Dr. Andrew Embick                        

            Dr. Andrew Embick, 52, died May 28, 2003, in Valdez. A memorial serviced is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, June 7, at the Valdez Civic Center.

            Embick grew up in Salem, Ore., and attended Pomona College. He studied at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. He graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1977. After a year with the Indian Health Service in Nevada and Arizona, Dr. Embick joined Dr. Bernard Gerard at the Valdez Medical Clinic.

            Dr. Embick continued in private practice until last fall when he took a sabbatical to practice medicine in the northern provinces of Pakistan. He spent six months in the Hunza valley treating people in remote mountain villages. Dr. Embick walked and biked almost 15,000 miles to provide free medical care. Many of his 1,500 Hunza patients had never seen a doctor before his visit.

            A leading authority on Alaskan whitewater and ice climbing, Dr. Embick published two books, “Fast and Cold: A Guide to Alaska Whitewater” and “Blue Ice and Black Gold,” a guide for ice climbing in Alaska.  Both books are considered primary references on their subjects.

            Dr. Embick’s outdoor career began with rock climbing as a teenager, progressing to mountaineering expedition leader. He enjoyed competing in many sports including bicycling, kayaking, biathlon, international ski marathons and other races. His other interests included hunting, gourmet cooking and rowing. He made much of his own sports gear, using fiberglass, carbon fiber and epoxy to construct boxes, oars and boats.

            Dr. Embick initiated construction of the Valdez cross-country ski trails and biathlon range and was a generous supporter of the Valdez High School cross-country ski team. He was the founder and life member of the Valdez Nordic Ski Club. He supported state and national ski associations in addition to the Sierra Club, American Rivers, Ducks Unlimited, the Central Asia Institute and the American Alpine Association. 

His family said: “Andy was a passionate, dynamic force of nature. He had an intense intellectual and physical curiosity, and enough courage to keep discovering new natural and human wonders his entire life. He saved many lives as a physician, enriched many more with tales and feats of adventure, and was loved deeply by those closest to him.”