Morris Thompson.

• Author: KANE, ROGER
• Position: Brief Article

Without a doubt, Morris Thompson was one of Alaska's most influential business leaders. Enumerating his accomplishments would be a daunting task, but qualifying the effect his business and political leadership has had on Alaska's economy is not so difficult.

"Morris was a front-runner in that sense," said Sen. Al Adams, a close friend of Thompson's for some 40 years. Adams said without Thompson's sway, many rural projects would not have been built, including medical clinics, schools and larger government institutions.

His influence helped make the Native regional corporation he led for 15 years profitable and he had a great impact on the oilfield services industry, Adams said.

By all accounts, Morris Thompson took pride in bridging the gap between Native and non-Native peoples. He said communication was the key to bringing the different cultures together. Although he excelled as president and chief executive officer of Doyon Ltd., he never lost sight of his heritage. Most of all, he celebrated life and was a true optimist.

The quintessential role model, as Adams tells it.

"Morris was a person who went to a boarding school in Sitka-Mount Edge-cumbe--and coming from the boarding school concept, he liked to teach children the reasons why they needed an education. He advocated college and vocational training and made it a point to relay the message that business will impact communities," Adams said.

Throughout his career, Thompson represented Alaska Natives in many struggles, from the nation's capitol, the state's capitol and from his office at Doyon's headquarters in Fairbanks. Thompson was always active in Native affairs and in the 1960s developed a strong relationship with Gov. Walter Hickel. The friendship grew and when Hickel became U.S. Secretary of the Interior in 1968, he named Thompson special assistant for Indian affairs. Thompson returned to Alaska in 1971 as area director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and was appointed commissioner of the BIA in 1973 by President Nixon.

While Thompson advocated a subsistence priority for people dependent on the land, it was not his sole concern for communities in the Doyon region.

Even...