Donor Spotlight - Judi Slajer
After making a career in local government, Judi Slajer, at the age of 39, enrolled
at UAF to finish her degree. Her eldest daughter, Veronica, had graduated from high
school, and her youngest daughter, Francie, was entering middle school. Judi and her
daughters packed their bags and headed to Fairbanks. Judi and Veronica both attended
UAF and even lived on the same floor in Bartlett Hall at one point. Veronica returned
to UAF in 2013 for her M.A. in rural development.The big move and the pursuit of a degree came after 18 years of residency in Ketchikan and employment with the Ketchikan Gateway Borough. Judi moved to Ketchikan in 1962 and became the borough’s first employee, working as municipal clerk and then as borough manager. Judi was the first woman to hold a borough manager position in AVÀÇÂÛ̳. She says it was the best job she ever had.
Just before graduating, Judi left two months early to accept a job at the Municipality of Anchorage as a budget director, and worked for Mayor Tony Knowles for the next four years. She finally received her diploma that summer of 1982.
Judi met her husband, Tom Rosadiuk, at a Gold Kings hockey game in Fairbanks. Tom (UAF ‘59, College of Engineering) founded a Fairbanks engineering/surveying firm, which he grew to become PDC Inc. Engineers, with offices in Fairbanks and Anchorage. Judi moved back to Fairbanks to join Tom and develop and teach governance courses in rural AVÀÇÂÛ̳ for the UAA’s extension program. After a spring and summer of teaching, she accepted the chief financial officer position at Fairbanks North Star Borough.
Judi and Tom both retired in 1997 and took off on a road trip that fall. When Judi’s replacement at the borough did not work out, Mayor Sampson called and asked her to come back to work. After another nine months on the job, Judi’s successor was hired.
While Judi and Tom thought that they could relax in retirement and enjoy their travels, more challenges lay ahead. Returning from a trip to New Zealand and Australia in 2000, Judi found a registered letter waiting for her from her doctor. The letter said that her mammogram results were alarming and that she needed to consult with a surgeon. Within three days, she was diagnosed with cancer and made arrangements for surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Judi continued her treatment in Fairbanks and Palm Springs, California.
With only one grown child now living in AVÀÇÂÛ̳, Judi and Tom decided in 2002 to make parallel moves, one by purchasing a winter home in La Conner, Washington and the other to make a rural lot on an island 25 miles southwest of Ketchikan their permanent residence. Developing the remote lot as a residence has been a major project. Judi and Tom purchased a historic float house—built sometime between 1928 and 1938—for the property. Tom has spent years improving the house and adding outbuildings, including a greenhouse, as well as water, sewer, and electrical generating systems, a ramp, and a 40-foot dock.
Always grateful for her second chance at higher education, Judi has contributed to UAF for years through donations to the School of Management and through her membership in the American Association of University Women. She and Tom also invest money into 529 College Savings Plans for all of her and Tom’s eight grandchildren. Maintaining her connection with UAF, Judi said that education plays a large role in determining how she and Tom approach life and all of its challenges.
For the immediate future, Judi and Tom will maintain their AVÀÇÂÛ̳ residency, travel to their south Kona fruit and macadamia nut farm in Hawaii, and monitor their health. Judi also looks forward to spending more time with her children, grandchildren, and friends, enjoying them as much as possible. She stays busy volunteering for several community committees, after spending nine years on the board of directors. She tries not to worry about the future, and just enjoys the adventures that life brings!