Chilocco Indian School in north-central Oklahoma operated from 1884 until its last graduating class in 1980. Throughout that time, over 17,000 students from 126 different tribes passed through its halls.
This May, former students and the family of former students can attend a reunion hosted by the Chilocco National Alumni Association. This year, the annual reunion will be Thursday, May 28 through Saturday, May 30, at Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s North Reunion Hall, 1702 Gordon Cooper Dr., Shawnee. It will be the 120th reunion since the first banquet in 1904 for the first graduating class and their families (with no reunions in 2021 or 2022 due to the Covid pandemic).
Registration for the reunion will open at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 28, then again at 8 a.m. Friday, May 29.
There will be a memorabilia area with yearbooks on display from the early 1920s through 1980, as well as Michael Littlevoice’s personal military display that includes Chilocco’s military history through World War II and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. Any and all are invited to stop by to view the memorabilia.
On Friday morning and afternoon, Oklahoma State University Oral Language History Program Director Sarah Milligan will show videos related to Chilocco, including documentaries and individual interviews.
Friday events will also include a cookout lunch at 11:30 a.m. and bingo from 7 to 9 p.m.
Saturday’s events will start with a veterans breakfast at 7:30 a.m. (tickets for the breakfast will be $12), followed by a business meeting and election at 10 a.m. Attendees will do lunch on their own and are welcome to visit the CPN Cultural Heritage Center and Gift Shop. The event will close with a banquet at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the banquet are $22.
Some notable graduates from Chilocco include Emmet “Mike” Harding, who teamed up with Vernon Rudolph to start Krisy Kreme Donuts; Clarence Tinker, one of the only American Indian two star generals and for whom Tinker Air Force Base is named; and two Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, Col. Earnest Childers and Lt. Jack Montgomery.
To ask about a form to register in advance, contact [email protected] or call 405-612-1099. Attendees can also register on site at the event.
For more information about the Chilocco National Alumni Association, visit cnaa.info. Alumni, families of alumni or former employees are all welcome to join the alumni association and participate in reunion activities.