I am always excited when an outstanding educator earns recognition for their contributions to the teaching profession. That’s what this blog and website is all about! Today, I am excited to write about the selection of Cornel Pewewardy to the Oklahoma Educators Hall of Fame.

Dr. Cornel Pewewardy has been named a 2024 inductee into the Oklahoma Educators Hall of Fame. Photo credit: Oklahoma Educators Hal of Fame

Cornel is best-known for his research and scholarship, which have greatly influenced public and higher education, especially for Native American students, educators, and administrators. Through this research, he challenged and expanded the understanding of Indigenous education, teacher training, and tribal leadership preparation throughout the state of Oklahoma and nationwide.

With lineage that traces back to Comanche and Kiowa roots, Cornel once served as the Vice Chair of the Comanche Nation. He currently serves as an Associate Professor at the University of Central Oklahoma, a professor-of-practice at Kansas State University, and as an adjunct faculty member at numerous colleges and universities in Oklahoma and across the country. In addition, he’s an author and frequent presenter on Indigenous education issues.

Cornel inaugurated his career in education as a recreation assistant for Sequoyah Indian High School in Tahlequah in 1975. He then went on to serve in positions with the Bureau of Indian Affairs; the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico; the University of Oklahoma; the University of Minneapolis; Saint Paul (Minnesota) Public Schools; the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in Chickasha; Cameron University in Lawton; Union Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio; Haskell Indian Nations University and the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas; Comanche Nation College in Lawton; Portland State University in Oregon; and Kansas State University. He also founded the Comanche Academy Charter School in Lawton.

Cornel earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Northeastern State University (Tahlequah), a second Master’s degree from New Mexico State University, a post-graduate certificate from the University of New Mexico, and his PhD from Pennsylvania State University.

His induction into the Oklahoma Educators Hall of Fame is not the only recognition Cornel has earned. He has been named the Big XII Outstanding American Indian Faculty of the Year five times, and he also received the Crystal Eagle Award for Outstanding Leadership at the University of Kansas. He has also received the National Indian Education Association Lifetime Achievement Award, and honors from the University of Kansas Endowment Association, Portland State University, the Oregon Indian Education Association, and the Oklahoma Council for Indian Education.

Congratulations, Dr. Cornel Pewewardy!

Oklahoma school teacher Harriet Wright O’Leary was the first woman to serve on the tribal council of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Photo Credit: Public Domain

It is not often that I discover a woman educator who has served on a tribal council, but teacher Harriet Wright O’Leary was such an educator. She was the first woman to serve on the tribal council of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Harriet was born on Dec. 7, 1916, in Wapanucka, Oklahoma. Her father was Allen Wright, who served as the Principal Chief of the Choctaw Republic from 1866 to 1870. He also served for many years as an Indian agent for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Her mother, a descendent of passengers on the Mayflower, was a missionary.

As a young woman, Harriet graduated from McAlester High School and then enrolled at Hershey’s Commercial School. Later she attended Oklahoma College for Women in Chickasha. Today, the school is known as the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.

In 1950, Harriet accepted a position as a fourth grade teacher at Emerson School in McAlester. In 1958, she moved to Springfield, Missouri, where she taught courses at Southwest Missouri State College, known today as Missouri State University. In 1963, she accepted a position as a Language Arts consultant to the American Book Company, where she organized reading workshops for the company that urged educators to use the phonic system. In 1967, Harriet retired and relocated to McAlester.

After she retired from the classroom, Harriet was elected to serve on the newly-created Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Tribal Council in 1979 to 1983. This council was the first tribal council convened since Oklahoma became a state in 1907. In addition to Harriet, two other women were elected to serve on the council of 15 members.

For her tireless work as an educator and a pioneering tribal council member, Harriet was awarded an honorary doctorate from Marycrest College in Davenport, Iowa. She was also a member of the American Association of University Women, the Mayflower Society, and the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Sadly, Harriet passed away on Dec. 22, 1999, in McAlester, Oklahoma. She was 83 years old.

Native American teacher Catharine Brown of Alabama published a highly acclaimed memoir. Photo Credit: Public Domain

There are many examples of Native Americans who became teachers and leaders in their community. Some have also become celebrated authors. One of these was Catharine Brown, a Cherokee who, during the early 19th century, worked as a missionary teacher and writer.

Catherine was born at the turn of the century, circa 1800, in a small village in Cherokee Indian Territory, Alabama, approximately 25 miles southeast of the Tennessee River. Her parents, Yau-nu-gung-yah-ski (“Drowned by a Bear”), known by Westerners as John Brown, and Tsa-luh, known as Sarah, held a place of prominence in their tribe.

As a young girl of about 17, Catharine attended the Brainerd Missionary School. Her progress there was impressive. In only three months, she learned to read the Bible in the English language. Then she became a tutor to younger students in the school. May 1820, Catharine accepted a position as a teacher at a school for Native Americans established at Creek Path, her home town. The school opened with 20 students, but enrollment continued to grow, as both children and their parents were eager to learn.

In 1821, Catharine left the school to nurse her brother John, who had contracted tuberculosis. Unfortunately, he did not survive. Soon after he died, Catharine began to show symptoms of the deadly disease. By 1823, her condition was so serious that she was transported by canoe to the home of a missionary doctor. But, sadly, she died on July 18, 1823. She was not older than 23.

One year after her passing, Catherine’s biography was published. The volume, entitled Memoir of Catharine Brown, A Christian Indian of the Cherokee Nation, was widely distributed and became immensely popular. Largely forgotten in the following centuries, Catharine Brown has recently been rediscovered as an influential Native American leader and writer. You can find her memoir on amazon.