Philippe Fichet Delavault :
From Saint-Malo in Brittany (France) and former Captain of Cruise ships, Philippe has sailed all around the world during 44 years and consequently met so many civilisations with so many cultures. He early developed an interest to exchange with them as being just a man of the world as all of us !
Philippe spent many periods of time during nine years in Alaska. He met John Baldry, maritime pilot who caught his attention on Laperouse in Alaska at : Lituya Bay !
The idea of an association took place and shortly after, Laperouse Alaska Association was born !
Jackie Schopert :
Jackie Schoppert (Tlingit) is a multi-disciplinary artist and educator who grew up in a family of artists in both Juneau, Alaska and Teslin, Y.T., Canada. She is a member of the Ishkitaan Clan (Raven/Frog) from Taku River. She strongly believes that passing on traditional knowledge to the next generation is crucial to revitalization of Tlingit Art and Culture.
Jackie is President and a founding member of the Laperouse Alaska Association.
Her passion for Tlingit maritime history and Laperouse is equaled only by her love of plants. She is a respected Knowledge Keeper and traditional medicine practitioner.
In her many travels, she continues to share her knowledge of Tlingit culture through workshops and public presentations both at home with family, her community and internationally.
Virginia Barter :
Virginia Barter is a Toronto based historical writer and filmmaker with Métis/Cree heritage and strong family ties to Hudson Bay. She has a passion for fur trade history and storytelling. She was a contributing author to the anthology, The Long Journey of a Forgotten People: Métis Identities and Family Histories, Wilfrid Laurier University Press (2007). She wrote and directed a dramatic short film HEARNE - Journey to the Northern Ocean (2010) and produced the television series, URBAN ABORIGINAL for Rogers TV Toronto (2011-12 season). As a descendant of a captive of Lapérouse, her historical interests drew her to Hudson Bay, and ultimately to France, where her search for Lapérouse took a most surprising turn! It was in Albi that she discovered a world-wide network of "Lapérousiens" and now she is the Canadian connection in this continuing adventure.
Peter Metcalfe :
As a young man fishing the Fairweather Grounds on a salmon troller, Peter Metcalfe spent many a weather day in Lituya Bay. His interest in the Laperouse Expedition was sparked when he learned the French mariners had anchored there in July 1786, leading to much reading and research about the French-Tlingit interaction during those weeks.
Since 1980, Metcalfe has pursued a career in writing, publishing, and video production. He has written and produced video documentaries, several books and numerous publications mostly about Alaska Native history and culture. His long friendship and professional collaboration with the late Kathy Kolkhorst Ruddy, a founding member of the Laperouse Alaska Association, led to his acceptance of an invitation to join the organization.
