IN TRIBUTE TO ETHEL STATON

(January 13, 1925 – November 7, 2018)

A FOUNDING DIRECTOR AND CHAIRMAN EMERITUS OF SHEE ATIKÁ, INC.

Ethel Staton served on the Shee Atiká Board of Directors for 34 uninterrupted years of service until she chose not to run for reelection in 2007 due to failing eyesight.  During her tenure, Ethel served as Chairman of the Board from 1981 to 1984, one of the most difficult periods in the corporation’s history.

In recognition of her many contributions, the Board of Directors honored Ethel Staton by presenting her with the William Paul Award in 2004, unprecedented for a sitting director, and in 2007, granted her the title of Chairman Emeritus.  The William Paul Award was especially appropriate considering that it was William Paul Sr. who personally encouraged Ethel Staton to incorporate Shee Atiká.  Out of her own pocket, she paid the filing fee for the papers of incorporation.

At critical moments, Ethel loaned the corporation funds or paid for her own travel expenses during visits to Washington, D.C., when, several times, the future of Shee Atiká hung in the balance.  Her articulate presentations, impeccable appearance, natural grace and elegance disarmed critics of the corporation and won many supporters.

A tireless advocate for Shee Atiká through its most troubling times, a consistent voice in favor of protecting the company’s assets, a firm supporter of extending scholarship benefits to present and future generations of shareholders, Ethel Staton personified the best of Shee Atiká’s early leadership.

Source:  Metcalf, Peter.  Earning a Place in History, Shee Atiká, the Sitka Native Claims Corporation, Second Edition.  Sitka, AK:  Shee Atiká Incorporated, 2011.