Archived News Item

On Thursday, May 24 2012, Delaware tribal member Gayle Hatch went to the opening of the Native American Olympic Exhibit at the Smithsonian and had the opportunity to stand beside Jim Thorpe’s son and the legendary Billy Mills, first American to win the 10,000 Meters. Now who is Gayle Hatch, you ask? Let me tell you a few things that I have found out in the past few weeks about this remarkable tribal member:

In his early youth Gayle Hatch lived in Muskogee, Oklahoma, until his father moved the family to Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the age of 10. Gayle remembers fondly coming back to Oklahoma and traveling to Tulsa to visit his grandmother, who was Delaware, and grandfather, who was Wyandotte. His grandmother, the president of the Tulsa Indian Women’s Club at the time, told stories of what it was like when she was young, telling him what she had heard about the Trail of Tears and other Native people. She gave Gayle a book about Jim Thorpe that would influence the rest of his life. Looking through the book he saw all of the pictures and marveled at the accomplishments of the man he looked up to and decided he wanted to be like. Gayle went to his father and asked him if he would help him reach his goal. His father made him promise to give it 100% and he did.

Going to Baton Rouge’s Catholic High School, Gayle kept that goal in mind and proceeded to excel in basketball, football, and track. He set school records in basketball, averaging 35 points and 23 rebounds, records that still hold 55 years later! He attended Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana where he played basketball, again setting records those have lasted 51 years. After college, Gayle was drafted into the ABL (American Basketball League) where he played for the Chicago Majors for a few years before returning back home.

While building his real estate business in Baton Rouge, Gayle started working out with Alvin Roy, a local gym owner, on a weightlifting/strength and conditioning program. When a group of investors bought out Alvin’s gym, he told them the best thing for them to do would be hire Gayle to run the place. So after an offer and several discussions his wife Peggy, Gayle accepted the position and started on the path that has led to 49 National and American Championships. Coach Hatch developed the Hatch System for weightlifting/strength and conditioning, which six National Football champion teams have used during their championship seasons. At the 2000 Olympic Trials he was presented an award for being the winningest coach and has been inducted into multiple Halls of Fame over the years.

In the summer games of 2004 Gayle was honored to serve as the head coach of the USA Men’s Olympic Weightlifting Team. “It’s like climbing Mt. Everest and reaching the summit! You remember everything that had brought you to this point. Parents, grandparents, coaches, teammates, everyone is there with you. Then it is down to business and getting to the matter of why you are here.”

Both Gayle and his wife Peggy will be going to the 2012 Games in London this year. Neither has had the opportunity to visit England yet and they are looking forward to touring the countryside while cheering on the US Olympic Team as they strive for greatness. We are honored to have a photo of Gayle in his 2004 Olympic uniform which hangs in the Wellness Center where, under the gaze of this great man, you can work out 8 AM to 8 PM Monday-Friday and 8 AM to 1 PM on Saturdays.

Osage Financial Resources, Inc. is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization and Native CDFI, out of Pawhuska, that assists residents of Osage and surrounding counties with; asset building, credit restoration, classes on home purchases, financial education and various loans. As a Native CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution), OFR has to qualify individuals by our income guidelines. These programs are for Native Americans and Non-Native Americans.

What is an IDA?

Individual Development Account – is a match savings account that allows the participant to save their own money and receive a matching amount at the ratio set by that company.

OFR IDA Requirements

• 18 or older
• First-time college student, or can’t have completed more than 23 credit hours
• Resident of Osage County or surrounding counties(Kay, Noble, Pawnee, Tulsa, Washington)
• Max of 42% Debt-to-Income ratio for Down Payment
• Must have part-time job for Post-Secondary Education IDA

Osage Financial Resources
IDA Programs

There are two different IDA saving goals that participants can choose from:

Post-Secondary Education IDA – Participants must open their account with a deposit of $100. For the six month IDA, it is $40.00 a month over five months or $18.00 a month over twelve months, for a total of $300.00 of their own savings. This will be matched 8:1. In the end, participants will have $300.00 of their savings, and $2,400 in match from OFR, for a total of $2,700 towards a post-secondary education asset purchase.

Allowable purchases for participants saving for postsecondary education: books, tuition, laptops, and education-related materials and equipment.

