OIGA announces John Marley Scholarship recipients

Tuesday, August 31, 2021 5:40 PM
  • Rege Behe, CDC Gaming

The Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association has recognized eight students for academic achievement.

The John Marley Scholarships Monday were announced to dependents of Oklahoma’s Tribal gaming industry employees, and to gaming industry employees.

“We are unbelievably proud of these individuals and wish them the very best as they pursue their academic goals,” said OIGA Chairman Matthew L. Morgan in a statement. “OIGA and its member tribes understand the value of education and we are grateful to be able to contribute to the education of members of our gaming family through our John Marley Scholarships.”

The foundation is named for John Marley, a salesman and vendor who has been a counselor and mentor to OIGA interests in the state.

The foundation provides scholarships to recipients who meet stated minimum requirements. The recipients are chosen by the Oklahoma City Public Schools’ Native American Student Services team. Funding for the scholarships comes from a golf tournament held at the OIGA Annual Conference and Trade Show.

Since OIGA established the John Marley Scholarships in 2008, 56 scholarships have been awarded.

This year’s student scholarship recipients are:

  • Grace Lankford, Oxford, Ohio, a junior at Miami University, with a 3.1 GPA. Her grandfather is employed by the Prairie Sun and Prairie Moon Casinos.
  • Turner McCoy, Fort Worth, Texas, a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a degree in engineering technology and a 3.695 GPA, soon to be entering graduate school. McCoy’s father works for River Spirit Casino.
  • Dacoda McDowell-Wahpekeche, Newalla, Oklahoma, a junior studying journalism at the University of Oklahoma with a GPA of 3.41. Her stepfather works at River Bend Casino.
  • Jolie Morgan, Goldsby, Oklahoma, a junior at the University of Oklahoma majoring in economics with a 3.89 GPA. Her father works for Chickasaw Nation.
  • Gavin Sires, Stillwater, Oklahoma, an incoming freshman at Oklahoma State University who will pursue a pre-med major, applied science. His mother is an employee of Sac and Fox Nation Casinos.

Employee scholarship recipients:

  • Michael Bridgman, Orongo, Missouri, a table games manager at Downstream Casino Resort who earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Missouri Southern State University. Bridgman is pursuing graduate studies at Pittsburg State University, where he holds a GPA of 4.0.
  • Terri Fowler, Pawnee, Oklahoma, a junior at the University of Phoenix studying business with a business analytics certificate, and with a 3.84 GPA. Fowler is the director of retail operations at Stonewolf Casino.
  • Crystal Hawkins, Pawnee, Oklahoma, a sophomore at Nebraska Indian Community College studying business with a 3.7 GPA. Fowler is a human resources representative at Stonewolf Casino.

Rege Behe is lead contributor to CDC Gaming. He can be reached at rbehe@cdcgaming.com. Please follow @RegeBehe_exPTR on Twitter.