Women’s History Month is always exciting to me — but it’s especially fun around here because during this period we not only salute and honor, but also explore and discover the wildly wonderful women of our own little world.
And for me, being married to Arron (our founder/CEO), a third-generation Alaskan salmon fisherman, has been exactly that — a constant opportunity to learn about the beautiful nuances of this iconic industry, which holds in its soul some incredible women with inspiring legacies.
Let’s start right at home with Arron’s own paternal grandmother, Polly Kallenberg, for whom the first family salmon fishing boat — the Polly K — was named. It was Polly who personally typed on onion skin paper her husband Robert’s entire master’s thesis — "A Study of the Red Salmon of Bristol Bay with Particular Reference to Teaching its Conservation" — that he submitted to Cornell University. As critical as it was for Grandpa Kallenberg to conceive of his ideas, it was she who made sure that they were perfectly codified. I also learned that Grandma Polly was such an enthused proponent of education that she not only mended books, but actually resurrected the local library when the family moved to Chugiak, Alaska in 1963.
Now that I’m in Homer, I was lucky enough to also learn about Tricia Caron, a Homer local who lived the tender life on the M/V Rolfy for nearly three decades, alongside her lifelong companion the late Captain Mike Orth, on their 90-foot tender where they spent much of their time together at sea. There, she worked as a deckhand, managed the galley of the Rolfy, became a legend for her seafood feasts, and used her gifts as a nurturer to transform some of the internal dynamics of the industry. You can read more about Tricia’s story and experience in this Q&A feature we did with her, now live on our blog.
Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to personally shout out the incredible women of Wild Alaskan with whom I’m honored to work daily. These fabulous women are not only hard-working and talented, but also truly show up for one another from birthdays, virtual baby showers, epic trivia nights — and everything in between. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t stand in awe of the strength, warmth, wit and wisdom that radiates from my fellow women teammates — it’s a feeling that fills me with equal parts love, gratitude and pride.
Live wild...and always celebrate women!
Monica
Pictured Above: A flower in Girdwood, Alaska. I suppose her singular fierceness caught my eye — how she stood strong among the mountains, holding all the grace of the world.
