MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – MAY 9, 2022
The Bacone College Board of Trustees is pleased to announce its intent to confer an honorary doctorate of humane letters on former Bacone trustee Mr. Archie Mason during spring 2022 commencement.
“We are very honored and truly blessed to have Archie Mason as this year’s honorary doctorate recipient and commencement speaker,” said Dr. Nicky Michael, interim president. “He embodies the resiliency of our tribal cultures as well as strength in service to our people. Mr. Mason’s traditional knowledge fulfills the criteria of an Elder and we wish to honor that knowledge with the doctorate of humane letters.”
Mason is a member of the Osage and Cherokee Nations, and has long distinguished himself in education. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s in education from Northeastern State University. Before his retirement, Mason was employed at Tulsa Public Schools for 30 years, including as a classroom teacher, certified counselor, and Title IX and Johnson O’Malley Indian Education director.
Mason is also a recognized leader in spiritual matters. He is Cedar Chief of the Western District of the Osage Nation, an ordained minister of the American Baptist Churches, USA and a member of the Native American Church of Oklahoma. He served 14 years as a member of the Osage Nation Congress, and also has served as a member of the Bacone College Board of Trustees in the past.
He was recently honored with the 2022 American Indian Circle of Honor Award sponsored by The Maxine and Jack Zarrow Family Foundation, Tulsa Library Trust and TCCL’s American Indian Resource Center.
Spring 2022 commencement begins at 10 a.m. on May 14 in the college’s Memorial Chapel.