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In this issue:
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Dear Friend
of KNOM, We’ve seen plenty of frost and snow, though this is the season when western Alaska hunkers down to repeated storms of rain, wind and high water, fueled by Pacific typhoons chugging northward. By
December, we will likely be experiencing extremely cold temperatures and
snow. As we batten down for winter, we thank you most, most sincerely for your financial support and your prayers. We respect
you. We value you.
Together, we are helping improve the lives of thousands of
far-flung families throughout this vast region.
You and all of your intentions remain in our daily individual prayers, and you are remembered in prayer during our weekly staff meetings, too. God be with
you. And thank you!
MAKING MUSIC: (left) Musicians from the village of Wales, joined by relatives from Anchorage, perform in the school gymnasium in the village, a tiny, isolated community of 138 people located 109 miles northwest of Nome. The occasion was the annual Kingikmiut (pronounced approximately king-GIKK-myoot) Festival, three nights of enthusiastic drumming, singing and dancing. KNOM volunteer Leah Radde was there to report on the event and record the traditional Eskimo music, adding to our library of 700 Alaska Native performances. “It was a
really good learning experience,” Leah says.
“You see how great the family connections are.
Families are very close and affectionate.” Wales is a
remote, windy point, just 50 miles from the Russian mainland.
Once a large community, it was decimated by the 1918 influenza
pandemic. Its hardy
residents largely live off the ocean and the land.
Leah reports that while she was there, people were hoping for a
north wind, so clams would wash on shore. For
volunteer Linda Maack, it was a journey of just 59 miles to Teller
(left), a village twice the size of Wales, for a similar gathering.
Teller was established as a gold rush mining town which once
boasted 5,000 residents.
Like Wales, it is populated almost entirely by Inupiat (in-OO-pee-at)
Eskimo people who are proud of their rich heritage.
Virtually all are daily KNOM listeners. (Left) A view from Teller's gravelly beach. Leah’s and
Linda’s transportation was donated by Bering Air, which has given the
KNOM Radio Mission more than $100,000 worth of free air travel over the
past twenty years. (Below, left) In early October, mountains between Nome and Teller are already covered with snow. We thank
Bering Air, and we especially thank you, for helping us honor, document
and preserve Alaska Native culture.
Thank you! The KNOM Radio Mission is the oldest Catholic radio station in the United States, beaming inspiration and education across 100,000 square miles—thanks to you.
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INSPIRATIONAL SPOT:
Each new batch of dirty dishes, dirty laundry, every dirty floor
reminds me of two things.
God continually takes my sinful ways and reconciles them back to
holiness.
And, God is continually blessing me with the ability to work, and
blessing my family with nutritious food to eat, warm clothes to wear,
and a loving home. |
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INSPIRATIONAL SPOT:
There’s a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody,
Anybody and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that
Somebody would do it.
Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.
Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job.
Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that
Everybody wouldn’t do it. |
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INSPIRATIONAL SPOT:
Nothing is unimportant in a life
lived for God. |
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REACHING OUT:
(left) From Rahway, New Jersey, Dave Dodman is remaining with the
mission as outreach director after three volunteer years.
It’s a new
position. In addition to his
on-air work, Dave will “put a public face on KNOM,” using the Internet. You can
find Dave’s work on Facebook and Twitter, and by the time you read this,
Dave is hoping to have a KNOM news “podcast,” allowing anyone to listen
to a weekday KNOM newscast by computer.
He’s also point person for the mission’s web site.
Dave’s Facebook postings
quickly drew 100 permanent web fans, and less than six weeks from the
word getting out, we’re at 202.
“I’m very gratified,” Dave says. Partly,
it’s an effort to interest younger listeners in the area, and it also
keeps distant friends informed on the mission’s daily activities.
“Our web site tells people what we’re about,” Dave says.
“What we say on Facebook and Twitter tells people what’s going on
today.”
(If you don’t fiddle with
computers, you will see no difference in the KNOM mission and its work,
and our listeners won’t notice any changes, either.) Dave has
his hands full, as he also serves as first contact for inquiries by
prospective volunteers, and will represent KNOM at a handful of college
volunteer fairs. In his
spare time, Dave serves as cantor for Nome’s St. Joseph Parish.
You’ll always find him with a warm smile and a helping hand.
We thank God for Dave and his work.
Thank you for helping him spread the word! RECENTLY SPOTTED: Educational spots last month dealt with topics like:
among many, many others. General manager Ric Schmidt continues to produce “Today in History,” a unique spot every day in a series which then-manager Tom Busch premiered in 1981. Ric will
tell you, and Tom remembers, that producing the spot is a burden, but
it’s immensely popular. More
than 10,200 individual “Today in Histories” have aired, and we hope
you’re as proud of them as we are. |
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INSPIRATIONAL
SPOT: Even when He
reveals Himself, God remains a mystery beyond words.
“If you understood Him, it would not be God.”
(St. Augustine)
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Copyright
©
2009 KNOM.
All rights reserved.
Send comments to tbusch@knom.org
