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Cherokee National Holiday awardees go above and beyond in selfless ways to serve the public and our tribe. From a place of love, they lead, serve, sacrifice and create. Exemplifying Cherokee values, their legacy is part of our nation’s legacy.
Cherokee National Holiday PARADE MARSHAL
A pastor of House of Praise Church (Marble City, Okla.) and president of Marble City Food Pantry & Youth Services, Clifton Pettit serves his community with great diligence and has helped provide food security for Cherokees for the past 20 years. Marble City Food Pantry & Youth Services has been recognized with the Language Perpetuation Award and Above & Beyond Award by Cherokee Nation Community & Cultural Outreach. In 2020, Pettit was nominated and confirmed by Cherokee Nation as a governing board member for the Cherokee Immersion School. He is a proud husband, father of two, grandfather of four and great grandfather of one.
A staunch advocate for tribal economic development, Phil Busey is the chairman of Delaware Resource Group of Oklahoma, LLC. He founded the Oklahoma City-based global aerospace company in 2002 with his wife, Cathy.
Busey received his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctorate from Oklahoma City University. Martindale Hubbell has recognized him as an AV rated attorney for the past 25 years, and the group ranks him in the top 1% of lawyers for ethics and abilities.
He serves on the board of trustees for Oklahoma City University and the board of the Oklahoma City/County Health Department. He is also a professor lecturer in the aerospace program at the University of Oklahoma.
A fifth-generation railroader from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Jon McGrath started working for his father at the age of 14 during the summers on a railroad track crew. McGrath would later move up to equipment operator, track foreman, superintendent, vice president and president.
Since 1990, he has hosted the McGrath Breakfast in Tulsa every Saturday morning, so that national, state, tribal and local elected officials and community leaders may introduce each other and break down barriers. Recently, his colleagues from around the world elected him to the Global Ukraine Rail Task Force to assist the Ukrainian Railroad in operating under war conditions. McGrath and his father, J. M. “Bud” McGrath, were inducted into the Railroad Hall of Fame in 2023.
Maj. Gen. Archer L. Durham, a command pilot with more than 6000 flying hours, served in the U.S. Air Force for 36 years. Durham was the Commanding General at Andrews Air Force Base. He also served in Japan, The Philippines, France, Korea and the Pentagon.
In April 1993, President Bill Clinton nominated him as Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration in the Department of Energy. Among other duties, Durham oversaw the management of more than 14,000 personnel until his retirement in 1998.
Durham is a graduate of Pasadena City College, Utah State University, George Washington University and the National War College. After retiring, Durham was awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Medal and the Secretary of Energy’s Gold Award.
The Cherokee Nation and U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System (EOVAHCS) officially opened its Vinita VA Outpatient Clinic inside the tribe’s Vinita Health Center in May 2024. EOVAHCS serves more than 50,000 Veterans across Eastern Oklahoma. The historic partnership now provides a VA clinic inside the Cherokee Nation Vinita Health Center for area veterans. The 1,300 square feet of leased space with a VA Primary Care Team serves Native and non-Native veterans in Eastern Oklahoma. Native Americans, including Cherokees, are thought to have more citizens serving per capita than any other ethnic group. “This first-of-its-kind VA healthcare facility is a testament to our partnership with Cherokee Nation and our commitment to providing exceptional care to veterans,” said Kimberly Denning, DNP, RN, Executive Director of EOVAHCS.
The humorous, fantastical, historical and everyday experiences of Cherokees inspire Roy Boney, Jr.’s paintings and mixed media works. Boney has served as an educator and advocate for the Cherokee language and the Native arts community for more than 20 years. He is perhaps best known for his “sketch-a-day” project, where collectors of his work take joy in placing bids on daily pieces.
He has exhibited and contributed artwork and articles to Gilcrease Museum, Oxford University Press, Marvel Comics and First American Art Magazine among others. In 2022, he was designated a Master Artist by the Five Civilized Tribes Museum. In 2024, he joined Cherokee Film as a Cherokee language film and media producer.
Cherokee ribbon shirts, tear dresses and other regalia from Darrell Littledeer have been a fixture at powwows and Cherokee Ambassador competitions for more than 40 years. As a seamster of traditional clothing, Littledeer’s work honors Cherokee culture and the attire of our ancestors. The works he has created while living in the Cherry Tree community are highly regarded by many in the Cherokee Nation. Over the years, he has shared his talents through numerous workshops at community events and school cultural days. He engages and educates many about the significance of traditional Cherokee clothing, serving as an instrumental mentor.
The basketry of Louisa Soap, a first-language Cherokee speaker, is renowned throughout the country. First learning the art from Cherokee National Treasure Thelma Forrest, Soap and her sister taught themselves to dye basketry with bloodroot, walnut, sumac, poke berry and wild onion skins. Along with her mastery of basketmaking, she learned to create beadwork and clay pottery.
She has received commissions from Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and former U.S. president Jimmy Carter. Bud Adams, the former owner of the Tennessee Titans, acquired one of her works, “Cherokee Wedding Vase,” while attending the Cherokee National Holiday Art Show. Cherokee Nation Gift Shop has sold her artwork for more than 30 years.
In 1988, Cheryl Rogers Cohenour started her business as a small, woman-owned environmental consulting company that specialized in hazardous waste consulting. Cohenour went on to form Cherokee CRC as a joint venture with Cherokee Nation Businesses (CNB), merged the business with CNB in 2007 and retired from the company in 2015. She is currently an independent business consultant.
With a heart for community service, Cohenour has served on the Environmental Protection Commission for the Cherokee Nation and helped implement the recycling program for the city of Tulsa. She is the chairman of the Greater Tulsa Area Indian Affairs Commission and former president of the Will Rogers Memorial Foundation. Currently, she is leading the development of Dream Keepers Park.
After a distinguished journalism career of more than 50 years, Sam Ford retired as the D.C. bureau chief of WJLA-TV. Ford has been recognized with awards from the Associated Press, the National Academy of Arts & Sciences and many other organizations. In 2023, he was inducted into the D.C. Pro Chapter Hall of Fame by the Society of Professional Journalists.
Ford is extremely interested in history and genealogy. He is a descendant of slaves owned by Cherokees and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Interviews with his great grandmother appear in the WPA Slave Narratives and the Indian Pioneer Papers. He has produced television documentaries about his African and Cherokee roots.
The mission of the Cherokee Cultural Community (Dewey, Okla.) is to educate and preserve our cultures for all future generations. Its board was formed in February 2022, and the Cherokee Nation purchased its property in March 2022. Its community building saw a major remodeling project from June 2022 through April 2023. The community currently has 135 members who have demonstrated resilience and resolve to share the traditions they hold dear. It frequently hosts events for Cherokee Nation citizens, with recent topics including ribbon skirts, tribal registration and hunting & fishing practices.
The Kansas City Cherokee Community (KCCC) is a nonpolitical, nonprofit organization whose members reside outside of the Cherokee Nation reservation. Its mission is to strengthen membership awareness through education on the language, history, culture, heritage, and traditions of the Cherokee people. Founded in 2010, the community currently has 186 members. Frequently recognized by Cherokee Nation Community & Cultural Outreach, its recent honors include the Cherokee Language Perpetuation At-Large Award, the Community Partnership Award, Organization of the Year, Living in Balance and the Above & Beyond Award. Its 2024 meeting with the Cherokee Nation saw more than 1000 attendees.
