August 15, 2024, by Lisa Teas Conaway

Sitka’s diversity of culture, environment, and industries sets it apart from much of the world, a fact that Sharon Bohn Gmelch and George Gmelch know all too well having traveled much of it themselves. Sharon and George first found their way to Sitka through an invitation from a friend and old classmate, Richard Nelson. While visiting in 1982, the Gmelch’s documented Sitka’s unique culture and deep connections to the environment. The Gmelch’s even co-authored an article that has helped to keep Sitka designated as a rural community securing its subsistence fishing and hunting rights to this day (read excerpt).

                Both Sharon and George are professors of Anthropology, studying modern communities, their culture, and how it intrinsically intertwines within the environment. Through the University of San Francisco California (USF), the Gmelch’s have been able to offer field courses to students allowing for immersive hands-on learning at different sites throughout the world. These short yet intense programs allow for students to experience more than what could be offered through traditional classroom settings, often leading to life changing moments. Though the Gmelch’s have hosted field courses in many locations, Sitka is one of their favorites. Sitka stands out as a place that fully engages students within the many cultural groups and industries in our small community. Having everything contained within a rural setting on an island perched at the edge of the Pacific Ocean creates a unique melting pot of sorts with Indigenous and migrant populations interacting with fisheries, tourism, healthcare, and forestry industries. Another part of why Sitka is ideal for field courses is that the Sitka Sound Science Center can serve as host.

                Through our education department the Science Center has helped to facilitate these unique learning experiences. From scheduling guest speakers to providing scuba gear to students and guided walking tours through town, the Science Center has helped to expand what a field course can be. Though the Gmelch’s USF field course is only one of the many that the Science Center hosts, it has been our longest running with this year marking the 13th season. Through the Gmelch’s courses we have seen nearly 100 students from diverse backgrounds experience the wonders of Sitka for the first time and we are so grateful for the opportunity they have provided us. Their long list of former students includes Professor Christopher Berk of Auburn University in Alabama, who has now formed his own field course bringing even more students through Sitka and the Science Center, and Ellen Frankenstein, who both studied and collaborated with them over the years originally coming to Sitka to film “A Matter of Respect” with Sharon Bohn Gmelch.

Ellen Frankenstein, now a proud resident of Sitka, remembered her time studying with the Gmelch’s fondly saying,

“Anthropology, as they both taught me, is not just a matter of reading and studying from what’s on the shelf already, it’s about observing, participating, stepping out of your comfort zone, taking lots of notes and trying to make sense of what all the experiences mean and also what you forgot to dig deeper into.”

The Gmelch’s will be retiring after this season and though we will not see them in the field course capacity, hopefully we will see them again in Sitka soon. Having passed the leadership of their thoughtfully crafted course on to Professor Kathleen Coll, the Gmelch’s plan on relaxing and pursuing new hobbies.