Chickasaw Elders honored for dedication, service

Years of dedication and selflessness is the common thread that binds three Chickasaw elders who were recognized at the 2010 AARP Indian Elder Honors, recently conducted in Oklahoma City.

Melvin Imotichey, Mary Smith and Patricia Woods were among 50 Native American senior citizens who were honored at the event, representing more than 30 tribes.

“These three individuals are excellent examples of the leadership and selfless dedication demonstrated by many of our elders,” said Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby. “We are very grateful for their accomplishments. They have earned this wonderful recognition.” 

Imotichey, one of the few Native Americans who have coached on the college level, dedicated 35 years of his life working with young boys. He ended his coaching career at Haskell Indian Nations University and has also worked for the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations.

He is an inductee into the Murray State College Athletic Hall of Fame has been recognized as a National Junior College Athletic Association Coach of the Year.

Imotichey is often asked to share his message of overcoming adversity and the importance of education.

He continues the notion by serving as outreach and admissions counselor for the Cherokee Nation’s Talking Leaves Job Corp. In this capacity, Imotichey encourages young people to improve their lives through career technical and academic training

“To see a young person go on to better themselves feels great and I’m thankful to still be doing that,” he said.

Patricia Ann Woods began work with the Chickasaw Nation in 1972 as a Community Health Representative and currently serves as administrator of the Division of Program Operations.

She was the only woman ever elected to serve as chairman for the National Indian Council on Aging and was a member Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes for over 20 years.

Woods was instrumental in securing federal funding for tribal senior citizens programs all over the United States and was involved in drafting the 1983 Chickasaw tribal constitution. She is a past recipient of the Betsy D. Smith award from the Oklahoma Task Force on Minority Aging and is a charter member of the Oklahoma Indian Council on Aging.

As someone who has been active in tribal operations for decades, Woods says that her service has not only been rewarding but also a joy.

“It is a privilege to serve my tribe,” she said.  “To help in making a difference in so many people’s lives feels great—I have so much to be thankful for.”

Mary Smith works full-time for the Chickasaw Nation as resource manager for the tribe’s Career Development Initiative. In her position, she monitors, counsels and assists Chickasaw adults by helping them find and keep jobs.

She regularly volunteers her time to teach native hymns to Chickasaw elders and the Chickasaw language to youth.

“All of the time is worth it,” she said. “I’m doing it to benefit my people and to keep our culture alive.”

AARP Oklahoma Volunteer State President Marjorie Lyons said that the actions of the honorees have left a mark on their families, tribes, communities and the state as a whole.

“Whether they serve as tribal leaders, devoted themselves to cultural preservation or were simply a quiet source of strength to their family, this group embodies the qualities of AARP Founder Ethel Percy Andrus who lived by the motto ‘To serve and not to be served,’” she said.