Otto William Geist aka Aghvook, was an archaeologist, explorer, and naturalist

Naturalist

Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...

 who worked in the circumpolar north and for the University of Alaska for much of his adult life.

Geist was born in Kircheiselfing, Bavaria

Bavaria

Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

, to Franz Antone Geist and his wife. He had 14 brothers and sisters.

Geist came to Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

 in the early 1920s with his brother Josef, and worked for the Alaska Railroad

Alaska Railroad

The Alaska Railroad is a Class II railroad which extends from Seward and Whittier, in the south of the state of Alaska, in the United States, to Fairbanks , and beyond to Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Wainwright in the interior of that state...

, as an engineer on board the sternwheeler Teddy R., and as a miner in Bettles, Alaska. In 1925 he began collecting Native artifacts and in 1926 began collecting for the university, with support from university president Charles E. Bunnell

Charles E. Bunnell

Charles Ernest Bunnell was a district judge for the United States Fourth Judicial Division and the University of Alaska's first president, from 1921 to 1949. He ran for Alaska Territorial Delegate to Congress on the Democratic Party ticket in 1914, but was defeated...

.

During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, Geist helped to organize the Alaska Territorial Guard

Alaska Territorial Guard

The Alaska Territorial Guard or Eskimo Scouts was a military reserve force component of the US Army, organized in 1942 in response to attacks on United States soil in Hawaii and occupation of parts of Alaska by Japan during World War II. The ATG operated until 1947...

.

The building on the University of Alaska Fairbanks

University of Alaska Fairbanks

The University of Alaska Fairbanks, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System, and is abbreviated as Alaska or UAF....

 campus currently known as Signer's Hall was named the Otto William Geist Building and housed the University's museum

University of Alaska Museum of the North

The University of Alaska Museum of the North is housed on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus.-Mission:The museum's mission is to acquire, conserve, investigate, and interpret specimens and collections relating to the natural, artistic, and cultural heritage of Alaska and the Circumpolar North...

. The museum moved to a new building on the campus's West Ridge during the 1980s, which was also named for Geist.

Geist Road, a section line road marking the southern boundary of the UAF campus, as well as a major arterial road on the west side of Fairbanks and the road connecting the Johansen Expressway

Johansen Expressway

The Johansen Expressway is an approximately 4.5-mile long expressway in Fairbanks, Alaska. The Johansen Expresway serves as a northern bypass to the city, and is notable for being the only highway in Alaska to have exit numbers...

 to the Parks Highway, was also named for him.