTPhilson.
Dr. Gilbert Truitt
Members of Ldak&
