Sequoyah to Be Inducted into Hall of Fame

The inventor of the Cherokee syllabary, Sequoyah, is among those Oklahomans selected for the 90th class of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

Sequoyah, who resided in Sequoyah County from 1829 to 1844, and the late Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher of Chickasha, an Oklahoma civil rights activist, will be inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame.

Also to be inducted are Justice Tom Colbert of Sapulpa, the first African-American Chief Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court; Congressman Tom Cole of Moore, an eight-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives; Bob Funk of Piedmont, founder of Express Employment Professionals; Shannon Miller of Edmond, gold-medal winning Olympic gymnast; Phil Parduhn of Edmond, chairman of Pelco Products Inc. and Pelco Structural LLC; Hal Smith of Ardmore, originator of Hal Smith Restaurants; and Carrie Underwood, originally of Checotah, Grammy-winning country music star.

Induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame is the highest honor the state can bestow upon an Oklahoman. This year’s nine honorees will join 683 individuals who have been inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame since 1928.

Grammy winner Vince Gill and Emmy and Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth will serve as masters of ceremonies for the event. Gill and Chenoweth are both Oklahomans and both in the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction ceremony will be held Nov. 16 at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City.

Sally Maxwell, Senior News Director

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