Published: August 09, 2009 03:25 pm      

Life stories of Oklahoma Indian football stars told

CARLISLE, Pa. — Oklahoma’s Carlisle Indian School Immortals, the book that chronicles the lives of Carlisle Indian School football stars with ties to Oklahoma is now available.

Author Dr. Tom Benjey’s new book explores the lives of 14 Native Americans who attended the government’s flagship off-reservation Indian boarding school. These never-before-told biographies convert lists of names into living, breathing people with strengths, weaknesses, foibles and idiosyncrasies. After reading this book, you will soon wonder why names such as Mike Balenti, Frank Cayou, Pete and Emil Hauser, and Victor Kelley are unfamiliar to most people.

Only through spending great amounts of time and effort researching these people is Dr. Benjey able to not only tell the individual life stories but to tie them together into a larger narrative. This book is not just for historians or football fans, but is important to better understand life at government Indian boarding schools.

Oklahoma’s Carlisle Indian School Immortals is heavily illustrated with numerous, never-before-seen period photos, newspaper cartoons and drawings. The attractive hardback cover should make the book attractive to readers from seventh grade to senior citizen.

 Benjey’s previous books, Keep A-goin’: the life of Lone Star Dietz and Doctors, Lawyers, Indian Chiefs: Jim Thorpe & Pop Warner’s Carlisle Indian School Football Immortals Tackle Socialites, Bootleggers, Students, Moguls, Prejudice, The Government, Tooth Decay and Rum, have both won awards and received positive reviews.

 Oklahoma’s Carlisle Indian School Immortals is available from Tuxedo Press, bookstores and on-line booksellers. More information can be found at www.Tuxedo-Press.com.