When Roger Aitken of Walker died in February at age 74, the voice of one of the region’s most ardent advocates of American Indian education was quiet, but hardly silenced.

Those whose lives he touched say they carry his passion with them.

Aitken, who graduated from Bemidji State in 1973 with a double major in business management and sociology, served 20 years as a member of the BSU Alumni Board of Directors and the BSU Foundation board and participated in two presidential searches. He was named an Outstanding Alumni in 2003.

Dr. Anton Treuer, professor of Ojibwe, remembers how Aitken challenged administrators to construct the American Indian Resource Center, which opened in 2003.

“He was a great, charismatic, charming man who could run a meeting very efficiently and had a gift of pulling people together,” Treuer said. “I think his vision and ability to convince people of that vision was pretty impactful.”

This spring, in recognition of Aitken’s commitment and service, BSU renamed its annual American Indian student leadership award in his honor.

Aitken, who served in the Army during the Vietnam War, made an impact beyond Bemidji. He worked for the Indian Education Section of the Minnesota Department of Education; played a key role in the development of Leech Lake Tribal College; and served as chairman of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, superintendent of the Bureau of Indian Affairs-Minnesota Agency and the first executive director of the Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes.