WALTER:  Another aspect of the training was involvement of the university.  The Kellogg Foundation funded a grant that was managed by a person named Rosaire Kennedy who -- whose goal was to associate the health aide training with the university.  This grant was moved to the Robert Wood Johnson grant after a year or so where it continued for many years. 

Gradually, the -- the health aide curriculum was -- was accepted by the university in their College of Rural Education.  Rosaire pioneered that work and several other people served as the -- the grant representative, including a health aide trainer from Kotzebue, Winnie Reeves.
 
And later, after I retired from the Public Health Service in 1980, I worked in that position for several years until I left the program completely in 1987. 
The purpose of that was to integrate with the university, which was accomplished so that the -- as the training expanded a great deal, and the number of hours of training expanded, the name was changed on completion to Community Health Practitioner.  And the individuals who completed the program could become or could be awarded a two-year degree. 

There was -- there were, of course, too many people to mention who were very active in this program.  It's a -- it's taking a risk to begin to name names because there were so many who worked to make this -- this go.  Among the health administrators of the Anchorage program and with statewide responsibilities were not positions, one was Roy Huhndorf. 

KAREN:  Right. 

WALTER:  And that was where he began his administrative experience, which eventually ended in his being director of the large Native corporation CIRI. 

KAREN:  CIRI, right. 

WALTER:  Following him was Jim Sosoff.  Rob Burgess was involved with revising the manual.  And as I said, there -- and Linda Curda has worked for a long time, first at Bethel, then with the university, and now with the academic review committee, and currently revising the -- the manual. 
So I --

KAREN:  She's in Anchorage.

WALTER:  Stop there in mentioning names, and realizing that there are many, many others.

KAREN:  Well, were there any in particular that had a great influence on you or who were mentors of yours? 

WALTER:  Well, I would say that Roy Huhndorf and Jim Sosoff and myself both worked together very -- very closely.  And, you know, are friends -- we've continued our friendship.  And we used to always have lunch together on holidays for many years after that.