Flags are at half-staff in honor of former Alaska attorney general and lifelong University of Alaska advocate, Grace Schaible of Fairbanks.
Schaible died Saturday at the age of 91.
Schaible grew up in Juneau, graduated from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, George Washington University and Yale Law School. Returning to Alaska, she practiced law in Fairbanks, and in 1987 became Alaska’s first woman attorney general under former Governor Steve Cowper.
In a news release announcing Schaible’s passing, Gov. Bill Walker refers to her as “giant of Alaska history,” who “shattered the glass ceiling” as Alaska’s first woman attorney general.
Current Attorney General Jahna Lindemuth, the second woman to serve in the Alaska attorney general post, called Schaible “a pioneer who inspired her and other strong female leaders.”
Schaible also served as a University of Alaska regent, on the Permanent Fund Board and the UA Foundation, helping raise money for the Museum of the North and UAF Geophysical Institute. Proceeds from the sale of a home she donated to the University are the basis of an endowment at the University of Alaska Southeast.
Schiable also donated an extensive collection of art to the UA museum.
Flags will fly at half-staff in honor of Grace Schaible through Tuesday.
Dan Bross is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
