Frank Darnell is interviewed by Ron Inouye in Fairbanks, Alaska on August 28, 2001 and in Anchorage, Alaska on December 26, 2002. From his early years in Colorado, Darnell had an interest in Alaska. Initially through his family, then on Alaska Highway construction, to fieldwork for the U.S. Geological Survey, Darnell saw many different regions of the state. Once here as an educator, his experiences as a classroom teacher, school administrator, and Alaska Education Assn. Representative in Southeast and Southcentral prepared him for a role in fostering rural teacher preparation programs at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and in the creation of the Center for Northern Educational Research.