David W. DeLong, 33°
PO Box 20074, Juneau, Alaska 99802–0074

At age 92, Dr. Walter A. Soboleff, 33°, a Tlingit American Indian who has had an outstanding career as a clergyman, community leader, and Mason in Alaska, is still going strong.

Photo:Rev. Walter A. Soboleff, 33°, in the pulpit of his church, Memorial Presbyterian Church, Juneau, Alaska, in 1947
We are indeed fortunate to have so many interesting and wonderful men in our Fraternity, men with whom we share fellowship and the joint attainment of Masonic knowledge. Freemasonry in Alaska certainly presents a good example. Many of our Brothers are extraordinary, and one such Brother whose light shines brilliantly is Dr. Walter A. Soboleff, 33°, who is 92 years young and still going strong.

I can still remember with clarity my mother, during the middle of the last century, laying down her work and listening intently to the soft, compelling, intensely spiritual voice of young Reverend Soboleff as he voiced the Christian message over radio station KINY. She would listen through to the conclusion of the program and declare, "He is truly a man of God!"

Walter Alexander Soboleff was born November 14, 1908, in Killisnoo, Alaska, to a Tlingit Indian American mother, Anna Hunter Soboleff, and Alexander Ivan Soboleff of Russian and German ancestry. As a toddler, he spent his early childhood in Angoon, but his primary schooling took place in Killisnoo and then Sitka where he attended the Russian school until its closure in 1917 caused by the withdrawal of funding following the Russian Revolution.

He graduated from Sheldon Jackson School in Sitka and then went on to take degrees at the University of Dubuque in Iowa, culminating in graduation from theological seminary. In June 1940, he was ordained and assigned to the Memorial Presbyterian Church in Juneau, Alaska, where he served for 22 years. Dr. Soboleff's ministry included travel on the Presbyterian Mission boats Princeton Hall and Anna Jackman to many isolated communities without churches in Southeast Alaska. His visits included U. S. Coast Guard light stations and logging camps that had few visitors.

He went on to serve as an Alaska Presbytery evangelist and served on the Board of National Missions, United Presbyterian Church. Our Masonic Brother also ministered as a Chaplain to Alaska National Guard personnel for 20 years, retiring in 1971 as a Lieutenant Colonel.

His life as a spiritual, business and community leader, educator, administrator of organizations and a host of allied activities has been nonstop to this day, and these included his many contributions to Freemasonry. Mt. Juneau Lodge No. 147 conferred the first Three Degrees on Brother Soboleff in 1958. Later that year, he took the Scottish Rite Degrees and subsequently was invested as a K.C.C.H. in 1965 and then coroneted as an Inspector General Honorary in 1974. He has been a mainstay in the communication of Degrees at Scottish Rite Reunions, and he has served as the principal speaker for many Masonic observances and ceremonies. Our Brother is also a York Rite Mason, a Shriner of Nile Temple, and a member of the Order of Eastern Star.

For many men, the full and busy life in the Presbyterian Church would have been the prelude to retirement years of inactivity. Not so for Dr. Soboleff. There just isn't enough space in this article to list all his accomplishments and the numerous honors accorded him. We have space only to highlight some of the exceptional contributions he has made to all citizens of Alaska, including the Tlingit race.

He was head of the Department of Native Studies, University of Alaska, 1970–74 and participated in the National Conference on Manpower Programs for Indians. For seven terms, he served as President of the Grand Camp, Alaska Native Brotherhood. He was chosen as a Chaplain for the Senate and House, Alaska Legislature. Dr. Soboleff was a consultant to the Ford Foundation for Rural Teacher Orientation. He was active in Equal Opportunity, Manpower Planning, Community Action, and State Historic Sites. Our Brother has been a Trustee of Sheldon Jackson College and Alaska Heritage Foundation. And this in only a short list of his many areas of activity.

It is very evident that when Dr. Soboleff chose a life of service, he approached it seriously. This high level of endeavor is accompanied by a ready wit and a delicious sense of humor. In recognition of his efforts, our Brother was included in the Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities 1937; Who's Who in the West 1971; Indians of Today, 4th Edition; Community Leaders: Noteworthy American 1973–74; International Who's Who in Community Service 1976–77; U.S. Forest Service Award and U. S. Department of Interior–Public Service Award 1980; Alumnus of Distinction, University of Dubuque 1987; and Alaska Federation of Natives Citizen of the Year Award 1989. He is the recipient of two honorary degrees: Doctor of Divinity, University of Dubuque 1952 and Doctor of Humanities, University of Alaska 1968. This is just a partial listing.

Dr. Soboleff has one daughter and three sons. He resides in Juneau with Mrs. Soboleff. On April 15, 2001. the Scottish Rite in Juneau celebrated Easter with a traditional ceremony in the Lodge Room. When the Wise Master of the Chapter of Rose Croix introduced the principal speaker, the audience looked to the rostrum with deep reverence and expectation. They knew that they would soon be treated to the uplifting, eloquent words of a very gentle man, Ill. Walter A. Soboleff, 33°, man of God.

  David W. DeLong
is retired from a career in state government after having held several administrative positions with the state of Alaska. Ill. DeLong is a Past Venerable Master, Past Secretary, and Past Building Manager of the Juneau Scottish Rite Bodies where he has been a member of the Scottish Rite Degree Team for many years. A Past Master and Secretary of Mt. Juneau Lodge No. 147, he is also active in civic affairs.