By Lynne Snifka

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Hegdal grew up in Nome, in a family of nine children. She remembers summers at fish camp on Salmon Lake, 40 miles north of Nome, as the best of times. There, Hegdal learned to hunt and fish and pick berries. She spent weekdays with her grandmother, Kayagosee, often wondering why Kayagosee sat on Salmon Lake's gravel beach every day, staring at the mountains.

Hegdal's childhood friend, Barb Earp, sometimes went to Salmon Lake, too. They were outdoorsy, Earp said, "not into girly 'frou-frou' stuff. We were more about getting out on motorcycles, snowmachines, crabbing and fishing."

At home in Nome, things weren't as bright. Lorena and her five older brothers were treated differently by their stepfather. There was alcoholism, and abuse was part of that.

"Anything that you can imagine in a Bush community that was bad probably happened in that family," Coyle said.

Young Lorena spent much of her time with her Aunt Matilda, her mother's adopted sister, often sleeping in the same bed, always absorbing her aunt's wisdom. Auntie Mutt taught her about generosity, understanding and patience.

"She disciplined me, but she never hurt me or hit me," Hegdal recalled. "Alcohol was always an issue (in Nome), but my aunt only drank once a month or once every two months. But still she never hurt me."

As she got older, Hegdal thought about college. She wanted an education, and to stay near her family and Salmon Lake. At first she thought her only option was teaching. Then she remembered the highway department. They didn't have to bring people from Outside to build roads, she thought. She could do that! So Hegdal enrolled in engineering courses.

"I wasn't real smart," she recalled. "But I was smart enough."

At UAF, some professors and students were supportive. Hegdal remembers Professor John Zarling as being particularly encouraging. Still, it was the 1970s, and women -- let alone Inupiaq women -- weren't common in the engineering program.

One professor told her that she wasn't going anywhere in life. Hegdal ignored her detractors. "I thought, 'I'll show you!'" she said.

She did. Hegdal graduated from UAF in 1977 and headed back to Nome, where she worked for DOT&PF as an engineer.
 

Hegdal worked for DOT&PF for 24 years in Nome and Fairbanks before going to work at Alyeska. Recently she left her position as engineering director to become director of right of way and emergency preparedness and compliance. As engineering director, she traveled nearly every week, always visiting schools in Bush communities to talk about careers like hers.

"But I did it my way," Hegdal said. School officials wanted her to speak only to certain classes, conference only with the most gifted students. She refused. "I wanted to talk to them all, tell them they could all do this if they wanted to."

Now she mentors Native students at UAF. The Hegdals have regular barbecues and dinners for Bush students at their Fairbanks home, complete with a "muktuk bar" that offers the traditional delicacy cooked and raw in a variety of preparations.

"You never have met a more caring person, you know, just concern for people," Ian, her husband, said. "And great concern for helping other Natives succeed."

The Girl Scouts named Hegdal a Woman of Distinction in 2008, in part because of support from nominations from current and former students.

"She naturally moves people to action," one wrote. "She inspires me, in and outside of the workplace," another said. "Her kindness and compassion have made an indelible mark on my life." "The world needs more people like her …"

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