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UAF Alumni Association names 2026 award recipients

The ҹɫ���� Alumni Association has named former UA regent John Davies and broadcaster Bruce Cech as its 2026 award recipients, recognizing their exceptional achievements.

UAFAA is honoring Davies with the 2026 Distinguished Alumnus Award for his decades of service to the University of Alaska and the Fairbanks community. Cech receives the 2026 William R. Cashen Service Award for his more than four decades of service to Nanook Nation.

The awards will be presented at the opening reception for UAF’s all-class reunion, Nanook Rendezvous, on July 16, 2026.

The Distinguished Alumnus Award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated meritorious service on behalf of UAF, distinguished accomplishments in business and professional life or outstanding contributions to community affairs.

Davies began his affiliation with UAF in 1967 at the Geophysical Institute and earned both his master’s and Ph.D. in geology and geophysics, focusing on seismology. He later served as Alaska’s state seismologist, followed by public service as a Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly member and a decade in the Alaska House of Representatives, where he was a strong advocate for the Interior and the university.

His career also includes leadership roles as research director for the UAF Cold Climate Housing Research Center, service on the University of Alaska Board of Regents from 2014–2022, and long-standing involvement with the UAF Alumni Association.

Davies is also widely respected for his volunteer service and leadership across numerous community and energy-focused organizations. His lifetime of service has strengthened the university, the Fairbanks community and the state of Alaska.

The William R. Cashen Service Award honors individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service to UAF and the alumni association.

For generations, Cech has been synonymous with UAF athletics, earning his reputation as the enduring and beloved “Voice of the Nanooks.” Born in Saginaw, Michigan, Cech began his broadcasting career in Fairbanks, where an early radio position quickly evolved into a lifelong connection with Nanook athletics and the Fairbanks community.

Now in his 37th season broadcasting Nanook hockey — his third season broadcasting remotely — Cech’s career has spanned nine head hockey coaches and 18 athletic and interim athletic directors. Cech credits the support of colleagues, friends and partners across UAF and Fairbanks, as well as the KSUA student radio station, for his successful career.

ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Felicia Burud, fjburud@alaska.edu, 907-474-7081

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