For more than 20 years, Robert Mayokok donated many drawings to the Easter Seal Society of Alaska, inc. depicting Eskimo life, which the society used to raise funds through card sales. Mayokok’s generosity helped the Society in its work throughout the State and will continue for years to come

Robert Mayokok is best remembered as an artist who shared images of Eskimo life, mostly hunting scenes, through ivory carvings, paintings, and ink drawings. Mayokok also worked as a reindeer herder, writer, miner, longshoreman, seiner, teacher, guide and worked in movies.

Robert was born in 1903, in Wales Alaska, which is located on the Northwest edge of the Seward Peninsula, just a few miles across the water from Siberia. At the age of 15, Robert returned home from reindeer herding, to find that more than half of the 500 villagers, including his whole family, had died from a flu epidemic. Although he became ill with the flu, he continued to herd the reindeer, which was a major source of food for the people of this area at the time. The next phase of his life was filled with many years of travel in the lower 48, but Robert’s home was Alaska, and that is where he and his wife made their home, and raised two sons and a daughter.

Although Mayokok’s first painting sold for only .50, his work became highly valuable and greatly helped the Society in fundraising. In October of 1982, the Society voted to establish the Robert Mayokok Scholarship Fund through the University of Alaska Foundation, to provide scholarships for handicapped art students at our State schools. The funds for this scholarship will be generated by the sale of this 1984 calendar, which is exclusively the work of Robert Mayokok. The board also voted to present a special award of recognition to Robert Mayokok. Unfortunately, Robert died before that presentation could be made. However, Robert knew of the scholarship fund, and was very pleased that continued sales of his work would help support art students.

The society is grateful for the generosity of Robert Mayokok, and is pleased to honor him through the Robert Mayokok memorial scholarship fund.

Easter Seal Society of Alaska, inc, 1345 West 9th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska 99501

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