Morton to speak at historical society meeting on May 21
The Sequoyah County Historical Society will meet at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 21, at their museum, located at 200 E. Creek in Sallisaw.
The Sequoyah County Historical Society will meet at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 21, at their museum, located at 200 E. Creek in Sallisaw.
Dr. W. Neil Morton will be the guest speaker. His subject will be the History of Early Sequoyah County.
Dr. Morton was born in the Dahlonegah community south of Stilwell. His wife, Patsy Eads, is from the Bell community, Dahlonegah’s neighbor to the east. Patsy is a former three-term council member of the Cherokee Nation. They have three children, all of whom are involved in providing service to Cherokee citizens.
He served as a senior advisor to administration for the tribe’s educational programs in a broad array of services to tribal citizens. He is a graduate of Northeastern State University (NSU) and University of Arkansas, where he received his Doctorate in Education in 1977.
His classroom teaching experience ranges from early childhood to graduate school. Administrative experiences include elementary and secondary principal, superintendent of schools and college dean. Upon his retirement from NSU, he was awarded the title of Emeritus Dean of the Graduate College by the Regents of Oklahoma Colleges. Dr. Morton has been active in Indian education during his entire professional career, including serving on Principal Chief W.W. Keeler’s Executive Cabinet. While at NSU, he served as program liaison between the Cherokee Nation and NSU.
In 1993, he co-authored with Dr. Rennard Strickland an assessment report of the original eight self-governance tribes.
He, along with Dr. Bob Blackburn and Dr. Duane King wrote a classroom text entitled Cherokee Nation, A History of Survival, Self Determination, & Identity. The book is currently in use in several public schools within the Cherokee Nation.
