Gareth Wright grew up in Nenana and always had a passion for animals. He was a competitive musher who won both major Alaskan sprint sled dog races, the Open North American Championship twice (1950 and 1983), the Fur Rendezvous World Championship three times (1950, 52, and 57), and numerous other races. His career spanned six decades of competitive racing, beginning in 1947 and culminating in a win at the Tok Race of Champions in 1990. His contributions to sled dog racing include helping to found the Alaska Dog Mushers Association and the Alaskan Sled Dog Racing Association as well as starting races in both Soldotna and Tok. Gareth is renowned for developing the sled dog breed the “Aurora Husky.” At the age of 13, he got his first sled dog from Jimmy Bruce, a quarter Irish Settler, quarter wolf, half husky male with characteristic black spots on its tongue that distinguished it as a Johnny Allen dog. Allen was a top musher in the 1930’s and all of the top teams of the time could be traced back to that bloodline so Gareth set out to recreate the breed himself. He crossed an Irish Settler to four females from the same litter as his first Allen Dog but never had luck adding in the wolf he already had. Over the years he tried different huskies until he got a blue-eyed Saint Laurence Siberian Husky and that eye color became predominant. Gareth aimed to breed for the characteristics of a red, blue-eyed dog with floppy ears, and bred many top lines of dogs into his Aurora Husky breed. For him, the main characteristics of a good sled dog were: speed, endurance, good feet and a tight tug line. He was one of the most influential breeders of his time and his bloodline created the cornerstone of the modern racing sled dog that most mushers rely on in all classes of races to this day: sprint, mid and long distance racing. Gareth along with his wife Miranda, was most proud of watching his family grow and surpass his racing career success. Starting with his daughters Roxy Wright and Shannon Erhart, continuing with grandchildren Ramy Brooks and Carey Erhart, as well as many others. In a recent tribute to Gareth, Tom Huntington said, “Those that were close to Gareth would say, ‘being the best husband, best dad, best grandpa, best great grandpa, and best fiend would best describe a man who was a true gentleman.’ The sport of dog mushing was blessed by his presence. He left it better when he was done.”