Dude Obert in Seward, Alaska,1962.
Guide to the Dude Obert slides
1959-1964
Collection number: HMC-1323.
Creator: Obert, Harold Ralph “Dude.”
Title: Dude Obert slides.
Dates: 1959-1964.
Volume of collection: 0.4 cubic feet and 1.17 GB.
Language of materials: Materials in this collection are in English.
Collection summary: Photographic slides depicting various locations in Alaska.
Biographical note:
Harold Ralph “Dude” Obert was born in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, in 1925. Obert joined the U.S. Navy at the age of 16. In 1946, he married Beverly Ashby, and the couple had three children. After being discharged from the Navy, Obert obtained his GED and attended the University of Wisconsin, majoring in Economics. He later earned a law degree. Obert began working for Sheppard’s Citations in Colorado Springs, CO, as a lawyer in the 1950s. He eventually entered the oil business and became a Landman for several companies, and was transferred to Anchorage, Alaska, along with his family, in December 1961. In the autumn of 1962, the Obert family moved to Casper, Wyoming. Dude Obert died in 2007. [Note: Additional biographical information is available in the collection.]
Collection description:
The collection contains slides taken and collected by Dude Obert. The subjects of the slides include various locations in Alaska, such as Anchorage, Palmer, Seward, Homer, Fairbanks, and Valdez, drilling sites, and the 1964 Earthquake.
Arrangement: The collection is arranged in the order in which it arrived at Archives and Special Collections.
Digitized copies: A majority of the collection has been digitized, however the images are not currently available online. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Rights note: Archives and Special Collections holds copyright to images taken by Dude Obert. The collection contains images not taken by Obert, which may be subject to copyright restrictions.
Preferred citation: Dude Obert slides, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Works used in preparation of inventory: Biographical information was provided by the donor.
Acquisition note: The collection was donated to Archives and Special Collections in 2019 by Stanley Obert, Harold Obert’s son. An addition was made in 2022.
Processing information: This collection was described by Veronica Denison in 2019. Folder titles were taken from descriptions provided by the donor. The 2022 gift was added to the collection and the finding aid updated by Arlene Schmuland in 2022.
Container list:
| Folder | Description | Dates |
| 1 | Slide numbers 1-65: Pre-1962 slides | 1959-1961 |
| 2 | Slide numbers 66-90: Yukon-Koyukuk, Bethel and Lake and Peninsula Boroughs | 1962 |
| 3 | Slide numbers 91-103: Unidentified small town sites | 1962 |
| 4 | Slide numbers 104-127: Photographs of drilling sites | 1962 |
| 5 | Slide numbers 128-247: Anchorage and Palmer | 1962 |
| 6 | Slide numbers 248-255: Fairbanks | 1962 |
| 7 | Slide numbers 256-264: Homer | 1962 |
| 8 | Slide numbers 265-269: Matanuska Valley | 1962 |
| 9 | Slide numbers 270-296: Aerial photographs | 1962 |
| 10 | Slide numbers 300-311: Seward | 1962 |
| 11 | Slide numbers 312-340: Valdez | 1962 |
| 12 | Slide numbers 341-368: Fishing, wildlife, camping | 1962 |
| 13 | Slide numbers 369-463: Alaskan Scenic Photos | 1962 |
| 14 | Slide numbers 464-493: Duplicate slides of Alaskan Earthquake March 27, 1964 [commercial slides] | 1964 |
| 15 | Slide numbers 494-496: Commercial slides of Alaska | 1962 |
| 16 | 2022 addition: Family photographs, Valdez, Anchorage, Seward and areas on the road system between. Some images may be duplicates of other slides in the collection. | 1962 |
| Server | Digital copies of photographs | 1959-1962 |