Mark your calendars and plan on attending our annual members meeting to be held on Tuesday evening October 24 at the Peppermill Restaurant in Valentine starting at 5:30 PM CT. Members as well as the general public are welcome. We will have a buffet supper at 6 and at 7, Nancy Gillis will speak on the history of the Omaha, Ponca, Pawnee, Santee, and Winnebago Tribes. Nancy S. Gillis is the former Executive Director of the John Neihardt State Historic Site and the Neihardt Foundation’s Institute for Vision and Learning. Nancy joined the Foundation as Assistant Director in May 1997 and retired in 2014, joining its Board of Directors, and speaks to schools and civic groups on Neihardt’s work and a variety of related topics. Since 1992 she has served as faculty at Wayne State College, Northeast Community College, Nebraska Indian Community College, and Little Priest Tribal College teaching Native American History and Cultures, U.S. History, World History, Anthropology and Sociology.
Of Cherokee and Choctaw heritage, Gillis moved to Nebraska in 1987 to work with the Winnebago people for the Reformed Church in America and has served as their delegate to its Native American Council and the Commission for Race and Ethnicity.
Nebraska Humanities (HN) provides major funding for this program. HN receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Nebraska State Legislature, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and private donations. A short business meeting will follow the speaker. If you plan on coming for the meal please RSVP to Al Brock at 402-376-1164 or email us at sandhillspra@gmail.com The Sandhills Prairie Refuge Association is a non-profit supporting historical, visitor services, and wildlife projects at Ft. Niobrara, Valentine, and Seier National Wildlife Refuges. Hope to see you there.