BONAR COOLEY

Bonar Cooley was a founding member of the Teslin Historical & Museums Society (THMS) in 1972. The founding pieces of the George Johnston Museum collection were donated by Bonar and a group of five others. First Nation and non-First Nation, especially the elders, gave generously and the museum opened its doors in 1975.

Bonar has been active at every level in museum activities for nearly 40 years and was president of the THMS for nearly three decades. Bonar and his wife Bessie have been very active in their community, collecting and preserving artifacts illustrative of Teslin and Inland Tlingit heritage.

They researched and recorded the genealogical history of the Tlingit and produced a monumental genealogy chart that is referenced by Yukon’s First Nation people and the Tlingit and Haida of Southeast Alaska. The THMS thanked both Bonar and Bessie for their many contributions to the museum and the preservation of community heritage with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.