Neihardt Laureate’s Feast to Honor Chuck Trimble in Omaha on November 8th

The John G. Neihardt Foundation, dedicated to the legacy of Nebraska’s Poet Laureate, will hold its 16th annual Laureate’s Feast dinner and auction fundraiser on Sunday, November 8th in the Swanson Conference Center at the Fort Omaha Campus of Metropolitan Community College in Omaha. The evening’s activities include a wine reception and musical entertainment by Eddie Elfers. The event emcee will be Paul Hammel, Vice-President of the Neihardt Foundation, and the auctioneer will be Dr. Myrvn Christopherson, former President of Dana College. The event begins at 5 p.m., with dinner served at 6:30 p.m. followed by the live auction. Dress attire is business casual. Both the silent and live auctions contain unusual and valuable items, including gift and collector items. The reception, meal, and decor are all designed and prepared by the Culinary Arts Department of Metropolitan Community College. The Neihardt Foundation has chosen to present the “Word Sender” award to Charles “Chuck” Trimble. A member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, Trimble was born and reared on the Pine Ridge Reservation in the small village of Wanblee. He was principal founder of the American Indian Press Association in 1969, and served as Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians from 1972. He has represented U.S. Indian tribes at the charter conference of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples, as U.S. delegate at the United Nations Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, and U.S. delegate to the Human Right Experts meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Accord). Trimble is a former Executive Director at the John G. Neihardt State Historic Site, and was on the Board of the Nebraska State Historical Society (three years as president). Trimble previously served on the Board of Directors of the American Indian National Bank, the Board of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, and as President of ARROW, Inc. In 1979, he founded Charles Trimble Company, Inc., dedicated to promoting and fostering economic development on Indian Reservations. He founded Red Willow Institute to provide technical and management assistance to American Indian non-profit organizations. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Cultural Sciences degree from Creighton University, an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Wayne State College, and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by his alma mater, the University of South Dakota. He was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2013.Trimble lives in Omaha with his wife, Anne. They have one daughter, Katherine (Kaiti). He has published a book, Iyeska, which details the rich and varied experiences of his well-accomplished life. The Laureate Feast is open to the public, but advance reservations are required as dinner seating is limited. Reservations are accepted now through November 2nd. Tickets are $100 per person, or reserve an entire table for $1,000. The Neihardt Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and part of the dinner cost is tax-deductible. For more information, call (402) 648-3388 or 1-888-777-HOOP; e-mail: neihardt@gpcom.net; or visit the website: www.neihardtfeast.com.