. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "1940-10-01"^^ . . . . . . . "Bergt by Dolores McCutcheon, 1969"@en . "1940-10-01"^^ . . . . . . "Laura Mae Beltz"@en . . . . "Laura Bergt"@en . . . . . . . . . . "Laura Bergt"@en . . . . . "71895203"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Laura Bergt (n\u00E9e Beltz) (October 1, 1940 \u2013 March 14, 1984) was an American athlete, model, politician, and activist for the I\u00F1upiat and other Native Alaskans. Born in the Northwest Arctic Borough of Alaska to bi-racial parents, she grew up in Nome and Kotzebue before attending high school in Sitka. Involved in the Native Olympic movement, she was both a nine-times winner of the Arctic Circle blanket toss event and served as chair of the World Eskimo Indian Olympics in 1966. She worked as a promoter for the new state of Alaska attending trade shows and making marketing appearances as a spokeswoman and guest on radio and television programs. From the 1960s, she worked in various policy positions at the tribal, local, state, and national level to address issues like disability, education, employment opportunities, housing, and poverty, and promoting the rights of indigenous people. In 1968, Bergt testified before the United States House of Representatives on the importance of settling Native claims to provide adequate funding for development of programs to address Native issues and protect indigenous hunting and fishing rights. Her personal relationship with Vice President Spiro Agnew and her appointment in 1970 to the National Council on Indian Opportunity were pivotal in obtaining passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971. In 1972, she was appointed by President Richard Nixon to serve on a national policy advisory committee of indigenous leaders, and in 1975 served on the 15-member National Health Advisory Committee. She also served as commissioner of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board from 1976 to 1978 and was a member of President Gerald Ford's United States Bicentennial Council. At the state level, Bergt was instrumental in pressing for the creation of schools to teach children with disabilities and preserve Native Arts. She served on various housing and rural development initiatives and chaired the World Eskimo Indian Olympics Committee in 1966 and 1967. She was elected in 1973 to a term on the Borough Assembly of the Fairbanks City Council. The sophomore-junior girls' dormitory at her alma mater, Mt. Edgecumbe High School, is named in her honor and she was the inaugural recipient of the Frank Whaley Award, which recognizes outstanding service to the Eskimo Olympics. In 2015, she was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame."@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Laura Beltz Bergt, Laura Mae Bergt, Laura Bergt Crockett"@en . . . "Honolulu, Hawaii"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "1984-03-14"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "1960"^^ . . . . . . . . . . "Laura Bergt"@en . . . "Laura Mae Beltz"@en . . "1940"^^ . . . . . . . "1984-03-14"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Portrait of a Native American woman with short hair wearing a parka with fur around the neck and decorative cuffs which are visible because her hands are raised to her chin."@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "48005"^^ . . . "Laura Bergt (n\u00E9e Beltz) (October 1, 1940 \u2013 March 14, 1984) was an American athlete, model, politician, and activist for the I\u00F1upiat and other Native Alaskans. Born in the Northwest Arctic Borough of Alaska to bi-racial parents, she grew up in Nome and Kotzebue before attending high school in Sitka. Involved in the Native Olympic movement, she was both a nine-times winner of the Arctic Circle blanket toss event and served as chair of the World Eskimo Indian Olympics in 1966. She worked as a promoter for the new state of Alaska attending trade shows and making marketing appearances as a spokeswoman and guest on radio and television programs. From the 1960s, she worked in various policy positions at the tribal, local, state, and national level to address issues like disability, education, emp"@en . . . . . . . "1119487140"^^ . . . . "Laura Beltz Bergt, Laura Mae Bergt, Laura Bergt Crockett"@en . . . . . "1984"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . "1960"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "1977"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . "Politician, spokeswoman, political and Native rights activist"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . .