About the Friends of SS Nenana

Friends of SS Nenana is a state non-profit dedicated to renovating and preserving the sternwheeler SS Nenana located in Pioneer Park in Fairbanks, Alaska. We’re very pleased to announce our recent joining with North Star Community Foundation (NSCF) as our fiscal sponsor. NSCF will provide administrative services and oversight in support of our organization, and we will work under NSCF’s 501(c)(3) non-profit status. This partnership with NSCF is a critical step towards our goal to restore the SS Nenana and fundraising efforts in 2019—more about the North Star Community Foundation.

Years of neglect and deferred maintenance have brought the SS Nenana – a beautiful piece of Alaskan history – to deplorable conditions. In April 2018, the Fairbanks Northstar Borough blocked all entrances to the sternwheeler and closed off this beloved historic landmark to the public due to safety concerns.

Dedicated community members have since organized into the non-profit Friends of SS Nenana. Thanks to early efforts, the SS Nenana has recently been added to the Alaska Association for Historic Preservation’s Ten Most Endangered Historic Properties from 2018 through 2023.

Without substantial fundraising, advocacy, and a close partnership agreement with the borough, we will lose the SS Nenana, a historic sternwheeler that is the last of its kind. Our mission is to enable the renovation and preservation of the SS Nenana so that it may be enjoyed for countless generations to come.

Officials

President: Patricia De Nardo Schmidt

Vice President: JoAnne White

Treasurer: Artha Wright DeRuyter

Secretary: Gloria Corey

Director: Jeanne Creamer-Dalton

Director: Nancy Williams