Dr. Mark Tuccillo plans to retire after nearly 30 years practicing in Petersburg

Dr. Mark Tuccillo has practiced family medicine in Petersburg since 1993 and soon plans to taper toward retirement starting at the end of October 2022.

Growing up in New Jersey, his grandfather glorified Alaska, where he had crash-landed as an aviator with the Army Air Core, forcing him to walk over a week to the nearest village. "He had us all hooked talking about dogsledding and polar bears," Tuccillo remembers. "It was sensationalism, but it stuck with me."

Certain he would become a doctor, the only question was would he follow his grandfather's story to Alaska. "I thought Montana would be...