Sundborg graduated from the University of Washington in 1934 and then chronicled the world as a reporter for a variety of newspapers, first from Grays Harbor and later as an editor of his own Alaska paper, the Juneau Independent. He was one of the primary authors of the Alaska constitution, which was drafted in 1955 and 1956. He left newspapers to become an administrative assistant to U.S. Sen. Ernest Gruening, D-Alaska. In 1971, he moved back to Washington State and later received an award from the U.S. Department of Interior for assistance in transferring land at Fort Lawton to the city of Seattle to create Discovery Park. From his Magnolia home, he wrote for magazines and other publications; volunteered at Seattle Children’s hospital; supported many charities and food banks; and was president of the Magnolia Bluffers, a seniors group. With his wife, Mary, he also established a law-school endowment at Seattle University for residents from Alaska.