The annual Heroes and Legends banquet hosted by the Osage County Historical Society was held at the Osage County Fairgrounds on May 1.
Two Osages were honored at the event: retired quarter horse jockey G.R. Carter and former Osage Nation Principal Chief Jim Gray. Frank Spencer, John Hughes and Bruce Hendren were also honored at the annual banquet.
Carter was introduced by Vice President of the Osage Historical Society, Faren Anderson.
“It is my honor to introduce retired professional horse racing jockey George Robert Carter Jr. Or, G.R. Carter,” Anderson said. “A record-setting legend. He’s the only person that I know from Osage County that has his own Wikipedia page and his own bobble head.”
Carter grew up in Pawhuska and attended Pawhuska High School. His childhood revolved around gymnastics, wrestling and rodeo.
“But what really mattered was horses and roping; both loves instilled by his late father, mentor and favorite roping partner, the late George Carter Sr.,” Anderson said.
Carter began working with horses when he was a teenager. According to the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association, he has set multiple records in his career as a horse jockey. Anderson shared some of Carter’s many accomplishments.
“He’s the record-leading rider in wins with just over 4,000 wins, and he’s the record-leading rider in money earned with over $75 million in mount earnings at the time of his retirement. In 2008, G.R. set a single-season earnings record of just over $5 million, breaking the previous record of $4.5 million that he himself set just two years earlier,” Anderson said. “The same year, G.R. broke his own single meet record for wins at Remington Park with a total of 98 wins.”
While researching Carter’s career for the introduction, Anderson found a quote that describes Carter’s contribution to the quarter horse industry.
“One of the best quotes that I found about him was that G.R. Carter did not raise the bar; G.R. Carter is the bar,” Anderson said.
Carter rode his first horse at the Osage County Fairgrounds when he was 14.
“I want y’all to forgive me if I get a little emotional, but it truly started right here,” Carter said. “The first horse-race horses I ever got on was when I was 14 years old, right here at this racetrack. And I never in my wildest dreams would’ve believed where it all took me.”
Carter said that most jockeys leave school at an early age, but he wanted to wrestle and have his diploma. But the racetrack was what he thought was home.
“Most kids that start that young never finish school because school gets in the way of them out riding races and making money,” he said. “And then the racetrack was my calling; and whenever I graduated in May of ‘86, I was at the track for 35 years. I was a very fortunate guy and I’m proud to be from Osage County.”
Carter has lived all over the U.S. during his career, but Pawhuska will always be home.
“Even though I’ve been gone for almost 40 years now, I’m still a native Pawhuskan,” he said. “I am proud of it, and whenever I got the call from Gary that I was going to be honored tonight, I feel like I finally made the big time. Thank you.”
Anderson introduced former Osage Nation Principal Chief Jim Gray next.
“It’s my honor to introduce a former chief of the Osage Nation, James Roan Gray, or as we know him, Jim Gray,” she said. “He does not have a bobble head just yet, but he has a Constitution and I thought that means as much to him as a bobble head probably does.”
Chief Gray was principal chief during the reformation of the Osage Nation government in the early 2000s.
“When I think of Chief Gray, the word advocate comes first to mind,” Anderson said. “An advocate is defined as someone who publicly supports or suggests an idea, development, or a way of doing something. Words come to mind, such as passionate, a great communicator, goal-oriented, flexible, empowering, persistent, and a servant.”
These qualities ultimately made Gray an exceptional candidate for the award, she said. He has served not only the Osage Nation, but the Cherokee, Sac and Fox and Pawnee Nations, as well as all of Indian Country. “He’s what I would consider an Osage County hero and legend.”
Gray’s impact on Indian Country started before he served as Chief of the Osage Nation. He was in the journalism industry and was the publisher of Native American Times.
Anderson also talked about his role as Chief and the importance of his role for the Osage Nation.
“Having served two terms from 2002 to 2010 … Chief Gray led the Osage Nation through a comprehensive restoration of Osage sovereignty, the right to determine their own citizens and formed their own government,” she said. “This led to enrollment of thousands of Osages who had been left off the rolls for nearly 100 years in a referendum vote that adopted a constitutional form of government for the first time in generations. This monumental effort gave all Osages over the age of 18 a voice and the right to vote in tribal elections. As the youngest Chief ever elected, Chief Gray brought a new vision, new hope, and a more sustainable future for the next generations of Osages.”
Gray took the stage to share some of the accomplishments that were made during his term as Chief and the importance behind it.
“In 2002, we were down to nine [allottees],” he said. “We acted quickly as a Tribal Council to amend the 1906 act with our own legislation that would not just repair that one area, but to actually restore the sovereignty of the Osage people, to decide for themselves what kind of government they were going to have and who those members were. These were two issues that were denied us for the last 100 years.”
Gray became the youngest Chief to run and win election. During this time, he was able to get legislation introduced to the U.S. government to regain tribal sovereignty and give the Nation control over deciding membership.
“We immediately addressed the issue of membership, from owning an interest of a headright … to just being a descendant of an original allottee – thereby ensuring the continued existence of the Osage Nation,” he said.
During Gray’s terms, he saw the rise of the tribe’s gaming establishments and the creation of higher education scholarships for Osages across the country.
“We average probably, I’d say over $10 million a year in higher education scholarships,” he said. “We have done that every year since 2005. So we’re looking at 20 years, $200 million spent in higher ed. I have no idea what effect that’s going to have on our people.”
In quoting Confucius, he said that if you plan for one year, plant rice. If you plan for 10 years, plant trees. “But, if you want to change the world, educate the people. And I’m grateful that we’ve embarked. Thank you.”
The Osage County Historical Society is actively recruiting new board members to bring new energy. If you are interested in joining the board, please email ochs@att.net and attention the email to Kathryn Chambers.