Down Payment IDA – OFR is willing to work with participants who would like to save from six months to two years in this IDA program. Participants must open their account with a deposit of $100. Thus, for example, participants saving for a homeownership asset purchase could deposit $200.00 a month over six months, $150.00 a month over eight months, $120.00 a month over ten months, $100.00 a month over twelve months, or $50.00 a month over twenty-four months, for a total of $1,200 of their own savings. This will be matched 3:1. In the end, they will have $1,200 of their savings, and $3,600 in match from OFR, for a total of $4,800 towards a homeownership asset purchase.

Allowable purchases for those saving for homeownership: closing costs, down payment and taxes and insurance on a home, manufactured home, modular home, or mobile home. Lease to purchase homes do not qualify for the Homeownership IDA.

These two programs are for individuals that are looking towards homeownership or furthering their education. It is first-come/first-serve and there are no catches. We have reviewed many IDA programs and there is no program that gives an 8 to 1 match on their Post-Secondary IDA. That helps cover at least a third of a year at Junior College, third of a semester at a university, and, at Tri-County Tech in Bartlesville, covers all cost of 12 programs and pays 60% of the remaining three programs. We have a limited amount of funds/slots so if you are interested please call 918-287-1989 or visit our offices at Stoneridge Estates in Pawhuska.

Osage Financial Resources
Loan Programs

OFR has three loan programs:

Homeownership and Home Improvement

• The home/home improvement loan is up to $100,000 with a 3% down payment required.
• Must have at least a 600 credit score to enter program and qualify by our debt-to-income ratio (42%).
• The interest rate will not go above 6% and the lowest it will go is 4%.
• Must complete Homebuyer Education class

Credit Builder

• Is a $500 loan with a 6-month term
• Must qualify under OFR’s income guidelines
• Debt-to-Income ratio can’t exceed 50%
• Complete Financial Education class

These are programs that have the goals of improving or building a credit score, give financial and homebuyer education, improvement on a current home, or purchasing a home. OFR’s Homeownership Program has just started and we are ready to help those that are interested!! Please call 918-287-1989 for more information or you can stop by our
offices at Stoneridge Estates in Pawhuska.

Ryan Malone
Development Services Coordinator
Osage Financial Resources, Inc.
r.malone34@yahoo.com
1825 E. Main Street,
P.O. Box 835
Pawhuska, OK 74056

Dr. Brice Obermeyer, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Emporia State University, and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Delaware Tribe of Indians will give a lecture on Monday, June 11 at 7:30 PM, at the Kansas State Historical Society Potawatomi Baptist Mission in Topeka, Kansas. The lecture is entitled “The Delaware Reservation in Kansas” and is given as part of the Kansas Archeology Training Program Field School 2012.

It is free and open to the public.

By Abigail Singrey
asingrey@examiner-enterprise.com
May 8, 2012

The Delaware Tribe of Indians broke ground Monday on a 4,600 square foot Social Services Building.

“This is a very exciting day,” Chief Paula Pechonick said.

The $800,000 building will include office space, a conference room, a break room, restrooms and a reception area. It will be a pre-engineered metal building with exterior walls covered with manufactured stone. The building is being constructed with grant money.

The building will allow the tribe to house the manager of social services and other administrative employees in Bartlesville. New fiber lines will be run to allow the administration to use the latest technology to support the growing tribal government, Zunigha said.

“The main focus is to get all the services in one area so it is a one-stop shop for tribal members,” tribal council member Jenifer Pechonick said.

A tribal library will also be housed in the building, which will allow tribal members to research their ancestors, Pechonick said. The tribal council hopes to someday construct a separate building to house a museum and library, Zunigha said.

The Delaware Tribe of Indians has only developed a third of their 80-acre campus on Madison Boulevard in Bartlesville, so they have room to continue to expand, Zunigha said.

“[This groundbreaking] is indicative of the growth and development strategy the tribe has,” said Curtis Zunigha, tribal manager. “… We are out to meet the needs of our tribal membership, and we are making sure that we have the administrative support we need, both from our staff and [our] physical infrastructure capabilities.”

The Delaware Tribe of Indians is based in Bartlesville and has 10,000 members nationwide.

• 
• Members of the Delaware Tribe of Indians Council, from left, Janifer Brown, Nate Young, Chief Paula Pechonick, Assistant Chief Chester Brooks and Jenifer Pechonick break ground Monday for a new Social Services Building at the tribal headquarters in Bartlesville.

