Alaska Native leader Trefon Angasan Jr. died on Sunday from complications due to COVID-19. He was 73 years old.
Angasan was the chairman of the Alaska Peninsula Corporation. He was also a founding member, and he served on the board for more than 42 years. He will be remembered as a generous person who sought to help others in need.
Angasan was Alutiiq. He was born in Savonoski and grew up in South Naknek.
Angasan is renowned for his leadership roles in the state and in Bristol Bay. He was the Vice President of Shareholder Relations at the Bristol Bay Native Corporation for three decades from 1975 to 2005. He also held leadership roles at the Bristol Bay Native Association.
Angasan also served with the Alaska Board of Fish, Alaska Federation of Natives and the Alaska Native Justice Center.
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Angasan was an expert on Alaska Native policy, and was considered an “encyclopedic resource” on the Alaska Natives Claims Settlement Act and the Alaska National Interests Lands Conservation Act.
Contact the author at tyler@kdlg.org or 907-842-2200