STILLWATER, Okla. – The Oklahoma State University Alumni Association inducted Otoe-Missouria tribal citizen Wilson K. Pipestem into the OSU Hall of Fame on Friday, Feb. 11. Induction into the Hall of Fame is the university’s highest honor for alumni or former students, recognizing their outstanding professional achievements and contributions to society. Pipestem was previously honored as the university’s Distinguished American Indian Alumni in 2013.
Wilson Pipestem is wearing his Oklahoma State University Alumni Hall of Fame medal over a Pistol Pete beaded medallion following the 2022 induction ceremony. (OSU photo)
Pipestem, who grew up in Norman, Okla., is also of Osage and Potawatomi descent. He served as president of the Native American Student Association as an undergraduate at OSU and was a scholarship athlete competing for the university’s track and cross-country teams. Pipestem graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1992 before earning his Juris Doctorate from Stanford University in 1995. He is one of only a handful of tribal citizens inducted into the Oklahoma State University Hall of Fame since ceremonies began in 1956. Other Native American inductees include renowned artist Benjamin Harjo, Jr. (Seminole and Shawnee) in 2012 and former Assistant Secretary of Interior for George W. Bush Neal McCaleb (Chickasaw) in 2019.
“I’d like to thank the Oklahoma State University Alumni Association for including me in this esteemed 2022 Hall of Fame class. It’s an honor to stand alongside my distinguished colleagues and be recognized by Oklahoma’s premier university,” Pipestem said. “And while I’m humbled to represent the Otoe-Missouria Tribe, as well as the Osage and Potawatomi People in this Hall of Fame, I recall the remarkable Native leaders that attended Oklahoma State and led the way for me. I’m delighted to join individuals like the great Seminole and Shawnee artist Ben Harjo Jr., but our tribal communities remain underrepresented in these honors. I hope we are joined in this Hall by even more of our well-deserving Native brothers and sisters very soon.”
Watch the entire induction ceremony here.
Pipestem is the founding partner of Pipestem & Nagle, P.C., and founder of Ietan Consulting, LLC. He has assisted tribal nations with reacquiring former tribal lands back into the tribal land base, reaffirming reservation boundaries in Oklahoma in post-McGirt v. Oklahoma litigation, and stopping attacks on tribal sovereignty. He also served as lead counsel in Osage Nation v. United States, which was settled in favor of the Osage Nation after 11 years of litigation for a record $380 million.
Pipestem played a prominent role in the landmark reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in 2013 that reaffirmed the rights of tribal courts to exercise criminal jurisdiction over all persons committing domestic and dating violence against Native women. He was also instrumental in the Reclaiming Native Truth project, a national effort to establish new narratives for social and policy change, counter discrimination against Native Americans, and combat the issue of invisibility.
“Wilson Pipestem has dedicated his life and career to protecting tribal sovereignty and the rights of Native Americans,” said Rob McInturf, president of the OSU Alumni Association. “He is an outstanding example of an Oklahoma State University graduate who is passionate, selfless and dedicated to improving the lives of others. For that, we are honored to recognize him as one of the newest members of the OSU Hall of Fame.”
OSU was first known as Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College and remained Oklahoma A&M until 1958. It is the state’s premier land grant university, founded on three pillars: Instruction, research and extension. The university provides the highest quality education in a variety of majors using the latest teaching methods, creating the next generation of scientists, thinkers and scholars through a tradition of research excellence. In addition, the university’s cooperative extension connects citizens across Oklahoma, the nation and the world with the latest research and practical solutions for the world around them.
OSU’s land-grant university mission has longstanding ties with Native communities. While still known as Oklahoma A&M, the university held agricultural partnerships with Chilocco Indian Agricultural School about 60 miles north of Stillwater near Blackwell, Oklahoma. The exchange resulted in knowledge exchange about crops and other farming practices. Chilocco closed in 1980, but the skills and wisdom acquired by students have impacted generations of Natives.
Today, Oklahoma State University has one of the highest enrollments of Native American students of any public university. Hundreds of students from tribes across the country graduate every year in dozens of degree programs. Additionally – OSU’s Center for Sovereign Nations is a hub for tribal students seeking a supportive and uplifting community, surrounded by fellow Native American students.
“It’s no surprise Native American student enrollment is higher at OSU than nearly any public university. Hundreds of Native American undergraduates receive degrees annually in a multitude of disciplines,” Pipestem said. “Students can now follow the path of art, film, medicine, or even law like I did. With the preparation of OSU, Native students have the world available to them.”
Pipestem’s fellow Hall of Fame inductees included:
- Larry Ferguson, animal science (1975), and Kayleen Ferguson of Hot Springs, Arkansas
- Helen Hodges, accounting (1976), San Diego, California
- Greg Massey, finance (1987), Durant, Oklahoma
“Again, I thank OSU for this distinguished honor and their graciousness,” Pipestem said. “I will cherish for a lifetime the thoughtfulness that honors my family and me.”
Pipestem his wife, Brenda (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), have four children. He is a lifetime member of the OSU Alumni Association.
- Oklahoma State University release
