Bob Sam has been tending to the Russian Orthodox Cemetery for the past 30 years. (Emily Kwong/KCAW photo)
Note: The Russian Orthodox Cemetery was vandalized three times this fall and the culprits caught by the Sitka Police Department. The Department also assisted with effort to raise the headstones, shortly after and every time they were knocked down. In this letter, cemetery caretaker Bob Sam expresses his gratitude.
My name is Bob Sam. I am a cemetery caretaker for the Orthodox Church and I’ve been caretaking the cemetery for close to 30 years. This fall, approximately 30 headstones were knocked over one day. When I found the stones, it was a very, very painful site for me personally. I had decided to call the Sitka Police to report it, but in my mind I thought that nothing would come of it.
A couple of days later, I got a call from that police officer (I spoke with) and he said he found some Trooper Academy cadets to come up and help upright the stones. They came up and immediately – within a half hour, 45 minutes – they had every stone back up. I was very touched by that. And then it happened a third time. The police, the fire department, the Trooper Academy – three vans of I would say 40 guys – they put all those headstones back up.
I was very thankful for the response that I had gotten from the police. I don’t think I would be here right now talking at Raven Radio talking. I think I would have given up and be a really different individual had it not been for the assistance I received. So I would like to publicly thank them.
It made me realize that the police, the trooper academy, the fire department, they are community members. They live among us. They are a part of our community. As the caretaker, as a Tlingit man that lives in this community, I just want to publicly thank them and I am grateful for the assistance I received in restoring this place. It’s restored my faith in this community. Now I understand this is a community. It’s a great community. So let’s live together.
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