Fairbanks, Alaska The William Ransom Wood Centennial Bridge Spanning the Chena River this pedestrian-bicycle bridge connects the north bank near Doyon, The bridge’s namesake, the late Dr. William Ransom Wood, came to Alaska with his family in 1960 to serve as the fourth president of the University of Alaska. Wood continued to serve the Fairbanks community as mayor and many other civic duties. He envisioned the bridge as “a memorial to the brave indigenous people who came before and persisted through hardships, generation after generation. The Centennial Bridge is a tribute to the stamina and ability to cope with changing times.”