Nancy Yaw Davis

Nancy Yaw Davis was born in Sitka, Alaska in 1936. Nancy's father, Leslie Yaw, was with the Presbyterian National Mission and worked at Sheldon Jackson School, so the family lived on the school campus until 1952, when they moved to Lincoln Street in Sitka. Nancy left for college at age eighteen, but maintained deep connections to the community and to Sitka National Historical Park, which was her playground. Nancy holds an M.A. from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Washington, and worked as a cultural anthropologist throughout her career. She operated her own anthroplogical consulting business, "Cultural Dynamics" out of her home in Anchorage, Alaska, and has written many reports, articles and books. When Nancy retired, she and her husband, Bill Davis, returned to Sitka to live out their final years in the community she so loved.