U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, eight others tapped for Oklahoma Hall of Fame

This article appeared in the August 2017 edition of the Chickasaw Times

OKLAHOMA CITY – Chickasaw citizen and longtime Fourth District U.S. Rep. Tom Cole is among nine people to be inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in November.

It is the highest honor bestowed by the state.

The 2017 honorees join 683 individuals who have been inducted into the hall since its inception in 1928.

Rep. Cole will join Gov. Bill Anoatubby in the Hall. Gov. Anoatubby was inducted in 2004.

Rep. Cole has served 16 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. He holds a Ph.D. in British history and is a renowned historian and scholar.

He resides in Moore, Okla.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be in the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, particularly special for me because it’s the 60th anniversary my great aunt Te Ata was inducted,” Rep. Cole said. “So, to have that special forebear, who was a world famous Indian artist and Chickasaw, makes it very, very special.”

His great aunt was Mary Thompson Fisher whose stage name was “Te Ata,” meaning “bearer of the morning.” She was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1957. She was an Indian actress and storyteller who toured Europe, entertained royalty and was a favorite of President Franklin Roosevelt and first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Additionally, Rep. Cole’s famous kin was named the first Oklahoma “Treasure” in 1987 and the first woman inducted into the Chickasaw Nation Hall of Fame.

Rep. Cole will join Checotah native Carrie Underwood, who won “American Idol” in 2005 and has since become a seven-time Grammy-winning country music star; Edmondite Shannon Miller, winner of seven medals — including two gold — in Olympic gymnastics; Sapulpan Tom Colbert, the first African-American to serve as chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court; Piedmont resident Bob Funk, founder of Express Employment Professionals; Ardmoreite Hal Smith, founder of Hal Smith Restaurants; and Edmondite Phil Parduhn, chairman of Pelco Products Inc., and Claremore-based Pelco Structural LLC.

Two honorees will be inducted posthumously.

Sequoyah, who died in 1859, invented the Cherokee syllabary even though he could not read. His innovative breakthrough in the early 1820s made it possible for Cherokees to write, read, translate literature and publish newspapers in their native language. Also due induction is Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher, an Oklahoma civil rights activist.

This year’s class will formally join the hall at the 90th Oklahoma Hall of Fame Banquet & Induction Ceremony Nov. 16 at the Cox Convention Center in downtown Oklahoma City. To commemorate the 90th induction, 21-time Grammy winner Vince Gill and Emmy and Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth, both Oklahoma Hall of Famers, will return to their home state to serve as emcees for the ceremony.

Tickets and table sponsorships for the 2017 Oklahoma Hall of Fame Banquet & Induction Ceremony go on sale Aug. 25. For more information about the event or Oklahoma Hall of Fame nominations, contact Madison Nash at (405) 523-3203 or mn@oklahomahof.com.