Profiles
Posting as the arrive!
INTERIM OFFICERS
My name is Sheryl (McGhee)
Monteil. I live in
Odessa, MO with my husband Lew and 3 children,
Ashlee, Rachael and Wade. I
have a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with the emphasis on
Rehabilitation from UCM (formerly known as Central Missouri State
University). I have worked
for 13 years in nonprofit sector.
My Cherokee Heritage is on my father’s
side of the family and along the McGhee Family bloodlines.
I am just beginning to learn about my ancestry and have so far
found a few records that I have traced my family through to Ambrose
McGhee and Juda Cochran (Judith Couchrum or Judy Cochran).
Ambrose McGhee was an
Irishman who came with the Indians over the Trail of Tears to Delaware
Co., OK in 1839. He became acquainted with Juda Cochran or Chu-tak, a
full blood Cherokee on the trip and they were married shortly after
arriving in Delaware County. Ambrose with his two brothers, Pleas and
Lark, laid out Southwest City, MO, which is on the state line, and began
trading and doing business. Two years later after establishing
themselves at Southwest City, he left his brothers and settled two miles
west on Honey Creek. Here he had his headquarters and began trading
himself. He traded merchandise to the Indians from such items as buffalo
robes, and would leave here with seven to ten wagons, drawn by mules or
oxen. He would travel slowly through the Cherokee and Osage country and
this trip would end at Baxter Springs, Dodge City, or maybe Kansas City
where he would ship or sell his furs. McGee Street in Kansas City is
named for him and he was known there as an Indian trader. Again, he
would travel through the Delaware and Shawnee country circling farther
south. It took at least sixty days to make one of these trips.
I am very excited about learning about my heritage.
I was especially delighted to know that McGee Street (though
spelled differently) was named for my ancestors.
I am honored to be a part of the KC Cherokee Community and look
forward to working with others that are committed to bringing together
and expanding the knowledge and traditions of the Cherokee to its
descendants in the metro area.
Neile Stallings (Vann) is an enrolled tribal member of
the Cherokee Nation based in
Currently, the Program Coordinator for the Faculty and Staff Development
Division at the US Army Command and General Staff College,
Ms.
Stallings is a former Board Member of the Mid America Indian Alliance
and served a three-year term on the Board of Directors for the Heart of
America Indian Center; a multi-purpose agency providing emergency
assistance and professional services to Native Americans in the greater
Kansas City metropolitan area. There are approximately 20,000 American
Indians in the
Ms.
Stallings dances in the "Southern Cloth" or "Southern Traditional"
category at powwows in the local
Working with
In
2003, Neile met with (Cherokee Nation) Chief, Chad "Corntassel" Smith
who asked her to help organize a Cherokee community meeting in the
Kansas City area which resulted in the Cherokee History Course and
Language class being offered to Cherokee Nation Citizens in KC.
Additionally, Ms. Stallings is the facilitator of the Native American
Spiritual Circle at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks on Fort Leavenworth
and has done other advocacy work for Native American inmates in State
and Federal Prisons.
In
the future, Ms. Stallings plans to continue her involvement in
representing her tribe, culture, and spirituality to those interested in
her perspective as a Native American.
Hi all! My name is Sandra Lee and I am the treasurer of the Kansas City Cherokee Community. I have been in the accounting field for over 25 years and look forward to using my experience to help our community grow. I can trace my Cherokee ancestry back to the “Trail of Tears” with my great-great-great-great grandmother Charlotte and her daughter Susannah. I am hoping to learn more about Cherokee culture and history and can’t wait to start!
O-si-yo. My name is Roderick
Becker. I live in the
Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City with my wife, Martha and our 5
children. I have often heard
Chief Chad Smith speak of Ga-du-gi and the Cherokee legacy we will leave
to our children, so I was honored to serve as an at-large member on the
interim board and assist in the start-up of the Kansas City Cherokee
Community. As a Cherokee citizen who lives outside of the nation's
jurisdictional area, I see the KCCC as an ideal opportunity to celebrate
heritage and kinship, and to develop and strengthen a sense of
involvement with and belonging to the Cherokee Nation.
Do-na-da-go-hv-i.
My name is Scott Lemmon and I am the current web administrator for the Kansas City Cherokee Community web site. I have a background in Information Technology and writing. As well as a background of Cherokee Heritage. I am also the family genealogist for several branches of my family. And now I am bringing all these interests together to help provide a medium of exchange for the Kansas City Cherokee Community!
TOM BRANDOM
County Experience
ê Clay County Clerk (Elected in
2006)
ê Clay County Presiding
Commissioner (1995 to 2002)
ê Admin Assistant to County
Court (1975 to 1979)
Cultural Background
ê American Indian Culture at
Line Creek (Board Chair)
ê Heart of America Indian
Center (Board Member)
ê Kansas City Ethnic Commission
(Board Member)
ê Enrolled Member of the
Cherokee Nation
Family
ê Grew up in a Military family
-- Liberty, MO was home
ê Married to Vanessa Brandom
(Communication Arts
Teacher at
ê Children: Mary (1983), Cathy
(1988), Tommy (1992)