TRIBAL MEMBER NEWS
Rodney “Rod” Ben -1952-2003
Rodney Wayne “Rod” Ben, 51, of
Lincoln City, Ore., died July 22, 2003,
of pulmonary fibrosis.
He was born Jan. 2, 1952, in
Toledo, Ore., to Delores (Sanderson)
and Edmond Ben. He was a member of
the Confederated Tribes of Siletz
Indians of Oregon.
He was raised and educated in
Salem, Ore., and graduated from South
Salem High School in 1970. Following
high school, he joined the U.S. Marine
Corps and served during the Vietnam
War. He was honorably discharged
from service and moved to Salem.
He graduated from the Oregon
State Police Academy and served as an
Oregon state trooper in Tillamook
County. He was a guard for the Oregon
State Correctional Facility in Salem
and later worked as a custodian for
Chemewa Indian School in Salem. In
1989, he worked for the Bureau of Land
Management in the McKenzie River
area and also worked for Eugene Sand
and Gravel.
He married Cheryl Staggs on
March 18, 1990, in Reno, Nev. He
moved to Lincoln City in 1994 and
began working at Chinook Winds
Casino & Convention Center as a
security supervisor, later moving to
work in entertainment management at
the casino. He retired in November
2002 due to disability.
He enjoyed hunting, trapping,
fishing, camping, and Native American
dancing and crafts. Survivors include
his parents, Delores and Edmond, of
Salem; his wife, Cheryl Ben; two
daughters, Brook Larabee of Siletz and
Fawn Young of Lincoln City; two
brothers, Gerald Ben of Salem and Ed
Ben Jr. of Sacramento, Calif.; a
grandchild, Destiny Matthews of
Lincoln City; and many aunts, uncles,
cousins, nieces, and nephews. He was
preceded in death by a grandfather,
Chief Archie Ben of the Chetco Tribe.
A wake was held prior to the
memorial service on July 27 at the
Siletz Tribal Community Center.
Interment followed at Paul Washington
Cemetery in Siletz.
Memorial contributions may be made
to the Art Bensell Scholarship Fund in
care of the Siletz Tribal Education
Department. Condolences may be sent to
Bateman Funeral Home, 915 NE Yaquina
Heights, Newport, OR 97365.
Antone F. Martin, Jr. -1951-2003
Antone F. Martin, Jr. was bom Oct.
28, 1951, in Corvallis, Ore. He passed
away on July 18, 2003, enroute to
Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Ore.
Riding his bike home, he was struck by
a motor home. He was residing in
Grants Pass, Ore., at the time.
His father, Antone “Tony” Martin,
Sr., and his older brother, Robert Taylor,
preceded Tony in death.
He leaves behind is mother, Agnes
Baker-Pilgrim, of Grants Pass, Ore.;
his wife, Crystal Martin, of Siletz,
Ore.; brothers, Keith Taylor of
McKinleyville, Calif., and Darrel
“Dino” Butler of Lincoln City, Ore.;
sisters, Sonja Taylor of Encino, Calif.,
Nadine Martin of Crescent City, Calif.,
and Mona Hudson of Aumsville, Ore.
His children are Jason Vaughan-Martin
of Portland; Santee Martin Sr. of
Crescent City, Calif., and Sonnita
Martin of Portland. His grandchildren
are Jordan, McKenzie, Peyton, Santee
Jr., Devin, Keauna, Jamie, Manuel,
Rocky, and Albert. He also leaves behind
his friend, Sonja Lindberg of Grants Pass,
and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
He was a member of the Con
federated Tribes of Siletz Indians of
Oregon and he also was in the U.S
Marine Corps. He was a logger and
construction worker and he put in
several years at the Portland shipyard.
He was learning wood and bone
carving from his farther and his
skills showed that he had become a
good carver.
Treaty Celebration
Sept. 10, 2003 - Medford, Oregon
To celebrate the 15^' Anniversary of the Treaty of Table Rock
Sara Bell, Felicia Carmona, Clarinda Black, Lynette Hibdon, and Tiffany Stuart
enjoy an inter-tribal during an exhibition dance at the Lincoln County Fair.
Native Communities Focus on Building Formalized Philanthropy
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. - First
Nations Development Institute will host
its third Wisdom of the Giveaway
Conference on Sept. 8-10, 2003, in
Milwaukee, Wis., to promote asset
building and formalized giving in
Native American communities.
The event is co-sponsored by the
Forest County Potawatomi Community
Foundation, a charitable giving
program of the Forest County
Potawatomi Tribe. The Forest County
Potawatomi Community Foundation,
which donated more than $3.6 million
to non-profit organizations in the great
er Milwaukee area in 2001, is hosting
the conference at its Potawatomi Bingo
Casino/Conference Center.
The conference series brings
together representatives from tribes,
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foundations, regional non-profits, and
governments to share their experience,
knowledge, and networks about
formalized philanthropic giving. It’s
designed to:
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Facilitate the creation of sovereign
Native American philanthropic
funds and foundations
Inform tribes and tribal members
of the tax benefits in formalized
giving
Inform
tribes,
inter-tribal
organizations, and mainstream
foundations on the myriad
sovereign legal structures that
support asset-building in a way
unique to tribes as they create non
profit and philanthropic structures
August 2003
Strengthen the Native American
non-profit sector as a whole
Bring philanthropies together to
share knowledge and expertise
Build partnerships to strengthen
Native American philanthropy for
the benefit of both Native American
and non-Native communities
Leverage national education,
research, networking, and policy
activities with regional knowledge,
networks, and hands-on philan
thropic activities to strengthen Native
philanthropy on a regional basis
Increase the capacities of tribes,
inter-tribal organizations, and
other Native entities to control,
manage, leverage, and increase
philanthropic assets
The conference is being held
during Milwaukee’s annual Indian
Summer Festival, an event that
celebrates the rich diversity of
traditional and contemporary Native
American culture. This year’s festival
theme, Returning the Gift, provides an
ideal backdrop for Wisdom of the
Giveaway, with conference registrants
receiving free admission.
For additional information, contact
Megan Hunter at 540-371-5615 or
mhunter@firstnations.org, or check
the First Nations’ Web site at
www.firstnations.org.
First Nations Development
Institute was founded in 1980 to assist
Native communities in controlling their
assets and building capacity to direct
their economic future.