Tom Shortbull: Looking back

Tom Shortbull: Looking back

 

By Clara Caufield,

Native Sun News Today Staff writer

 

 

 

 

 

As reported last week, Tom Shortbull, President of Oglala Lakota College (OLC) announced his retirement, effective July 9, 2022. In addition, he graciously shared some perspectives and experiences with Native Sun News, those which shaped his remarkable career as an administrator, elected official and ambassador for higher education while at Oglala Lakota College.

President Shortbull, 75, was born in Igloo, an army depot that stored bombs and other munitions, during World War II and up to 1968 when the Defense Department Army closed down this facility.  His Indian name is Sunkmanitu Isnala (Lone Wolf). In 1948, his family moved to Denver, Colorado so that his father could attend the Denver Art School.  This was also the beginning of the relocation program for Indian people, and his mother was the secretary to the Denver Indian Relocation Director.

In 1951, his parents Norman and Elizabeth (Grace) and his three sisters Linda, Norma, and Marilyn moved to Wanblee, due to an urgent call that his father needed to come home to take care of his uncle.  From 1951-53, the family lived in Wanblee, but due to little work that was available on the Pine Ridge Reservation, his family moved to Belvidere and they lived in this town from 1953-56.

“We were poor.  My parents really struggled to provide the bare necessities,” Shortbull recalled. However, both of his parents were excellent role models, Shortbull stressed, instilling a good work ethic and love of learning in their children.

He recalls a particular memory.  While watching TV one evening, his mother who had been a very successful student, attending Haskell for secretarial training and passing the very difficult civil service test, told him “Tom you can be anything you want to be in this world.”

He never forgot that and now offers the same encouragement to other young Indian people.

In 1956, the family moved back to Igloo where is father was a painter for the physical buildings at the Army Depot.  Tom proved to be a good student and athlete at Igloo.  In 1962, the Igloo Teener baseball team won the State “Class B” Tournament and also won one game against Sioux Fall in a best 2 out 3 games advancement playoff to a 5 state regional tournament.  He was selected to the 1962 Class B all-tournament team.  In his Junior and Senior Year, he was a starting guard on Provo High School’s Rattlers Team.  The Rattlers were the 1964 Region 8 Runner-ups and were the 1965 Third place finishers in the Region 8 Tournament.  In the 1965 basketball season, the Provo Ratter were rated No. 3 in a statewide Class B basketball poll.

In 1965, he enrolled at University of South Dakota (USD), one of a small group of Oglala attending college at that time.  He calls it the ‘second wave’, acknowledging others such as Gerald One Feather and Calvin Jumping Bull who attended college in the 1950’s were part of the first “first wave” of Indian people attending college.  He was greatly assisted with being able to go College through the Aberdeen Area BIA higher education scholarship program

Tom especially appreciated his college courses in Indian studies and government courses while at USD.  He was the president of the Wapaha Club (War Bonnet) Indian Club on campus through his freshmen through junior year.  He wanted to get involved and become more knowledgeable about the history of Indian people, especially the atrocities committed against Indian people and share that knowledge with others.  “That is what is so terrible. Very few people in this country know about the Indian atrocities and how we were treated in the United States.”

His educational efforts resulted in first gaining a BS degree in Government and then a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, both at USD.

Shortbull served two terms as OLC President, totaling 31 years of service with him being the OLC President for the last 27 years. The accomplishments made under his administrations have proven a model for other tribal colleges and have been fully detailed in other press releases and articles.

During his career, he accomplished many other things for Indian people in the political arena. His work as the Executive Director of the South Dakota State-Tribal Relations Task Force moved the US Civil Rights Commission to recommend to the Justice Department that gerrymandering had occurred in South Dakota voting districts that diluted the Indian vote into three legislative districts.  In 1982, the Justice Department made it a requirement for the State of South Dakota to establish a voting district that included Todd and Shannon County which resulted with a majority of the population of this district being Indian people.  He was the first Indian person to be elected from this district, serving six years as a State Senator.  He was also credited with being one of the most influential tribal college Presidents to secure passage of the Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act in 1978, which continues to provide the basic operational funding for tribal colleges.

When Shortbull first attempted to run for office on the Pine Ridge Reservation he was denied the chance because the OST rules at that time said in order to run one had to be born on the reservation. Shortbull fought this rule in Tribal Court and had it removed.

While discussing the unique circumstances faced by many students at OLC and other tribal colleges, he expressed his disappointment in a new policy under the Obama administration.  “Now students are expected to gain a degree in 4-5 years as it relates to financial aid.  Quite often that doesn’t work for our Native students because of financial or family challenges.”

Carrie Billy, President and CEO of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium said, “President Shortbull is one of the “old guard of the Tribal College movement.  As one of the longest service tribal college presidents, his retirement will be felt by all.  But President Shortbull is leaving his college in a strong place.  Over the past three decades he has focused on building and sustaining OLC as a premier institution.  Today it has the largest enrollment of any tribal college and its faculty and staff are among the best.  One example of his exceptional leadership is his well-trained, committed and prepared staff and faculty who have the skills to keep moving forward for the Oglala Lakota Nation.  That is a remarkable and empowering legacy.”

 

Shortbull’s wife, Darlene, a registered nurse, is also retired.  Tom credits her with “keeping things going” during the leaner financial times of their marriage.  The couple has three children who are also doing well including Paul John of Yankton, retired military; Vanessa, (Miss South Dakota 2002), is a federal employee and Frank also of Rapid City owns Budget Signs, following in the footsteps of his grandfather.  The Shortbulls also have three grandchildren who are Sadie and Jackson of Rapid City, and Brandon who works in in Denver.

Tom and Darlene make their home in Rapid City where they plan to continue their residence, conveniently close to the Pine Ridge Reservation.  He plans to write his memoirs which will certainly provide interesting insights into the last fifty years or so of contemporary Indian history, from someone who helped bring change for Indian people during that time.   Saying that he “never has had enough time for golfing,” Shortbull plans to remedy that after retirement.

 

( Clara Caufield can be reached at acheyennevoice@gmail.com)

 

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