• 
• An artist’s rendering shows the proposed design of the 4,600 square foot Social Services Building. It will be built at the Delaware Tribe of Indians headquarters in Bartlesville.

Happy St. Tammany’s Day!

As ratified by the U.S. Congress back in 2003, today, May 1, would be St. Tammany Day, a day of recognition in honor of one of the more peaced-out dudes to ever walk these streets, the mighty Lenape chief Tamanend. Who he, you ask?

Tamanend or Tammany or Tammamend, the “affable” (c. 1628–c. 1698), was a chief of one of the clans that made up the Lenni-Lenape nation in the Delaware Valley at the time Philadelphia was established. Tamanend is best known as a lover of peace and friendship who played a prominent role in the establishment of peaceful relations among the Native American tribes and the English settlers who established Pennsylvania, led by William Penn.

Tamanend reputedly took part in a meeting between the leaders of the Lenni-Lenape nation, and the leaders of the Pennsylvania colony held under a large elm tree at Shakamaxon in the early 1680s. There, Tamanend is reported to have announced that the Lenni-Lenape and the English colonists would “live in peace as long as the waters run in the rivers and creeks and as long as the stars and moon endure.” These words have been memorialized on the statue of Tamanend that stands in Philadelphia today.

That statue, by the way, stands just a block from our offices, at Front and Market streets, and bears the legend that “Tamanend was considered the patron saint of America by the colonists prior to American Independence.” It’s also worth noting that, so legendary were his good vibes, “Tammany Festivals” had all but replaced May Day festivals in these parts by the late 1700s. We’re told that a society in Philadelphia called The Order of St. Tammany still exists, and somewhere, today, they are celebrating Tamanend’s sweet vibe, and wondering how we might all get back to it.

From the web site Philebrity (http://www.philebrity.com/2012/05/01/happy-st-tammanys-day/).

A historic Delaware community (1820-1830) in southwest Missouri

Dr. Marcie L. Venter and Dr. Neal H. Lopinot
Center for Archaeological Research
Missouri State University

Tuesday, May 15

12:30 pm

at the

Delaware Community Center
Tuxedo Blvd., East of Highway 75

Join us for lunch with the tribal elders at 12:00 noon, followed by the lecture

Sponsored by the Delaware Tribe Historic Preservation Office (DTHPO) and the Delaware Tribe Cultural Preservation Committee

VIEW FLYER

The Flint Hills Conference provides an annual forum for current research on the peoples and histories of the central and southern plains while also encouraging submissions that address tribal engagement in regional archaeological research and historic preservation efforts.

The 2012 Flint Hills Conference will be held on April 6, 2012 on the campus of Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas, with sponsorship and technical support provided by the Delaware Tribe, the Osage Nation and ESU’s Center for Great Plains Studies.

In the spirit of one of the world’s greatest athletes, the Jim Thorpe Native American Games will bring together thousands of Native American Athletes from across the United States and Canada to compete in nine sports.

Oklahoma City will play host to the Games throughout the week of June 10-17, 2012. They will showcase the talents of these athletes and also preserve the heritage and build pride and positive lifestyles among Native American Athletes. The competition will highlight the Native American athletes who revolutionized today’s popular sports and the rising star athletes who are making a positive change across the country.

Along with the athletic competition, activities will include a Parade of Nations Opening Ceremony, Stickball exhibitions, trade show and Interactive Exhibits and Clinics.

For more information, go to www.jimthorpegames.com

The Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma has partnered with Grand Gateway Area Agency on Aging for the sixth year.

Ed Crone, executive director of Grand Gateway, recently accepted a check from David Ray, president, the Masonic Charity Foundation, in the amount of $63,346 to help with direct services for the age 55 and over population in Craig, Delaware, Mayes, Nowata, Ottawa, Rogers and Washington Counties of northeast Oklahoma.

Grand Gateway Area Agency on Aging, because of the Masonic Charity Foundation, has been able to help people with such needs as ramps, utilities, small home repair, pest control, car repair, dental and many other needs. This funding is meant to help meet needs of the senior population where there is no other resource available to help.

For a specific need, call Grand Gateway and ask for an application, 1-800-482-4594.