OKLAHOMA CITY – A dozen Cherokee Nation elders were recognized at the 17th annual AARP Oklahoma Native American Elder Honors.
This year’s honorees included educators, veterans, artists, tribal leaders, culture preservationists and everyday heroes. Cherokee honoree Simeon Gipson, a competitive cyclist who turns 80 this month, said he was surprised but grateful to receive the honor.
“I was actually the only one for, I guess, physical activity,” he said. “Most of them were tribal leaders, businessmen and all that kind of thing.”
The CN citizens were among 49 Native American elders from 23 Oklahoma tribal nations to receive the annual honor. This year’s ceremony was held Nov. 5 at the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City to honor the elders’ “achievements, community service and impact,” according to the AARP…