Presidents Report
September 2007

This has been an extremely busy summer! I just returned from the village visits to Sand Point, Nelson Lagoon, False Pass, and King Cove. Having grown up in King Cove, the Eastern Aleutian villages are very near and dear to my heart. I have family living in all of these communities. The village visits not only provide me with the opportunity to meet with shareholders and talk about the corporation’s activities, it also provided me with the opportunity to connect with my extended family.

The Eastern Aleutians was the last region scheduled for the village visits. However, I still haven't made it to St. George. Hopefully, by the time you are reading this newsletter, I will have made it to the island. I have to admire those living on the island of St. George. Given the island’s remote location, it provides many challenges for traveling to and from the island. The people living on the Island endure these challenges all the time. I really look forward my meeting with them and the opportunity to share the pictures of my trip to St. George in the next Aleutian Current.

In each community I reviewed a power point presentation that included the corporate profile, financials, shareholder benefits, 2007 annual meeting preparations, AFN convention and the importance of shareholder records.

Sand Point
Leatha Merculieff, Angela Bourdukofky and I arrived in Sand Point on a beautiful day. Our visit included stops at the Sand Point Tribe (QT), the Pauloff Harbor Tribe, and Shumagin Corporation to visit with their staff members. Because the weather was so cooperative, we were able to take many great photos of the community and the rock quarry sites. Twenty shareholders attended the meeting held at the City Chambers.

Door Prize Winners:
Ticket to Annual Meeting– Edee Jacobsen
Mug/pen/light – Marita Gundersen
Vest – Janet Wilson
Collar shirt – Arlene Gundersen
Hat/pen/light – Tina Anderson
Vest – Nora Newman
Alaska Book – George Gundersen
Youth shirt – Ann Morris
Polo shirt – Agnes Holmberg
Hat/pen/light – Dorothy McCallum

False Pass
Ruth Hoblet greeted us upon our arrival to False Pass. She accompanied us to the community center, where Melanie Hoblet provided us with an excellent lunch. After the shareholder meeting, we toured the community and the new small boat harbor.. The weather was fine when we arrived in False Pass, however, it started to close in on us as the day progressed. We were able to sneak out of town in between the rain squalls. Fifteen shareholders attended the meeting at the Larsen Center.

Door Prize Winners:
Ticket to Annual Meeting– Ruth Hoblet
Mug/pen/light – Melanie Hoblet
Vest – Dayton Hoblet
Collar shirt – Carleen
Vest – Reagan Hoblet
Alaska Book – William Shellikoff, Sr.
Youth shirt – Gilda Shellikoff
Polo shirt – Peter Yatchmeneff

Nelson Lagoon
Sharon Brandell met us at the airport and drove us into town. Our meeting at the corporation office was set up by Nanette Nelson. Unfortunately, due to the low tide, many shareholders were out fishing the silver salmon run that day. Schedule changes due to fishing are a reality in the Aleutian region during the summer season. In spite of the fish, we had a very warm welcome from the shareholders in the community and were able to tour the village as well. Fourteen shateholders attended our meeting at the Nelson Lagoon Village Corporation office.

Door Prize Winners:
Ticket to Annual Meeting– Nancy Nelson
Mug/pen/light – Tammy Brandell
Vest – Richard Johnson
Hat/pen/light – Butch Gundersen
Vest – Sharon Brandell
Alaska Book – Leslie Johnson
Youth shirt – Thea Chesley
Polo shirt – Harold Johnson
Polo shirt – Nolan Chesley

King Cove
While in King Cove, we were invited to attend the Elders lunch at the local Co-Op center. They served a turkey lunch with all the trimmings. It was great to visit with the community members and share such a nice meal. Next we stopped at the King Cove Corporation to coordinate with Della Trumble who helped us with our meeting arrangements. We toured the new school building and then stopped at the Aleutian East Borough office. Sixty five shareholders attended the meeting at the King Cove Community Center.

Door Prize Winners:
Ticket to Annual Meeting– Sean Mack
Vest – Warren Wilson
Hat/pen/light – Seward Brandell
Vest – Lillian Sager
Alaska Book – Shirley Brandell
Shirt – Pam Newman
Mug/pen/light – Marvin Mack
Polo shirt – Angie Samuelson
Polo shirt – Pauline Wilson
Jacket – Brenda Wilson
Vest – Makrina Mack
Vest – Harriet Babcock
Shirt – Liza Mack
Coat – Dean Gould
Mug/pen/light – Henry Mack

My focus now turns to preparation for the Annual Shareholders Meeting scheduled for October 20th. The theme for this year’s meeting is Thirty-five Years - Then and Now. We will be displaying a timeline highlighting significant events in The Aleut Corporation history and recognizing our past board members.

Last year, the Sand Point Aleut dance group performed at the annual meeting and banquet. They were a huge success! This year we will welcome the St. George Aleut dancers to the annual meeting. As part of a new tradition, we look forward to watching them perform at both the meeting and banquet this year.

The meeting is a time to visit with family and friends, reflect on our culture and history, and help make decisions regarding the corporation. I hope you can make it to this year’s annual meeting.

As the Summer is drawing to an end, it gives me a great deal to reflect upon. Our village visits were a huge success. As always, I found them enlightening and a great reminder of what it means to be an Aleut.

Thomas Mack
President