Steve W. Hackett ’68 of Homer, Alaska, died February 26, 2011. Steve was born in Monterey, Calif., in 1945. The son of a national park ranger, his passion for wilderness was lifelong. He was a graduate of Estes Park High School and earned a professional degree in geophysical engineering from Mines, where he was a member of Blue Key Honor Society, Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, Sigma Gamma Epsilon honor society, and the track and field team. Shortly after graduation, he moved to Alaska, where he earned a master’s degree in geology and geophysics in 1977 from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
In addition to being a geologist, Steve worked as a trail crew foreman in Rocky Mountain National Park; a mountaineering guide and back country ranger in Denali National Park; an avalanche specialist, safety instructor and ski instructor at Alyeska ski area; and a math and science teacher, and home school contact teacher for Interior Distance Education of Alaska. He married Ann Hackett in 1987 after they met on the Ruth Glacier, where he maintained a base camp and a dogsledding service. Steve enjoyed the outdoors, climbing, traveling and volunteering. He is survived by his wife, Ann.
