More than 500 Chickasaw elders from across the country gathered in Thackerville, Oklahoma, June 4-5 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Chickasaw Elders Conference — an event honoring culture, community and the vital programs that support elder well-being.
“This is a time and a place for us all to come and share,” Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby said. “This has become a tradition. This is a good place to come together as a Chickasaw family. Year after year, we have been steadily growing. This is a place where wisdom is shared, and stories are abundant. While remembering our past, we celebrate who we are today.”
Hosted at WinStar World Casino and Resort, the conference offered two days of community connection and resources tailored specifically for Chickasaw elders.
“It’s pretty exciting to know the Chickasaw Elders Conference has a 30-year legacy,” Chickasaw Nation Director of Senior Information Stacy Wesberry said.
Conference attendees had the opportunity to hear from presenters from across the state of Oklahoma providing vital information about elder resources. Representatives from the Chickasaw Nation Department of Health, Chickasaw Community Bank, the Chickasaw Nation Division of Community Services, Chickasaw Lighthorse Police, the Oklahoma State Department of Health and the Oklahoma Chapter of Alzheimer’s Association, among others, shared valuable information regarding programs and services offered to Chickasaw elders.
Home improvement accessibility, advances in medical treatments offered to elders, fitness designed with elders in mind, home safety and access to tribal health were among some of the topics discussed during the event.
Chickasaw Lighthorse Community Services Officer Austin McBride was on hand to address elder safety and awareness.
“Always talk to your doctor if you have mobility issues,” McBride said. “Take your time doing things. Don’t rush.”
McBride also warned attendees of the ongoing threat of telecommunication scamming.
“Telephone safety and fraud, is another important issue today,” McBride said. “If you receive an offer, always discuss it with others. No one is ever going to ask for your Social Security number or bank information over the phone. These are red flags.”
Nearly 30 information booths were available for citizens to learn more regarding state, federal, tribal and private resources available to them.
Among those providing information to Chickasaw elders was Andrea Golden-Pogue of Oklahoma Dementia Care Network.
“I have been invited to come to the Chickasaw Elders Conference for the last few years,” Golden-Pogue said. “It gives me an opportunity to share about our clinic and resources available at the University of Oklahoma. This is information people may otherwise struggle to find.”
Rooted in tradition, opening ceremonies of the 2025 Chickasaw Elders Conference began with a welcome address from Wesberry. This was followed by an invocation led by Delmer Brewer Jr. of Arlington, Texas, along with a rendition of the Lord’s Prayer presented by the Chickasaw Princesses and the posting of colors by the Chickasaw Honor Guard.
Governor Anoatubby concluded opening ceremonies with remarks and a summary of the revered status elders hold within the tribe.
The Chickasaw Elders Conference had humble beginnings. Originally taking place in the early 1990s at the Chickasaw Motor Inn in Sulphur, Oklahoma, the event later moved to Lake Texoma Lodge. The Chickasaw Elders Conference would find a home at the WinStar World Casino and Resort in 2006, where it has been hosted since.
“At our first Chickasaw Elders Conference, we had 72 rooms reserved for the conference,” Wesberry said. “This week, we logged 350 rooms. We had 516 registered for this year’s conference. The Chickasaw Elders Conference is a success.”
The Chickasaw Nation provides transportation for many of its elders from regional senior centers within the Chickasaw Nation to the annual conference in Thackerville. Others often travel from out of state, some traveling thousands of miles to enjoy the conference.
Shirley Fulsom, a Chickasaw citizen and retired Chickasaw Nation employee with nearly 25 years of experience, visits both friends and family during the Chickasaw Elders Conference.
“This is my second year coming to the conference,” Fulsom said. “They asked everybody at the senior site to sign up that wanted to come. I rode the bus here with other senior citizens. I am glad we have the bus that takes us places. I like to go on the day trips provided through the senior sites as often as I can.”
Along with the Chickasaw Elders Conference, Fulsom recognizes the value the Chickasaw Senior Center programs provide First Americans.
“I make it to the senior center in Ada once or twice a week. I meet my sisters there and eat,” Fulsom said. “Sometimes there are nurses at the senior site that check our sugar, give us shots and check our blood pressure. I have high blood pressure. It makes me feel better that sometimes there are nurses at the senior centers.”
For more information, visit Chickasaw.net/EldersConference or contact (580) 795-9790.