Wilma Louise Victor (November 5, 1919 – November 15, 1987) was a

Choctaw The Choctaw (in the Choctaw language, Chahta) are a Native American people originally based in the Southeastern Woodlands, in what is now Alabama and Mississippi. Their Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choctaw people are ...

educator. She was born in

Idabel, Oklahoma Idabel is a city in and county seat of McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 7,010 at the 2010 census. It is located in the southeast corner of Oklahoma, a tourist area known as Choctaw Country. History Idabel was estab ...

on November 5, 1919. A friend of hers was employed at the Federal

Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...

(BIA) and arranged for her to receive a scholarship to attend the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

for two years. BIA education director Willard Beatty encouraged her to enter a career in teaching and helped her get a scholarship for the Milwaukee State Teachers College, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree. Victor started her career as an apprentice teacher at Shiprock Boarding School in

Shiprock, New Mexico Shiprock ( nv, ) is a unincorporated community on the Navajo Nation, Navajo reservation in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 7,718 people in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. For statistical purposes, the Un ...

. Victor enlisted in the Army in 1943 and served in the

Women's Army Corps The Women's Army Corps (WAC) was the women's branch of the United States Army. It was created as an Auxiliaries, auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) on 15 May 1942 and converted to an active duty status in the Army of the U ...

during World War II. She served as a first lieutenant until 1946. She taught at Idabel High School for two years. After that she secured a teaching position

Intermountain Indian School The Intermountain Indian School (1950–1984) was a Native American boarding school in Brigham City, Utah. History This was originally the site of Bushnell Army Hospital. It operated from 1942 to 1946 and served wounded soldiers of World W ...

, an off-reservation boarding school in

Brigham City, Utah Brigham City is a city in Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 17,899 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Box Elder County. It lies on the western slope of the Wellsville Mountains, a branch of the Wasatch Range at ...

. Victor taught at Intermountain for 13 years and co-founded the

Institute of American Indian Arts The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is a public tribal land-grant college in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The college focuses on Native American art. It operates the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), which is housed in the historic S ...

. She was named Principal of the institute in 1962. She spearheaded the development of the institution's curriculum, which had a focus on Native art traditions. She was promoted to superintendent of Intermountain Indian School on April 7, 1964. She worked at the Intermountain Indian School from 1940 to 1960 and from 1964 to 1970. From 1961 to 1964, Victor was principal of Santa Fe's Institute of American Indian Arts. Victor was one of six women selected a Federal Woman's Award in 1967. She was recognized for her "exceptional creative and executive ability in the administration of a unique and complex school program for disadvantaged Indian youth". Victor was also a member of the Council for Exceptional Children, the Utah State Conference on Social Welfare, and the Governor of Utah's Commission on Indian Affairs. She was recipient of the Indian Achievement Award in 1970. The State of Utah also named Victor one of "seven women of the 70s." At the first National Indian Workshop for Indian Affairs she was a keynote speaker. In 1971, Victor was appointed special assistant to Secretary of the Interior

Rogers Morton Rogers Clark Ballard Morton (September 19, 1914 – April 19, 1979) was an American politician who served as the U.S. Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Commerce during the administrations of presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford ...

. At the time, she was the highest ranking Native American woman in government. She advised the secretary on Indian affairs. Victor died on November 15, 1987 in Idabel.

References

External links

Statement by Wilma L. Victor on her Appointment by Secretary the Interior Morton as Special Assistant to the Secretary for Indian Affairs.
Department of the Interior. March 29, 1971. {{DEFAULTSORT:Victor, Wilma 1919 births 1987 deaths School superintendents in Utah Choctaw people American school principals 20th-century American women educators Female United States Army officers Women's Army Corps soldiers Oklahoma Republicans Native American women in politics People from Idabel, Oklahoma 20th-century American educators 20th-century Native Americans 20th-century Native American women Women school principals and headteachers

References

Further reading

External links