FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 2019
Muscogee (Creek) Nation announces 2019 Living Legends honorees
OKMULGEE, Okla. — The Muscogee (Creek) Nation announced the 2019 Living Legends honorees. The Living Legends induction began in 2005 and the ceremony continues on as a one of the annual Mvskoke Festival events.
Living Legends honorees are chosen from the nominations submitted to the Living Legends Selection Committee. In order to be considered for Living Legends, nominees must be Muscogee (Creek) citizens, aged 55 years or older and have made significant contributions to the Nation on local, national or international levels. Their impact could be through a variety of capacities including traditional, professional, education and more.
The 2019 inductees are: Michael Flud of Okmulgee, Okla., former MCN Principal Chief Bill Sunday Fife of Dustin, Okla., Martha Jean Froman of Tulsa, Okla., Margaret Floyd of Eufaula, Okla., and Reverend Patrick Freeman of Tahlequah, Okla.
Michael Flud was nominated as an educator and tribal leader within MCN. Flud served on the first Muscogee (Creek) Nation Supreme Court in 1979. He was a member of the court having been re-nominated in 1998 to his fourth consecutive six-year term. He served five terms as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Flud was instrumental in starting the College of the Muscogee Nation. He currently is the President of the Board of Regents for the College of the Muscogee Nation.
Bill Sunday Fife, Vietnam Veteran and former Muscogee (Creek) Nation Principal Chief, served six terms as Okfuskee District Representative to the Muscogee (Creek) National Council as well as Director of the Division of Tribal Affairs and as Secretary of the Nation.
He further served as Interim President and Executive Vice President for Bacone College in Muskogee, OK in addition to serving as Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
He also served on numerous boards and committees for national, tribal, state, and local organizations.
Martha Jean Froman has devoted over 34 years to Indian education serving as a teacher, counselor and administrator. She has made a positive impact on countless students and she continues to have strong relationships with many of her former students. She served as a counselor and administrator for the MCN operated Eufaula Indian Dormitory for 6 years.
During her years in Indian Education, she served on local and state boards and committees such as Indian Health Care Resource Center, Central Library, Indian Affairs Commission, Oklahoma State Education Committee on World Language, American Indian Institute with Oklahoma University and Oklahoma Council for Indian Education.
Margaret Floyd has taught hundreds of children and improved the quality of life for hundreds of Muscogee (Creek) citizens and their communities during her 91 years.
Granny Margaret as she is fondly called has volunteered as a foster grandparent for more than 30 years in McIntosh County.
She has been recognized with numerous awards including: the Ki Bois Community Action Foundation Granny of the Year Award in 2013, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services Volunteer and Community Partner Award in 2014 for mentoring over 150 children through 35,000 donated hours as a Foster Grandparent and other honors.
Floyd continues to support children with reading tutoring, study skills and through showing them love. She attends most school events and support to the students, teachers and coaches.
Reverend Patrick Freeman was the first Muscogee (Creek) citizen to attend a Methodist seminary. He has pastored Native American churches in Kansas and North Carolina where he was recognized for his ministry to the Eastern Band of Cherokees. He returned to Oklahoma to serve and minister in Tahlequah at DD Etchieson Memorial United Methodist Church.
Freeman’s ministry empowers Native people to build and support their faith communities. His churches are known for their generous outreach and he has inspired many other Native people to enter pastoral and ordained ministry. Freeman will soon celebrate 60 years as an ordained minister of the United Methodist Church.
The five inductees will be honored at the Living Legend Ceremony Thursday, June 20, 2019; at 11 a.m. at Faith Church in Glenpool, Okla. Lunch will be served directly after the ceremony.
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