Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski pays tribute to Bill Demmert on senate floor

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski pays tribute to Bill Demmert from the senate floor on Feb. 1.

Demmert, who passed away on Jan. 19 at age 75, retired from his position as professor of education at Western Washington University in 2008. He first came to WWU in 1992.

Of Oglalla Sioux and Tlingit heritage, Demmert received his doctorate in Education from Harvard in 1973. While attending the university, he worked in the U.S. Senate for Senators Ted Kennedy and Walter Mondale on the original Indian Education Act.

Over his career, Demmert has made extensive contributions in the areas of higher education, research and policy, advancing public understanding of issues related to Indigenous education and his extensive research into indigenous languages.