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With plucky pioneer grit and the mercury hovering around zero degrees, the Pioneers of Alaska held an outdoor coronation at the Ice Park Sunday afternoon.

Atop an ice block stage, William “Bill” and Nancy Mendenhall were ceremoniously installed as the 2008 Pioneer King and Queen regents in front of a small audience to muffled, mittened applause.

Last year’s regents, King Gary Nash and Queen Leslie Dunehew, arose from their bearskin-covered carved ice thrones and transferred their flowing, royal blue regalia, complete with sashes, crowns and a royal scepter to the Mendenhalls.

As 2008’s pioneer royalty, the Mendenhalls will represent Pioneer Men’s Igloo No. 4 and Pioneer Women’s Igloo No. 8 over the next year, traveling around the state to various functions.

The couple has always had an interest in the Pioneers of Alaska, becoming members in 1981.

“I joined the very minute I could,” said Bill, 84, who has held various chairs over the years and served as president of Igloo No. 4 in 1988.

Nancy, 83, also has been an active member over the years.

“They throw good parties,” she joked.

The Mendenhalls said they were shocked but honored to be invited to fill the regent positions.

“We will do our best for the Pioneers,” they both said in a recent interview.

The Mendenhalls enjoy not only the social gatherings of the organization but the history it continually collects about Alaska and its inhabitants.

Both are Midwesterners — Bill from Indianapolis and Nancy from the Milwaukee area — but each traveled to Alaska via different roads.

Bill arrived first.

After World War II service in the Army Air Corps, Bill was trained in meteorology and served as a weather officer stateside. After V-E Day he was given additional training in photo intelligence and served another year in California. Upon discharge, he returned to Cornell University to continue his engineering studies.

During the summer of 1948, Bill and a friend traveled north and took jobs as “point drivers” with the Fairbanks Exploration Company at Goldstream Camp near Fox. After graduating in 1949, he returned, working the summer as a “thaw assistant.” During the winter, he did engineering work at Zehnder Camp, located where the GVEA offices are today.

At the outbreak of the Korean War, Bill was recalled to military service and stationed for two years in Europe with the Corps of Engineers, before returning to Alaska again.

“I just liked Alaska. This was the place for me,” said Bill, explaining his third and final return to Fairbanks.

Nancy earned an associate of arts degree from Cottey College, a women’s college in Missouri and went on for her junior year to the University of Arizona before starting up an ice cream business in Tuscon.

“The Eskimo Ice Cream Company” may have turned her thoughts north, for after three years, Nancy applied to the University of Alaska. Upon acceptance, she sold her ice cream shop shares, took a train to Seattle and sailed to Alaska on the steamship Baranof.

Nancy majored in education and during her two years on campus, served on the student council, was ASUA treasurer, went to the Model United Nations in Berkeley and organized the first and only “Hell Week” for freshmen women.

During the summer, she was a tour guide at the Geophysical Institute, a job she loved. Between tours, she said, she was able to learn about all the interesting research projects being worked on.

Nancy won the Boswell at graduation and went on to become a second grade teacher at the new Nordale Elementary School.

Soon afterwards, Nancy and Bill met on a blind date. At the time, Bill was working as an engineer and surveyor for Philleo Engineering. A romance blossomed, and Nancy convinced Bill to play Santa Claus for her class.

“Bill bought a Santa suit at the Ben Franklin store,” Nancy wrote in a Pioneers biography. “Even if the suit wasn’t perfect, I’m sure the children didn’t mind. They were very impressed that I knew Santa, and he was such a great Santa Claus, I married him.”

Nancy and Bill tied the knot in 1954 and have lived in Fairbanks ever since, except for a year living in New York state while Bill earned a master’s degree in civil engineering at Cornell University.

The Mendenhalls have two sons, Bill and Jim, who are civil engineers, a daughter, Susan West, an attorney and six grandchildren, all of whom reside in Anchorage.

Nancy’s teaching career was short-lived, since she opted to be a stay-at-home mother, but her interest in education never waned. She served on the school board for 12 years, from 1963-1975.

In 1955 Bill took up teaching civil engineering at the university. He retired in 1990 after 35 years teaching a variety of engineering courses, specializing in surveying and aerial photo mapping. During the summer months, he put his expertise to work doing aerial photography and mapping for multiple projects around the state.

Since retirement, Bill continues to volunteer and work with students in the engineering department and serves as an advisor to the Tau Beta Pi engineering fraternity.

Bill was one of the founders of the Fairbanks Community Hospital Foundation and continues to serve on its board. He also stays active in the Fairbanks Sunrisers Rotary Club and serves on the Fairbanks North Star Borough Platting Board.

The longtime residents have no plans to retire out of state.

“Every time I go Outside, I’m happy to come back,” Bill said.

Nancy agrees. “This is home,” she said.