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Rebounding from serious financial trouble, Bacone College in Oklahoma is reestablishing itself with a charter from the Osage Nation. It’s the state’s longest running university, looking forward to commemorating its 140th year. Leaders are aiming to become accredited as a tribal college with a particular focus on Native arts. The college was once known for producing Native artists who influenced a new style of art in the early to mid 1900s. The current president of the university, Ferlin Clark calls “Bacone Indian Art” the foundation of the Indian art movement. We’ll look at the university’s artistic legacy and it’s plans for the future.
Guests:
Dr. Ferlin Clark (Diné) – president of Bacone College
Gerald Cournoyer (Oglala Sioux) – department chair of the fine arts program at Bacone College
Sharon Ahtone-Harjo (Kiowa) – retired educator and artist
Johnnie Diacon (Muskogee) – artist
Break 1 Music: Mr. Tambourine Man (song) Tommy “T.C.” Cannon (artist)
Break 2 Music: Let’s Hop to It (song) Bryden Gwiss Kiwenzie (artist) Round Dance & Beats (Powwow) (album)
Re-inventing the campus is a bright idea, Timely and important because our human resources, the peoples, need retraining and guidance. Workforce training. College prep, vocational education, technologies are choices which develop the individual and once a plan is worked out there is economic impact.
In Year 1967, the Bacone College baseball rose to the highlight of the national JUCO power house and defeated the best Junior College baseball programs across the land of Arizona, Colorado, Florida and New York. This began the powerful Bacone Baseball program, in Year 1969-1971 I began my JUCO baseball career. With a 64-5 record in Year 1969, we journeyed to the National JUCO Baseball Finals in Grand Junction, Colorado, only to lose to South Georgia in the quarterfinals. Many of our players came from Oklahoma, South Carolina, Missouri and myself from the Navajo Nation. We had (1) Cherokee, (1) Shawnee and (1) Navajo on the (25) man roster. That year we had (3) players signed professional contract with the Yankees, Reds and Mets. Our coach was Negial King